Netflix Animation General Discussion (2023 onward)

Leviathan

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Another update, Agent Elvis, Farzar and Captain Fall have been canceled at Netflix:


Now Farzar seems like no great loss, Captain Fall seems like a show that had no fanfare and fell into obscurity, but people seemed to like Agent Elvis.

I hope this chaos doesn't affect Redwall or future seasons of Castlevania or Scott Pilgrim.
This was what I was referring to. Whatever, their merits, all these shows were axed unceremoniously.

On streaming it's much harder for an animated show to justify its continued existence, since they don't tend to become massive hits like Wednesday or Squid Game or even the live action One Piece. That's a massive hurdle for animation to overcome.
 

The Overlord

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This was what I was referring to. Whatever, their merits, all these shows were axed unceremoniously.

On streaming it's much harder for an animated show to justify its continued existence, since they don't tend to become massive hits like Wednesday or Squid Game or even the live action One Piece. That's a massive hurdle for animation to overcome.

Well, let's face it, maybe Farzar or Captain Fall just were not appealing to audiences in terms of concept. Sometimes a network makes a bad or forgettable show and it will get cancelled after a season. Did Captain Fall or Farzar get threads on this board? Even Agent Elvis did not have a whole lot of traction on this site.

The same article mentioned a live-action show called Shadow and Bone that got canceled after 2 seasons, being live-action doesn't save you from the Netflix Ax. Now there has been successful animation on Netflix before, like Bojack Horseman, the problem is not animation, but the fact it's hard to break out from the hundreds of other shows Netflix puts on its service. I never heard of Shadow and Bone until it got canceled and I wonder if anyone here heard of Captain Fall. I think this is why branded IPs like Scott Pilgrim or Masters of the Universe get animated shows on Netflix, the name lets them stand out.
 
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Ace

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Netflix was able to succeed when the market wasn't oversaturated and have some relatively popular original shows. I don't think something like Bojack or Big Mouth could have lasted long had they showed up much later.

For something to get mainstream traction enough people have to care about it but you're divided between too many different streaming platforms and cable and not everyone has the same services.

and while Netflix and other service raising their prices helps pay the bills but it just makes their services more expensive and exclusive. I think indie animation has one advantage in that because it's supported by crowdfunding and ad revenue and then more people are exposed to it.

I think networks are already figuring out what is going on and you're seeing things like FAST services to give people a taste of their content for free and they promote the paid service.
 

Antiyonder

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I mean even if not on Netflix, I can't imagine it hurting if animated content gets high viewing at all whether it's them or a rival service.
 

Leviathan

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Well, let's face it, maybe Farzar or Captain Fall just were not appealing to audiences in terms of concept. Sometimes a network makes a bad or forgettable show and it will get cancelled after a season. Did Captain Fall or Farzar get threads on this board? Even Agent Elvis did not have a whole lot of traction on this site.

The same article mentioned a live-action show called Shadow and Bone that got canceled after 2 seasons, being live-action doesn't save you from the Netflix Ax. Now there has been successful animation on Netflix before, like Bojack Horseman, the problem is not animation, but the fact it's hard to break out from the hundreds of other shows Netflix puts on its service. I never heard of Shadow and Bone until it got canceled and I wonder if anyone here heard of Captain Fall. I think this is why branded IPs like Scott Pilgrim or Masters of the Universe get animated shows on Netflix, the name lets them stand out.

I didn't say live-action shows were automatically safe from cancellation. I said that the biggest breakout hits on Netflix are big live-action tentpoles.

Animation operates at a bigger disadvantage than live-action.
 

PicardMan

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I didn't say live-action shows were automatically safe from cancellation. I said that the biggest breakout hits on Netflix are big live-action tentpoles.

Animation operates at a bigger disadvantage than live-action.

The charts are absolutely dominated by live action and any animated series that stays on the charts for multiple weeks is a small miracle. The anti-cartoon stigma the public, especially older gens, has is hard to erase. Z is probably the first generation to not consider anime and cartoons that aren't adult comedy cartoons "nerd crap." It does seem like with streaming, the shows that make it to the fabled five season zone are in that lucrative adult vulgar comedy genre, like Big Mouth and the Harley Quinn cartoon, as the pre-Z's are receptive to that genre. Granted, Arcane will allegedly eventually get a second season, but that leads to the other streaming issue of the one season every two or three years model for animation that erases hype quickly and makes the hype for stuff like Arcane dissipate. Also, there is the issue of Netflix attempting to get people on board the newly resurrected adult non-comedy animation train by using the anime label for those shows and try to appeal to anime fans used to the concept. "Cartoon" still seems to be a dirty word that implies childishness and the anime label is used to get the Z's and Y's who like anime on board. At least the original Castlevania succeeded. I guess mainly vulgar comedy, preschool cartoons, anime, and "anime" are all that can keep sustained success on Netflix. I was hoping Arcane would be a trendbuster, but it's ridiculously long gestation period between seasons has killed hype. Rival streamer Max produced bangers in Fionna and Cake and Scavengers: Reign, but these seemed to only get attention from the "cartoon geek" audience. and I'm 90% sure there won't be a season 2 for either show. At least Invincible on Amazon Prime is I think doing well despite the Great Superhero Movie Crash of 2023. Anyway, only very specific types of cartoons seem to be able to survive the streaming era.
 

Leviathan

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. The anti-cartoon stigma the public, especially older gens, has is hard to erase.

And now that the streaming bubble has burst, the streamers want to see big hits and profitable quarters NOW. They don't have the patience to do anything to try and fight this stigma, as this would take more effort than greenlighting another live-action reboot.
 

PicardMan

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And now that the streaming bubble has burst, the streamers want to see big hits and profitable quarters NOW. They don't have the patience to do anything to try and fight this stigma, as this would take more effort than greenlighting another live-action reboot.


Well there are four demographics that accept cartoons, preschoolers, big kids, Zoomer adults, and "geeks" (what pre-gen Z cartoon fans are often despairingly thought of as). I know people said that kids prefer video games to cartoons, but video game based cartoons seem to do well, with Sonic Prime and the Cuphead Show doing well. I would think that kids video game based cartoons are the way to keep American animation relevant. I do know that this new wave of non comedy adult cartoons wouldn't even exist without streaming's alleged ability to appeal to mixed audiences, but it appears that American cartoons have to be mainstream or else bust. Come to think of it, Netflix's most successful non comedy cartoons are video game based stuff like Castlevania (although it looks like fans are hating Nocturne), Arcane (although the very long break between seasons has killed hype), and Cyberpunk Edgerunners are their most successful adult action originals and Scott Pilgrim is packed with video game references. I guess Netflix is probably going to cancel any adult cartoon that isn't the standard cartoon or video game influenced. It seems like only specific types of cartoons can succeed on Netflix.
 

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It at least shows that even if live action is the biggest money maker, Netflix values animation as a whole even if specific series might not necessarily be so. Interesting tidbits. Sounds like Netflix uses the "anime" label for video game-based action cartoons because of the overlap between video game and anime fans and using CGI would just make it look like a copy of the games (except Arcane). I'd still prefer it if they used the term "anime" to refer to Japanese animation rather than just a blanket term for non-comedy animation, but it seems like the trend will continue on for Tomb Raider the American anime. Preschool animation sounds like it's Netflix's biggest money winner with video game cartoons being close behind. Doesn't sound like Netflix is really trying that hard to compete with Crunchyroll when it comes to licensing big name shonen as that article barely mentioned licensed titles. Seven Deadly Sins seasons 1-2 was their exclusive shonen killer app, but seasons 3-4 changed things a lot. Maybe the new Seven Deadly Sins will continue. I guess Baki might be their other notable shonen exclusive. Anyway, what I got the most out of that article that Netflix isn't going to stop making cartoons and they've already made quite a few beloved cartoons.
 

wonderfly

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From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:

"Here’s Why Netflix’s Action Cartoons All Look The Same"​


castlevania.jpg


"Have you ever noticed that most of Netflix’s 2D action cartoons have a kind of…visual similarity? Castlevania, Tomb Raider, the Witcher movie and the upcoming Devil May Cry all have the same character designs, staging, lighting and bloom, etc. If you haven’t noticed, some people have (and they’re the kind of nitpickers that dwell in the Internet’s dark corners, can never be satisfied, and will find a reason to hate anything).

These people must be new to the world, so I guess I have to explain the concept of a house style. Usually when multiple cartoons are being produced at the same studio, the same people are designing all of them, so they tend to look similar. It’s why all of Klasky-Csupo’s characters had lumpy bodies and stringy hair. It’s why all of Hanna-Barbera’s characters had thick outlines, flesh-colored eyeballs and square jaws. And in this case, it’s because Castlevania, Tomb Raider and Devil May Cry are all produced at Powerhouse Animation."

Read the full article here.
 

PicardMan

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It does seem like Netflix's adult action cartoons are in a rut of sorts. Twilight of the Gods, Castlevania Nocturne, Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, and Tomb Raider have all been controversial and it's not like that King Kong cartoon or the cartoon where Rayman snorted cocaine weren't controversial last year. Well, Arcane season 2 can right the ship. The track record looks mixed. For every Arcane, Castlevania, and Blue Eyed Samurai, there's a Twilight of the Gods.
 

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