# What the hell happened to contemporary animation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759 "2013-03-01T20:16:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/1 "2013-03-01T20:16:56Z")
I’m talking about the art style. Obviously, there’s a lot of good stuff: _ **Archer** _ is the finest example, of course. I’m not a watcher, but _ **MLP: FiM** _ definitely looks good. But then we’ve got shit like _ **Adventure Time** _ and now this thing that’s showing on IFC, _ **Out There** _. They look bizarro, to put it kindly. To put it how I actually feel, they look like ass. There’s no way I’d watch either of these 'toons, simply because I would want to claw my eyes out the entire time. _De gustibus_, I guess, but I truly wish the world had more _ **Archer** _ time and less _ **Adventure Time** _. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/2 "2013-03-01T20:22:28Z")
I’ve never seen Out There but the animation style of Adventure Time seems to me to fit its conceptual style and attitude. I also don’t quite understand what you mean when you say it looks like ass. ---
**Author:** ![mage-girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mage-girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mage-girl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/3 "2013-03-01T20:23:42Z")
Less _Adventure Time_?! Shut the front door! 😉 Definitely the art style is not for everyone. My friends got me a stuffed Marceline and even the toy looks weird and misshapen. Not to mention the randomness. It can be a bit much at times. I should check out Archer sometime… It’s on Netflix, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/4 "2013-03-01T20:25:37Z")
> [@mage-girl](#): > > I should check out Archer sometime… It’s on Netflix, isn’t it? “Yeeeayuuuuuuh it iiiiiisssssss!” - Mordecai and Rigby from **Regular Show**. Speaking of animation. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/5 "2013-03-01T20:38:57Z")
It’s the Japanese influence; anime has gone from a weird-looking cult art to mass popularity. Artists like to use it because it looks different from typical Disney/American animation. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/6 "2013-03-01T21:06:06Z")
I haven’t seen Out There, but I’m a big Adventure Time fan. Adventure Time’s style is simple and cute, but it belies the dark twistedness and tragedy of the show’s setting and characters. The contradiction messes with your head, in good ways. Sorry it doesn’t agree with you, but it really does add to the enjoyment of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/7 "2013-03-01T21:18:27Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It’s the Japanese influence; anime has gone from a weird-looking cult art to mass popularity. Artists like to use it because it looks different from typical Disney/American animation. [Here’s some characters from _Out There_.](http://www.animationmagazine.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Out-There-post-1.jpg) [Here’s some characters from _Adventure Time_.](http://www.saywhatonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Adventure_Time_Chibi.png) Can you identify the specific graphic elements from either cartoon that you feel were imported from Japanese animation? ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/8 "2013-03-01T21:57:41Z")
I don’t know – a little personality goes a long way in animation. I much prefer the idiosyncratic style of Adventure Time and Out There to the cookie-cutter Saturday Morning animation I grew up with (e.g., Super Friends, Masters of the Universe, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/9 "2013-03-01T22:35:06Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > I don’t know – a little personality goes a long way in animation. I much prefer the idiosyncratic style of Adventure Time and Out There to the cookie-cutter Saturday Morning animation I grew up with (e.g., Super Friends, Masters of the Universe, etc.) Oh, don’t get me wrong: _Masters of the Universe_ was truly astonishingly bad, but in its own special way. My ex was into it in a “so bad it’s good” way, and I watched an episode with her. I was frankly embarassed that I loved it as a kid, and wanted to call my dad to apologize to him for making him watch it with me. 😃 I don’t see Japanese influence in either of the 'toons I mentioned. You do get it in MLP and various other cartoons, like _Powerpuff Girls_ and the original animated _Clone Wars_ (mini?)series. Anyway, I know this is just my own taste. I guess I just like cartoons to be… visually appealing? I can’t really say “realistic,” because whatever Bugs Bunny is, realistic ain’t it. _Adventure Time_ looks like it was done by a third-grader to me. That _can_ be charming, as in Allie Brosh’s blog, but I don’t get that from _AT_. _Out There_ prominently features (it seems) people with mops instead of heads. (Or pom poms, or… something.) Which, I guess… um… whatever. I suppose it’s an old man sort of rant that I had to get out of my system. Perhaps I need a lawn. ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/10 "2013-03-01T22:36:08Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Here’s some characters from _Out There_.](http://www.animationmagazine.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Out-There-post-1.jpg) > > [Here’s some characters from _Adventure Time_.](http://www.saywhatonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Adventure_Time_Chibi.png) > > Can you identify the specific graphic elements from either cartoon that you feel were imported from Japanese animation? [Comparison that draws some pretty striking parallels between the two styles.](http://i.imgur.com/V5plnjV.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/11 "2013-03-01T22:57:18Z")
I think Ralph Bakshi had a lot to do with it. He came from the traditional Terrytoons mold but edged it up a bit after he was promoted. Check out The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse: > **[Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mighty_Mouse:_The_New_Adventures)** > > Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures is an American animated television series. It is a revival of the Mighty Mouse cartoon character. Produced by Bakshi-Hyde Ventures (a joint venture of animator Ralph Bakshi and producer John W. Hyde) and Terrytoons, it aired on CBS on Saturday mornings from fall 1987 through the 1988–89 season. It was briefly rerun on Saturday mornings on Fox Kids in November 1992. > The quality of Mighty Mouse as compared with other 1980s animated television series is considered b... Pretty cutting edge stuff for the time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/12 "2013-03-01T23:01:50Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > _Adventure Time_ looks like it was done by a third-grader to me. _Adventure Time_ FEELS like a kid’s fantasy, but it’s the most visually inventive cartoon since Chuck Jones stopped drawing the _Road Runner_. Penn Ward (the show’s creator) is a visual genius. To do so much with so little … amazing! A few lines, a few dots, and he achieves depths of emotion that are missing from most feature films. It’s too bad you don’t like the look, because _Adventure Time_ is going to cast a VERY long shadow. You’re going to be seeing stuff inspired by it for the rest of your life … . ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/13 "2013-03-01T23:06:11Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > It’s too bad you don’t like the look, because _Adventure Time_ is going to cast a VERY long shadow. You’re going to be seeing stuff inspired by it for the rest of your life … . Well, don’t that just about suck. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/14 "2013-03-01T23:09:15Z")
I must be an old fogey too, because I share **LawMonkey** ’s opinion. I won’t say that I’ll never like a cartoon with “bad” animation, but it’s a lot harder sell for me. I remember back in the '90s _Dr. Katz_ was popular, but I found it unwatchable no matter how good the plots were, because watching all those wiggly lines gave me a headache. I think the art in _Adventure Time_ is ugly (_Out There_ too based on the pic upthread, but I’d never even heard of that prior to this thread). I stopped watching _Ren and Stimpy_ when the art got even uglier than it was at the beginning (admittedly the plots and “humor” devolved massively too). Then again, I thought the art in _Hey Arnold!_ was ugly too, but I happened to catch a couple of episodes and ended up loving it. So I guess I can get past unattractive art if I like the writing enough. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/15 "2013-03-01T23:13:37Z")
> [@Tarwater](#): > > [Comparison that draws some pretty striking parallels between the two styles.](http://i.imgur.com/V5plnjV.jpg) I literally laughed so hard I needed to go poop. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/16 "2013-03-01T23:56:34Z")
So I’m guessing, the oldsters in this thread would also hate graphical style of _The Simpsons_ – yellow skin, Bart has no hair line, etc. I know my parents didn’t like them – they were too ugly. But, for me, the stylized, simplistic animation kinda pulls me in. Somehow, the shortcuts they’ve taken just add to the irreverence. I haven’t caught _Archer_ very much … the the stark realism is also stylized, it seems to be, at times, a framed closeup of something by pop-artist Lichtenstein. ---
**Author:** ![dataguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eada6e/32.png) [@dataguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dataguy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/17 "2013-03-02T00:16:47Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > So I’m guessing, the oldsters in this thread would also hate graphical style of _The Simpsons_ I probably qualify as one of the “oldsters”. But I don’t hate the style of the Simpsons. But one thing I think we oldsters miss is a sense of craft–and not just in cartoons. I once heard a graphic artist lament that students in art school today are not required to learn how to draw!!! I found this astonishing, but I think it reflects what some people find lacking in some modern forms of artistic expression. This could really be an entire discussion in itself, but I’ll stop here. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/18 "2013-03-02T00:32:31Z")
Oh shit – I may have to turn in my “Old Fart” card, because I absolutely LOVE Adventure Time. Again, I wandered in while my daughter was watching an episode, and afterI asked did the Lich actually kill Billy and use his skin as a disguise I was hooked. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/19 "2013-03-02T00:41:55Z")
_Rocky and Bullwinkle_ was masterfully animated with an almost-CGI realism, but I liked it. My daughters like _Adventure Time_ and _The Regular Show_, but there’s too much yelling, especially when I’m trying to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759/20 "2013-03-02T00:51:14Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > So I’m guessing, the oldsters in this thread would also hate graphical style of _The Simpsons_ – yellow skin, Bart has no hair line, etc. I know my parents didn’t like them – they were too ugly. But, for me, the stylized, simplistic animation kinda pulls me in. Somehow, the shortcuts they’ve taken just add to the irreverence. I haven’t caught _Archer_ very much … the the stark realism is also stylized, it seems to be, at times, a framed closeup of something by pop-artist Lichtenstein. Twenty plus years ago I saw an interview with Chuck Jones on the old _Later with Bob Costas_ show (must have been circa '89 or '90) and he eventually asked him about the recent mega-success of _The Simpsons_. Although you could tell that he did have reservations about the drawing style, he simply called it “limited animation”, he clearly understood that that was the point. He compared it to the old _Rocky & Bullwinkle Show_, in that it was never meant to be a fully animated cartoon but rather a smartly written radio play with some adequate visuals accompanying it. And he still fully credited it with getting interest in prime time animation going again. I was wondering if there was a thread about IFC’s\* Out There\*. I was disappointed with the first two episodes. Not terrible, just not much of anything. It lacked any heart or soul or creativity. And I don’t quite get why the main family looks that way. All the characters are drawn as caricatures, but why is the family, ah, wolf-man people or something?! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-happened-to-contemporary-animation/651759.md?page=2)