movies/tv Are 90s cartoons really better than today's cartoons

[Sazama Ichida 2,354]

What About Steven Universe, Gumball, Over the Garden Wall, and Clarence? Those are good cartoons. And why are you ignoring Disney? You know, the guys who have been giving us Phineas and Ferb, Gravity Falls, Wander Over Yander, and pretty soon, Star Vs. The Forces of Evil? Really though, Cartoons today are just as good, in some cases better than in the 90s. Whether you think otherwise or not is meerly subjective.

Can you define what makes Gumball, Steven Universe, and Star VS The Forces of Evil good please? Cuz I really don't see it...

 

Gumball and Steven Universe are full of farfetched non-sense and randomness and are badly written. And Star VS The Forces of Evil just seems to be a Disney ripoff of Adventure Time. I don't know the other ones you mentioned so I can't judge them.

[iluvfluttershy 35]

Yes, the 90s and early 00s cartoons have more creativity than most of today's cartoons. They made cartoons back then for kids AND adults. Today's cartoons like Uncle Grandpa and Teen Titans Go!, modern Spongebob episodes, Sanjay and Craig etc just depends on random and gross humor. They don't have good plots, and complex and likable characters.

 

The only cartoons I like now are: Regular Show, Adventure Time, Wander Over Yander, and Gravity Falls.

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

Can you define what makes Gumball, Steven Universe, and Star VS The Forces of Evil good please? Cuz I really don't see it...

 

Gumball and Steven Universe are full of farfetched non-sense and randomness and are badly written. And Star VS The Forces of Evil just seems to be a Disney ripoff of Adventure Time. I don't know the other ones you mentioned so I can't judge them.

Badly written in YOUR opinion. Both Gumball and Steven Universe are well recieved shows with loyal fanbases. If your on the fence about Steven Universe, check out the episodes Alone together, and On the Run. And Star ISN'T an Adventure Time rip off, especially since it takes place in a modern setting.  It's more like Gravity Falls meets Sailor Moon. Seriously, check out the first two episodes.

Yes, the 90s and early 00s cartoons have more creativity than most of today's cartoons. They made cartoons back then for kids AND adults. Today's cartoons like Uncle Grandpa and Teen Titans Go!, modern Spongebob episodes, Sanjay and Craig etc just depends on random and gross humor. They don't have good plots, and complex and likable characters.

 

The only cartoons I like now are: Regular Show, Adventure Time, Wander Over Yander, and Gravity Falls.

Those are just 4 shows though, I can name 4 mediocre to bad cartoons from the 90s too

 

Mega Babies

Angela Annaconda

Mike, Lu, and Og

Rocket Power

 

Lets not pretend the 90s and early 2000s were free from crap.

[Sazama Ichida 2,354]

Badly written in YOUR opinion. Both Gumball and Steven Universe are well recieved shows with loyal fanbases. If your on the fence about Steven Universe, check out the episodes Alone together, and On the Run. And Star ISN'T an Adventure Time rip off, especially since it takes place in a modern setting.  It's more like Gravity Falls meets Sailor Moon. Seriously, check out the first two episodes.

Can I ask you to please tell me what makes them good though? No offense I just really don't see what's so great about cartoons full of random farfetched non-sense that have either no storyline or a very poor storyline...

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

Can I ask you to please tell me what makes them good though? No offense I just really don't see what's so great about cartoons full of random farfetched non-sense that have either no storyline or a very poor storyline...

Steven Universe isn't incoherent nonsense though. It's got a great cast of characters, charming and creative stories, funny jokes, solid action, an amazing soundtrack, a plot that you have to PAY ATTENTION TO, great world-building, several tearjerkers, and a vibrant and dreamlike art style. There's a lot of love and heart that went into the show and it should be easy to see. Seriously, check out the two episodes I suggested along with Lars and the Cool Kids and So Many Birthdays.

 

Gumball may not have much of an underlying story, but neither early SpongeBob or Dexter's Lab. What I like about Gumball is that it takes many tired and cliche sitcom and cartoon tropes and turns them on their head. For example, in one episode, Gumball's dad asks him and Darwin to grab him by his arms so that he can pretend to yell at his mom's boyfriend. Check out episodes like The Job or The Joy to understand what makes the show work.

 

Star is too new to give a final opinion on, but from what I have seen, it's pretty enjoyable. It's animation is amazingly fluid, the characters are likeable and relatable, and there's a promise of continuity, which means more potential worldbuilding and myth arcs to set up in the future.

Edited March 7, 2015 by TheMisterManGuy

[Nerdy Luigi 2,064]

Pretty much, unfortunately. Today's cartoons are really bad for the most part. Funny thing is, one of the only exceptions I find to that is MLP. When that was atrocious in the 90's and early 00's (Gen 3 ponies... they give me freaking nightmares.)

 

Most of today's stuff is just a bunch of nonsense and childishly stupid. Back then, cartoons were actually as hilarious as Monty Python.

Edited March 7, 2015 by TwillyFSniper

[DBVSHHS 48]

I really don't think so, today we have gems such as Adventure Time, Regular Show etc 

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

Pretty much, unfortunately. Today's cartoons are really bad for the most part. Funny thing is, one of the only exceptions I find to that is MLP. When that was atrocious in the 90's and early 00's (Gen 3 ponies... they give me freaking nightmares.)

 

Most of today's stuff is just a bunch of nonsense and childishly stupid. Back then, cartoons were actually as hilarious as Monty Python.

As I said, there was plenty of crap in the 90s and early 00s as well. We have plenty of great shows out today

 

Adventure Time

Regular Show

Gumball

Wander

Gravity Falls

Steven Universe

Star

Clarence

Rick and Morty

and those are off the top of my head.

[The Coffee Pony 1,390]

Hell yes they're better. That should be obvious.

 

I question the sanity as well as the IQ of anyone who truly thinks that shows like Adventure Time, Regular Show, Uncle Grandpa, The Amazing World of Gumball and Teen Titans Go etc. are better than the wonderful timeless classics like Dexter's Laboratory, Ed Edd N Eddy, Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls and Courage The Cowardly Dog etc...

 

 

Yes, because anybody who has different opinion than you obviously has a lesser intelligence.

[Sazama Ichida 2,354]

Yes, because anybody who has different opinion than you obviously has a lesser intelligence.

I'm sorry, I didn't word that correctly. It's also possible that someone could have bias towards today's cartoons if they grew up with them instead of the 90's ones. But trust me, if you grew up with Dexter's Laboratory, Ed Edd N Eddy, Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls and Courage The Cowardly Dog etc. you would see why they are better than Adventure Time, Regular Show, Uncle Grandpa, The Amazing World of Gumball and Teen Titans Go etc. The quality of today's cartoons has greatly deteriorated. But chances are you probably grew up with Adventure Time, Regular Show, Uncle Grandpa, The Amazing World of Gumball and Teen Titans Go etc. instead so I can't blame you for liking them more for that reason.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Asbel Lhant

[Buzz 1,769]

I would say they did, to an extent! We have amazing cartoons nowadays (adventure time, MLP:FIM, Regular show, etc.) that have attracted people they weren't intended to, but the 90's shows also did this. Most modern cartoons seem to be copied and pasted from another, just with diffrent characters. In the 90's, cartoons were being more creative and bold in what they showed, e.g. ed, edd and eddy. The 90's also gave birth to both cartoons for children and adults (south park, family guy, etc.) that are still popular today. Although, in the 90's when somthing was good it was GOOD, it was the same for somthing that was terrible! At least nowadays if we see somthing bad weve seen it before, we hadnt in the 90's which kinda equals out the argument.

[DragonFlyer 328]

I think most people are a little biased towards the cartoons they grew up with, they become such a beloved part of our childhood and everyone gets nostalgic now and then. While I remember the cartoons of the 90s fondly and do favor them over many of today's toons I won't say every show made then was better. Like others have said every generation has it's gems and every generation has it's garabage, too. But I have a deep love for hand-drawn animation and it's something that is sorely missed these days. I still hold out hope we'll see a return to 2D animation someday, it's a beautiful form of art the likes of which, to me, nothing else can compare. In my opinion some of the best cartoons ever made were shows like TaleSpin, Gargoyles, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs...I could go on and on. At the same time I really enjoy modern cartoons like Gravity Falls, Legend of Korra and, of course, Friendship is Magic.

Edited March 7, 2015 by DragonFlyer

[The Coffee Pony 1,390]

I'm sorry, I didn't word that correctly. It's also possible that someone could have bias towards today's cartoons if they grew up with them instead of the 90's ones. But trust me, if you grew up with Dexter's Laboratory, Ed Edd N Eddy, Samurai Jack, The Powerpuff Girls and Courage The Cowardly Dog etc. you would see why they are better than Adventure Time, Regular Show, Uncle Grandpa, The Amazing World of Gumball and Teen Titans Go etc. The quality of today's cartoons has greatly deteriorated. But chances are you probably grew up with Adventure Time, Regular Show, Uncle Grandpa, The Amazing World of Gumball and Teen Titans Go etc. instead so I can't blame you for liking them more for that reason.

 

Yeah, no. I don't think they've deteriorated at all. I'll agree that Teen Titans Go is complete and utter crap but when it comes to Adventure Time that's where I have to disagree, I think Adventure Time is a fine show and there are plenty of good cartoons today such as Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Dan Vs and My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, the show this site bases itself around. And these are the more lighthearted ones. Keep in mind that I'm bigger fan of action-based western animated shows and I think it's safe to say that those haven't lost their touch, even though some of them end way before their times. In fact I'll bring some of my favorites.

 

I was huge fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a little kid and I still am now. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 ended up topping both the old cartoon and that atrocity known as Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. And even now TMNT 2K3 ended up getting topped by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012.

 

I'm a big fan of Transformers, I used to think it would be impossible to top Beast Wars. Well what do you know it ended up getting topped by Transformers Prime.

 

We've also had really good shows released nowadays like Green Lantern The Animated Series, Young Justice, Beware the Batman, Star Wars Rebels and Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes. So no I don't think Western Animation has deteriorated at all, we haven't lost our touch. Yes there's crap, Teen Titans Go is a prime example but, guess what? The 90's had a lot of crap itself in fact a previous poster named four examples of the top of his head. I also went and revisited some of the shows from Nickelodeon I used to watch as a kid like CatDog and Angry Beavers and they've aged POORLY!

 

This whole thing where "Oh Animation sucks nowadays, the 90's was so much better" is just a load of crap.

 

People take off the Nostalgia Goggles and actually do some digging around before uttering such nonsense.

[Buck Testa 5,503]

Dude we had Spiderman, The Tick, Animaniacs, GARGOYLES, Chip and Mutha fuckin DALE rescue rangers!, Batman AND Batman Beyond ( which is STILL badass by todays standards), Mutha fuckin X-MEN!, 

 

The Mighty Ducks, Scrooge Mcduck, Darkwing Duck, We couldn't hold all the damn ducks we had so many of them XD

 

Then there was POKEMON, which is STILL going

 

Lets not forget Tailspin, Gooftroop, and all the other stellar Disney shows they were pumping out.

 

Oh and then there were things that should of been crap but were actually really awesome like the Mask animated series and that psychedelic Beatlejuice Cartoon. 

 

 

the 90's kicked ass in the Cartoon department. 

[Sazama Ichida 2,354]

Yeah, no. I don't think they've deteriorated at all. I'll agree that Teen Titans Go is complete and utter crap but when it comes to Adventure Time that's where I have to disagree, I think Adventure Time is a fine show and there are plenty of good cartoons today such as Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Dan Vs and My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, the show this site bases itself around. And these are the more lighthearted ones. Keep in mind that I'm bigger fan of action-based western animated shows and I think it's safe to say that those haven't lost their touch, even though some of them end way before their times. In fact I'll bring some of my favorites.

 

I was huge fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a little kid and I still am now. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 ended up topping both the old cartoon and that atrocity known as Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. And even now TMNT 2K3 ended up getting topped by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012.

 

I'm a big fan of Transformers, I used to think it would be impossible to top Beast Wars. Well what do you know it ended up getting topped by Transformers Prime.

 

We've also had really good shows released nowadays like Green Lantern The Animated Series, Young Justice, Beware the Batman, Star Wars Rebels and Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes. So no I don't think Western Animation has deteriorated at all, we haven't lost our touch. Yes there's crap, Teen Titans Go is a prime example but, guess what? The 90's had a lot of crap itself in fact a previous poster named four examples of the top of his head. I also went and revisited some of the shows from Nickelodeon I used to watch as a kid like CatDog and Angry Beavers and they've aged POORLY!

 

This whole thing where "Oh Animation sucks nowadays, the 90's was so much better" is just a load of crap.

 

People take off the Nostalgia Goggles and actually do some digging around before uttering such nonsense.

I should've been more specific. I didn't mean all cartoons, just most. Most of today's cartoons really blow compared to the 90's ones. The only new cartoons that I feel can compare to the timeless 90's classics are My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Dan VS, and Littlest Petshop.

 

But to be fair upon watching more of Adventure Time past season 1 and actually giving it a chance I can now see why people like it. It gets alot better later. And Regular Show is actually pretty good as well.

[Beanie Brony 49]

Back then, cartoons were drawn. Now most are computer animated. Some shows were better, but others.... meh. Besides, 90s, didnt have MLP gen4

So true. A lot of cartoons I remember from my childhood were from the 90s. Some of the best cartoons I've ever seen. Except for MLP gen 3.5. MLP gen4 is awesome!

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

How do 90's cartoons compare to cartoons from the 30's, 40's and 50's?

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

I should've been more specific. I didn't mean all cartoons, just most. Most of today's cartoons really blow compared to the 90's ones. The only new cartoons that I feel can compare to the timeless 90's classics are My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Dan VS, and Littlest Petshop.

 

But to be fair upon watching more of Adventure Time past season 1 and actually giving it a chance I can now see why people like it. It gets alot better later. And Regular Show is actually pretty good as well.

Then you should check out the shows I listed earlier. Steven Universe, Gumball, Star, Gravity Falls, Wander Over Yander, and Clarence.

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

Then you should check out the shows I listed earlier. Steven Universe, Gumball, Star, Gravity Falls, Wander Over Yander, and Clarence.

You know I don't think he will accept Cartoon Network shows. Maybe some Disney ones like Gravity Falls.

Edited March 8, 2015 by TheJLeeTeam

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

You know I don't think he will accept Cartoon Network shows. Maybe some Disney ones like Gravity Falls.

I already explained to him why Gumball, Star, and Steven Universe were good shows, He should at least watch a few episodes of them before he judges them.

[Odyssey 5,713]

No, I don't think so. As somebody who is watching tonnes of cartoons lately, one thing that I've noticed with new cartoons is that they want to tell grander stories and take more risks when it comes to controversy. The 90s shows didn't do this as much as the 2010s, which I find to be a great improvement.

 

Even so, I don't think that there's one best decade of cartoons. There are going to be some stinkers in the 2010s, and the 2000s and 90s had their fair share of bad shows too. But you gotta stop wearing the nostalgia glasses and consider the good and the bad of both 90s cartoons and today's cartoons.

Edited March 8, 2015 by Odyssey

[Rebel the Wolfgirl 5,585]

In some regards, yeah. In others, not so much.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

In my opinion, yes. Overall the 90's had a more diverse range of cartoons, more gems, and smarter writing than I see from most cartoons today. There were a lot of stinkers or shows that were just plain overrated; Rugrats and Ren & Stimpy come to mind. Others haven't aged so well due to pop culture references like Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs, although the slapstick humor on those shows still hasn't been topped. So the decade was far from perfect.

 

But when I watch shows like Beavis and Butt-head, Daria, early Simpsons and King of the Hill, Batman/Superman/Spider-Man, Garfield & Friends, Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM, Darkwing Duck, The Tick...the later 2000s and 2010s don't come close. There are genuinely good shows scattered here and there--Teen Titans, PPG, Friendship is Magic--but the energy and creativity levels aren't what they used to be. The sense of competition then was much stronger; studios even used their cartoons to make fun of each other. Garfield ripped on Ren & Stimpy, and Animaniacs was especially gutsy with its parodies of Disney movies like 'Jokahontas' and popular (obnoxious) shows like Friends.

 

MTV, Nickelodeon, Warner Brothers, and Disney were firing on all cylinders in the 90's and turning out memorable animated shows left and right. Now MTV sucks, Nickelodeon's exhausted, WB shut down its animation studio and spiraled into mediocrity, and Disney can still put out a good movie here and there but their TV output leaves me cold. When those four studios declined, they left a void that was never filled. I'm not ripping on the cartoons of today, though; I have nothing against them and I appreciate the good shows that still come along. 

[Sazama Ichida 2,354]

How do 90's cartoons compare to cartoons from the 30's, 40's and 50's?

Wait, Did they even have cartoons that far back? I thought cartoons were first introduced in the 60's...

 

But anyway some were good. My faves from that timeperiod are:

 

1. Underdog

2. The Flintstones

3. The Jetsons

4. Spider-Man

5. Rocky & Bullwinkle

[KokuraiNoSenshi 3,463]

Honestly I think it depends entirely on what you like. The 90's had more things like Pokemon, Digimon, and Teen Titans. Today we have Avatar, Adventure Time, and The Amazing World of Gumball. Depending on what you like depends on what you feel has the better decade of TV. Personally, I like the 90's more but at the same time, looking back at it, it does have its flaws. Nothing's perfect, it's just a question of what you like more