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

[Amourie 63]

I do agree that i am a little nostalgic on today's cartoons, but i am open-minded and willing to watch at least one or two episodes to see how it goes. My favorites in the past from 50's-2005, were my all time favorites! Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Courage, Powerpuffs, Rugrats, KND, and so on. The same goes for the new like Gumball, and Adventure Time but they ruin Teen Titans and Looney Tunes for me though. Its like they took what makes the character of Teen Titans, and made it into one personality that they all have... eww

[J.T. 1,843]

I think its the live-action childrens shows that went downhill and never returned. The 90s had Legends of the Hidden Temple, Clarissa explains it all, Pete & Pete, Kenan & Kel. I'm sure there were good shows after the 90s, but not as many.

 

 

 

I did, my post was all about the 00s. As the 00s went on, the number of quality cartoons went down, but in this decade have picked themselvs up again.

 

There were good cartoons in the 00s, but then there was also this.

 

OH GLOB! MY EYES! THEY BURN! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

I think this video sums up what I'm trying to say perfectly

[DragonFlyer 329]

 

 

TheJLeeTeam, on 07 Mar 2015 - 5:57 PM, said: 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...

Oh goodness no, cartoons have been around for a long time. Disney's first full-length animated movie (Snow White) came out out in 1937 and there were many short cartoons before that. Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop, Popeye...all those started in the 20s/30s. I believe the oldest (known) animation dates all the way back to 1908! You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swh448fLd1g Interesting stuff!  

Speaking of old cartoons, anyone remember Morris the Midget Moose" from the 50s? Really takes me back! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCXxKMIdLHU I grew up in the 90s but was raised on all the old classics of years past. I love old toons!

[Zoraxe 546]

While I don't want to sound like this guy...

 

 

I do think the 90s was overall a better time for childrens shows both animated and live-action than the generation before and after. BUT that is not to say either decades were far behind, the 90s werent some golden age that all others cannot compare. And many of todays cartoons are just as good, or in the case of Avatar and Friendship is Magic, better than the 90s stuff.

 

But to sum it up, the 80s was far too much about selling toys and making cheep animation, as awesome as G1 Transformers was, its was cheeply made. The 00s was more or less a continuation of the 90s, but as time went on it became stagnant and less and less good stuff was made over time. And, in addition, the 90s had clunkers too, anybody remember Sonic Underground?

[Megas 27,695]

I think this video sums up what I'm trying to say perfectly

lol @ the shots fired at BenTheLooney, but yeah, I tend to agree with what Pan Pizza said. Most people growing up now will probably look back at a our shows and think to themselves and say "people liked this crap", like some of us 90's kids did with 80's cartoons, and so on. Likewise, a lot of people who grew up in the 90's will also probably look back at the stuff we liked and say to ourselves "we liked this?" due to most cartoons not standing the test of time, as a personal note, aside from Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Simpsons, King of the Hill, and a few anime and superhero shows, many shows in the 90's I've actually grown to dislike(Catdog), or not enjoy as much as before(Rocket Power), or find extremely forgettable(pretty much 90% of the Disney/CN line up personally)

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

lol @ the shots fired at BenTheLooney, but yeah, I tend to agree with what Pan Pizza said. Most people growing up now will probably look back at a our shows and think to themselves and say "people liked this crap", like some of us 90's kids did with 80's cartoons, and so on. Likewise, a lot of people who grew up in the 90's will also probably look back at the stuff we liked and say to ourselves "we liked this?" due to most cartoons not standing the test of time, as a personal note, aside from Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Simpsons, King of the Hill, and a few anime and superhero shows, many shows in the 90's I've actually grown to dislike(Catdog), or not enjoy as much as before(Rocket Power), or find extremely forgettable(pretty much 90% of the Disney/CN line up personally)

I agree most Nick and Cartoon Network shows don't appeal to me much now not even the classic ones I grew up with. In fact I never really cared for Ed, Edd, n Eddy. If you look at it, it has obnoxious characters, wobbly animation, and really random plots. If Ed, Edd, n Eddy were released today it would be hated on a lot. The same goes for Ren and Stimpy and Catdog. And not even Spongebob and Fairly Odd Parents appeals to me much anymore not even the classic episodes.

 

The Nicktoon that holds up to me the most is Invader Zim and the Cartoon Cartoon that holds up the most to me is Powerpuff Girls. I recently realized I always liked Disney more than Nick and CN and A lot of Disney cartoons aged well to me. So I lost interest in Nick and CN in general. This is just my opinion though.

 

I know some of you will bring up MLP being one of the few animated shows worth watching these days. It's a wonderful show, I think we can all agree but the problem is that it's a love it or hate it show as well similar to Adventure Time. Because not everyone will acknowledge that it's a good show since there's still tons of people who bash it and think it's only for little girls or doesn't have as much action as Gravity Falls or something.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

I think this video sums up what I'm trying to say perfectly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uWKkndwrCs

Oh I've seen that one. It brings up a good point.

 

The beginning joke reminds me that most reviewers I watched at one point in life started out acting like typical 90s kids. Not even just Benthelooney but Rebeltaxi and Pieguyrulz had that mentality at one point.

 

But yeah, I never got the deal with 90s kids. They act so higher than everyone else because they grew up on 90s cartoons. I get they like those shows, but I've seen some of them bash younger folks for not growing up with those shows. Just look at retro junk. Someone is nostalgic for something from the 2000s, then suddenly he gets comments of people acting like snobs.

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

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.

I don't see how you can use Mike, Lu and Og as an example cuz that show was actually good. A better example of mediocre to bad cartoons would be:

 

2 Stupid Dogs

Cow and Chicken

I am weasel

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

I don't see how you can use Mike, Lu and Og as an example cuz that show was actually good. A better example of mediocre to bad cartoons would be:

 

2 Stupid Dogs

Cow and Chicken

I am weasel

Even as a kid, I always thought Mike, Lu, and Og was boring as hell. If you like it, that's fine, I just think it's very "meh".

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

But 90's cartoons still don't compare to the more timeless classics like Mickey Mouse, Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Popeye.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

What we should be talking about are all those 2000's cartoons. Justice League, Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Static Shock, all the good stuff I watched when I was little...

 

oh

 

On a YouTube video posted in this thread a few pages back, I was able to see a firsthand example of time acting as a filter. You see the same thing occur with classic rock. All the legendary artists are lifted up high, and anything current is bashed because it can't hope to compete with the twenty-year legacies of their forebears. With anything current, time hasn't yet filtered the flashes in the pan from the stuff that will last. The comment on that YouTube video reminded me of what it was actually like watching cartoons as a kid, having to sift through reruns of Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island or any number of mediocre shows to get to the stuff I actually wanted to see. But I don't remember any of that because there was nothing about it worth remembering, and I'd hazard a guess that there were dozens of garbage cartoons in the 90s that aren't being remembered either.

 

So yeah, if you wanna compare Teen Titans Go unfavorably to Gargoyles then by all means do so. But seeing as how nobody really considers TTG to be a shining example of quality/one of the best shows this generation has to offer, the comparison might be a little unfair.

 

I'll concede that character designs tend to look better in older shows compared with stuff like AT or Steven Universe, but I'll tolerate designs I don't like if they're being used to tell good stories.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ-oawfyvn4

 

If you TLDR this post, just come away with the message that The Spectacular Spider-Man > all

[Steve Piranha 29,428]

I don't see how you can use Mike, Lu and Og as an example cuz that show was actually good. A better example of mediocre to bad cartoons would be:

 

2 Stupid Dogs

Cow and Chicken

I am weasel

I watched Mike, Lu and Og, but it was far from my favorite show. I also watched those three others frequently, but at my current age, I find them stupid and unwatchable. 

I'm not sure if Sheep in the Big city was 90 or early 00 show, but I never liked it

[Envy 6,169]

I was what they would call a "90s kid", and no, I really don't think so. Sure, I had my favorites: The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Lab, etc. But I really can't say that I enjoyed them any more than the ones I like that are current.

 

Plus there were lots of cartoons that were trying too hard to be gross in the 90s, like Cow and Chicken, Invader Zim and the like. Did not really like that type of cartoon at all, and I still don't.

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

A lot of the shows that aired back in the 90's and before then are much better than shows that are on nowadays. 

[QuirkyUsername 1,576]

Not really. Like today you have your mix of good and bad. Yeah animaniacs was a thing but also so was mega babies and the dumb and dumber animated series. I personally dont get the "90s shows are better sentiment" each decade will have their amazing stuff and obscure garbage best left forgotten. The 90s is no different.

[CT-1138 3,182]

Nickelodeon says yes. Yes, they are. 

[PonyWaifu 559]

The obvious answer is yes. That is why nickelodeon is currently looking to revive several of their 90's cartoons back. Cartoons back then were smarter, more entertaining, and weren't just stupid silly fart jokes like they are today. Some cartoons make the exceptions. Obviously MLP is one of them. There is a reason they have throwback segments on nick and there are channels like boomerang that still broadcast these shows.

[Red Cedar 1,408]

Are 90's cartoons better than todays?

 

Short answer: No.

 

Long answer: if 90's kids are the ones saying their cartoons were so much better, it's likely because they have a nostalgic fondness for the shows they grew up with, however, this is no different from people who grew up watching any other decade's shows. We all think fondly of our childhood memories. Keep in mind also, that for every show still rerun on television today like Dexter's Lab, there were many others that were forgotten. The same will happen with many of today's cartoons, sooner or later (and in the case of Uncle Grandpa, I really hope it's sooner).

 

My answer: The eighties were way better than anything!

[sweetolebob18 728]

The late, great Theodore Sturgeon (scifi writer) said something to the effect of "90% of everything is crud".  The 90s (actually mid 1980s to mid 1990s) had a LOT of great stuff.  It also had some stuff that flat out sucked.  The really lame Scooby Doo cartoons, for instance (The ones without Fred or Thelma), Archie's Weird Mysteries  + a ton of other garbage that is mercifully forgotten.

 

Still, the title Lamest Decade Ever has to go to the 1970s (just before Japanamation hit the USA). Best Decade Ever = 1930s. (Most of the classic Disney, Warner Brothers, & Walter Lantz characters, to start with.  There is a reason they are still around after 80+ years)

[SteveMorison 404]

I could be just nostalgia but yes, cartoons were better in the 90s and early 2000s than they are today. Back then Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Disney channel all had a full days line up of quality cartoons, nowadays Nickelodeon is dreadful, Disney has Gravity Falls and not much else, Cartoon Network has some good shows but alot of crap to balance it out.

[baba_booey 4,303]

I feel there were more cartoons I liked in the 90's, but in terms of quality, I feel 2010's cartoons do beat 90's cartoons, in terms of stuff like storytelling, humor and animation. Yeah, there are some bad ones (looking at you breadwinners and TTG), but I'd personally watch MLP:FiM, We Bare Bears, Steven Universe, Gravity Falls and Arc era Thomas and Friends over any 90's cartoons I've seen.

 

Plus, there were bad 90's cartoons too. Just look at Rocket Power, Angela Anaconda, Mega Babies and My Little Pony Tales just to name a few.

[SteveMorison 404]

You know there's a reason nickelodeon won't let Spongebob and FOP die.

[Attack of the Pwns 894]

I think a lot of us are just experiencing the first stages of nostalgia. We aren't kids anymore, but we don't want to feel like we're losing our youth, so we look back on stuff that was big when we were kids.

 

As a car guy, I deal with this all the time. In the automotive fandom, there's a surplus of old men just waiting to give a "whipper snapper" a lecture on how much better cars were in the '60s than they are now, when in fact something as lowly as a 4 cylinder Camry of today would run circles around the 318 Road Runners and 302 Mustangs that made up most of yesterday's "muscle car" population, let alone what a modern muscle or sports car could do.

 

Since most of us weren't into cars like the baby boomers were, we do the same thing with stuff like cartoons and video games. Well, I'm here to tell you, the other day I was in a nostalgic mood and watched some Rocko's Modern Life and CatDog, both shows I loved as a kid, and guess what- I wasn't overly impressed. They were alright, but if had been 21 in 1998 instead of in 2015, I wouldn't be watching either of those shows as an adult like I do MLP.

 

The point is, things aren't better or worse now than they were then, they're just different.

 

Although, I will agree, Nicklodeon (along with the rest of Viacom) looks like it's pretty much at the end of its rope.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Attack of the Pwns

[Mr. Nutt™ 146]

To be honest, most of the love people have to 90's cartoons is just nostalgia. Hell, I'm sometimes guilty of letting nostalgia cloud my judgement. So are they better? No. Are they worse? No. It's the same quality really. Just like how you get hit and misses now, you still got that back then but chances are you forgot about them. For example, remember Fat Dog Mendoza? No? Neither do I. Could you remember off of the top of your head about what happened in Butt-Ugly Martians (not quite 90's, but still) or Mega Babies? Again, neither can I. So yeah, there's really no point in comparing the shows of the 90's to shows of now.