10 reasons why a new dark era for animation has begun · 5:04am Mar 15th, 2019
(Thanks to Sabersparks, MysteriousMrEnter and Doomentio for the information needed for this document)
This is a hard list for me. I've been thinking of writing it for some time, it's sad and crude putting these thoughts here and I'll be glad to be wrong, but looking back and noticing how the world is changing, my perspective has changed for the worst. I really think a new dark era for animation has just begun. I'd really appreciate if any of you give me your opinions and comments about this topic, because it's important to remain together. And, just like Birdman, everything is guilty: the industry, the creators, the community, the fans, the social and political events, the social media, the way of thought, etc. Don't worry, I'm as guilty as everyone else.
1. Lack of originality in drawing design or “Cal-Art” Syndrome
Before you get me any excuse that “all of them studied at the same animation school”, let me tell you: that doesn’t make sense, because an animation school is supposed to help you create your own style, not to copy-paste. In fact, copy-paste in an animation school should be more than enough reason to get expel.
2. Teen Titans Go or the “Annoying Asshole” Syndrome
One of my favorite critics came to this term to describe a character, whose only purpose in life is to be annoying with everyone, regardless if his jokes are funny or if he hurts someone in the process. I don’t know how old this trope is, but the oldest character I know who fits this mold is Spongebob. However, he had many positives to contrast his annoying manners, such as being a good worker, have a heart of gold and being a good person in general, even with those who were bad with him, making him a good character overall. I said this because nowadays, a ton of cartoons are recurring to this stereotype in excess. Teen Titans Go is the best example because all the characters behave the same and say the same jokes over and over again. It’s no coincidence that, since its first appearance, we’ve had an overabundance of shows that have tried to copy this formula with mediocre-to-bad results, affecting quality because we see a pattern in humor, character and storytelling overall.
However, as much as we like to blame this show for firming up this trope and abuse its type of comedy, I think it’s overhated (I still think it’s a piece of shit, don’t misunderstand me, but I believe series such as Camp Lakebottom, Grojband, Sanjay and Craig and Breadwinners are worse). It’s the most well-known culprit, but not the main one.
3. Too many remakes, reboots and sequels
Is there any industry that relies so much on reusing their old titles as much as videogames... The glut of franchises and remakes is at an unnatural level. Masahiro Sakurai.
This a common complain I’ve heard these days. Many companies, like Disney, take out most of the time and resources for re-creating what has worked in the past that they left so little for original ideas. I get it, it’s a marketing thing, but I wonder, why don’t you do this for more original stuff? We’re getting into a point of oversaturation and for each remake or sequel, we’re losing that virtue of ignorance. Let’s take another point of view: You’re doing a remake, got it, but why do you take something that’s already good and doesn’t have room for improvements? When something is horrible, I totally agree with doing a remake (The Black Cauldron). But, what is the desire to destroy beauty? However, when something original finally comes out, everyone ignores it.
For original ideas you don't get too far
Creativity is required for an imagination
Why make things that are
What's what word again? New
From Saberspark’s Remake your World.
4. Cashing in on nostalgia
This is another complain I see from everyone... and I do agree with it. I get it, you’re a company, nobody can’t live without money, just don’t tell me you’re doing this for artistic things alone because you’re not. Nickelodeon isn’t releasing a Rocko movie and an Invader Zim movie just for “recapturing the old days”.
5. Netflix, streaming and online services
Look, I know Netflix and Co. have done a lot for us, allowing us to watch our favorite series and movies on home for free and has offer interesting offers such as Bojack Horseman, as well as masterpieces such as Roma and Look Who’s Back. However, animation is still tied to TV and, sadly, streaming services have created a new form of piracy that many companies can’t deal with (plus kids don’t watch TV anymore). Watching these products online reduces ratings and, therefore, cancels more opportunities for other shows, not to mention every show in Netflix has some kind of whitetrashing in its media. You may think I’m exaggerating, but it’s there (check out the founders and co-founders biographies if you don’t believe me). Of course, not everything here is propaganda (Hilda and Harvey Street Kids are cute and innocent, for example), but creators such as Craig McCracken, Genndy Tartakovsky, Masaaki Yuasa and Matt Groening have indirectly sell out to the company by taking into account certain normative for their series. Disney and Viacom are already planning theirs, but we have too many streaming services right now (some may be exclusive to America) and the vast majority of people don’t have enough money to pay for more than one (just look at Hulu). A couple of years ago, I thought migrating to streaming would be the best solution for animation thanks to creative freedom, but total creative freedom became debauchery and the excuse to justify paraphilia and sexual fetishes (Big Mouth, Super Drags), LGBT and SJW oversaturation (She-Ra, Danger and Eggs) and all similar. In its short lifespan, Netflix has already created some of the worst animated shows in history. Youtube is not save either: we haven’t had any groundbreaking or interesting original animation in a long time. Besides, Youtube pays less, copyright is more aggressive and cautions are more severe, to the point of deleting your channel just for cursing. That’s good demotivating.
6. Pretentious authors and possessive fans
In a way, I feel we, as fans, don’t appreciate the authors’ work. You have these artist who design great characters and beautiful moments that have become iconic to millions of people... and we demand more and more of the same and burst into anger when something doesn’t achieve our expectations. I can also consider any of us and them to reinforce the stereotype of animation is meant for children, because I’m seeing many fanfics going “edgy” just for the sake of being “edgy”. Look, we want shows to take certain topics more seriously and in a way both kids and adults understand and that’s great, but there has to be a limit. It’s sad that Disney, of all animation companies, is afraid of this stigma and isn’t releasing original material for its animation department. But nothing is worse than an animation trying to be something that is not, and a pretentious author can demerit his own works by saying his series includes messages that are obviously not there.
A good example of a decent show with a pretentious author. Don’t worry Daniel Chong, we get your pain. Poor Asian-American, whose ethnic group is one of the richest in the country. Poor Asian-American who works in a prestigious, well paid animation company and from which millions of people would like to work in. Nothing to do with how normal racial insults are in Latin America, nothing to do with how demanding the pace of work is in Japan, nothing to do with the ghettos formed in China by overpopulation. Hell is in America, land of the Straight White Man.
7. Lack of innovation and risk in general
When was the last time you watched a deconstruction or a different proposal on certain topic? Many have been ignored by the community for lack of advertising, premature cancellations and abundance of recycling old ideas with a new coat of paint. Meanwhile, companies are playing it safe and not taking enough risks. Just in the last 10 years, try to name 5 animated movies that took place at the same place or take place in the real world without any kind of magic or that aren’t G or PG. Breaking away from these clichés is a risk and not all risks are going to be successful (otherwise they wouldn’t be risks), but not taking risks will kill the industry. With MLP, Star and Gumball (all of them decayed to a greater or lesser extent) ending this year, what do we have left?
-A good show nobody is talking about (Summer Camp Island)
-Another good show nobody is talking about (Craig of the Creek)
-A decayed show that has become LGBT and SJW propaganda (Steven Universe)
-A show that’s already showing signs of seasonal rot... in its third season! (The Loud House)
-A company that appeals to the lowest common denominator just to make money (Illumination)
The Owl House and Amphibia have potential to be good, but their future is uncertain. With only Infinity Train, Hazbin Hotel and Villainous as the only interesting shows to premiere this year (and all of them recycle many elements from Adventure Time, The Hotel Transylvania series and Evil con Carne respectively), it doesn’t look good for the future.
2018 was its worst year and by the end of the 2020 decade, this channel might disappear if it doesn’t take more risks. I mean, just take a look: it only lives from 2 cartoons (technically 5, but we all know nobody watches Welcome to the Wayne, Kid Danger and Rise of the TMNT) and mediocre live actions (with Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn being the more tolerable), Harvey Beaks gets cancelled and Glitch Techs is in trouble without officially airing, continue delays on their nostalgia cash-in (Rocko and Invader Zim movies), Chris Savino and Dan Schneider are fired, Butch Hartman quits and Stephen Hillenburg passes away. How much more can it endure before succumbing?
8. Anime is not saved either
This masterpiece was ignored in its time for its current situation.
I’m not the biggest anime expert and I don’t know that much about the media, so I’ll try to keep it brief. Eastern animation is becoming too repetitive and too dependent on following certain formulas used in the past. Not to mention less and less anime is being exported worldwide for some strange reason, there’s not a lot of them even in streaming. With the exception of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, One Punch Man and Castlevania, as well as some modern masterpieces such as Your Name or In This Corner of the World, we don’t have that many notable eastern animations. Normally, cartoons and anime alternated quality periods in the past (5 years of good cartoons and bad anime, followed by 5 years of bad cartoons and good anime), but now we’re in a strange period where both are stuck.
9. LGBT and SJW oversaturation
I already talked about this before, so I’ll keep it simple. I’m not against LGBT representation, but we’re getting into a point things are getting out of hands. Not to mention, most LGBT shows deliver twisted morals about pacifism and progressism that, strangely enough, resemble too much the ideas of SJW groups, that everything can be solved through words, like Steven Universe. Why doesn’t Rebecca Sugar go to the Middle East and give everyone a speech to solve all the death and suffering to those who live there?
Decayed show by its own ideals and ambitions. Sure, it deals with themes such as loss, depression, and gender identification and that’s great, however it doesn’t give them the seriousness they should. The Powerpuff Girls and My Little Pony have more balls than Steven Universe.
In the end, you’ll never be able to satisfy the progressives no matter what you do. If you want all your characters to be white and blond, do it. Who cares?
10. There are more important things happening in the world
The returning soldiers, having seen so much a reality, were bored by my films. Tastes had change, but I had not changed with them. No one wanted my movies anymore. Georges Méliès, Hugo.
Normally, when someone watches animation or has fantasies in general, it’s because reality sucks and it’s boring. But with so many stuff occurring at the same time, I’m more intrigued about the world and its changes, as well as pursuing other interests and focusing my effort on my actual job (after all, I need to eat). I’m not the only one: just in the Brony community, Dm29 is now doing art for Star vs. The Forces of Evil, DrWolf is talking about financial advice and psychology, Magpiepony has moved to other things and DF has stated she’s writing an actual book. There’s nothing wrong with any of these, but the changes are noticeable and are already taking place. With all the shit that’s happening right now, do you really think someone will be as invested in animation as before?
I firmly believe Adventure Time, MLP and Regular Show had success not only for being good shows, but because they were released months before the death of Osama Bin Laden, event that “officially” ended Iraq War, giving us time to re-enjoy animation.
Fascinating
what a second
i.ytimg.com/vi/TobL3AkIDBI/hqdefault.jpg
I see no difference
I will have to disagree with you on Steven Universe. It has a story, and a beautiful one at that. It mostly centered around Steven's feelings about his mom and his place in the universe. It has heartwarming episodes, too, such as the instance when his parents met.
5028098
I used to love Steven Universe in its first 2 seasons, but now I think it lost its course a while ago.
This isn't entirely true, as plenty of kids still watch TV. But I can see what you mean given that most kids today have phones and access to the Internet.
Well, I was going to say Zootopia, but never mind.
I can't speak for Star or Gumball, but I don't think My Little Pony has been decaying. Could you go into further detail on what you mean?
Anyway, this was a very well-written, thought-provoking article. I really enjoyed reading this.
Gonna be honest. I variously disagree with, or see nothing new in, just about everything here. Especially that very last part. That was just bafflingly wrong. The world was not swearing off fun as it waited with baited breath for confirmation of Bin Laden's death. The world forgot about that guy and moved on long before he died.
This honestly just sounds like a typical case of getting a little older, seeing things you like changing and interpreting it as the end of the art/society/world. Every art has its ups and downs and no medium or framework lasts forever. Things will change as they always have and the arts will change with them so long as they have an audience.
The moment you pulled out the tired "It's all Calarts style now" argument, I could see where this was going. For the record, that argument is one of the most misused criticisms going around the internet right now. Here's a decent article on why that is.
By the way, there's more anime than ever being released to streaming platforms. Are you only looking to Netflix for your examples? Because that's not where most anime is released these days.
As for your obsession with "whitetrashing" (Huh?), "SJW content" and the rest... This is kind of what happens when you start to see stuff made that doesn't assume that you personally are the standard of "normal". Most shows are still made to be very safe and blandly popular, but you really seem to be getting upset by the few that deviate from that norm. Open and positive LGBT representation is still pretty new and rare in any cartoon, and the shows that actively portray it can probably be counted on one hand.
In other words, it's not a conspiracy or being overdone. You're just reacting badly to any time it's more than a subtle background element. You're basically saying that you have nothing against them, but would like them to stay quiet and out of sight. Which is, you know, kind of what they've had to endure in life.
Would you say that asexuals are part of LGBT? Because if I ever I get to doing a series in the future, it might have an asexual protagonist.
Also, my series has elements from shows that I watched in my youth. Does that fall under any of the categories in this list?
5028114
2018 was the worst year for Nickelodeon in terms of ratings in the last 7 years. Both Cartoon Network and Disney are already taking action, because the number of children and babies using phones, apps, Internet and streaming is increasing.
Zootopia and How to Train your Dragon are good examples of movies that take place at the same place.
MLP has not decayed to the same extend as Star or Gumball, but there are signs that makes me wonder if the show has lasted too long. Certain episodes such as The Mean 6, the surprise villain trope, starting to develop characters such as Celestia too late in the show...
As I said, MLP is still a good show, but at this point it's better to let it go and prepare the area for Gen V.
Thanks for commenting.
5028154
Thanks for the article. I really needed another point of view.
Like I said, I'm not an anime expert or even fan, so I'm just talking from my point of view.
I'm not against LGBT representation, but we're getting to a point where it's becoming more a fad rather than a form of love in which, if you're not bisexual at least, you're homophobic. And if that wasn't case, Korrasami and Bubbline wouldn't be the only things people remember from their respective finales, or people wouldn't harrased Dean DeBlois for making Toothless straight, or movies such as Moonlight should not have won Best Picture when better offers such as The Adventures of Priscilla and Brokeback Mountain were heavily ignored in their times.
Thanks for commenting.
5028205
Asexual does fall into LGBT, and as long as your main character is interesting and appealing without taking into account his sexuality (or very subtlety), then we're talking about a good character.
There's nothing with references, as long as you do something with them beyond a joke or something similar.
Number ten is why I want animation to take me away.
It's just a nightmare. This world is dying and folks are still fapping about like things are normal like the dog in the house on fire.
Take me away but don't put stuff from the real world in your animations.
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Number nine I definitely agree with.
Yes, put people with alternative lifestyles in shows but don't make that that more important than telling a story.
Don't skimp on doing good writing and other things you need to make a good product just because you have diversity.
Star wars is dead to me because they just stopped doing any good writing.
Rei knows the millennium falcon better than han solo?
How? Why?
One sentence would've covered that.
Disney is coming out with a new bunch of star wars cartoons showing princess leia as a kickass character.
She was one before, but this time she's the one doing all of the work, and the guys just stand around like bumbling fools and gawk at her.
In Marvel's, Captain Marvel, when people bitch about legitimate issues about the movie, the Disney is like, "Shut up white male trolls! You just don't like movies with strong women in them!"
Now companies are more blatant at making sure people don't get any dissenting opinions about their movies.
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Yeah, I see what you're saying but I wonder if this is not just a trend in animation.
Some of these issues might affect video games and movies too.
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The one bright note is that people will always be invested in animation.
Maybe not that many, but someone will be banging away.
Things have sucked before and people came up with ways to lighten the mood.
What about the '50s when people lived under the very real threat of nuclear annihilation?
Animators will find a way, this "Dark age" won't be totally dark or last forever.
And
This is bs: https://coffeefueledfilmrambles.wordpress.com/2018/06/05/calarts-style-and-the-degradation-of-animation-criticism/
How are these morals twisted, and how is that different from MLP?
Because she would be censored and/or killed for being non-binary.
All this is "whataboutism".
Wow...it's almost as if you pretend that Asian American's aren't abused: https://robinhoodnyc.medium.com/why-asian-american-poverty-doesnt-get-the-attention-it-needs-fea4dc245cef
You are acting like an SJW steryotpye yourself now. Also you don't explain how Steven Universe is LGBTQ propaganda. Without that you come off as crying about gays in general.
Because the later was built up for one thing: https://lokgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/105743705258/korrasami-book-1-4-analysismusingsheadcanons