Western Animation - Discuss American, Canadian, and European cartoons here (or just bitch about wokeshit, I guess)

[Tour of Italy]

New trailer for Soul just dropped.

Looks intriguing.

I’m glad they’re branching out again. I feel like 2010’s Pixar was sequels and merchandise bait.

Pixar’s a little overrated, but the baseline quality has always been head and shoulders above the competition.

 

[Shokew]

New trailer for Soul just dropped.

Looks intriguing.

Anything will be better than the rush job that was Onward from these guys, at this rate.

 

[AnAccount]

New trailer for Soul just dropped.

Looks intriguing.

bruh they are sperms literally lmao

 

[Yamma Damma]

Anything will be better than the rush job that was Onward from these guys, at this rate.

Onward didn't feel rushed, just underdeveloped. Brave for all its development hell felt rushed while The Good Dinosaur felt like both.

 

[thegooddoctor]

Onward didn't feel rushed, just underdeveloped. Brave for all its development hell felt rushed while The Good Dinosaur felt like both.

I completely agree, believe it or not though I dont think the good dinosaur is as bad as people make it out to be, yes it was a very generic and predictable dinosaur and human love story, but it was told competently and had absolutely beautiful animation that all Pixar films pretty much guarantee. Honestly I think Brave is much worse that that film, Controversial opinion, I think it might even be a contender for worst Pixar film. Period. Say what you will about the Cars franchise, at least the films were ridiculously profitable from both commercial and merchandising sales,

Brave whilst getting decent reviews I think I don’t think made a significant amount at the box office and was barely remembered by the film public all these years later, It was one of the most boring Pixar films and barely made an impression on the viewing public. It honestly feels like a cut rate Disney product honestly. Yeah Early 2010s were a low point for Pixar but i like this new experimental phase they have going.

Lastly I really do hope that Toy Story 4 is the final sequel they ever do, I’m honestly kind of sick of them even if they turn out surprisingly good and I think they should just focus on original projects now with the new film Soul they got coming out this summer, sad to hear we’ll never get that jack and the beanstalk movie, that is a real shame

 

[gata]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/lackadaisy-the-animated-short-film
Ok so one of my favorite webcomics is going to have a short film via Kickstarter. Anybody familiar with the people in charge of the project? I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about it.
Also looking at the VAs there's a woman(?) with a beard,I have no problem with it just intrigued.

I'm (kind of) hoping this does succeed so that other webcomics like unsounded, SSSS or K6BD can potentially have an animated adaptation. Or it can go the way of homostuck and burn in flames by the fandom and toxic internet culture.

 

[Yamma Damma]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/lackadaisy-the-animated-short-film
Ok so one of my favorite webcomics is going to have a short film via Kickstarter. Anybody familiar with the people in charge of the project? I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about it.
Also looking at the VAs there's a woman(?) with a beard,I have no problem with it just intrigued.

I'm (kind of) hoping this does succeed so that other webcomics like unsounded, SSSS or K6BD can potentially have an animated adaptation. Or it can go the way of homostuck and burn in flames by the fandom and toxic internet culture.

Nice.
I used to like Iron Spike before her Twitter made me want to drink. (the typical PC/SJW affair.) While she's printed lots of books, this is her first animation campaign so proceed with cautious optimism. Especially since animated campaigns rarely meet their delivery deadlines. (I've backed Long Gone Gulch and Blossom Detective Holmes. NEITHER of them are done yet.)

As for the one playing Mitzi May, it looks like she's a legit bearded lady and not a transgender.

Further proof? She gave a calm answer to an honest question. Refreshing.

 

[UnKillFill]

I'm a major fan of Gun Frontier (and really Harlock in general)

I wish it got more than one season, it really deserved it, it was a damn good "Western" Anime.. but they canceled it too soon, that seems par for the course for anything Leiji Matsumoto ever did... But yeah, seeing the ancestor of a space pirate I already liked as an American cowboy, with a samurai Tochiro as backup was pretty damn cool to me.

Also, I don't know if this actually counts as a "western" in animation or not, It technically takes place on another planet, but I still personally count it, as it still has tons of the tropes I really love in westerns....But I also really like Trigun.

Side note, Trigun is also the first anime I actually remember noticing Johnny Yong Bosch's voice in... Granted, Bosch has now had a long career, mostly in voice acting, but I still remember when I was a kid, and he was the "not quite as racist" replacement when they made the Black Power Ranger Asian, and The Yellow Power Ranger Black (It had previously been the opposite, which even in the 90's wasn't very PC)

 

[Private Pyle]

In breaking news, and apologies if you already saw this from the SPOP thread, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is concluding after it’s fifth season.

Exclusive: 'She-Ra' showrunner Noelle Stevenson reveals season 5 will be its last

All good things, as they say, must come to an end. Since She-Ra and the Princesses of Power first launched on Netflix in 2018, the…

ew.com

With one of the bigger shows of the late 2010s now ending, this leaves Rick & Morty, Loud House and maybe Hilda as one of the few big 2010 shows still airing. It really is starting to feel like the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. I have high hopes.

 

[IdaRita]

In breaking news, and apologies if you already saw this from the SPOP thread, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is concluding after it’s fifth season.

Exclusive: 'She-Ra' showrunner Noelle Stevenson reveals season 5 will be its last

All good things, as they say, must come to an end. Since She-Ra and the Princesses of Power first launched on Netflix in 2018, the…

ew.com

With one of the bigger shows of the late 2010s now ending, this leaves Rick & Morty, Loud House and maybe Hilda as one of the few big 2010 shows still airing. It really is starting to feel like the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. I have high hopes.

I think for She-Ra, 52 episodes were the original plan and it's not an interview excuse? I've heard that rumor earlier.
So, kind of Gravity Falls situation here. And I don't have to write which one use their screentime better.
I really liked Hilda, but despite all praise, it's more of niche show? At least the type that does not have loud fandoms, that for sure.

Miraculous Ladybug it's still on air and doing really good. I have soft spot for it, because it's the show clearly made for kids and younger teens to enjoy and have fun watching. And just being oldschool action show, that is rare now.

 

[Private Pyle]

I think for She-Ra, 52 episodes were the original plan and it's not an interview excuse? I've heard that rumor earlier.
So, kind of Gravity Falls situation here. And I don't have to write which one use their screentime better.
I really liked Hilda, but despite all praise, it's more of niche show? At least the type that does not have loud fandoms, that for sure.

Miraculous Ladybug it's still on air and doing really good. I have soft spot for it, because it's the show clearly made for kids and younger teens to enjoy and have fun watching. And just being oldschool action show, that is rare now.

52 episodes being endgame sounds about right, especially with Netflix’s weird approach to seasons. Although I do find it hilarious that the He-Man reboot is airing later on this year, just before SPOP was announced to be ending.

And you do have a point about Hilda being fairly niche, which just underlined how the 2010s era is truly over. Every show that helped define it has now ended or is ending, while the shows that debuted in 2019 seemed to be a transition to 20s animation.

Finally, for all it’s simplicity, I appreciate Ladybug for what it is; a fun superhero/magical girl series with action and some plot here and there. No teasing an overarching mystery and lore baiting, no preaching about social issues, sometimes you just need the simple things.

 

[Shokew]

I think for She-Ra, 52 episodes were the original plan and it's not an interview excuse? I've heard that rumor earlier.
So, kind of Gravity Falls situation here. And I don't have to write which one use their screentime better.
I really liked Hilda, but despite all praise, it's more of niche show? At least the type that does not have loud fandoms, that for sure.

Miraculous Ladybug it's still on air and doing really good. I have soft spot for it, because it's the show clearly made for kids and younger teens to enjoy and have fun watching. And just being oldschool action show, that is rare now.

52 episodes being endgame sounds about right, especially with Netflix’s weird approach to seasons. Although I do find it hilarious that the He-Man reboot is airing later on this year, just before SPOP was announced to be ending.

And you do have a point about Hilda being fairly niche, which just underlined how the 2010s era is truly over. Every show that helped define it has now ended or is ending, while the shows that debuted in 2019 seemed to be a transition to 20s animation.

Finally, for all it’s simplicity, I appreciate Ladybug for what it is; a fun superhero/magical girl series with action and some plot here and there. No teasing an overarching mystery and lore baiting, no preaching about social issues, sometimes you just need the simple things.

Miraculous Ladybug is nowhere close to being any cup of tea for me... And both of you still managed to define why it still has actual appeal that makes it worth giving a fair chance, honestly.
I don't agree with it - but it knows what it actually wants to be, how to do it well enough, and doesn't hint at being something bigger than it truly is, hence its maddeningly mass appeal.

It's almost the kind of cartoon I want more of in this new decade, admittedly enough. Besides the fact that it looks damn good, whether it's 2D/CGI in this specific case.

This is the kind of show the 2020s and beyond need that little bit more of, besides BETTER storytelling and character development for those types of shows.

For example, I prefer Amphibia over The Owl House at the moment, for all these reasons and more I can silently praise Ladybug for, even if it ain't my thing. After what's come to 10 episodes, storytelling-wise, The Owl House is a real mess so far - not bad enough to make me dismiss it like Star Vs Her Own Obnoxiousness, but still something to be weary of, going forward for me.
Amphibia nailed what it aimed to do just fine in just the first 10 episodes it had (and unlike TOH, no one had faith in it just because of how it looked, unlike me.) when compared to TOH (which is struggling with what it wants to be, how to do it, and why it truly exists.), IMHO.

 

[The Pink Panther]

Miraculous Ladybug it's still on air and doing really good. I have soft spot for it, because it's the show clearly made for kids and younger teens to enjoy and have fun watching. And just being oldschool action show, that is rare now.

It's fine, but the show started sloping after they split their work between two different animation studios to cut costs and the writing started taking a hit in season 3. I'm feeling a sense of Rick and Morty-ism. The first season was the best, the second season was pretty good but not nearly as good as the first season, and the third season is just okay because the shit brings it down.

 

[Archeops]

How unfortunate to hear about Estelle. But yes, with the advent of social media, you really start to see the craziness that goes behind the scenes of today’s shows. The ego trip of working on a popular show plus their own personal demons and instant thought display is quite the lulzy combo.

When I meant "distant-but-still-somewhat-uncomfortable second" I meant REALLY distant, the most I see from them is them liking some spergy political tweets and, in Estelle's case, some occasional Kanye-tier nonsense. I remember seeing some of Zach Callision's liked tweets being on Grace's level but he went dark a while ago.

 

[Saxxon]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/lackadaisy-the-animated-short-film
Ok so one of my favorite webcomics is going to have a short film via Kickstarter. Anybody familiar with the people in charge of the project? I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about it.
Also looking at the VAs there's a woman(?) with a beard,I have no problem with it just intrigued.

I'm (kind of) hoping this does succeed so that other webcomics like unsounded, SSSS or K6BD can potentially have an animated adaptation. Or it can go the way of homostuck and burn in flames by the fandom and toxic internet culture.

The co-director danger hair and putting Big mouth at the same group as Primal actives some knee-jerk reaction on me, but given that she also worked on Hazbin Hotel and other successful productions I think it will be fine. Is obvious that the artstyle is different because there's no way that you could adapt Tracy's art without putting millions on it (even tho the kickstarter shows that they could get that money easily) you can see the care that's been put into the project. But god those stretch goals kind of suck, 90k for emojis, really?

 

[IdaRita]

What's interesting - French cartoons had a lot of solid overarching storytelling earlier.
Code Lyoko (later seasons), W.i.t.c.h., Valerian and Laurelin, Galactic Football, Wakfu, Oban Star Racers, Loulou de Montmartre and more in 2000s alone.
Or even Mysterious Cities of Gold and Spartakus and the sun beneath the sea in 80s.
Or Italy and Winx Club, Angel's Friends and Huntik.
It's more "recent years" push for them to focus more on younger/preschool children and episodic format.

 

[Pickle Inspector]

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[sasazuka]

What's interesting - French cartoons had a lot of solid overarching storytelling earlier.

Or Italy and Winx Club, Angel's Friends and Huntik.

I think that's because a lot of those specific shows you mentioned were either heavily influenced by anime or were co-productions with Japan (such as was the case with Mysterious Cities of Gold) since TV networks in France, Italy, and several other European countries have heavily aired localized versions of anime since at least the 1970s, comparatively more than the few extremely localized anime that aired on English-language television in the United States and Canada before the mid-1990s.

Obviously, English-speaking North Americans did see some anime with serialization like Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato), Belle and Sebastien (Meiken Jolie, although Belle et Sebastien was the name of the original French novels that series was based on), and Robotech (Macross, Mospeada, and Southern Cross) air on television, but those were very occasional exceptions compared to the sheer amount of serialized anime Europe got on television.

 

[Trilby]

I think that's because a lot of those specific shows you mentioned were either heavily influenced by anime or were co-productions with Japan (such as was the case with Mysterious Cities of Gold) since TV networks in France, Italy, and several other European countries have heavily aired localized versions of anime since at least the 1970s, comparatively more than the few extremely localized anime that aired on English-language television in the United States and Canada before the mid-1990s.

Obviously, English-speaking North Americans did see some anime with serialization like Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato), Belle and Sebastien (Meiken Jolie, although Belle et Sebastien was the name of the original French novels that series was based on), and Robotech (Macross, Mospeada, and Southern Cross) air on television, but those were very occasional exceptions compared to the sheer amount of serialized anime Europe got on television.

Yep, Europe had it far better than we had for getting on the anime bandwagon much earlier with the type of shows that were picked up and aired, especially in France and Italy.

Spoiler: A Sample

 

[Steamboat_Bill]

I think that's because a lot of those specific shows you mentioned were either heavily influenced by anime or were co-productions with Japan (such as was the case with Mysterious Cities of Gold) since TV networks in France, Italy, and several other European countries have heavily aired localized versions of anime since at least the 1970s, comparatively more than the few extremely localized anime that aired on English-language television in the United States and Canada before the mid-1990s.

Obviously, English-speaking North Americans did see some anime with serialization like Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato), Belle and Sebastien (Meiken Jolie, although Belle et Sebastien was the name of the original French novels that series was based on), and Robotech (Macross, Mospeada, and Southern Cross) air on television, but those were very occasional exceptions compared to the sheer amount of serialized anime Europe got on television.

Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if our anime boom was at the same time as France and Italy and not twenty years later?

Things would have been a lot better on that front, let me tell you.