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

[Niggerphobe]

I miss this show and the magazine so much...

It was basically kid robot chicken

 

[TVB]

I miss this show and the magazine so much...

It's a very clever show for sure. I do prefer MadTV more, but I still thought it was funny. Like the post above me said, it's Robot Chicken but for kids, and I like it.

 

[Oats12345]

I miss this show and the magazine so much...

I miss Mad!! It was actually funny compare to a lot of recent cartoons

 

[TVB]

I miss Mad!! It was actually funny compare to a lot of recent cartoons

Regular Show was the only good kids cartoon during that era.

 

[Oats12345]

Regular Show was the only good kids cartoon during that era.

I say Gumball wasn't bad either.

 

[TVB]

I say Gumball wasn't bad either.

That, and Villainous is good.

In terms of modern cartoons in general, Bless the Harts, Duncanville, F is for Family, Inside Job, Paradise PD, Close Enough, Ballmazterz, The Shivering Truth and Smiling Friends are some of the few good animated shows from 2010s-to-onward.

 

[Mega Black]

SU was one of those shows i used to really like, to an autistic degree

Steven Universe had potential to be a really great show, but it fell off hard almost as soon as it peaked with jailbreak.

 

[TVB]

Steven Universe had potential to be a really great show, but it fell off hard almost as soon as it peaked with jailbreak.

Star vs. had a similar, yet even worse problem. Season one was really good, but it was followed with an okay but not that great second season as it has some cracks forming, but season three through the remainder of this series was when things fell apart, and it's due in large to the creator's shoehorned writing and her other series of dumbass decisions.

 

[starborn427614]

Star vs. had a similar, yet even worse problem. Season one was really good, but it was followed with an okay but not that great second season as it has some cracks forming, but season three through the remainder of this series was when things fell apart, and it's due in large to the creator's shoehorned writing and her other series of dumbass decisions.

Star wasn't meant to last past the second season, that's why it feels so sloppy. I doubt they were expecting to be renewed.

Steven Universe had potential to be a really great show, but it fell off hard almost as soon as it peaked with jailbreak.

I find there's plenty of good to great episodes in the "bad" seasons, but you're right that it never really reached those highs again. Maybe the movie, but that's extremely subjective and the soundtrack + Spinel does a bunch of the heavy lifting there.

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

Heh, talking about cartoon's soundtracks:
Only Spongebob ones are the ones i can remember clearly. Ed, Edd & Eddy had somewhat pretty background songs good.
The others are simply... idk, can't remember.

 

[Basic Blond Boy]

Regular Show was the only good kids cartoon during that era.

Adventure Time, Generator Rex, and the mentioned Gumball were also great. There was also GLTAS, early Young Justice, Beware The Batman, and Ben 10, which were all great during that early 2010s era. Early Steven and Clarence should also get mentions.

Heh, talking about cartoon's soundtracks:
Only Spongebob ones are the ones i can remember clearly. Ed, Edd & Eddy had somewhat pretty background songs good.
The others are simply... idk, can't remember.

AT and Steven had great soundtracks, probably one of the most redeemable aspects of the two series. Avatar has a great lofi feel. Past those, I agree. SpongeBob is one of the few with a very memorable sound. At best, Scooby Doo may come the closest to having a distinct music style past these 4 as the ominous jazz soundtrack can be catchy as hell, case in point:

Sorry, couldn’t find the show version.

 

[Two Dollars]

Heh, talking about cartoon's soundtracks:
Only Spongebob ones are the ones i can remember clearly. Ed, Edd & Eddy had somewhat pretty background songs good.
The others are simply... idk, can't remember.

I think Guy Moon’s music in Fairly Oddparents and Danny Phantom really brings each show together. It feels less like background music and more like a living part of the world that reacts to every little action. Or something like that; I’m not a sound designer.

 

[Vyse Inglebard]

I think Guy Moon’s music in Fairly Oddparents and Danny Phantom really brings each show together. It feels less like background music and more like a living part of the world that reacts to every little action. Or something like that; I’m not a sound designer.

Mickey Mousing is what that's called.

 

[TVB]

Heh, talking about cartoon's soundtracks:
Only Spongebob ones are the ones i can remember clearly. Ed, Edd & Eddy had somewhat pretty background songs good.
The others are simply... idk, can't remember.

I'd say Charlie Brissette's composition for Angry Beavers and Jimmy Neutron are great. The same with Walter Murphy for three of Seth MacFarlane's cartoons (Family Guy, American Dad and Cleveland Show).

Not music, but backgrounds for either SpongeBob and EEnE are great, but I am a sucker for late-90s-mid-2000s limited animation style, aping the UPA animation style. You know, Dexter's Lab, Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Kids Next Door, Billy & Mandy, Fairly Oddparents, MLaaTR, Catscratch, Foster's Home, Mission Hill, Clone High, etc. It always has a soft spot in my heart.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

Only Spongebob ones are the ones i can remember clearly.

Only song from Spongebob that stuck in my head all these years.

 

[TVB]

Only song from Spongebob that stuck in my head all these years.

For me, it's this

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

Sym-Bionic Titan

Great show for many reasons but honestly the Roar Of The White Dragon episode alone makes the entire series worth it. Mostly because you could do a spin-off just using the characters introduced in that episode that could probably run for two seasons.


Pictured - the ludicrously aggressive detective voiced by John DiMaggio trying to bring down the street racing gangs in his city. All told he has probably less than 4 minutes of screen time. Every last second is great.

I haven't seen many for obvious reasons but one that I caught bits and pieces of is the original WITCH animated show. It seems pretty girl oriented and it's animated by a French studio. I'd say it contains some mature elements suited for early teens. Animation style is similar to that of Code Lyoko's.

Code Lyoko



I think the overall styles are closer than the animation styles but I can see what you mean.

@Romeo Montovani
Nice list man, but can I suggest a few additions?

Generator Rex
While the show technically ended, it was supposed to go on longer p, but CN cut the plug on action series. The show is probably the best non-DC action series on the network. It had a perfect blend of action and horror along with genuinely good western story telling for a show that is just mature Ben 10. You can tell Man of Action loved the series as it was a way to make Ben 10 the way they wanted. Rex didn’t come with the same corporate meddling Ben’s popularity created, leading to a much more mature show.

Justice League Action
A fun show that really didn’t get a fair chance. It was shit on day one because muh DCAU, a problem that sadly plagues many DC projects. The show is not deep or plot rich like the original JL or JLU, but the characters are on brand and it does a good job letting B and C listers get some spot light. It had fun with the DC universe without completely devolving it, creating a respectful action-comedy.

Generator Rex ended okay but I could have seen it getting more. It was a surprisingly solid show though. In fairness to the execs though it also never achieved the same degree of popularity so they may have been right in their guidance.

I think of Justice League Action as something akin to Batman Brave and the Bold. I get why some people may not like it but you cannot fairly say it just plain bad. It also gave us Mark Hamil Joker and James Woods Luthor.

 

[Mega Black]

Maybe the movie, but that's extremely subjective and the soundtrack + Spinel does a bunch of the heavy lifting there

I would say the movie was the closest the show ever got to maximum potential but it cheats by effectively being a greatest hits of the early seasons, plus a genuinely great villain. The show killed itself when it decided the diamonds were misunderstood grandmas and not compelling villains.

 

[Jonah Hill poster]

Spoiler

I can’t imagine Spike Spiegel saying stuff like this if he were a real person. Save for the BANG! moment that happened that one time during the end of the series.

 

[Romeo]

Spanish Animation​

For a movie set in 19th century North Pole-Scandinavia in the winter with an American cast, I'm surprised that Klaus is a Spanish production. Sergio Pablos, the director of Klaus, is one of the most notable animator of Western animation as he animated famous characters in the Disney franchise, like Frollo of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hades of Hercules, and Doctor Doppler of Treasure Planet (to name a few), as well as conceiving the Despicable Me franchise.

It's probably the only Spanish movie you'll ever heard but did you know there are several other productions that you think are animated by Americans but are instead animated by Spaniards? The Spanish are pretty skilled in animating in 3D but their storytelling skills could use some work.

Here are some Spanish-animated films that are considered mediocre to bad in animation circles.

Skydance Animation Madrid / Ilion Animation Studios​

Planet 51 (2009)​

Despite getting a mostly negative reception by "critics," I did enjoy watching Planet 51 and the twist where the human is the alien in an alien world and the 1950s setting. For a 2009 film, it looked pretty good, and the Spanish managed to bring Dwayne Johnson to voice the deuteragonist of the film, that you'll almost think it was animated by American studios like Disney or Dreamworks.

Wonder Park (2019)​

I'm not that interested in watching this film honestly. Despite the good visuals, the plot is not that interesting to me.

Luck (2022)​

Heard it's bad. Same opinion as Wonder Park.

Other Spanish 3D Animated Films​

Capture The Flag (2015)​

For a film animated and directed by Spaniards, it's 150% American. Watching the trailers, I thought this was an American propaganda film. I skimmed the film out of interest and it's interesting... Evil billionaire calls the moon landing fake and wants to blow up the moon to get resources but has to get rid of the American flag on the moon because it's evidence that the moon landing is real, so it's up to the protagonist (of kids) to stop him. Animation is pretty good, but I'm skeptical of watching the film because of just the outlandish plot alone.

Mummies (2023) - unreleased as of now​

Same opinion as Wonder Park. Somehow they got Sean Bean to be in the film.

However, despite most of Spanish animation being kinda trash in storytelling, I heavily recommend this short film.

La Noria - The Ferris Wheel (2018 )​

A Spanish animated short film with a different vibe, I love the visuals of the monsters and the plotline on grief. The film is directed by Carlos Baena who animated for Pixar. Sergio Pablos did some of the character art for the film too.

If you want to follow what Sergio Pablos is doing next for his projects, he is doing an animated film called Ember which is set in the pre-historic era where a girl must go to a volcano and discover fire to save her tribe. Unfortunately, Ember along with other animated films were canned by yours truly, the retards at Netflix.

If the American government wants to create 3D animated propaganda films, they should hire Spaniards to do it.