Modern Cartoons

There has been a stereotype that modern, or within the last decade or so, cartoons are always awful and cliche, and can't hold a candle to their older counterparts. Instead, I believe that there are bad cartoons from both times, and that the considered quality depends on the generation being asked.

The Criteria

A cartoon in this post refers to a western animated show for kids, so no anime and no adult swim. To be an old cartoon a cartoon must have its original run somewhere before 2000, and to be a modern cartoon its launch has to be within the last 5-6 years. I know this leaves out about a decade of animation from the early 21st century, but nearly all of those shows are of high quality and by leaving them out, it helps narrow the number and time frame to cartoons that are still making new episodes.    

Why they are considered bad

Modern cartoons are often considered to be bad or unoriginal. The main reason this may appear to be so is that since they are new, they are fresh in the mind and don't have the same nostalgia that the classics have. As such, they aren't as fondly remembered as the newer cartoons, regardless of the quality. They could also be considered 'bad' because they are aimed at a different generation. The newer generation has shorter attention spans and has become attached to electronics, while the older generation, thanks to the lesser prominence of electronics, has a longer attention span. Therefore, the older generation often calls newer shows random and hyperactive, since the newer shows often have faster pacing to account for the lessening attention spans of today's children. Finally, older cartoons are usually considered superior because there were more of them and they were on T.V. more often. Back then, there were hours of cartoons, usually on Saturday mornings, just for kids, so there were a lot of options for them to watch, meaning that they had the ability to just watch the good ones, so the cartoons of lesser quality were often ignored or forgotten in favor of the high quality shows. Nowadays, there are less and less cartoons, so there are fewer options for kids and their parents to watch, so the cartoons of lesser quality won't be ignored. 

Why I believe they are good

Not all modern cartoons are bad, and not all older cartoons are good. In modern cartoons, the gap between the good and the bad is huge. The shows that are good often use the improved technology to their advantage, creating visual masterpieces with beautiful and clean animation. Not only is the animation improved, but these particular shows also have compelling, imaginative stories with memorable, likable characters and fairly good humor. Granted, modern cartoons like these are few and far between, but those few animated gems are superior to the best of the older cartoons. In both older and newer cartoons there are shows that aren't the best but aren't bad either, and the older cartoons tend to have more of that type, while the quality of the newer cartoons tends to be more spread out, making the best of the old and new the best of the newer cartoons.

The best new cartoons

• Gravity Falls
• Steven Universe
• Regular Show
• Star vs. The Forces of Evil
• Over the Garden Wall
• Adventure Time