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No Great Animation On Tv

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No Great Animation On Tv

Hello,

Picking up on what another thread had mentioned...I would say - currently there is no GREAT ANIMATION on TV.

There may be good stories and clever ideas and great graphics.

But as far as meaningful characters "acting" with real feelings and emotions- as livng breathing characters the answer is: nope, nada, nein- none on TV.

Not on Nick or Disney or Cartoon Network (all of which are major dissappointments).

Only in the feature, independent (some) and commerical (some) catagories does real character animation exist.

Thanks.

Larry L.'s picture
Larry web site http://tooninst[URL=http://tooninstitute.awn.com]itute.awn.com [/URL]blog: [U]http://www.awm.com/blogs/always-animated [/U] email: larry.lauria@gmail.com

currently there is no GREAT ANIMATION on TV.

Was there ever great animation on TV? I don't think so. What do you expect though? We don't see great animation on television for the same reason we don't see great epic LordOfTheRings-quality made-for-TV movies. It's too expensive. So you go to the cinema to see your Star Wars prequels and your Matrixes and your Incredibles.

And while there isn't great animation on TV, there are still great animated TV shows, or - at least - animated TV shows that have had great runs or great episodes.

Don't go to McDonald's and be disappointed when they don't serve you a gourmet feast.

Only difference is, now McDonald's can afford otherwise. Notice how good the Chicken Selects are, when nothing else on the menu is palatable...

I'm with most of you on this one. I've been trying to study the timing on shows like The Justice League for this very reason: It's entertaining! So you wonder how much of it is in the visual, and how much of it is strong story. I haven't had a lot of time to watch more than twenty total minutes in the past month or so, but it looks rather even, just with a bit of a staccato rhythm. Meanwhile, I sometimes see better solid drawing on something leaning ridiculously on writing (and flat shapes for that matter): Family Guy.

All that aside, Larry added the caps for emphasis on the art aspect and didn't knock the shows themselves so that's about as far as I can opine.

Nick's Avatar

Nick has a new animated show called Avatar... which even though stylisticly based in anime (rolls eyes)... its animation quality is superb! Has anyone else seen it?

www.MattOrnstein.com
Character Animator - Lucas Arts

In terms of overall quality, tv animation is better now than it ever has been (or at least for the 30 years I've been watching it). Not that it's superb, but you can't expect everything from the most mass of markets. I think Teen Titans is pretty darn good, and Naruto is going to be the biggest thing ever.

I still love "The Flinstones". I think Hanna and Barbera were geniuses for coming up with limited animation.

i agree with there being no great animation on tv, but then the stuff i consider great, max fleisher (spelling?), looney tunes, old disney, wasn't really tv animation anyway. i was just second market from the movie theaters. i wouldn't hold my breath waiting for good animation form the wasteland of tv.

Hmmm...

...perhaps my bar is lower!

But I do agree there's a lot of poop going on right now.

For ME (enter my opinion) the three shows that currently turn my crank (in a positive way) and meet said requirements are Spongebob, Foster's and the Ed's x 3.

Call me a knucklehead! ;)

Cheers!
Splatman :D

Hello,

...........
But as far as meaningful characters "acting" with real feelings and emotions- as livng breathing characters the answer is: nope, nada, nein- none on TV.

................

Larry, has Tv animation ever had great acting?
I think Spongebob can come close with it's unique cartoony expressions...Ren and Stimpy...although not always my cup o' tea....Simpsons sometimes. But as far as an illusion of life approach...never had great acting in that sense.

As long as the good stories and clever ideas and great graphics come together
and are entertaing, that's the best I expect from TV.....which is all about marketing anyways.

I think the animation in the Simpsons is perfect for what it is. And Futurama was great. Is it Disney-class? No, but it fits the style of the show extremely well.

I agree to some extent. In Europe there is some interesting stuff. Might I suggest that you try to have a look at "Potatoes and Dragons" , by France's Alphanim? I believe it is wonderful! Hell, it almost got me to stay in Indian longer I was supposed to direct the animation there), and it must be good for me to consider staying in that country.

"Don't want to end up a cartoon in a cartoon graveyard" - Paul Simon

Were the Flintstones and Yogi Bear "great" animation. I didn't think so at the time. When was there "great" animation on TV? Maybe you class the Roadrunner and Bugs Bunny as "great". The tv fare wasn't as good as the theatre shorts.

But almost daily I let the Simpsons and the Hill family and their neighbors into my home. And there is more animation on tv now then there ever was in the past. Which is good for employment.

Mighty Mouse and Tom Terrific were favorites from my youth, but was their animation superior, probably not.

Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.

I wouldn't necessarily go so far as to say that the lack of great character animation is a major reason for TV animation lacking true greatness. Mr. Bluth says (not an exact quote), 'A good story poorly animated will attract viewers more than a poor story well animated.' (Yep, finally got my copy of The Art of Storyboard this week. :D) Of course there's a lot of stuff on TV that's both poorly told and animated.
Anyone remember the old Marshal BraveStarr cartoons? I never really watched them but years ago they showed an ep about drug abuse in which the kid who took drugs actually died. Pretty serious stuff for a mere thirty-minute-merchandise commercial ...

I'd have to say I agree with you there, for the most part, as one's definition of 'good' varies from person to person. As far as sticking to the 'Disney practice' of overlapping action, character animation, and 24 frames per second idea of good animation, none compare. But TV animation will never compare to feature animation. They just don't have the budget or the time. However, I think there are many shows out there that handle their limits well and create an interesting cartoon.

2-D animation will never die. The invention of photography did not kill painting. Why would animation be any different?
Dancing Cavy Productions
http://dancingcavy.deviantart.com

I have seen some of Avatar, and I really enjoyed it! The music is especially intresting and unique...... not sure why you rolled your eyes (Janimation) but, I'll just leave it at that.

Greenlink

I think it was a "I'm going to say this, and use the word, but it's not about the word so let it go and just listen to what I'm about to say" thing....(the eye rolling)...In the context of what he said I'd roll my eyes too because it prefaces his comment that it has good animation quality in spite of the fact that the style it pays homage to is by definition very limited....