Are Action Cartoons Going Extinct?

I don't really think the Big 3 have cared since the '80s, at the latest. I know that when I was a kid, in the late '90s and early '00s, everything was on either Fox, or the WB.

Why does no one care about Vortexx on The CW? I know its not much, but its THE last block that prides itself on being Action Cartoon Friendly. They air DBZ Kai, Justice League Unlimited and Transformers Prime.

We need to see a real push from the Big 3 to see any real sort of innovation/moves forward, either that - or for people to start making shows like these on the internet, if only to punish the Big 3 for their careless BS toward a genre that needs to exist, period.

Comedy is overrated and oversaturated in the US and a majority of it in this generation shows this, proving my point about the Big 3's failure to innovate or move forward. It's up to us and only us now to prove that animation in general is and was never meant to be just kid stuff like the Big 3 have currently cemented itself thinking it is.

...Overreacting, being harsh, or simpl bringing the truth, that's why I feel action animatrion is going extinct unless it is toy-driven... And that's reall sad to think about. I thought we really could get rid of this 80's stigma, as the 2010's don't need to be hindered by it.

All it does is that it just sends a bad message about cartoons and the medium of animation in general: Your show won't get made unless it's based off a BS toy instead of an actual thought/idea meant to highlight the ills of society and rise above them, or justr that simple innovation/perfection of something already great/memorable. It is my American duty to say to those who brought it upon themselves... Forshame.

edited 31st Jan '13 4:49:59 AM by TheShopSoldier

Even if I had different face, I AM STILL DISGRACED.

With Big Three you Nick,CN and Disney or NBC,ABC and CBS?

It also has one of WWE's best shows, and THAT is giving me so many mixed feelings.

Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great

Thus far, most of the CN's straight-up action cartoons have been licensed rather than owned by them outright (a lot of them from DC, and since they're both owned by Time Warner, you wouldn't think that'd be an issue, but there you are). I think it's entirely a money issue. Action cartoons don't make the money for them that comedy does. The only exception I can think of is Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra over at Nick, which had managed to survive and be successful despite a conspicuous lack of toys.

Just look at Thundercats. It had a pretty significant toy push and still got low ratings on Saturday morning. Though from what I hear, it's doing pretty well in re-runs on Adult Swim. Problem is, they could have made a lot more money off it if it had been successful on Saturday morning.

There was an interview with one of the guys from Man of Action where they said pretty much the same thing. His opinion was that action cartoons were on the way out and their future would likely be as direct-to-audience things like internet streaming or straight to DVD. Kinda like how they Un-Cancelled Arrested Development but exclusively for Netflix.

I'm not sure how plausible that'd be but if there's really an audience despite most networks not giving a crap, that'd sound like a sane solution.

Anything that changes my negative opinion on this issue for the better - I'll accept as long as I have access to it, and definitely as long as it is good overall.

I'm not saying we need our cartoons to be able to compete worldwide, they need to be able to entertain, period - and goes double for comedy, but definitely double for serious fare like action!

Even if I had different face, I AM STILL DISGRACED.

I'm playing the devil's advocate here, but when I was growing up, I was into goofy comedic cartoons while my friends were all watching superhero, action cartoons. So these days, I'm kind of..... glad... to hear this.

I seriously never heard of vortex. Where is this and when? Justice League Unlimited I've been wanting to watch for a while.

Dragon ball is boring series of inaction sequences and reused animation that is better enjoyed in comic or video game form. Justice League is nice but it has been on air for years with no new episodes. A good ratings bolster but eventually people are going to see it all and not come back, and as noted there is kind of an over saturation of DC shows with the same characters.

Transformers Prime is the best program from a business prospective but it is also on the HUB. I would not mind seeing another Transformers project like beast wars that gets an almost entirely new group of robots with a new gimmick. Hasbro will save USA cartoons again.

Modified Ura-nage, Torture Rack

I want to see more shows like Teen Titans and Megas XLR. :/

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

Its a Saturday Morning Block on The CW.

Just because nobody's said it in-thread so far, but Teen Titans Go! is going to be a slice-of-life comedy, basically set in-between the exploits of the "actual" series.

Which, to me, feels redundant, because they always found time to wedge a bit of slice-of-life into the actual show (Stankball, anyone?), so i don't know how they're going to find material for more

Really? That sounds pointless and annoying.

"When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all" Futurama, Godfellas

A disadvantage action cartoons have over the comedy ones is that they are almost always not encapsulated episodes, but there is some sort of at least season-wide arc going on. I notice this because although Young Justice and Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes would have been great to watch, I really could not do it for real. I have become much more casual now and it is also difficult to know when is anything airing or when new episodes are coming. So I just couldn't commit to follow them in order... So whenever I watch them I am a bit lost on the plot.

On the other hand, if I happen to catch regular show or Phineas and Ferb in TV, I can watch whatever episode is airing without really missing out a lot, most of the times...

I am noticing that channels lately are very into marathons and modifying their schedules randomly and stuff. Then the adults like me who have gotten so casual in watching...

Why has no one talked about The Hub's Transformers Prime ? That's action and it's taken on a third season no where near extinction actually.

Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter

Was that bait? I almost bit it.

Modified Ura-nage, Torture Rack

Let's see what cartoons are up. I'm looking at Nick's website for the cartoons they have listed, so I don't know how up to date this is.

• Spongebob Squarepants: Comedy. Has merchandise.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012): Action. Probably has a toyline, but I don't know.
• Winx Club: Magical Girl series, close enough for me to count as action. Has a doll line supporting it.
• Dora the Explorer: Education. Has merchandise.
• The Legend of Korra: Action. I don't think it has much merchandise, but I don't follow it much.
• Robot and Monster: Probably comedy. Don't know anything about it.
• Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness: Action-comedy. Probably has some merchandise.
• The Penguins of Madagascar: Comedy. Don't know the merchandise situation.
• Fanboy and Chum Chum: Comedy, I think. Don't know the merchandise situation.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender: Action. See Korra.
• The Fairly OddParents!: Comedy. Don't know the merchandise situation.
• T.U.F.F. Puppy: Comedy-action, I think. Don't know anything about this one.
• Planet Sheen: Comedy. Don't know the merchandise situation.
• Back at the Barnyard: Comedy. Probably not much left for it.
• The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius: Comedy. See Sheen.
• Rugrats: Comedy. Don't know the merchandise situation.

While the comedy series far outnumber the action series here, I count about 6 shows that could qualify as action, most but not all with merchandise. Action cartoons aren't going great, but I don't think they're dead yet. Correct me if I'm wrong on anything.

Your preferences are not everyone else's preferences.

Brokenshell44's a mod? I did not know that

I believe that Motorcity, Tron Uprising, Young Justice and Green Lantern are getting canned (or going to be canned very soon) because the executives can't bother to compete with TMNT (Ultimate Spiderman survives because The Mouse House needs to show the illusion that they care about Marvel and Dragons, Riders of Berk will too because Cartoon Network is hoping for more Animated Adaptations of Dreamworks movies)

edited 1st Feb '13 1:01:55 AM by truteal

http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/ http://sagan4.com/forum/index.php

In agreement with you one thing - It's all fun and games, until toy sales, ratings, and money get in the way of an otherwise enjoyable show. From a political standpoint, rather than a buisness one, this is just one more example of reform sorely needed in this damned nation!

Trivial matter or not, keeping good storytelling alive comes from preserving action cartoons, whether the business standpoint matters or not. This is why I'm frustrated by these cancellations - it just... isn't good business strategy and there are no excuses for it, period.

edited 1st Feb '13 1:28:17 AM by TheShopSoldier

Even if I had different face, I AM STILL DISGRACED.

I agree more or less entirely with what nair said.

Because nobody watches that channel since Gossip Girl ended.

edited 1st Feb '13 7:43:57 AM by 0dd1

Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.

I beg to differ.

edited 1st Feb '13 8:38:24 AM by BadWolf21

Okay, one show (according to the article) in three years. My point still stands.

Insert witty and clever quip here. My page, as the database hates my handle.

...Gossip Girl only ended a couple months ago, dude.

And despite constant attempts to kill it, Smallville got to end on its own terms at the very least. And I'm pretty sure One Tree Hill was fairly popular, too. Plus, as started the discussion, they're the source for Saturday morning action cartoons.

I'm not defending the network. I just don't think that saying no one watches it is a fair representation.