History VindicatedByHistory / WesternAnimation

* The Creator/HannaBarbera television animation studio had been up and running since 1957, and had been enjoying at least middling success due to the popularity of its earliest shows, most notably ''Huckleberry Hound''. But it was the early '60s success of ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' which established a [[StealthPun rock-solid]] TV empire for them. They could throw together whatever they wanted and not worry about the ratings. Two such shows came out of this early freedom, ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'' and ''WesternAnimation/TopCat'', neither of which lasted more than one season during their initial runs. Hanna-Barbera subsequently built stable franchises out of these underrated works over the course of a few decades, to the point where their status as mainstream classics became undisputed.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002'' was critically acclaimed by critics and fans alike when it came out, but it had [[InvisibleAdvertising little advertising]] and poor toy sales and the show ended up only lasting two seasons. However it's gotten more attention over the years particularly in the late 2010s when reboots have become controversial. A lot of people who discovered this show praised it for being ahead of it's time and being faithful to the source material while having it's own creative spin. It's gotten further vindication with the release of ''WesternAnimation/MastersOfTheUniverseRevelation'' as that show became controversial upon release among fans to the point some wished that this series was continued instead.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chuggington}}'' rather notoriously has been dogged by the fandom of [[DuelingWorks fellow train-centric show]] ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' for...basically all of its life, with fans of the latter loathing Chuggington and deriding it as being a [[TheyCopiedItSoItSucks "ripoff"]] and "too unrealistic and bouncy". However, in recent years, the show's reception has turned around somewhat, ''especially'' after ''Thomas'' had its attempted "Big World! Big Adventures!" relaunch (which was both [[SeasonalRot a failure]] and [[AudienceAlienatingEra poorly received]]), and then the subsequent "[[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo All Engines Go!]]" spinoff, causing many fans of that show, even the ones who once derided it, to give this one a second look. These days, while it's still [[SoOkayItsAverage not regarded as being a "masterpiece" by any means, it's also not regarded as being a bad show either]], and it's managed to gain at least some respect for doing its own thing and being what it is without ruining a pre-existing IP, unlike the aforementioned "All Engines Go!" (which has gained an even poorer reception than this show ever has). Which in turn gave ''Chuggington'' to gain newfound respect for its characters, writing, and worldbuilding.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chuggington}}'' rather notoriously has been dogged by the fandom of [[DuelingWorks fellow train-centric show]] ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' for...basically all of its life, with fans of the latter loathing Chuggington and deriding it as being a [[TheyCopiedItSoItSucks "ripoff"]] and "too unrealistic and bouncy". However, in recent years, the show's reception has turned around somewhat, ''especially'' after ''Thomas'' had its attempted "Big World! Big Adventures!" relaunch (which was both [[SeasonalRot a failure]] and [[AudienceAlienatingEra poorly received]]), and then the subsequent "[[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo All Engines Go!]]" spinoff, causing many fans of that show, even the ones who once derided it, to give this one a second look. These days, while it's still [[SoOkayItsAverage not regarded as being a "masterpiece" by any means, it's also not regarded as being a BAD show either]], and it's managed to gain at least some respect for doing its own thing and being what it is without ruining a pre-existing IP, unlike the aforementioned "All Engines Go!" (which has gained an even poorer reception than this show ever has). Which in turn gave ''Chuggington'' to gain newfound respect for its characters, writing, and worldbuilding.

* When ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' premiered in 2013, it went on to become one of the most hated shows of the 2010's for multiple reasons. At first, it was because it was a comedic reboot of a [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003 beloved cartoon]] that ended up getting cancelled, ending on a cliffhanger. It ended up dominating Cartoon Network's schedule at the expense of other shows, adding fuel to the fire. However, after the release of a [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoToTheMovies critically acclaimed theatrical movie]] and some more reviled reboots (WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016, WesternAnimation/Ben102016), many viewers have admitted that the show got better after the movie, and could be genuinely funny at times. The fact that Cartoon Network began to cut down the amount of reruns the show got around this period also helped [[note]]it's still AdoredByTheNetwork, but not as much as it was from 2015-2017[[/note]]. Then, the 2003 Teen Titans would eventually return in a [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoVsTeenTitans crossover]], which pleased many fans looking for some closure to the 2003 show.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' caused a huge BrokenBase among fans of the original [[WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985 Eighties cartoon]] for its DarkerAndEdgier take. In later years, it has gotten a more positive reception (especially in the light of the announcement of ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCatsRoar'' which has caused an even ''larger'' BrokenBase). Several viewes agree that it was a better reboot from CN than other reboot efforts (''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016'', ''WesternAnimation/Ben102016''). This is helped by the fact that it was cited as one of the influences for ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'', which is seen as the show's SpiritualSuccessor.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' caused a huge BrokenBase among fans of the original [[WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985 Eighties cartoon]] for its DarkerAndEdgier take. In later years, it has gotten a more positive reception (especially in the light of the announcement of ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCatsRoar'' which has caused an even ''larger'' BrokenBase). Several viewes agree that it was a better reboot from CN than other reboot efforts (WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo, WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016, WesternAnimation/Ben102016. This is helped by the fact that it was cited as one of the influences for ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'', which is seen as the show's SpiritualSuccessor.

* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' barely lasted for two seasons on Nickelodeon (with the second half of Season 2 never even being produced) as it was unable to maintain high ratings, and it was just too expensive to keep making. In the following years, it has become a CultClassic favorite, ranking alongside ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'', ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy'', ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' and the ''[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar]]'' [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra franchise]] as the most popular show in the network's history. Zim is now used in Nicktoon games and merchandise continues to sell well, with the series getting a [[WesternAnimation/InvaderZimEnterTheFlorpus movie]] on Netflix.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'':
** The Dil and Kimi episodes, when they were new, were the most hated of the cartoon's run on the Internet due to [[{{Flanderization}} flanderizing the baby talk]]. Many people thought that the show was over-saturating the network. But in later years, those seasons are as held in as high regard as their predecessors. Some viewers hardly noticed the changes (minus additional characters and Creator/NancyCartwright replacing Creator/ChristineCavanaugh as Chuckie) that happened throughout the show's run and think that the show has been consistent in quality.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' was ''loathed'' when it was on air. Due to it being [[ToughActToFollow the first Batman cartoon made outside of the]] Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse since the latter's inception (as well as airing alongside it for the first two years), [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks making drastic changes to many characters' appearances and backstories]] and the early stories putting more focus on action and high-tech gadgetry than compelling plots, many fans and some critics derided it as "unwatchable" and a "22-minute [[MerchandiseDriven toy commercial]]." It was also disliked due to the "Bat-Embargo" it supposedly caused, as any ''Batman'' character other than Batman himself could not be used on ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'' while ''The Batman'' was airing because it was believed by DC that multiple concurrent Batman shows would confuse young children. [[note]]''The Batman'' was affected by the embargo as well, since they could not use Two-Face, Scarecrow or Ra's al Ghul in the show due to their appearances in the ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' and Robin didn't appear until season four due to his usage in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', which ended production shortly before said season of ''The Batman'' aired[[/note]] These days, it's looked back on fairly positively, with many people (including former critics) acknowledging that it's actually a pretty good show and arguing that it handles certain things way better than even ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries BTAS]]'' ever did (the action being one big example as ''TAS''[='=] action scenes [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny haven't aged well]]). Also ''The Batman'' got appreciation for [[AdaptationalNiceGuy avoiding]] the FranchiseOriginalSin of turning the Dark Knight into a ManipulativeBastard who alienates his allies, especially compared to the DCAU version whom infamously dated Batgirl.

** For awhile, the studio themselves was seen as somewhat of more of a hindrance than an actual help. Some even went so far as to say that they set back animation due to their rather large library of StrictlyFormula shows with LimitedAnimation. This sentiment has largely died down after the TurnOfTheMillennium and TheNewTens - when people realised they were a little harsh on shows that were [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny largely viewed out of their original context]]. Plus, some of Hanna-Barbera's higher budget and passion projects were more easily spread thanks to the internet, letting people realise that they weren't bad - they just had to work with what they had, and it often wasn't much.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chuggington}}'' rather notoriously has been dogged by one of these with [[DuelingWorks fellow show]] ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' for...basically all of its life, with fans of the latter loathing Chuggington and deriding it as being a [[TheyCopiedItSoItSucks "ripoff"]] and "too unrealistic and bouncy". However, in recent years, the show's reception has turned around somewhat, ''especially'' after ''Thomas'' had its attempted "Big World! Big Adventures!" relaunch (which was both [[SeasonalRot a failure]] and [[AudienceAlienatingEra poorly received]]), and then the subsequent "[[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo All Engines Go!]]" spinoff, causing many fans of that show, even the ones who once derided it, to give this one a second look. These days, while it's still [[SoOkayItsAverage not regarded as being a "masterpiece" by any means, it's also not regarded as being a BAD show either]], and it's managed to gain at least some respect for doing its own thing and being what it is without ruining a pre-existing IP, unlike the aforementioned "All Engines Go!" (which has gained an even poorer reception than this show ever has). Which in turn gave ''Chuggington'' to gain newfound respect for its characters, writing, and worldbuilding.

* ''WesternAnimation/Chuggington'' rather notoriously has been dogged by one of these with [[DuelingWorks fellow show]] ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' for...basically all of its life, with fans of the latter loathing Chuggington and deriding it as being a [[TheyCopiedItSoItSucks "ripoff"]] and "too unrealistic and bouncy". However, in recent years, the show's reception has turned around somewhat, ''especially'' after ''Thomas'' had its attempted "Big World! Big Adventures!" relaunch (which was both [[SeasonalRot a failure]] and [[AudienceAlienatingEra poorly received]]), and then the subsequent "[[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo All Engines Go!]]" spinoff, causing many fans of that show, even the ones who once derided it, to give this one a second look. These days, while it's still [[SoOkayItsAverage not regarded as being a "masterpiece" by any means, it's also not regarded as being a BAD show either]], and it's managed to gain at least some respect for doing its own thing and being what it is without ruining a pre-existing IP, unlike the aforementioned "All Engines Go!" (which has gained an even poorer reception than this show ever has). Which in turn gave ''Chuggington'' to gain newfound respect for its characters, writing, and worldbuilding.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/Chuggington Chuggington's]]'' reception has always been...[[BrokenBase tepid]], to say the least. However, in recent years, the show's reception has turned around somewhat, ''especially'' after ''Thomas'' had its attempted "Big World! Big Adventures!" relaunch (which was both [[SeasonalRot a failure]] and [[AudienceAlienatingEra poorly received]]), and then the subsequent "[[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo All Engines Go!]]" spinoff, causing many fans of that show, even the ones who once derided it, to give this one a second look. These days, while it's still [[SoOkayItsAverage not regarded as being a "masterpiece" by any means, it's also not regarded as being a BAD show either]], and it's managed to gain at least some respect for doing its own thing and being what it is without ruining a pre-existing IP, unlike the aforementioned "All Engines Go!" (which has gained an even poorer reception than this show ever has). Which in turn gave ''Chuggington'' to gain newfound respect for its characters, writing, and worldbuilding.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chuggington}}'' was initially loathed on the air, as the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' fandom hated the show for being "too unrealistic and bouncy" in comparison to the realism of the original Thomas series. With many viewing the show as a ShoddyKnockoffProduct. However, with the release of Chuggington Season 6, the Thomas "Big World Big Adventures" relaunch and the "All Engines Go" reboot, some Thomas fans are willing to admit that Chuggington is good in its own right. Finding value in its stories, worldbuilding, and charm for staying true to what it was. Some even go as far as saying it's better than modern Thomas.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' initially garnered a divisive reception. It came hot off the heels of the polarizing Prequel Trilogy and supplanted the well-loved yet non-canon ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' micro-series. It also introduced concepts foreign to the then-[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Expanded Universe]], such as Anakin having a Padawan that was never mentioned in the movies and so on. After GrowingTheBeard halfway through the first season, reception became warmer. The target audience used the show as a {{gateway|Series}} into the franchise. Some of the series' concepts continued to be controversial topics for ''Legends'' fans for the {{Retcon}}s of previously well-received stories such as ''VideoGame/StarWarsRepublicCommando''. After its cancellation, the ''Legends'' EU was {{retcon}}ned. Among other BrokenBase responses that still continue as of this writing, ''The Clone Wars'' is now fondly remembered. Its [[UnCancelled renewal for a seventh and final season]] came to the joy of many, and its [[GrandFinale final]] [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsSiegeOfMandaloreArc four-episode arc]] is almost universally held as a high point for the franchise as a whole, even rivaling the previously untouchable original trilogy in fan acclaim.

** ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012'' was very polarizing when it debuted due to its radically different take on the ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' mythos, and coming off the heels of the much-loved and CutShort ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan''. With the show now over, many people are more willing to admit that it did have its strong points. It helped that [[GrowingTheBeard the quality increased every season]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chuggington}}'' was initially loathed on the air, as the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' fandom hated the show for being "too unrealistic and bouncy" in comparison. However, with the release of Chuggington Season 6, the Thomas "Big World Big Adventures" relaunch and the "All Engines Go" reboot, some Thomas fans are willing to admit that Chuggington is good in its own right. Finding value in its stories, worldbuilding, and charm for staying true to what it was. Some even go as far as saying it's better than modern Thomas.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chuggington}}'' was initially loathed on the air when it first came out, as the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' fandom hated the show for being "too unrealistic and bouncy" in comparison. However, with the release of Chuggington Season 6, the Thomas "Big World Big Adventures" relaunch and the "All Engines Go" reboot, some Thomas fans are willing to admit that Chuggington is good in its own right. Finding value in its stories, worldbuilding, and charm for staying true to what it was.

* ''Chuggington'' was initially loathed on the air when it first came out, as the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' fandom hated the show for being "too unrealistic and bouncy" in comparison. However, with the release of Chuggington Season 6, the Thomas "Big World Big Adventures" relaunch and the "All Engines Go" reboot, some Thomas fans are willing to admit that Chuggington is good in its own right. Finding value in its stories, worldbuilding, and charm for staying true to what it was.

* ''westernanimation/Chuggington'' was initially loathed on the air when it first came out, as the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' fandom hated the show for being "too unrealistic and bouncy" in comparison. However, with the release of Chuggington Season 6, the Thomas "Big World Big Adventures" relaunch and the "All Engines Go" reboot, some Thomas fans are willing to admit that Chuggington is good in its own right. Finding value in its stories, worldbuilding, and charm for staying true to what it was.

* ''WesternAnimation/Chuggington'' was initially loathed on the air when it first came out, as the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' fandom hated the show for being "too unrealistic and bouncy" in comparison. However, with the release of Chuggington Season 6, the Thomas "Big World Big Adventures" relaunch and the "All Engines Go" reboot, some Thomas fans are willing to admit that Chuggington is good in its own right. Finding value in its stories, worldbuilding, and charm for staying true to what it was.

* ''WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGobots'' spent most of its lifespan [[DuelingShows struggling in the shadow]] of ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' before getting cancelled and being mostly remembered as a ShoddyKnockoffProduct. But then the rights to the series were acquired by Hasbro, who [[CanonWelding folded it into]] ''Transformers''. Afterwards, many Transfans wound up giving the series a second look and found that it was actually a fairly decent cartoon for the time, being SoOkayItsAverage at worst. In the years since, hostility towards ''Gobots'' has gone down greatly, and the series is now generally viewed as good in its own right, just suffering from [[OvershadowedByAwesome having to compete with]] ''Transformers''.

* ''WesternAnimation/Chuggington'' was initially loathed on the air when it first came out, as the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' fandom hated the show for being "too unrealistic and bouncy" in comparison. However, with the release of Chuggington Season 6, the Thomas "Big World Big Adventures" relaunch and the "All Engines Go" reboot, some Thomas fans are willing to admit that Chuggington is good in its own right. Finding value in it's stories, worldbuilding, and charm for staying true to what it was.

* ''WesternAnimation/Chuggington'' was initially loathed on the air when it first came out, as the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' fandom hated the show for being "too unrealistic and bouncy" in comparison. However, with the release of Chuggington Season 6, the Thomas "Big World Big Adventures" relaunch and the "All Engines Go" reboot, some Thomas fans are willing to admit that Chuggington is good in its own right. Finding value in it's stories, worldbuilding, and charm for staying true to what it was.

* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' was not warmly welcomed when it first debuted in 2000. ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' (which is the most beloved and influential portrayal of the team) was definitely a ToughActToFollow and the choice to turn a lot of the X-Men into teenagers was considered a tacky attempt to appeal to the teen demographic and the revamp of certain characters, such as turning Rogue from a spunky spitfire to a reclusive goth irritated some long-time fans (especially since the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' had given Rogue a similar treatment). Since then however the opinion on ''Evolution'' is very different with many fans who grew up in the 2000s considering it their favourite X-Men show, the character writing [[GrowingTheBeard particularly in the second season]] is considered as genuinely good and it also helps the series introduced fan favourite ComicBook/{{X 23}}, who would become a CanonImmigrant to the comics. The series would be further vindicated when ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen'' came out and unlike ''Evolution'' did a disservice to all the characters not named Wolverine.

** ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries'', a CG show by Mainframe Studios meant to be a sequel to the [[Film/SpiderMan1 2002 film]] was released on Creator/{{MTV}} and subsequently barely seen by anybody. The series was canceled after a cliffhanger and would eventually would fade into obscurity in the mainstream’s eyes, however those who did discover the show were in awe of the 3D animation, Creator/NeilPatrickHarris’s voice acting of Spidey, a returning Creator/MichaelClarkeDuncan as Kingpin and the fact the series had a mature DarkerAndEdgier tone compared to the rest of the Spider-Man cartoons. The series would get nominated for several awards, Neil Patrick Harris would reprise his role as Peter in ''VideoGame/SpiderManShatteredDimensions'' and there was plenty of excitement when Mainframe Studios in 2020 said on Twitter they’d happy to make another season if given the green light. Additionally Marvel’s ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf'' series has been [[https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.cbr.com/what-if-animation-spider-man-mtv-cartoon/amp/ noted]] to have a very similar animation style to ''Spider Man The New Animated Series''.

** ''WesternAnimation/ShaggyAndScoobyDooGetAClue'' was once considered the worst incarnation of the franchise. When Creator/HBOMax[='s=] ''Velma'' premiered, it was so poorly recieved that it made a lot of people change their opinions on the series and start reevaluating it for being a fun and different version that didn't change the characters too drastically (not counting the ArtShift the show suffered from).

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Back when they first aired, Seasons 4 and 5 were seen as unworthy follow up to the first 3, due to the {{Flanderization}}s of several characters, more reliance on grossout and/or mean spirited humor, and weaker stories and gags. As time goes on, however, many came to appreciate both of these seasons, to the point where you won't find as many ''[=SpongeBob=]'' fans who hate them as back in the day: especially compared to [[SeasonalRot Seasons 6 to 8]], they’re seen as masterpieces (they are still seen as inferior to Season 1-3, but not by a whole lot), some even going as far as to include Season 4 (and 5, to a ''much'' lesser extent) as part of the show's Golden Age.