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1[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darkages.png]]
2[-[[caption-width-right:320:[[VindicatedByHistory While many didn’t think the same then]], even [[LimitedAnimation cheap]], [[NoBudget low budget]] (some even OffModel) cartoons had fans, and still do.[[note]] In order: WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones, WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle, WesternAnimation/{{Underdog}}, [[WesternAnimation/FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids Fat Albert]], [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 The Jungle Book]], [[WesternAnimation/SuperFriends The Super Friends]], [[WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas A Charlie Brown Christmas]], and [[WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat Fritz the Cat]].[[/note]]]]-]
3
4->''"We ran into a stone wall because some citizens, for the protection of the children of the world, have decided cartoons are evil, that they're violent and full of mayhem. We showed [Creator/{{ABC}}] five of the old 'WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry[=s=]' and they laughed so hard, they had tears in their eyes. Then they said 'We can't use them. If we put those on, we'll get killed.'"''
5-->-- '''[[Creator/HannaBarbera Joseph Barbera]]''', on the LighterAndSofter tone of ''WesternAnimation/TheTomAndJerryShow''
6
7The unfortunate successor to MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation, starting in the late 1950s and lasting until the mid 1980s. LimitedAnimation, as well as the limitations of MismatchedAtomicExpressionism, was the rule, not the exception, during this time. Its start coincided with the MediaNotes/FallOfTheStudioSystem in Hollywood. The theatrical short slowly died off, and cartoons moved to television. Naturally, this era would leave a lasting impression on American culture, for better or for worse, as the [[AnimationAgeGhetto primary target audience for cartoons]] became children.
8
9Originally, LimitedAnimation was primarily an artistic choice for filmmakers like Creator/ChuckJones, Robert Cannon, and John Hubley who were tired of {{Disneyfication}}. With the closures of UPA and Creator/{{MGM}}'s animation studios, it became primarily about saving time and money.[[note]] Much like the debate over [[MediaNotes/AdobeFlash Flash Animation quality today]].[[/note]] Creator/HannaBarbera – founded by the eponymous duo in response to MGM abruptly shuttering its animation unit and firing them – was very prominent during this time (to the extent of holding a monopoly over the Saturday morning animation market by the '70s), thanks to how cheaply produced and rushed their television cartoons were. Given how these series [[SpeechCentricWork used dialogue over visuals]] to move the stories forward, they rapidly became what Jones would describe with justified derision as "illustrated radio". Still, they created not only successful kids fare in the 60s like ''WesternAnimation/YogiBear'', but prime time series like ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'' and the influential AdventureSeries ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'', which created a whole new television animation genre. Unfortunately, the studio soon fell into a crippling creative rut with the SaturdayMorningCartoon timeslot, which led to them endlessly copying the concepts of their most successful shows, and filling in the rest of the time with reruns, with ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' and the long-running, oft-retooled ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' the most prolific templates.
10
11Creator/{{Filmation}} also got its start during this time, although it wouldn't hit prominence until much later during the '80s. In the meantime, it ''did'' give us shows like ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'' (which was a continuation of the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries original show]] after it was cancelled), ''WesternAnimation/{{Flash Gordon|1979}}'', and ''[[Franchise/{{Tarzan}} Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle]]'' which were wonderfully respectful of their source material, while Creator/BillCosby's ''WesternAnimation/FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids'' was a surprisingly enduring {{Edutainment}} change of pace. However, like Hanna-Barbera, they also relied on notoriously low budget animation (even more so than H-B) and corner cutting to get their cartoons out as quickly and cheaply as possible. Hanna-Barbera writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears also formed Creator/RubySpears around this time and churned out a number of properties based on [[WesternAnimation/MisterT celebrities]], [[WesternAnimation/RubikTheAmazingCube toys]], and other {{Animated Adaptation}}s of sitcoms, mimicking their former employer's animated style to a T. Former WB director Creator/FrizFreleng kept his own hand in the field with Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises, which supervised the final batch of theatrical WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes shorts and then created ''WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther'' and various series before being purchased by Creator/MarvelComics to become Marvel Productions.
12
13Unfortunately, the budgetary constraints became ever more onerous on producers, with rock bottom arguably being ''WesternAnimation/ClutchCargo'' with its ridiculous "SynchroVox" method of using live action lips speaking the dialogue; while scarcely less limited in terms of animated motion otherwise, Grantray-Lawrence's xerography method for ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelSuperHeroes'' at least largely captured the heady energy of artists like Creator/JackKirby to make it look like the comic artwork comprising their source material had come to life. Furthermore, the AnimationAgeGhetto was made all the worse with [[MoralGuardians parents groups]] pressuring the networks to impose ever more onerous and arbitrary content restrictions, such as TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong and NeverSayDie while classic cartoons like ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' were censored to near oblivion. In fact, it got to the point where, by the early-80s, basic ''conflict'', the soul of drama, was all but discouraged on [[SaturdayMorningCartoon Saturday mornings]], creating bland, moralistic gruel like ''WesternAnimation/TheGetAlongGang'', and the short development period for greenlit shows before the season opening made things worse. However, that lobbying did have some positive results – the push for educational programming helped create the classic ''WesternAnimation/SchoolhouseRock'' shorts, which taught whole generations with wonderfully tuneful songs.
14
15In somewhat better artistic position was the realm of prime time TV specials, which didn't have the overwhelming budgetary and production time demands of full series. For instance, there was [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Rankin-Bass]], which created a large series of StopMotion productions in a process called Animagic such as ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'' and ''WesternAnimation/SantaClausIsCominToTown'', spanning from the former's debut in 1964 to the mid-80s. There was also the animated adaptations of the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' comic strip by Lee Mendelson and Creator/BillMelendez beginning with the instant-classic ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas'', whose rushed production was more than compensated by a profound artistic sincerity and the jazz music compositions by Music/VinceGuaraldi.
16
17However, this does not mean ''everything'' from this era was ''bad''. Creator/{{Disney}}'s output remained respectable and generally well animated. Walt Disney, had, by this time, begun to draw away his focus on films due to his increased interest for television and theme park projects during the '50s. Disney had been feeling more and more creatively stifled as the decades moved on; the bold, experimental projects that had made him a household name in the 1920s and 1930s nearly ruined him in the 1940s as audiences' tastes changed and his artists experienced the strain of appeasing his demands (while receiving virtually no on-screen credit, none the less) within an increasingly industrialized working environment, as opposed to the more close-knit familial atmosphere of the studio's early-30s incarnation, climaxing in a 1941 strike depriving Disney of over a thousand staff members, including master animators Art Babbitt and Bill Tytla. Resultantly, Disney's lofty ambitions for the medium rapidly eroded over the following decades, increasingly delegating the creative tribulations of his feature films to directors such as Gerry Geronimi and the emergent [[Creator/DisneysNineOldMen group of directing animators dubbed the 'nine old men']] and shifting to an emphasis on
18generally more family-friendly and formulaic material while pursuing other creative ventures. He attempted one last shot at a more experimental animated film at the end of the decade with ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', an enormously high-cost attempt to craft a film coherently translating the angular, stylized concept art of staff background artist Eyvind Earle into an hour of full animation. Despite Disney's initial high ambitions for the film, its mammoth cost, compounded by creative conflicts between Earle and the film's directors, elongated production across almost a decade and resulted in the film's box-office 'failure', given the magnitude of earnings required to recoup its budget. Subsequently threatened by bankruptcy, Disney laid off a number of his staff members (including several longtime animators), retreated from fairy tales for the next 30 years, and reluctantly ceded to using the xerography process, a dry photocopying process that eliminated the need to hand-ink the animation, which was both a cost-cutting measure and the only practical way to produce a film with such visual complexity as their next feature, ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians''. However, the technology only allowed for black outlines, which forced a hard scratchy visual style for years (at least until ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers'', when softer outlines with various colors became technically possible). These changes had a noticeable effect on the quality of the 1960s Disney films, and the death of Walt in the middle of the decade hit the company ''extremely'' hard, sending their studio into a hard slump post-''[[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 Jungle Book]]''. Although they would release [[WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh a]] [[WesternAnimation/TheRescuers few]] [[WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective features]] that critics enjoyed and made money[[note]]The last of which helped Disney recover after ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' failure[[/note]], Disney continued to struggle, forced to use re-releases and the theme parks to stay afloat, until the release of [[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit two]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 movies]] in the late 80's that were huge hits with critics and audiences and showed that they finally recovered enough to be compared to their Golden Age heights.
19
20WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes was still producing some decent and entertaining shorts late in TheFifties, as some of its most memorable shorts were from this decade. While the animation was increasingly limited following the studio's re-opening (after a six-month closure in the wake of the 3-D craze) in 1953, the writing, along with the continued high-quality output emerging from the unit under the directorial wing of Creator/ChuckJones, managed to produce some timeless classics in spite of that. However, due to budget problems, Creator/WarnerBros forcibly shut down its animation studio for good in 1963 (though a brief revival was unsuccessfully attempted in the late 1960s). The characters would get a revival in the form of the smash hit anthology repackaging series ''[[WesternAnimation/TheBugsBunnyRoadRunnerShow The Bugs Bunny Show]]'', which [[VindicatedByCable reaired]] many of their old theatrical cartoons and, being exposed to younger audiences, ultimately helped to immortalize the characters as pop culture icons. In syndication, ''The Porky Pig Show'' did the same for many other shorts that weren't shown on its parent series. (And not just Warner Bros., either; if any motion picture company had a theatrical short to their name, animated or [[Film/TheThreeStooges not]], they would be on the bandwagon). With the onset of the 1980s, the surviving players of the [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation Golden Age]] were about to get back in the game in a big way.
21
22LimitedAnimation pioneer John Hubley did his best work at UPA in the early '50s, with theatrical shorts such as ''WesternAnimation/RootyTootToot''. After falling victim to a HUAC blacklisting at the height of the Second Red Scare in 1952, Hubley was fired from UPA and became a noted independent animator, producing a series of distinctive and personal films with his wife Faith as well as educational shorts for Creator/{{PBS}} shows. This was a booming period for trippy, avant-garde European animation such as ''Animation/FantasticPlanet'' and ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine''. In Canada, the Creator/NationalFilmBoardOfCanada encouraged exploration in all kinds of DerangedAnimation techniques, most famously with the work of [[Creator/NormanMclaren Norman McLaren]] who produced wildly creative shorts like ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r2COvWPO4Y Begone Dull Care]]'' (drawn-on-film animation set to Oscar Peterson's jazz music), ''Film/{{Neighbours}}'' (pixilation) and ''Film/PasDeDeux'' (ballet with optical printing enhancements).
23
24Animator Creator/RalphBakshi, who got his start in this era in the twilight years of Creator/{{Terrytoons}} working on the ''Sad Cat'' shorts and the ''Mighty Heroes'' TV show, rose to prominence during this era thanks to his breakout hit ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat''. This film, along with ''Literature/WatershipDown'', challenged the idea that cartoons were solely [[AnimationAgeGhetto "kids' stuff"]], an idea that was becoming increasingly popular at the time due to the diminishing quality of the cartoons of that time period, as well as people becoming overly familiar with the Disney style of family oriented entertainment coming out.
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26Bakshi would also go on to make a variety of animated features that challenged the AnimationAgeGhetto such as an animated adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'', which despite ''extremely'' mixed critical reaction was ultimately a box office success. Lesser films included the downbeat urban drama, ''WesternAnimation/HeavyTraffic'', the musical history drama ''WesternAnimation/AmericanPop'' and the Creator/FrankFrazetta-inspired fantasy, ''WesternAnimation/FireAndIce''. The Canadian ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'' would create its own cult interest late in the game (1981) with its erotic dark fantasy stories set to throbbing music. Even Hanna-Barbera brought a respectable adaptation of ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'' to the big screen in 1973. Some cartoons from this era may have had mediocre to poor animation but were ultimately saved by good writing; shows like ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'' would be a particularly good example of that. Likewise, Creator/{{Terry Gilliam}}'s surreal animated skits in ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' – utilizing his own artwork, antique photographs, and classical music and military marches played at double speed – would prove to be enormously influential.
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28Also, {{Anime}} was making its first impact in North America with such imports as ''Anime/AstroBoy'', ''Anime/SpeedRacer'', ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' (aka ''Star Blazers''), ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'', ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'' and, toward the tail end of the era, ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''. Not to mention the various kiddie series that populated basic and pay cable channels, such as ''Anime/{{Superbook}}'', ''Literature/TheLittlePrince'', and ''Manga/HoneyHoney''. While it often was crudely {{Bowdlerized}}, the form's distinctive look and content created a cult following that would eventually grow into much more, although production quality – following the tricks of the trade pioneered by Creator/OsamuTezuka – started and remained very low-budget and corner-cutting until the medium blossomed in the early 80's in tandem with Japan's rising economic fortunes. In Japan itself, animation as a medium began to slowly break out of its version of the Ghetto with Tezuka's Creator/MushiProductions' "Animerama" films plus 1971's ''Anime/LupinIIIPart1'', the first anime specifically for adults… which failed in its initial run but was later [[VindicatedByCable vindicated by reruns]] and served as a green-light for networks to air less-kiddy shows from the likes of Creator/GoNagai and Creator/LeijiMatsumoto. Many popular animated franchises (some still going to this day) got their start in this era, like ''Manga/SazaeSan'', ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'', ''Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater'', ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'', and the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise.
29
30[[RussianReversal The Soviet Russian Reversal]], however, was still in effect. Behind the "Iron Curtain", many [[EasternEuropeanAnimation Soviet cartoons]] saw light at the end of the tunnel. Some are dark, some are educational, some are just damn fun. And not only were they successful inside the country (Not even talking about a huge amount of fans who love them even today and make English translations), [[Animation/OnceUponADog one of them]] even got a ton of awards. Considerably, LimitedAnimation ''was not an option'' for Ivan Ivanov-Vano's cartoons made in this era, every one of which felt like a throwback to the time of Disney's golden era when hand-drawn people and animals moved as smooth as never before (or after). However, the Eastern European industry also brought forth Gene Deitch's ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' shorts in the 1960s, which were… [[DerangedAnimation interesting to say the least]].
31
32AnimationAgeGhetto is a trope that has its roots firmly planted in this era, due to a growing emphasis on conservative values from the 50's onward that led to MoralGuardians attacking anything that they didn't consider child-friendly. Check it out to see the full impact of this era on the typical viewer's idea of a cartoon nowadays.
33
34The end of this period is usually believed to be the mid/late1980's, though the exact year is debated. Some say the dark age ended in 1983[[note]]when cartoons in America began to become more merchandise-driven, and ''Anime/{{Dallos}}'', the first [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]] in Japan, was released[[/note]], while others say in 1985[[note]]The premier of ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', which is usually considered Disney's final dark age film, the release of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'', which had lavish production that put their tv competition to shame and gave Disney a foothold on television animation they previously lacked, and the formation of Creator/StudioGhibli[[/note]], 1988[[note]]With the premiere of ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'', the last film to use cel overlay, and the debut of Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit, which is widely held as the film that made animation fully respectable again through its celebration of the Golden Age[[/note]]; the latest ending given for it is generally 1989.[[note]]The release of ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'', the first Disney film to break its long streak of commercial and critical disappointments.[[/note]]
35
36For this era's successor, see MediaNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation (which lasted from the mid-1980s through the early 2000s).
37
38Chances are whenever you see a parody of this era or something that was made during it, it's either a TakeThat or an AffectionateParody at the least.
39
40[[foldercontrol]]
41
42[[folder:Characters, films and series that are associated with this era]]
43[[index]]
44* For anime series from this era, see:
45** AnimeAndMangaOfThe1960s
46** AnimeAndMangaOfThe1970s
47* ''The Adventures of Lariat Sam'' (1962)
48* ''Anime/AdventuresOfTheLittleKoala''
49* ''Manga/AiShiteNight''
50* ''WesternAnimation/AliceOfWonderlandInParis''
51* ''WesternAnimation/AllegroNonTroppo'': Europe's ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}''
52* ''WesternAnimation/TheAlvinShow''
53* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingChanAndTheChanClan''
54* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanPop'': A music-heavy (not a musical) drama film by Creator/RalphBakshi that came out at the end of the Dark Age.
55* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animalympics}}''
56* ''WesternAnimation/{{Aquaman}}''
57* ''WesternAnimation/TheArchieShow''
58** ''WesternAnimation/ArchiesTVFunnies''/''Archie's Funhouse''
59*** ''[[ComicStrip/TheKatzenjammerKids The Captain and the Kids]]'', a classic comic strip, is adapted as a segment.
60* ''Anime/AstroBoy''
61* ''WesternAnimation/TheAtomAntShow''
62* ''WesternAnimation/BambiMeetsGodzilla''
63* ''Series/TheBananaSplits''
64* ''WesternAnimation/BanjoTheWoodpileCat'': Creator/DonBluth's first solo project, which showed some light at the end of the very dark tunnel this era of animation was. A few years later, he would quit Disney and form his own animation company, which would fuel the animation renaissance.
65* ''Manga/BarefootGen'' (1983)
66* ''WesternAnimation/{{Batfink}}''
67* ''WesternAnimation/BeanyAndCecil'' (1962)
68* ''WesternAnimation/TheBearThatWasnt'': A 1967 short by Creator/ChuckJones, based on the book by Creator/FrankTashlin.
69* ''WesternAnimation/TheBearWhoSleptThroughChristmas''
70* ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles1965''
71* ''WesternAnimation/Birdman1967'' (more notable for ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'', its [[MediaNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation Millennium Age]] spoof, than the actual show)
72* ''Literature/{{Bunnicula}}'' (1982): An animated adaptation of the series of books by Ruby-Spears.
73* ''WesternAnimation/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKids'': ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'' with musical instruments. Or, to put it another way, ''WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussycats'' minus the cat ears.
74* ''WesternAnimation/CalvinAndTheColonel''
75* ''Manga/CandyCandy''
76* ''Anime/CaptainHarlock''
77* ''WesternAnimation/CasperAndTheAngels''
78* ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'' (1973)
79* ''WesternAnimation/ClosedMondays'': Will Vinton's Oscar winner.
80* ''WesternAnimation/ClueClub''
81* ''WesternAnimation/{{Condorito}}'' (1980)
82* ''WesternAnimation/CoolMcCool'' (1966)
83* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coonskin}}'' (1975)
84* ''Cri-Cri el Grillito cantor'': A 1963 Mexican film with an animated sequence that Disney contributed guest starring ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittlePigs'.
85* ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' (1973)
86* ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines''
87* ''WesternAnimation/TheDeputyDawgShow''
88* Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon: This is known to some as Disney's "sketchy" or television period, referring to the style of animation these films employed. Animated movies were made on the cheap, often recycling animation from older Disney classics. Creator/DonBluth got his start here as well, as anyone with a good eye for animation will be able to tell just by watching these. With the death of Walt Disney, the dark age of animation hit the company particularly hard. The Disney studios were nearly closed for good around this time, and wouldn't recover until the late 1980s.
89** ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' (1961): The first film to only use the Xerox method.
90** ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone'' (1963): The final film Walt saw released.
91** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Jungle Book|1967}}'' (1967): The final film Walt oversaw.
92** ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats'' (1970): The final film Walt green-lit.
93** ''WesternAnimation/{{Robin Hood|1973}}'' (1973): Finally, the first film Walt didn't green-light. The final film all the Nine Old Men saw completed.
94** ''WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' (1977): This was a re-packaging of the original ''Pooh'' featurettes edited into one film, with the only original material being the wraparound segments between the three featurettes.
95** ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers'' (1977): The final film any of the Nine Old Men completed and which Walt had had even the slightest involvement in the production of (he was still alive in its earliest planning stages).
96** ''WesternAnimation/TheSmallOne'' (1978): Shown in theaters before the re-release of ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}''.
97** ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheHound'' (1981): The final film any of the Nine Old Men worked on and the first which Walt had no involvement in whatsoever.
98** ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' (1985): Was such a colossal critical and box office failure that it nearly [[CreatorKiller ended the canon and closed the studio]]. To add insult to injury, it was beat out at the box office by ''WesternAnimation/TheCareBearsMovie''.
99[[/index]]
100[[index]]
101* ''The Doonesbury Special'', a 1977 AnimatedAdaptation of [[ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}} the comic strip]] that was John Hubley's last work.
102* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'': The series began its run during this period.
103* ''WesternAnimation/DownAndDirtyDuck'': Regarded by many as an extremely low-budget cash-in of ''Fritz the Cat''.
104* ''Manga/DoctorSlump''
105* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fangface}}''
106* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour''
107** [[WesternAnimation/TheFantasticFour1967 The 1967 series]] produced by Hanna-Barbera.
108** ''[[WesternAnimation/TheFantasticFour1978 The New Fantastic Four]]'', produced by [=DePatie=]-Freling and featuring [[ReplacementScrappy H.E.R.B.I.E.]] in place of the Human Torch.
109* ''WesternAnimation/FatAlbertAndTheCosbyKids''
110* ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatJoeOriolo'': At the end of the 1950s, WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat managed to snag himself a decent TV series under the helm of former Creator/OttoMessmer alumni Joe Oriolo, and even introduced his iconic magic bag of tricks, even though his character was still using the flanderized portrayal similar to the ill-fated 1930s Van Beuren ''Felix'' revival.
111* ''WesternAnimation/FlashGordon1979''
112* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones''
113** ''WesternAnimation/FredAndBarneyMeetTheThing''
114* ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman''
115* ''WesternAnimation/TheFonzAndTheHappyDaysGang'': Infamously, sure, but still noted for being absolutely insane AND badly animated, even when compared to the show's [[SpinOff most fantastical]] [[Series/MorkAndMindy moment]].
116* ''WesternAnimation/FrankFilm''
117* ''WesternAnimation/FraidyCat''
118* ''WesternAnimation/FrankensteinJr. and the Impossibles''
119* ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat'': [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids Don't expect this one to be like any of the others on the list.]]
120* ''WesternAnimation/TheFunkyPhantom''
121* ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999''
122* ''Manga/GeGeGeNoKitaro'' (1968)
123* ''WesternAnimation/GeraldMcBoingBoing'': [[http://www.cartoonbrew.com/classic/upa-dvd-60600.html The popularity of UPA]]] and its LimitedAnimation in TheFifties can be seen as the beginning of the 'dark age', though it would take a while for the cartoon studios' output to decline in quality. Nevertheless, it should be noted that it was the [[FollowTheLeader excellence of several UPA shorts]], [[LostInImitation such as this one]][[note]]writing by Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, didn't hurt[[/note]], that made LimitedAnimation acceptable.
124* ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle''
125* ''WesternAnimation/TheGetAlongGang''
126* ''Anime/{{Gigantor}}''
127* ''WesternAnimation/GoldenBookVideo''
128** ''WesternAnimation/JourneyThroughTheJungleOfWords''
129* ''[[Anime/Golgo13 Golgo 13: The Professional]]''
130* ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatGrapeApe''
131* ''WesternAnimation/HalloweenIsGrinchNight''
132* ''Literature/HaroldAndThePurpleCrayon'' shorts: ''A Picture for Harold's Room'' (1971) and ''Harold's Fairy Tale'' (1974)
133* ''Animation/HedgehogInTheFog'' (one of the great cartoons of all time) and other Soyuzmultfilm's golden era animation classics
134* ''ComicStrip/{{Heathcliff}}'' (1980)
135* ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal''
136* ''WesternAnimation/HeavyTraffic''
137* ''WesternAnimation/TheHillbillyBears''
138* ''WesternAnimation/TheHobbit'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing'': Surprisingly good animation for its time, co-produced by Creator/RankinBassProductions and Japan's Creator/{{Topcraft}} (which would later become an important contributor to Creator/StudioGhibli).
139** ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing'' became noticeably darker in content and production quality, though.
140* ''Honey Halfwitch'', based on the "Poor Little Witch Girl" ''Modern Madcap'' theatrical cartoons, became a pretty sophisticated, witty series under Shamus Culhane and Chuck Harriton's direction.
141* ''WesternAnimation/HongKongPhooey''
142* ''WesternAnimation/HokeyWolf''
143* ''WesternAnimation/HoppityHooper''
144* ''WesternAnimation/TheHoundcats''
145* ''WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas''
146* ''WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow''
147* ''WesternAnimation/IlEtaitUneFois''
148* ''WesternAnimation/InchHighPrivateEye''
149* ''Film/TheIncredibleMrLimpet'' (1964): A RogerRabbitEffect driven film. Its failure shut down Creator/WarnerBros' animation department for good.
150* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jabberjaw}}'': Pretty much ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' [[RecycledInSpace UNDERWATER]] with a shark that sounds like [[Film/TheThreeStooges Curly Howard]].
151* ''WesternAnimation/TheJackson5ive''
152* ''WesternAnimation/JanaOfTheJungle''
153* ''Jim and Judy in Teleland'': A series of super low budget made for TV cartoons.
154* ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest''
155* ''WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussyCats''
156* ''WesternAnimation/{{JOT}}''
157* ''WesternAnimation/JourneyBackToOz'' (1974)
158* ''Anime/KimbaTheWhiteLion''
159* ''WesternAnimation/KingDick''
160* ''WesternAnimation/TheKingKongShow'' (1966-1969): An InNameOnly adaptation that only happens to [[Franchise/KingKong have the title character]] in it.
161* ''WesternAnimation/TheKwickyKoalaShow''
162* ''WesternAnimation/LaffALympics''
163* ''WesternAnimation/LifeInATin'' (1967)
164* ''WesternAnimation/LinusTheLionhearted''
165* ''Literature/TheLittles'' (1983)
166* Recap/LooneyTunesInThe60s: This era covers the final days of Termite Terrace before they closed the studio.
167* Recap/LooneyTunesInThe70sAndOnward: Post-Termite Terrace.
168** ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDuckAndPorkyPigMeetTheGroovieGoolies''
169* ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'': Specifically, Creator/RalphBakshi's AnimatedAdaptation of it.
170* ''Franchise/LuckyLuke'':
171** ''WesternAnimation/LuckyLukeDaisyTown''
172** ''WesternAnimation/LuckyLukeBalladOfTheDaltons''
173** ''WesternAnimation/LuckyLuke1983''
174* ''Anime/LupinIII'': the franchise got its start during this period.
175** ''Anime/LupinIIIPart1''
176** ''Anime/LupinIIIPartII''
177** ''Anime/TheMysteryOfMamo'' (1978)
178** ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'' (1979): As Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's directorial debut, this film is regarded by some to be one of the works that heralded the coming of the animation renaissance.
179* ''Anime/{{Macross}}'': The franchise began at the tail-end of this period with ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross''.
180* ''Manxmouse'' (1979)
181* ''WesternAnimation/MadMonsterParty''
182* The Main/MagicalGirl genre in anime emerged during this period, with Creator/ToeiAnimation producing its series of "Majokko" shows during this time:
183** ''Manga/SallyTheWitch'' (1966)
184** ''Manga/HimitsuNoAkkoChan'' (1969)
185** ''Anime/MahouNoMakoChan'' (1970)
186** ''Anime/SarutobiEcchan'' (1971)
187** ''Anime/MahouTsukaiChappy'' (1972)
188** ''Anime/MiracleShojoLimitChan'' (1973)
189** ''Anime/MajokkoMegChan'' (1974)
190** ''Anime/MajokkoTickle'' (1978)
191** ''Anime/HanaNoKoLunLun'' (1979)
192** ''Anime/MahouShojoLalabel'' (1980)
193* ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'' (1982)
194* ''Anime/MarineBoy''
195* ''Film/MaryPoppins'': Had an animated segment which made use of the RogerRabbitEffect.
196* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelSuperHeroes''
197* ''Anime/MazingerZ''
198* ''Mel O Toons''
199* ''WesternAnimation/MickeysChristmasCarol'', released theatrically alongside ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers''
200* ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyHercules'': An animated TV series produced by Joe Oriolo. The lead character's design was notably the inspiration for the DCAU design of Superman.
201* ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyHeroes''
202* ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouse''
203* ''WesternAnimation/MiltonTheMonster''
204* ''The Mini-Munsters'' (1973): An unsold pilot intended as an animated spinoff of ''Series/TheMunsters''
205* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'': The original 1979 series aired towards the end of this era.
206* ''WesternAnimation/MrAndMrsJEvilScientist''
207* ''WesternAnimation/MrMagoo''
208* Creator/NationalFilmBoardOfCanada from the early 1960s onwards.
209** ''WesternAnimation/SpecialDelivery''
210** ''WesternAnimation/TheStreet''
211* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfSuperman''
212* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightTheAnimalsTalked'': An early 1970s TV ChristmasSpecial directed by Creator/ShamusCulhane.
213* ''WesternAnimation/TheNineLivesOfFritzTheCat''
214* ''Animation/NuPogodi'': Animated series that ran in the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] throughout this period.
215* ''The Nutty Squirrels'': An obscure made-for-TV cartoon series.
216* WesternAnimation/{{Noddy|sToylandAdventures}}: The franchise gained its first animated adaptation in 1963 by Peter Lee and Arthur Humberstone titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnRMDFeKFIE "Noddy Goes to Toyland" (based on the book of the same name)]]
217* ''Manga/OsomatsuKun'' (1966)
218* ''Partridge Family 2200 A.D.''
219* ''Franchise/{{Peanuts}}'' (the various TV specials, ''The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show'', and feature films) -- a high point of LimitedAnimation from the period, not so much for the graphics, which were [[JustifiedTrope lifted directly]] from the newspaper comic, as for the mature storytelling and jazzy soundtrack.
220** ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas'' (1965)
221** ''WesternAnimation/ItsTheGreatPumpkinCharlieBrown'' (1966)
222** ''WesternAnimation/YoureInLoveCharlieBrown'' (1967)
223** ''WesternAnimation/HesYourDogCharlieBrown'' (1968)
224** ''WesternAnimation/ABoyNamedCharlieBrown'' (1969)
225** ''WesternAnimation/SnoopyComeHome'' (1972)
226** ''WesternAnimation/YoureNotElectedCharlieBrown'' (1972)
227** ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownThanksgiving'' (1973)
228** ''WesternAnimation/ItsTheEasterBeagleCharlieBrown'' (1974)
229** ''WesternAnimation/BeMyValentineCharlieBrown'' (1975)
230** ''WesternAnimation/RaceForYourLifeCharlieBrown'' (1977)
231** ''WesternAnimation/WhatANightmareCharlieBrown'' (1978)
232** ''WesternAnimation/BonVoyageCharlieBrown'' (1980)
233** ''WesternAnimation/ShesAGoodSkateCharlieBrown'' (1980)
234** ''WesternAnimation/ItsMagicCharlieBrown'' (1981)
235* ''WesternAnimation/ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop''
236* ''WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther'': [[/index]]Created by Creator/FrizFreleng, after he left the Creator/WarnerBros animation studios. It originated as the AnimatedCreditsOpening to [[Film/ThePinkPanther1963 the live-action film of the same name]]; the credits then inspired the cartoon series. The series ran in theaters from 1964 to 1977.
237[[index]]
238** ''WesternAnimation/ThePinkPhink'' (1964)
239* ''Literature/ThePlagueDogs'' by Martin Rosen, a follow-up to ''Literature/WatershipDown'' which proved to be a GenreKiller for dark adult WesternAnimation due to its content. It's basically ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'' with dogs. Creator/BradBird worked on the film.
240* ''WesternAnimation/ThePoint'' (1971): The first made-for-TV animated feature ever made.
241* ''Manga/PrincessKnight''
242* ''WesternAnimation/QuasiAtTheQuackadero''
243* ''WesternAnimation/QuickDrawMcGraw''
244* ''Q.T. Hush'' (1960)
245* ''WesternAnimation/RaggedyAnnAndAndyAMusicalAdventure''
246* ''WesternAnimation/TheRobonicStooges'', as well as the earlier ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' cartoon that included live action segments.
247* ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle''
248* ''WesternAnimation/RogerRamjet''
249* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles''
250* ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'' (1964)
251* ''WesternAnimation/RubikTheAmazingCube''
252* ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaAndTheGroovieGoolies''
253* ''WesternAnimation/SantaClausIsCominToTown''
254* [[Creator/{{Sanrio}} Sanrio Animation]]: Short-lived animation studio by Sanrio that made animated films based on Japanese literature [[note]] such as adapting two of Creator/TakashiYanase's book ''Anime/TheRoseFlowerAndJoe'' in 1977, and ''[[Anime/RingingBell Chirin no Suzu]]'' in 1978 [[/note]], manga [[note]] the ''Manga/{{Unico}}'' series [[/note]], and original content. The studio was active from 1977 till 1985 with a total of ten animated films. Their works were notable for [[NightmareFuel containing disturbing imagery]] and [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids depressing storylines]] while aimed at children. Compared to other animations studios during this period, Sanrio Animation's films contained [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt high quality animation]] with characters being very expressive and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic memorable music scores.]]
255** ''Literature/TheMouseAndHisChild'' (1977)
256** ''Literature/TheRoseFlowerAndJoe'' (''Bara no Hana to Joe'') (1977)
257** ''Chiisana Jumbo'' (''Little Jumbo'') (1977)
258** ''[[Literature/RingingBell Chirin no Suzu]]'' (known as ''Ringing Bell'' in the west) (1978)
259** ''Metamorphoses'' (a.k.a. ''Winds of Change'') (1978)
260** ''Anime/UnicoBlackCloudAndWhiteFeather'' (1979): The titular character's animation debut.
261** ''[[Theatre/TheNutcracker Nutcracker Fantasy]]'' (1979)
262** ''Anime/TheSeaPrinceAndTheFireChild'' (1981)
263** ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico'' (1981)
264** ''Anime/UnicoInTheIslandOfMagic'' (1983)
265** ''[[Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon Be Invoked]]'' (1983)
266** ''Anime/AJourneyThroughFairyland'' (1985)
267* ''WesternAnimation/SaturdaySupercade''
268* ''Manga/SazaeSan'': The longest-running anime series in history, began during this era.
269* ''WesternAnimation/SchoolhouseRock''
270* ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'', and the [[Anime/BattleOfThePlanets botched American dub]] that came out of it.
271* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou'' and its many clones, including:
272** ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyDooMovies''
273** ''WesternAnimation/TheScoobyDooShow''
274** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndScrappyDoo''
275** ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyAndScrappyDooShow''
276** ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyDooMysteries''
277** ''WesternAnimation/TheThirteenGhostsOfScoobyDoo''
278* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sealab 2020}}'', (more notable for its [[MediaNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation Millennium Age]] spoof ''WesternAnimation/{{Sealab 2021}}'')
279* ''WesternAnimation/SecretSquirrel'': The original incarnation.
280* ''Series/SesameStreet'', with its classic animated segments.
281* ''Anime/SherlockHound'': A Japanese-Italian co-production between Creator/TMSEntertainment and Creator/{{RAI}}, with Creator/HayaoMiyazaki involved as well.
282* ''Shinbone Alley'' (1971): Animated feature adaptation of both the eponymous musical, as well as the ''Archy and Mehitabel'' stories the musical was adapted from.
283* ''WesternAnimation/ShirtTales''
284* ''Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings'' (1974)
285* ''Franchise/TheSmurfs'': The Creator/HannaBarbera [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981 cartoon series aired towards the end of this era]].
286** Predating the 1980s series was ''Les Schtroumpfs'' ([[Franchise/TheSmurfs the franchise's original french name]]) produced by TVA Dupuis and aired on RTB (Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française) in Belgium, France, The Netherlands, West Germany and Austria from 1961–67. [[note]] Some episodes would later get selected as an animated film titled ''Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs'' (''The Adventures of the Smurfs'') that was released in 1965. Episodes can currently be seen at the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussel, Belgium (Pierre Culliford/Peyo's birthplace). [[/note]]
287** ''La Schtroumpfette'' (''The Smurfette'') was a Belgian television special that only aired in 1969 and made by the same producers behind the 1961 TV series. [[MissingEpisode The special is currently lost and never reaired in Belgium.]]
288** ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfsAndTheMagicFlute'' (1976): A feature-length film and the first animated adaptation of [[ComicBook/TheSmurfs the original comic series]].
289* ''WesternAnimation/TheSnorks''
290* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato''
291* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost''
292* ''WesternAnimation/SpeedBuggy''
293* ''Anime/SpeedRacer''
294* ''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderMan1967 Spider-Man]]'' (1967)
295* ''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderMan1981 Spider-Man]]'' (1981)
296* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries''
297* ''Super Chicken (1967)''
298* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}''
299* ''WesternAnimation/TalesOfTheWizardOfOz''
300* ''[[Franchise/{{Tarzan}} Tarzan,]] [[Creator/{{Filmation}} Lord of the Jungle]]''
301* ''WesternAnimation/TarzoonShameOfTheJungle''
302* ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'' was produced during this period. By which we mean the [[DevelopmentHell entire thirty-year duration]] of the period, before its creator Creator/RichardWilliams lost control of the project after briefly obtaining funding to distribute it following the success of ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', one of the films that [[RogerRabbitEffect definitively ended]] the Dark Age.
303* ''WesternAnimation/TheThing'' (1979)
304* ''WesternAnimation/ThundarrTheBarbarian''
305* ''Manga/TokimekiTonight''
306* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'': Revived three times during this era. First by Gene Deitch (the less said, the better), then by Creator/ChuckJones (generally considered the best produced theatrical cartoons of the 1960s, though that isn't saying much), and finally as a Creator/HannaBarbera [[WesternAnimation/TheTomAndJerryShow TV series]] (which {{Flanderized}} the characters beyond recognition, ironically by the very people who created them in the first place).
307** ''WesternAnimation/TheTomAndJerryShow''
308** ''WesternAnimation/TheTomAndJerryComedyShow'': Filmation's revival of ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'', once again just as the Dark Age was winding down, though this adaptation suffered from the same LimitedAnimation as the Gene Deitch shorts. And yet it was ''still'' more true to the original shorts than Hanna-Barbera's TV series.
309* ''WesternAnimation/TomTerrific''. Both this and ''Lariat Sam'' were produced by Terrytoons, who also did ''Mighty Mouse''.
310* ''Manga/TomorrowsJoe''
311* ''WesternAnimation/TopCat''
312* ''WesternAnimation/TheTroubleWithMissSwitch'' (1980)
313* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tubby the Tuba|1975}}''
314* ''Anime/Ulysses31''
315* ''WesternAnimation/{{Underdog}}''
316* ''Manga/{{Unico}}'': Received three animated adaptations during this period.
317* ''Manga/UruseiYatsura''
318* ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces''
319* ''WesternAnimation/WaitTillYourFatherGetsHome'': The UrExample of the animated dysfunctional family (think ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' if it were a cartoon series), which would later inspire all the FOX animated sitcoms about dysfunctional or quasi-dysfunctional families (''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow''). ''The Barkleys'' is another one based both on ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' and ''Series/TheHoneymooners''. Produced by [=DePatie=]-Freleng, it ran in 1972–73 and had only thirteen episodes.
320* ''Music/TheWall'', with its animated segments.
321* The animated sections of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Water Babies|1978}}''.
322* ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'' by Martin Rosen. Concept drawings by John Hubley for the dream sequences. Hubley wanted to do the whole film in LimitedAnimation using Aboriginal-style 60s-70s primitive expressionism. He left the film over "creative differences" with Rosen, who wanted [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids detailed and bloody naturalism]]. You decide [[ArtShift which parts]] of the film are [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids more disturbing]].
323* ''WesternAnimation/WheelieAndTheChopperBunch''
324* ''WesternAnimation/WinkyDink''
325* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}''
326* ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'': His theatrical cartoons would keep going until 1972, and he also had a hit TV series appearing during this era.
327* ''Wolf Rock TV''
328* ''Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater'':
329** ''Manga/{{Dororo}}'' (1969)
330** ''[[Creator/HansChristianAndersen Andersen Stories]]'' (1971)
331** ''Literature/TheMoomins'' (1972)
332** ''Anime/RockyChuckTheMountainRat'' (1973)
333** ''Anime/HeidiGirlOfTheAlps'' (1974): One of Creator/IsaoTakahata and Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's early projects.
334** ''Literature/ADogOfFlanders'' (1975)
335** ''Anime/ThreeThousandLeaguesInSearchOfMother'' (1976)
336** ''Anime/RascalTheRaccoon'' (1977)
337** ''Anime/TheStoryOfPerrine'' (1978)
338** ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'' (1979): Miyazaki and Takahata's last TV project before [[Creator/StudioGhibli moving to the big screen.]]
339* ''[[Anime/TheKindlyLion Yasashii Lion]]'' (''The Kindly Lion'' or ''The Gentle Lion''): A Japanese animated short from 1970 by Mushi Production which adapted the Japanese children's book of the same name. Osamu Tezuka is an executive producer for this adaptation, while Takashi Yanase (author and illustrator of the original book) [[SelfAdaptation written the lyrics for every song in the film.]]
340* ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'': featured a who's-who of British animation from the period and Music/TheBeatles.
341* ''WesternAnimation/YogiBear''
342** ''WesternAnimation/YogisArkLark''
343*** ''WesternAnimation/YogisGang''
344** ''WesternAnimation/YogisSpaceRace''
345* Zagreb Film (1961's ''Animation/{{Ersatz}}''), Pannonia Film Studio (1980's ''Animation/TheFly'') and many European animation studios got their start.
346[[/index]]
347[[/folder]]
348
349[[folder:People who are directly associated with this era]]
350* [[Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises David [=DePatie=] and Isidore]] "[[Creator/FrizFreleng Friz]]" [[Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises Freleng]]
351* [[Creator/{{Filmation}} Norman Prescott and Lou Scheimer]]
352* [[Creator/HannaBarbera William Hanna and Joseph Barbera]]
353* Creator/RalphBakshi: Got his start early in this era as a worked at Creator/{{Terrytoons}} during its late years, later became the most prominent independent animator in this time period, whereupon he hired (and fired)…
354* Creator/JohnKricfalusi got his start late in this era as a worker at Creator/{{Filmation}}. He does ''not'' have fond memories of the place.
355* [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass]], producers of most of the classic {{Christmas Special}}s
356* Creator/ChuckJones: One of the few creators equally associated with both the Golden Age and Dark Age.
357* John Hubley: helped pioneer LimitedAnimation as high art during his tenure at UPA studios before being shown the door; died prior to release of ''Literature/WatershipDown''.
358* Creator/GeneDeitch
359* Bill Melendez: Lead animator for most of the ''Peanuts'' films & specials.
360* Creator/DonBluth resumed working during this era, after leaving Disney in the early 60s to go on his Mormon recruitment mission, eventually getting fed up with the public's complacency with mediocracy and was famously the first animator who [[MediaNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation did something about it]].
361* James Wang: Former Hanna-Barbera employee who'd go on to form Taiwanese animation company Creator/WangFilmProductions near the tail end of the 70s.
362* Creator/JuneForay: Did a lot of the voice acting she was famous for during this era.
363* Creator/OsamuTezuka: Started doing animation in this era, founding his studio Creator/MushiProductions.
364* Creator/OsamuDezaki: Started at Mushi (Osamu Tezuka's studio) in this era.
365* Creator/HayaoMiyazaki: Started at Creator/ToeiAnimation in this era.
366* [[Creator/RubySpears Joe Ruby and Ken Spears]], who founded Ruby-Spears around this time.
367* Creator/IsaoTakahata: Though he came from Nippon Dōga-sha during MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation of the 1940s (post-UsefulNotes/WorldWar2), he did many things when Nippon Dōga-sha became Creator/ToeiAnimation in this era.
368* Yasuo Ōtsuka
369* Yōichi Kotabe
370* Creator/BobClampett
371* Creator/NationalFilmBoardOfCanada's animation staff who produced some of the most creative professional animation of this era
372** Most notably, [[Creator/NormanMclaren Norman [=McLaren=]]].
373[[/folder]]
374[[/index]]
375
376----
377!!Tropes associated with this era include:
378
379* AllCGICartoon: [[OlderThanTheyThink A far more primitive version of this in the form of Scanimate existed during this period]]. Unlike later eras, it was usually limited to just commercial and title work due to the cost of producing and maintaining the machines to make them combined with the [[TechnologyMarchesOn technical limitations of the era]].
380* AnimalSuperheroes: Mighty Mouse, Atom Ant, Underdog, Batfink…
381* AnimatedAdaptation: for example, ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' cartoons, ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'', Filmation's adaptations of ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles1965'', etc.
382* AnimatedShockComedy: Ralph Bakshi and his X-rated animated film ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat'', which inspired a number of other adult comedy animated films, can be considered an UnbuiltTrope example..
383* AnimationAgeGhetto: While the stigma didn’t really originate from this era, as early forms began to emerge in the previous eras, this era is where the stigma truly began to become strong, and it’s therefore associated with this stigma, particularly after the mid-1960s, as most of these cartoons became directed for children, [[WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat with]] [[WesternAnimation/WaitTillYourFatherGetsHome a few]] [[WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries exceptions]].
384* {{Animesque}}: Though far more readily associated with MediaNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation and MediaNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation, this concept actually has its roots here. The first American animated series to deliberately employ anime tropes was ''WesternAnimation/FrankensteinJr'', which was closely based on ''Anime/{{Gigantor}}''.
385* AudienceAlienatingPremise: The idea of an adult oriented cartoon in general was a no-go for producers during the 70s and 80s. Creator/HannaBarbera had to [[WesternAnimation/WaitTillYourFatherGetsHome learn this the hard way]].
386** Averted with Creator/RalphBakshi who practically kick-started the adult animation industry in the U.S. with a series of [[WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat financially]] [[WesternAnimation/HeavyTraffic successful]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings films]].
387* BandToon
388* ChristmasSpecial: These were in vogue during this era, and most of the classics we know today were made during this time.
389* ConspicuouslyLightPatch
390* DerangedAnimation: It was TheSixties (and TheSeventies) after all. Many people mistakenly think this trope started during this era, which is not the case.
391* EverybodyDoTheEndlessLoop: A byproduct of all the LimitedAnimation.
392* EverybodyLaughsEnding: Though this trope arguably predates the Dark Age by a few years, it's here where it was used in particular abundance.
393-->'''Scooby-Doo''': Scooby-dooby-doo!\
394'''Everyone else''': Ahahahahahaha! *iris out on Scooby's face, occasionally with a wink*
395* {{Expy}}: If a character was popular and successful during this era, another cartoon show ''would'' make a character very similar to that character.
396* FiveManBand
397* FollowTheLeader: Half the Saturday morning cartoons in the '70s[[note]] A large number of which were [[SelfPlagiarism produced by Hanna-Barbera themselves]][[/note]] can be summed up as "''Scooby Doo'', but instead of a dog they have…"
398** A car (''WesternAnimation/SpeedBuggy'')
399** A shark (''WesternAnimation/JabberJaw'')[[note]]also doubled as an Expy of Curly Howard.[[/note]]
400** A ghost (''WesternAnimation/TheFunkyPhantom'')
401** More dogs and another Ghost (''WesternAnimation/TheBufordFilesAndTheGallopingGhost'')
402** ''Two'' dogs! (''WesternAnimation/ClueClub'')
403** A band manager (''WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussycats'') They also had a cat, but the Scooby role was basically filled by the manager.
404** A caveman (''WesternAnimation/CaptainCavemanAndTheTeenAngels'')
405** A ''bunch'' of cavemen (''WesternAnimation/ThePebblesAndBammBammShow'')
406** A werewolf (''WesternAnimation/FangFace'')
407** A tiny man (''WesternAnimation/InchHighPrivateEye'')
408* GratuitousAnimalSidekick / TeamPet: Moptop, along with two pandas.
409* HalfHourComedy
410* HumansAreWhite: Non-white characters were rare during this era, but they were more common than they were during the Golden Age. Hadji, from ''Jonny Quest'', was the first non-white main character in an American animated TV show.
411* LaughTrack: Why they'd need it in ''animation'', who knows. But many of the shows were basically sitcoms on lower budgets than live action.
412* LazyArtist
413* LimitedAnimation: Very much an understatement here, but it's generally agreed upon that Filmation was the absolute worst at it.
414* LimitedWardrobe
415* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: Hanna-Barbera, which owned most of the popular cartoon characters on television at the time, was able to do this a lot.
416* MotionlessChin
417* OffModel: Due to the low budgets of the time, animation not only would move jankily, but look the part too. Hanna-Barbera would eventually intensify it by farming some of their work out to Australia (and later, Taiwan) to mixed, but often sub-standard, results.
418* OffscreenCrash
419* PrimeTimeCartoon: This trend lasted until the late 1960s (save for numerous animated specials), though it has been revived during the beginning of MediaNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation.
420* RecycledInSPACE: A recurring theme (''WesternAnimation/{{Jabberjaw}}'' is ''Scooby-Doo'' under water, ''The Mighty Mightor'' was Space Ghost as a caveman, ''Gilligan's Planet'' LITERALLY had the Castaways in space, etc.), particularly for the [[SaturdayMorningCartoon Sat AM]] Hanna-Barbera and Filmation cartoons.
421* RingAroundTheCollar
422* SaturdayMorningCartoon: Saturday Morning cartoons experienced their heyday during this period, which continued for quite a few years afterward. Not only were Hanna-Barbera cartoons regular airings, but cartoons from MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation would be exposed to a new generation, and in some cases, [[VindicatedByCable become even more widely popular]] [[VindicatedByReruns than they were originally]].
423* ScoobyDoobyDoors
424* ShowDontTell: Most cartoons of this time were ''seriously'' bad about following this. In addition to the paltry budgets the studios worked with, some of them such as Filmation were so rigid that you were literally never allowed to draw anything but a handful of stock expressions and poses without being considered "off model". This regimented system precluded any kind of expressive animation or real character acting, so more often than not, studios fell back on the soundtracks of their cartoons (namely the voice acting) as the backbone of cartoons (as Chuck Jones called it, "illustrated radio").
425** However, there were some exceptions that followed the classic animation pantomime tradition, such as Chuck Jones' ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts and ''Sib Tower 12'' shorts, Disney's cartoons, Richard Williams's early works and Depatie Freleng's ''Pink Panther'' shorts (indeed, while Dark Age aspects like crude artwork, LimitedAnimation, and a LaughTrack crept into them over time, ''Pink Panther'' always averted this and remained almost entirely free of dialogue throughout its run). Independent animators like Norman Mclaren and Ralph Bakshi, despite eschewing the old fashioned tradition of animation acting, also relied on heavy visual storytelling to put their ideas across instead of the soundtrack alone.
426* SpeechImpairedAnimal
427* TeamPet
428* UnmovingPlaid
429* WackyRacing: The TropeNamer is WesternAnimation/WackyRaces which was one of a [[WesternAnimation/LaffALympics number]] [[WesternAnimation/YogisSpaceRace of]] Hanna Barbera shows that saw a number of their most famous characters competing in races and similar endurance competitions.
430* WheelOFeet
431* WraparoundBackground
432* YouMeddlingKids: In all the ''Scooby-Doo''-esque shows.

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