| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1304996745094879600 |
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| 4 | %% Removing emphasis on TMS per thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13454154320A18200300 |
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| 6 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/renissanceanimation_1.png]] |
| 7 | [[caption-width-right:350:A sampling of influential animation from this era.[[note]] In order: [[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail Fievel]], [[WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}} Ariel]], [[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead Butt-head and Beavis]], [[WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures Buster Bunny and Babs Bunny]] [[RunningGag (no relation)]], [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelion Unit 01]], and [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory2 Buzz Lightyear and Woody]].[[/note]]]] |
| 8 | %% |
| 9 | ->''"There will be no attempt to return to any particular era of the past but to incorporate a composite of all the great accomplishments of the past into a future product that we can all be proud of."'' |
| 10 | -->-- Animator and instructor '''Walt Stanchfield''', [[http://www.animationmeat.com/notes/nineoldmen/nineoldmen.html in a memo to Disney animators circa 1995]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | What the UsefulNotes/NewHollywood era did for movies, the Renaissance Age did for animation. Encompassing the late 1980s and the 1990s, the Renaissance Age of Animation had the medium see a significant increase in technical quality and finally returned to a point of artistic respect it had not seen since MediaNotes/{{the Golden Age|OfAnimation}}. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | The Renaissance age is usually considered to begin in [[The80s the 80s]], but it must be noted that for much of that decade, Western animation was still strangled by [[AnimationAgeGhetto the Ghetto]], plagued by a lack of artistic vision and [[NoBudget pathetic budgets.]] LimitedAnimation was still the rule on television[[note]](on both American and Japanese airwaves)[[/note]]. Nonetheless, one distinct sea change at the turn of the decade distinguished this period from previous decades of the [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation Dark Age]]. In 1981, Ronald Reagan deregulated U.S. television, thus lifting a long-standing ban on MerchandiseDriven programming; TV shows, animated or otherwise, could now be based on a toyline or established product if they included some form of moral or educational element (however arbitrarily or nominally). Within a few short years of this floodgate opening, a cavalcade of toyetic western cartoons arose to supersede the weakening Hanna-Barbera's output. Notable examples of this phenomenon, such as ''[[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man]]'', ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake'', ''Franchise/CareBears'', ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', ''[[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero G.I. Joe]]'', ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats}}'', ruled 80s television animation and had [[MoralGuardians parents' groups]] up in arms about children watching glorified toy commercials, which were also strictly separated into shows for boys and [[GirlShowGhetto shows for girls.]] That said, these colorful and often action-packed shows were nevertheless a major change of pace from the increasingly dull offerings served up by Hanna-Barbera and Filmation in the 1970s, and were entertaining to their target demographics, which is demonstrated by the fact that several of them became major pop culture phenomena that are fondly remembered to this day. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | Less enduring but more common in 80s TV cartoons was the tendency to give live-action franchises {{Animated Adaptation}}s. This included well-received hits like ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'', but also forgotten and/or derided fare like ''WesternAnimation/TheFonzAndTheHappyDaysGang'' ([[RecycledInSPACE IN SPACE!]]), ''WesternAnimation/RamboTheForceOfFreedom'', and ''Series/{{Alf}}''. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon came close to ending for good when ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', intended to be the stunning debut of a new generation of animators (the final remaining members of the [[Creator/DisneysNineOldMen Nine Old Men]] having departed at the dawn of the decade), didn't impress recently-arrived company executives, Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg. They recut it without the director's consent, and it proceeded to tank at the box office, being thwarted by ''WesternAnimation/TheCareBearsMovie''. However, things at Disney were about to change big time. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Witnessing the success of first-run syndicated cartoons like ''[[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 He-Man]]'' and ''WesternAnimation/CareBears1980s'', Disney tried its luck with two original series of its own in 1985: ''WesternAnimation/TheWuzzles'', which was soon forgotten, and ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'', which became a major hit whose lavish production values put its contemporaries to shame. Vindicated in their investment, Disney began funding a slew of original series, starting with ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' and ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' (both spinoffs of their Golden Age shorts) but eventually becoming numerous enough that they got their dedicated block of television: ''WesternAnimation/TheDisneyAfternoon'', a tour-de-force of branding that lasted for over a decade. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Other broadcasting companies took notice and developed their original series. In 1987, Creator/RalphBakshi produced ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouseTheNewAdventures'' with Creator/JohnKricfalusi, which, despite its [[ShortRunner short run]] and modest ratings, employed a unique amalgam of irreverent writing and stylized, highly-energetic animation and design reminiscent of the idiomatically "cartoonish" animated shorts of the golden age. Creator/WarnerBros had its revival after they hired a bunch of Creator/HannaBarbera expats to bring ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''-style comedy into the 1990s – the Creator/StevenSpielberg-produced ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' were the most successful. Much of the crew from these shows went on to launch the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse with ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' in 1992. This time, Disney aped ''them'' with a cult dark action series of their own, ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', created by Creator/GregWeisman, although they eventually mishandled it badly. Cable networks such as Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} and (much later) Creator/CartoonNetwork began their existence with reruns and repackaging of cartoons from earlier eras as well as syndicated or foreign fare (as did the Creator/USANetwork's Cartoon Express block. The whole network was like that back then: this was also the '' modus operandi'' of the emerging home video market) but moved on to create their shows during the '90s. Nickelodeon, previously notable for its live-action comedy output, launched the "Nicktoons" brand in 1991 with ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', consciously emphasizing a "creator-driven approach" relative to the heavily-corporatized animated shows populating more established networks. This experiment would prove enormously successful and influential, sparking a succession of popular (and often bizarrely-designed) series - among them ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold!'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'' - eventually culminating in the juggernaut ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' (which would arguably subsume the network as a whole over the following years) at the end of the decade. During the mid-1990s, the then-ailing Hanna-Barbera likewise underwent a rebrand and began to label their original series (produced specifically for the then-fledgling Cartoon Network) "Cartoon Cartoons" – ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'', ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', and ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' were among the first to use the moniker. Following Bill Hanna's death in 2001 (and Hanna-Barbera's resultant full absorption into Cartoon Network), however, that name was eventually dropped, with 2002's ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' being the last show to be dubbed a "Cartoon Cartoon". Meanwhile, some of the smaller studios such as Universal and MGM attempted to get back into the animation game. Universal's was relatively successful, though many of their series tended to be short-lived (including ''WesternAnimation/{{Exosquad}}'', and the ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'' cartoon), and eventually declined to churning out sequels to ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' before shutting down by the early 2010s. MGM's was even worse and had shuttered completely by 2000. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | On the silver screen, the industry gradually rose to new heights during the 1980s. After the box office failures of animated movies in the 1970s, Disney defector Creator/DonBluth pushed for a return to the rich classical style of MediaNotes/{{the Golden Age|OfAnimation}}, beginning with 1982's ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' – while it was not a blockbuster, it quickly became a CultClassic. It attracted the attention of no less than Creator/StevenSpielberg, which led to Bluth's directing the successful ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' for Amblin Entertainment. Bluth would both rise to prominence and fall during this period, but his collaboration with Spielberg proved to be the first real challenge Disney had ever faced in the animated film department, at least since [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer the Fleischers]] were in business on the eve of WWII. The failure of Disney's ''The Black Cauldron'' in 1985 seemed to spell the end of Disney's animation unit, but fortunately, it persevered, mainly due to the timely critical and financial success of ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective''. After the threat from Bluth and Amblin though, Disney frantically stepped up its game and rallied with ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'', which was another modest success. Their newly-established, adult-oriented Creator/TouchstonePictures label co-produced – with Amblin Entertainment, as it happened – ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', a live action/animated fantasy that also served as a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover of Golden Age characters and was the box office sensation of 1988. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | It was followed by ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' in 1989, a musical that [[GenreThrowback refreshed the old formulas of yore]] and was a surprise sensation at the box office – at last, they were well and truly back in the game. While the following year's ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'' was a financial disappointment, ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' raised Disney's bar even higher, a financial and critical success (in fact, the first animated film ever to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination). Their next film, ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', proved a smash with the stellar performance of Creator/RobinWilliams cementing the CelebrityVoiceActor as the "star" of an animated film.[[labelnote:*]] Ironically, Williams himself anticipated this trope and strove to avoid it. He did the film for SAG scale (''far'' below what a star of his caliber would normally earn) and insisted Disney not make a big deal about his involvement or make his character too prominent – requests that Katzenberg promptly ignored, leading to Williams refusing to take part in ''Return of Jafar''.[[/labelnote]] Finally, ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' surpassed all expectations to become a cultural landmark and the peak of Disney's success. Some laypeople refer to this era as the "''Disney'' Renaissance", since they were the most prominent and successful animation studio during the period with the most consistent track record of hits. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | Besides its success in film, Disney also became heavily involved in television animation for the first time. WesternAnimation/TheDisneyAfternoon was a syndicated programming block that lasted throughout the 1990s. Disney re-imagined some of its classic characters in new shows (''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' and ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'') and created some entirely new ones (''{{WesternAnimation/Gargoyles}}'' and ''{{WesternAnimation/Bonkers}}''), most of which are fondly remembered by people who grew up in that era. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | By the end of The90s, rival studios had launched their feature animation units, most notably Creator/DreamWorksSKG. [[note]] That studio was formed as a joint venture between Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg – the latter of whom had just been driven from Disney by Eisner after a power struggle and desperately wanted to beat The Mouse at its own game.[[/note]] However, most of them found that the public was still largely trapped in the mindset of AllAnimationIsDisney, so most of these attempts failed miserably or fell victim to Disney's aggressive marketing – such as rereleasing ''The Lion King'' late in 1994 so it could crush its rival ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess''.[[note]] (directed by Richard Rich, of ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' infamy – Eisner must have really had it out for the guy)[[/note]] Even Bluth was eventually forced to ape the tone and narrative structure of '90s Disney with ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' (his only true financial success in the 90's), and his attempt to break out again with ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'' failed and sunk his career. Creator/DreamWorksAnimation struggled out of the gate with the underperformance of their traditionally-animated films like ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'' (though both of those had good critical reception), but they noticed their small computer-animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}'' did better financially. This suggested to [=DreamWorks=] and other studios that there was a way out from under Disney's shadow via new animation techniques. They made a deal with the hailed British StopMotion company Creator/AardmanAnimations, who helped show them that success came from developing their voice and style in a new age. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | Adult-aimed animation finally came back to television during this period. ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' became a full-fledged series in 1989 and went on to become probably the most critically acclaimed television cartoon series of all time, and Creator/{{MTV}} caused a stir with Creator/MikeJudge's ''[[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead Beavis and Butt-head]]''. MTV, of course, is cable – and from here came the last great progress that cemented the renaissance: the rise of cable television. |
| 33 | |
| 34 | All in all, this era did a good job of at least brushing away the worst aspects of the Dark Age. ParentalBonus was back, quality had soared, and profits were high. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | {{Anime}} also found headway in North America during this period. ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' became a cult favorite, audaciously flouting of contemporary North American TV animation conventions to present a sweeping military SF saga that felt very different from homegrown fare like ''[[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero G.I. Joe]]''. Furthermore, the success of ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' proved that there was a market for Anime in America, and fostered the growth of what was originally a relatively underground following. As a result, overseas anime distribution had its first boom in popularity during the early-to-mid-90's, and advertised the medium as the [[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles ultraviolent, raunchy alternative]] to the cartoons of the west, striking fear into MoralGuardians. This racy image, however, had faded by the end of the 90's, as much tamer, kid-oriented shows such as ''Anime/SailorMoon'', ''Manga/DragonBall'', and ''Anime/{{Pokemon|The Series}}'' began to make their presence on TV across the world and showed that anime could be extremely profitable. This is also, of course, the period when the Western world was finally introduced to the genius of Creator/HayaoMiyazaki (after an abortive attempt years earlier involving a [[{{Macekre}} hacked-up]] version of ''Manga/{{Nausicaa|OfTheValleyOfTheWind}}'' that we have been asked to forget ever existed), with his classic films like the intelligently charming ''Anime/KikisDeliveryService'' and the ever-adorable ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro''. Disney would take interest in his films beginning with his grand, profound fantasy drama ''Anime/PrincessMononoke''. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | Indeed, anime must briefly be mentioned as a growing influence on Western ''animators'' themselves, as they were aware of what was happening in Japan well ahead of the general public. Once fare like ''AKIRA'' and ''Anime/{{Ghost in the Shell|1995}}'' began showing up, animators and directors in America began straining at the bit to have their artistic restrictions loosened for fear of a consistent flood of high-quality anime ''pounding the western studios flat''. It was a flood which never quite materialized as they feared, but it still lit fires under a lot of people and led directly to many of the products of MediaNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation. |
| 39 | |
| 40 | This era contains a significant shift in technology: the switch from traditional cel & ink & paint animation to computers. Animation studios rode the wave of the digital revolution that brought affordable [=PCs=] to the masses in the 1980s. From starting off as a means to animate commercials, network bumpers, music videos, and even some groundbreaking VFX work for films like ''Film/{{TRON}}'', ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' and ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'', Disney eventually employed CG for major parts of their films starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'', and by ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' had refined it considerably (the backdrop of the ballroom scene was CGI, as are the stampede from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' and the crowd scenes in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}''). Throughout the 90's, digital compositing and coloring slowly replaced ink & paint. Later, computer programs like [[UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash Flash]] and Maya made inroads as animation tools. In 1994, the first [[AllCGICartoon completely CGI TV series]], ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'', came out of Canadian studio Mainframe Entertainment and premiered on [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] in the USA. 1995 saw the release of the first all-CGI feature film, which launched Pixar into the spotlight and into a position to drive the future of the animation industry: ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1''. By the end of the decade, CGI had firmly placed itself as a legitimate method of animation for both fully animated efforts and live action as the VFX industry fully embraced the wave of CGI effects with the help of Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic, [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation Pacific Data Images]], Creator/RhythmAndHues and Creator/DigitalDomain's breakthroughs in the technique. |
| 41 | |
| 42 | This was also the era in which outsourcing truly took off. Doing the entire traditional animation process in America had long since become cost-prohibitive, especially for television, so most Renaissance-Era cartoons outsourced production to overseas studios--first Japan (Creator/ToeiAnimation, Creator/TMSEntertainment), then South Korea (Creator/{{AKOM}}, Creator/HanhoHeungUp) and Taiwan (Creator/WangFilmProductions) after Japan became too expensive (and having their industry being resurrected by ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' after years of almost nothing but MerchandiseDriven shows (either in the traditional sense or to sell manga) and western outsourcing; Ghibli being the only studio in Japan to avoid this when [[Creator/TMSEntertainment TMS]] took advantage of the later, giving them co-producer control most Japanese studios beg for in their local works). The switch to computers allowed cartoons to keep more of their production domestic, but hand-drawn series, in particular, continued to outsource most of the actual animation to South Korea… and still, do to this day.[[note]]Warner Bros Animation, Frederator and Cartoon Network Studios are the only studios to still outsource to Asian studios in bulk, when Disney, Fox and Nickelodeon have a few shows that are still hand-drawn, most of them are done in flash/Toon Boom locally with Disney outsourcing their flash/Toon Boom animation to [[Creator/MercuryFilmworks Canada]], the Philippines, and Ireland.[[/note]] |
| 43 | |
| 44 | This isn't to say it was all good news, day in and day out, though. The utter dominance of Disney at the box office during this period meant that independent animators who had flourished during the 1970s and 1980s, such as Creator/RalphBakshi and Creator/DonBluth, were elbowed out of the animated film market-- indeed, between the release of ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' in 1988 and ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' in 1997, there were ''no'' successful American animated movies produced by studios other than Disney, leading to the stereotype that AllAnimationIsDisney. Adult animation began to flourish during this era thanks to the likes of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'', and ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', creating the AnimatedShockComedy genre, but this simply cemented the view, in the minds of many audiences, that animated series aimed at adults could ''only'' be comedies. |
| 45 | |
| 46 | To make matters worse, rival studios' Disney-esque efforts were usually pale imitations at best--consider Don Bluth's work post-''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'', etc.--and often even worse when it came to Disneyfication, culminating in ''two'' [[WesternAnimation/TitanicTheLegendGoesOn Italian animated features]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTheTitanic that turned the]] ''Titanic disaster'' into HappilyEverAfter kids movies. [[TheyCopiedItSoItSucks The absolute nadir of the trend,]] at least as far as wide-release animated films go, was Warner Bros.'s ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'', which was plagued by ExecutiveMeddling that turned a planned older-oriented film into a sanitized mess. Sadly, this film outdid far superior works from WB like the [[AnimationAgeGhetto Ghetto]]-busting ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant''[[note]] (which fortunately got VindicatedByCable to the point it's one of that trope's prime examples)[[/note]] and ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance''[[note]] (which sadly hasn't)[[/note]] financially, even as critics savaged it. This is partly because WB condemned both films in theaters with InvisibleAdvertising. One could even pin ''Quest For Camelot'' as being one of the films that led to the eventual downfall of the Renaissance Age. |
| 47 | |
| 48 | There is no consensus on when this era ended, only that it did. Television cartoons in particular often bridged eras, with Renaissance-era shows airing alongside [[MediaNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation post-Renaissance]] ones for many years.[[note]]As of 2023, ''The Simpsons'' is ''still'' airing new episodes. With their original core cast, to boot.[[/note]] |
| 49 | |
| 50 | Depending on who you ask, the deterioration of this era began somewhere around the end of the 1990s or the early 2000s. The seeds may have been sown in 1995 when Disney distributed Creator/{{Pixar}}'s ''Toy Story''. That film was a huge hit both critically and commercially… while Disney's traditionally animated entry for the year, ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'', did well financially but disappointed academics and critics. Disney's increasingly formulaic approach to feature storytelling – characters who don't fit in, [[FantasyForbiddingFather fantasy forbidding parents,]] [[IWantSong "I want" songs,]] [[PluckyComicRelief wacky sidekicks,]] [[AnachronismStew pop culture jokes,]] etc. – in the wake of its early-'90s hits, resulted in films that strove to include more adult themes/stories yet couldn't lift themselves out of the worst aspects of [[AnimationAgeGhetto the Ghetto]] when it came to content. {{Disneyfication}} became a dirty word as critics accused them of whitewashing or dumbing down history and classic literature/mythology (the increasing amounts of merchandise tied into these films didn't help matters). That said, while these films were considered inferior to their predecessors, only one, the aforementioned ''Pocahontas'', was a critical failure, at a mediocre 56% on Website/RottenTomatoes. Meanwhile, the entries that were relative box office disappointments – ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' – were modestly well-received by said critics (at a decent 73% and a good 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively), who considered them improvements over the preachy and pretentious ''Pocahontas'' -- ''Hunchback'' has since been VindicatedByHistory to the point that it's a dark-horse candidate for the masterpiece of the Disney Renaissance[[note]] in the same way that ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'', another box-office flop, is considered a masterpiece Disney's Golden Age (the other contender being ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'', which also failed upon first release)[[/note]]. ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' were even viewed as coming close to the earlier works (at 86% and 88%, respectively). |
| 51 | |
| 52 | Also, Disney under Eisner [[{{Sequelitis}} started producing direct-to-video sequels, prequels, and interquels to most of their Modern Age films via their television animation units]], which sold well but are considered inferior to the quality of the originals. The sales were so good that Golden Age and Dark Age efforts were also given this treatment, to the increasing horror of adult Disney fans. It can be argued that the "cheapquels" led to a fatal dilution of the Disney brand name, causing audiences to take less interest in their newer animated canon efforts. And when rival studios (particularly MGM and Universal Studios) started doing the same thing with films ''they'' owned the rights to, video stores were glutted with unwanted, unworthy sequels to everything from ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'' to ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess''. Before this era, sequels were rare if not non-existent; ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'' was at the time one of the only exceptions. It's one reason the Renaissance, like every other period in animation history, is a bit of a mixed bag. |
| 53 | |
| 54 | Also, in an ironic twist, the success of animation and children's programming on cable helped to mortally wound animation on broadcast TV, killing the weekday animation block outright (except on Public Television) and beginning the slow death of the SaturdayMorningCartoon. The addition of three new cable channels (plus two new broadcast networks) for animated programming[[labelnote:†]] (Disney Channel has always featured both live-action and cartoons; the ''proportion'' of each varies from year to year… though they used to show far more cartoons than they do today)[[/labelnote]], and the increased competition inherent in such a thing, naturally led to audience fragmentation, which led to declining ratings, which led to declining ad revenue, which led to decreased profits. Animation is an expensive medium – always was and always will be, at least to do it right – so cartoons were either axed by the broadcast networks or jumped to cable (where budgets were already much smaller). The ''other'' thing that killed animation on broadcast television was Government--the MoralGuardians who had slammed late-Dark-Age cartoons for being glorified toy commercials never went away. Indeed, they successfully convinced the FCC to impose even more restrictions on advertising content in children's programming and to strictly enforce the "educational content" requirement on the networks (exemplified by the e/i logo). This resulted in the Ghetto becoming legally enforced on cartoons airing on the traditional networks, and the networks backing off as a result.[[note]] Except for Public Television, where cartoons had already been following similar guidelines for decades. Public television also has a radically different revenue model that insulates its programming from all but the harshest market forces, which has allowed animation to hang around. The Ghetto does not technically apply here because these cartoons ''actually are'' for very young kids.[[/note]] |
| 55 | |
| 56 | The Renaissance era can be reasonably be said to have lasted until around 1999[[note]] (the release of ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'', and the premieres of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'')[[/note]], 2000[[note]] (the failure of ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'', the underperformance of ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', and the beginning of the new millennium)[[/note]], perhaps even 2001[[note]] the release of ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' and the failure of Disney's ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', the former of which notably [[{{Deconstruction}} turned many Renaissance era tropes on their heads]] and set trends that many works [[MediaNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation of the subsequent era]] [[FollowTheLeader followed]][[/note]], or all the way up to 2004[[note]] the box office failure of ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange'', the last traditionally animated Disney film until ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' in 2009, as well as the endings of shows like ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''[[/note]] or 2008.[[note]]The ending of Kids' WB! which dealt a blow to the already-dying Saturday morning cartoons.[[/note]] |
| 57 | |
| 58 | For this era's successor, see MediaNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation. |
| 59 | |
| 60 | ---- |
| 61 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 62 | |
| 63 | [[folder:Films associated with this era]] |
| 64 | [[index]] |
| 65 | * ''Manga/{{Akira}}'': The film that made people take anime seriously. |
| 66 | * ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'': This movie was a surprise success at the box office, the first non-Disney animated movie to out-perform Disney, and had a lot to do with showing people that cartoons could still be profitable. Also marked Steven Spielberg's entrance into the animation scene. |
| 67 | ** ''An American Tail: Fievel Goes West'', and the two direct to video sequels. |
| 68 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'': The last ''successful'' Don Bluth film. |
| 69 | * ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'': Considered by many of Don Bluth's fans to be his masterpiece or his last good film depending on how one views ''Anastasia''. |
| 70 | ** Spawned [[WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven2 a sequel]] and a TV series, neither with Bluth's involvement. |
| 71 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}'': The first film to be released by Creator/DreamWorksAnimation, and the second major all-CGI feature. |
| 72 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Balto}}'': The last animated film from Amblin before its animation division shuttered in favor of Creator/DreamWorksAnimation. |
| 73 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtheadDoAmerica Beavis and Butt-Head Do America]]'' |
| 74 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBigSnit'' |
| 75 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' |
| 76 | * ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' |
| 77 | * ''WesternAnimation/Cars1'' (2006): It was released in 2006 but development started in 1998 before being scrapped in favor of ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2''. |
| 78 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheCatCameBack'' |
| 79 | * ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance'' |
| 80 | * ''WesternAnimation/ChristmasInTattertown'': A 1988 TV special Creator/RalphBakshi made for Nickelodeon, made in an attempt to revive the 1920s' rubberhose cartoon style. Nickelodeon intended it to be a series, but Bakshi knew this would never work, so it never went past this pilot. |
| 81 | * ''Film/CoolWorld'': The last (mostly) animated film by Ralph Bakshi until ''WesternAnimation/TheLastDaysOfConeyIsland'' in 2015. |
| 82 | * ''WesternAnimation/DavidCopperfield1993'': An animated adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens story with an anthropomorphic cast. |
| 83 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheDevilAndDanielMouse'': An esoteric '80s made for TV film. |
| 84 | * Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon: |
| 85 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'': While it's still a part of Disney's [[AudienceAlienatingEra dark era that began in the]] [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation late-1960s]], this movie's modest sucess helped reinvigorate its animation unit with the confidence it needed to help its animation studio get back up, even if it was overshadowed by Creator/DonBluth ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail.'' |
| 86 | ** ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'': Generally considered the last "Dark Age" Disney film. |
| 87 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'': The movie that brought Disney into ''its'' renaissance era, after repeated defeats at the box office by Don Bluth's movies. |
| 88 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'': Prior to ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'', this was Disney's only sequel. |
| 89 | ** ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'': The first animated feature to earn a Best Picture Oscar nomination, a distinction that would not be repeated until 2010's nomination for ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}''. |
| 90 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': Although the [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar DTV]] [[WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves sequels]] and [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries TV series]] were liked by critics and viewers alike, their popularity ironically opened the floodgate to the {{Sequelitis}} that would plague Disney for years. |
| 91 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'': Broke the record for the highest-grossing animated movie, holding it for nine years until ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' was released, and still the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time. Also cemented the later-maligned wacky sidekick trope that ''Aladdin'' originally introduced with The Genie, with [[ThoseTwoGuys Timon & Pumbaa]]. |
| 92 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'': Considered by some to be the beginning of the end of Disney's portion of the Renaissance. |
| 93 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' |
| 94 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' |
| 95 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'': The first of three feature films primarily made at [[Ride/WaltDisneyWorld Walt Disney Animation Florida]]. |
| 96 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'': Regarded as the final Disney Renaissance film. |
| 97 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia 2000}}'': A follow-up to [[WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}} the Walt Disney classic]]. |
| 98 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaur}}'': Sort of since it started development in 1994. |
| 99 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'': This was meant to be an epic musical but in 1998, two years before it was released, it was changed to a buddy comedy. [[Film/TheSweatbox The production process was particularly painful for those involved.]] Underperformed at the box office, but [[VindicatedByCable gained larger success through home media]]. |
| 100 | ** ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'': Like ''The Emperor's New Groove'', this was made as a science fiction film (the first of three in a row) to save the Disney Renaissance from its downfall but failed at both. This also started the downfall of Disney's main hand-drawn animated department. |
| 101 | ** ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'': An offbeat sci-fi comedy-drama made at Walt Disney Animation Florida and written and directed by two animators of several Disney Renaissance films (Creator/ChrisSanders and Creator/DeanDeBlois). It was a lower-budget project as then-CEO Michael Eisner believed that Disney Animation was too focused on big-budget blockbusters and wanted to see if the company can make an animated film that doesn't break the bank. It paid off in dividends by being Disney Animation's only combined major critical and commercial success in the first half of the 2000s, but it only delayed the inevitable. |
| 102 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'': Pitched by Ron Clements and John Musker four times, the last of which was successful in 1997 when it started production. Also, its troubled production was one of the factors that led to Peter Schneider being sent away from Disney. Definitely started the downfall of Disney's hand-drawn animated department. |
| 103 | ** ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear'': Last film produced primarily at Walt Disney Animation Florida. |
| 104 | ** ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange'': Definitely the last film of the era as this was pitched twice in the 1990s. Mike Gabriel and Mike Giamo were replaced with Will Finn and John Sanford in 2000 due to the persistent story problems after the previous year; production started to be salvaged. |
| 105 | |
| 106 | * ''WesternAnimation/EightCrazyNights'' |
| 107 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheFearlessFour'' (1997): A German-animated feature, being an extremely loose adaptation of "The Four Musicians of Brementown". |
| 108 | * ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest'' |
| 109 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Felidae}}'' |
| 110 | * ''Anime/FinalFantasyTheSpiritsWithin'': A US-Japan coproduction that made early experiments with [[SerkisFolk motion capture]] while following in the short-lived trend of making more mature action-adventure Western animated films alongside films like ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' and ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE''. The failure of this film pretty much cemented the DenserAndWackier family-friendly route of films like ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' being the norm for Western animated films. |
| 111 | * ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'': Sort of as this film entered production in 1997. However, it wasn't released till 2003. |
| 112 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheFirstSnowOfWinter'' |
| 113 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'' |
| 114 | * ''WesternAnimation/AFlintstonesChristmasCarol'' |
| 115 | * ''WesternAnimation/FreddieAsFRO7'': Made by the British during this era, it's one of the strangest animated films you will ''ever'' see. |
| 116 | * ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'': Technically not part of the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon but very well-liked nonetheless. |
| 117 | * ''WesternAnimation/HelpImAFish'' |
| 118 | * ''WesternAnimation/IceAge'': Killer of this era as this was the last straw that convinced the animation studios that hand-drawn animation is no longer profitable. |
| 119 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'': While it wasn't released till 2004, the film was pitched at Warner Bros before ''WesterAnimation/TheIronGiant'' failed at the box office forcing ''Creator/BradBird'' to make it at ''Creator/Pixar''. |
| 120 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' |
| 121 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheKingAndI'' (the 1999 film). |
| 122 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'': The second Bluth movie to make box office records. Also has a very infamous case of {{sequelitis}}. |
| 123 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'': The first Western animated film to heavily utilize Japanese animators and their style. |
| 124 | * ''Anime/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'': Intended to be a showcase to the Western world of what Japan could do, its infamously TroubledProduction resulted in a mediocre film that was largely forgotten. |
| 125 | * ''WesternAnimation/LuckyAndZorba'' |
| 126 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/MagicAdventuresOfMumfie Mumfie's Quest]]'' |
| 127 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheManWhoPlantedTrees'' |
| 128 | * ''WesternAnimation/MickeysChristmasCarol'': Mickey Mouse's first theatrical short since 1953 |
| 129 | * ''WesternAnimation/MillionaireDogs'' |
| 130 | * ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc1'': Can be considered to kill the era since it overshadowed ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' which ironically overshadowed ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' as it convinced the animation studios that traditional animation is no longer relevant. |
| 131 | * ''Film/MrsDoubtfire'': Has a cartoon segment contributed by Creator/ChuckJones. |
| 132 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' |
| 133 | * ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAForest'' |
| 134 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePagemaster'' |
| 135 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'': Directed by the one and only world famous [[strike:Don Bluth]] AlanSmithee. |
| 136 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'' |
| 137 | * ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'': As mentioned above, often cited as ending the Renaissance Era in cinemas. |
| 138 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'' |
| 139 | * ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'': Seen by most fans as the movie where Don Bluth [[JumpingTheShark jumped the shark]]. |
| 140 | * ''WesternAnimation/RoverDangerfield'' |
| 141 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie]]'' |
| 142 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{The Scarecrow|2000}} (2000)'': Last Richard Rich film from the era which was originally going to be released theatrically till the failure of ''WesternAnimation/TheKingAndI'' prevented that. |
| 143 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'': Came out somewhat before what many agree to be the start of the renaissance, but definitely played a role in shaping it in the long run. |
| 144 | * ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'': One of the last films of the era as it convinced the animation studios that hand-drawn animation is no longer profitable |
| 145 | * ''WesternAnimation/SinbadLegendOfTheSevenSeas'': [=DreamWorks'=] last hand-drawn animated movie. |
| 146 | * ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'' |
| 147 | * ''Film/SpaceJam'' |
| 148 | ** WesternAnimation/LolaBunny made her debut in this film as a WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes CanonImmigrant. |
| 149 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpiritStallionOfTheCimarron'' |
| 150 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarchaserTheLegendOfOrin'': A 1985 3-D animated movie, notably for early mixing of hand-drawn animation and CGI. |
| 151 | * ''Film/StayTuned'': A live action feature, notable for an animated segment contributed by Creator/ChuckJones. |
| 152 | * Creator/StudioGhibli: |
| 153 | ** ''Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro'': While this was not produced by the studio nor was it made during the renaissance age, it is Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's directorial debut and is regarded as one of the films which heralded the coming of this era. |
| 154 | ** ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' |
| 155 | ** ''Anime/CastleInTheSky'' |
| 156 | ** ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireFlies'' |
| 157 | ** ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro'' |
| 158 | ** ''Anime/KikisDeliveryService'' |
| 159 | ** ''Anime/OnlyYesterday'' |
| 160 | ** ''Anime/PorcoRosso'' |
| 161 | ** ''Anime/PomPoko'' |
| 162 | ** ''Anime/WhisperOfTheHeart'' |
| 163 | ** ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' |
| 164 | ** ''Anime/MyNeighborsTheYamadas'' |
| 165 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'': Notable in how frequently it attempts to defy the Disney formula, while having the characters still end up GenreBlind for other reasons, and ultimately succumbing to the Disney formula. Also the most successful animation motion picture to come from ''Nest'' (meaning: neither Disney nor [=DreamWorks=] nor Don Bluth). |
| 166 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina|1994}}'': As WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick said, it holds ''many'' similarities to the Disney formula of the time and doesn't work out so well. |
| 167 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'': Sort of. Although it was "finished" and released in the '90s, it ''did'' [[OlderThanTheyThink start production in the 1960s]]. |
| 168 | * ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'': Considered to be the [[GenreKiller last film of the era]], as its box office failure convinced animation studios to invest more in computer animation. |
| 169 | * ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie'' |
| 170 | * ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'': The first fully CGI animated film. |
| 171 | ** ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'' |
| 172 | * ''WesternAnimation/ATrollInCentralPark'': The biggest box office flop in animation history... until ''WesternAnimation/{{Delgo}}'' |
| 173 | * ''WesternAnimation/TwiceUponATime'' |
| 174 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheUglyDuckling'' |
| 175 | * ''Anime/TheFantasticAdventuresOfUnico'' |
| 176 | * ''Volere Volare'': A French RogerRabbitEffect romantic comedy. |
| 177 | * ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': The film that brought the Golden Age and its characters back into the mainstream. |
| 178 | ** The ''WesternAnimation/RogerRabbitShorts'', a trio of short films (''Tummy Trouble'', ''Roller Coaster Rabbit'', and ''Trail Mix-Up'') created to proceed the theatrical releases of ''Film/HoneyIShrunkTheKids'', ''Film/DickTracy'', and ''A Far Off Place''. |
| 179 | * ''Animation/WillyTheSparrow'' |
| 180 | * ''Anime/UnicoInTheIslandOfMagic'' |
| 181 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Valhalla}}'', released in 1986 and based on [[ComicBook/{{Valhalla}} the comic book of the same name]]. Its budget of 40 million kroner (About 5 million euros) still makes it the most expensive animated film produced in Denmark, and it basically fostered a new generation of Danish animators. |
| 182 | [[/index]] |
| 183 | [[/folder]] |
| 184 | |
| 185 | [[folder:TV Series associated with this era]] |
| 186 | [[index]] |
| 187 | * For Anime television series, please see: |
| 188 | ** AnimeAndMangaOfThe1980s, and |
| 189 | ** AnimeAndMangaOfThe1990s |
| 190 | ** The anime that had the greatest mainstream success in North America during this era are ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', ''Manga/SailorMoon'', and ''Anime/{{Pokemon|The Series}}''. ''Manga/CaptainTsubasa'', along with ''DBZ'' and ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', had the same effect in Latin America. |
| 191 | |
| 192 | * ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs'' |
| 193 | * ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'' |
| 194 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' |
| 195 | * ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'' (1985): The Disney cartoon that finally introduced quality animation to made-for-TV cartoons, playing a big role in getting rid of lingering legacies from MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation. |
| 196 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{The Adventures of Tintin|1991}}'' |
| 197 | * ''WesternAnimation/AeonFlux'' |
| 198 | * ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'' |
| 199 | * ''WesternAnimation/AlbertTheFifthMusketeer'' |
| 200 | * ''WesternAnimation/AlfredJKwak'' |
| 201 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' |
| 202 | ** ''WesternAnimation/WakkosWish'': A direct-to-video film based off said series. |
| 203 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'' |
| 204 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': The longest-running children's animated television series in North America, based on a series of books by Marc Brown. |
| 205 | * ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' |
| 206 | ** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'' |
| 207 | ** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAndMisterFreezeSubZero'' |
| 208 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead Beavis and Butt-head]]'' |
| 209 | * ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'': 1980s cartoon adaptation of Stan and Jan Berenstain's most popular series of books. |
| 210 | * ''WesternAnimation/BeethovenTheAnimatedSeries'': Yes, this does exist. |
| 211 | * ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'': Received two television specials in the '80s – "WesternAnimation/TheRomanceOfBettyBoop" (1985), and "WesternAnimation/BettyBoopsHollywoodMystery" (1989). |
| 212 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'' |
| 213 | * ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'' |
| 214 | * ''WesternAnimation/BionicSix'' |
| 215 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Billy}}'' |
| 216 | * ''Animation/BlackCatDetective'' |
| 217 | * ''WesternAnimation/BobbysWorld'' |
| 218 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}}'' |
| 219 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBOTSMaster'' |
| 220 | * ''WesternAnimation/BraveStarr'' |
| 221 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBrothersFlub'' |
| 222 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheBrothersGrunt'': Danny Antonucci's pre-''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' work. |
| 223 | * ''WesternAnimation/BrunoTheKid'' |
| 224 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Bubsy}}'': An AnimatedAdaptation of the games. Never made it past the pilot. Don't ask Creator/RobPaulsen about it. |
| 225 | * ''WesternAnimation/BudgieTheLittleHelicopter'' |
| 226 | * ''WesternAnimation/CBearAndJamal'' |
| 227 | * ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'' |
| 228 | * ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'' |
| 229 | * ''Franchise/CareBears'' |
| 230 | * ''WesternAnimation/CartoonAllStarsToTheRescue'': VerySpecialEpisode, the… uh… special. |
| 231 | * ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost'': Got both a live action/CGI hybrid movie revival, as well as a brand new animated TV series to boot. |
| 232 | * ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'' |
| 233 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Centurions}}'' |
| 234 | * ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' |
| 235 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheChipmunks'': The 1980-90s incarnation of Music/AlvinAndTheChipmunks. |
| 236 | * ''WesternAnimation/ChuckNorrisKarateKommandos'' |
| 237 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheComicStrip'' |
| 238 | * ''[[WesternAnimation/COPS1988 C.O.P.S.]]'' |
| 239 | * ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog''[[note]]Debatably the last of them along with ''Mike, Lu and Og'', premiering Nov. 12th, 1999.[[/note]] |
| 240 | * ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'': Could also be considered the first post-Renaissance TV cartoon. |
| 241 | ** ''WesternAnimation/IAmWeasel'' |
| 242 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' |
| 243 | * ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'': Got its start at the very end of the Dark Age and is widely considered to have helped pioneer the Renaissance. |
| 244 | ** ''WesternAnimation/CountDuckula'' |
| 245 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' |
| 246 | * ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' |
| 247 | * ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth'' |
| 248 | * ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' |
| 249 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaucers}}'' |
| 250 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'': The very first Nicktoon (all three debuted on the same day, but this one had the first timeslot), and the first TV show for Jumbo Pictures. Later ChannelHop'd to ABC after Disney offered Jim Jinkins an opportunity to [[UnCancelled un-cancel]] it. |
| 251 | * ''Franchise/DragonBall'': Considered to be ''the'' most-recognizable anime franchise of all time. |
| 252 | ** ''Dragon Ball'' (1986-89) |
| 253 | ** ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' (1989-96: This, along with ''Anime/{{Pokemon|The Series}}'', firmly solidified anime's popularity in the West) |
| 254 | ** ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' (1996-97) |
| 255 | * ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales'': Got its start at the end of this era. |
| 256 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'' |
| 257 | * ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' |
| 258 | ** ''WesternAnimation/DuckTalesTheMovieTreasureOfTheLostLamp'' |
| 259 | * ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'' |
| 260 | * ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': Got its start at the end of this era. |
| 261 | * ''WesternAnimation/EekTheCat'' |
| 262 | * ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad'' |
| 263 | * ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters'' |
| 264 | * ''WesternAnimation/FamilyDog'' |
| 265 | * ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Got its start at the end of this era, though it is not typically associated with it. |
| 266 | * ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'': Specifically, the character got two revivals – one good, the other very contested. The first one was ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatTheMovie'', which was based on Felix's flanderized portrayal from MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation. The second one was the surprisingly good ''WesternAnimation/TheTwistedTalesOfFelixTheCat'', which basically brought Felix back to his roots and the series even threw in a bit of Max Fleischer surreality into the mix, though it suffered from an immense TroubledProduction that helped cancel it. |
| 267 | * ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters'' |
| 268 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstoneKids'' |
| 269 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'' |
| 270 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheFruitties'' |
| 271 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Got its start at the end of this era. |
| 272 | * ''WesternAnimation/GalaxyHigh'' |
| 273 | * ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' |
| 274 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' |
| 275 | * ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'' |
| 276 | * ''WebAnimation/TheGoddamnGeorgeLiquorProgram'': A pioneering web cartoon series from 1997, being ''the'' first cartoon made in UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash, and the first to be made exclusively for the internet |
| 277 | * ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' |
| 278 | * ''WesternAnimation/GravedaleHigh'': A [[MissingEpisode long-lost]] 1990 Creator/HannaBarbera cartoon starring Creator/RickMoranis, who had a skyrocketing career at the time this came out. |
| 279 | * ''Anime/GuruGuruTownHanamaruKun'' |
| 280 | * ''WesternAnimation/HBOStorybookMusicals'' |
| 281 | * ''WesternAnimation/HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats'' |
| 282 | * ''WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle'': In ''The New Adventures of WesternAnimation/MightyMouse and Heckle & Jeckle''. |
| 283 | * ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' |
| 284 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Histeria}}'': The last of the shows helmed by the ''Tiny Toons''/''Animaniacs'' crew that had been together since ''[[WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo 13 Ghosts]]''. |
| 285 | * ''WesternAnimation/HotRodDogsAndCoolCarCats'' |
| 286 | * ''Hugo the Movie Star'' a.k.a. ''Jungle Star Hugo''. |
| 287 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}'' |
| 288 | * ''WesternAnimation/InvasionAmerica'' |
| 289 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' |
| 290 | * ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' |
| 291 | * ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'': The last cartoon produced by Creator/HannaBarbera as an independent studio. |
| 292 | * ''WesternAnimation/KaBlam'': The host segments are the first cartoon to blatantly use digital compositing. |
| 293 | * ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': Got its start near the end of this era. |
| 294 | * ''WesternAnimation/LifeWithLouie'' |
| 295 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989'': Aired as part of ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'' on Fridays, in the place of the Mario animated segments. |
| 296 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLionhearts'' |
| 297 | * ''[[ComicStrip/LittleLulu The Little Lulu Show]]'' |
| 298 | * ''Literature/LittleMonsters'': More well-known than the books they were based on |
| 299 | * ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop1995'' |
| 300 | * ''Recap/LooneyTunesInThe70sAndOnward'': Post-Termite Terrace theatrical shorts from The70s, The80s, The90s and in TheNew10s. |
| 301 | * ''WesternAnimation/MagicAdventuresOfMumfie'' |
| 302 | * ''Literature/TheMagicSchoolBus'': Based on the books by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. |
| 303 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicalAdventuresOfQuasimodo'' |
| 304 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{MASK}}'' |
| 305 | * ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'' |
| 306 | ** ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'': The show whose massive success led to dozens of other MerchandiseDriven cartoons. |
| 307 | ** ''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'': This SpinOff was an early experiment in marketing action cartoons to girls as well as boys. |
| 308 | * ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouseWorks'' |
| 309 | * ''WesternAnimation/MightyMouseTheNewAdventures'': Had a major impact on shows for [[The90s the next decade]], as many well known people worked on this show, most notably Creator/JohnKricfalusi of ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' fame, but also including [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Bruce Timm]], [[WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures Jim]] [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Reardon]], and [[WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}} Tom Minton]]. |
| 310 | * ''WesternAnimation/MikeLuAndOg''[[note]]Debatably the last of them along with ''Courage, the Cowardly Dog'', premiering Nov. 12th, 1999.[[/note]] |
| 311 | * ''WesternAnimation/MonsterForce'' |
| 312 | * ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'' |
| 313 | * ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' |
| 314 | ** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials'' |
| 315 | ** ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie1986 My Little Pony: The Movie]]'' (1986) |
| 316 | ** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' |
| 317 | ** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' |
| 318 | * ''The New Adventures of WesternAnimation/BeanyAndCecil'' |
| 319 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfZorro1997'' |
| 320 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' |
| 321 | * ''WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons'' |
| 322 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Patrol 03}}'' |
| 323 | * ''WesternAnimation/PBAndJOtter'' |
| 324 | * ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'' |
| 325 | * ''WesternAnimation/PeterPanAndThePirates'' |
| 326 | * ''WesternAnimation/PibAndPog'' |
| 327 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Pingu}}'': One of the most well-known StopMotion cartoons alongside ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'', most notable for its [[PottyFailure bathroom episode]]. |
| 328 | * ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' |
| 329 | ** ''WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain'' |
| 330 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' |
| 331 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': Effectively gave anime a fighting chance in the United States. [[LongRunner The only one that's still going strong]]. |
| 332 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'' |
| 333 | * ''WesternAnimation/RawToonage'': A [[ShortRunners short-lived]] AnimatedAnthology series from Disney that spawned [[WesternAnimation/{{Marsupilami}} two]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}} spinoffs]]. |
| 334 | * ''WesternAnimation/RaymanTheAnimatedSeries'': An ''extremely'' short lived AllCGICartoon series, very, ''very'' loosely based off of the limbless wonder. |
| 335 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' |
| 336 | * ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'': The first fully CGI TV series. |
| 337 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'': One of the three flagship programs of Disney's Creator/OneSaturdayMorning, and the most successful and popular one. While not the first Disney animated show to not be based off a pre-existing franchise, it was the first ''really'' successful show by Disney that was animated and ''not'' based off a pre-existing franchise. |
| 338 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'': One of the major Western influences on MediaNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation. |
| 339 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheRedAndTheBlue'' |
| 340 | * ''WesternAnimation/RescueHeroes'' |
| 341 | * ''WesternAnimation/RoadRovers'' |
| 342 | * ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'': Yes, it was a {{Frankenslation}} of three unrelated anime series, but it was on the forefront of introducing American audiences to Japanese animation, breaking several of the conventions of U.S. animated television shows, as well as unintentionally building the popularity of importing unedited Japanese productions. |
| 343 | ** ''Anime/RobotechIITheSentinels'' |
| 344 | * ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'': Bridges this era and the Millennium Era. |
| 345 | * ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' |
| 346 | * ''WesternAnimation/RoliePolieOlie'' |
| 347 | * ''WesternAnimation/RoughnecksStarshipTroopersChronicles'' |
| 348 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'': The cartoon that made the Klasky-Csupo studio famous. |
| 349 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie'' |
| 350 | * ''Anime/RurouniKenshin'': The series that made samurai stories popular among anime fans from this generation. |
| 351 | * ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'' |
| 352 | * ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'' still lingered throughout this age of animation. However, the franchise seemed to be winding down... for a while. |
| 353 | ** ''WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'': Could also be considered the last Dark Age ''Scooby'' series. |
| 354 | ** ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'' |
| 355 | ** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooInArabianNights'' |
| 356 | ** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'': The 1998 DirectToVideo film which could be very well responsible for the return of ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' going into the 21st century. |
| 357 | ** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheWitchsGhost'': The 1999 Scooby Doo production which was the last one of the 20th century. |
| 358 | ** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheAlienInvaders'': The 2000 Scooby Doo film which was the last film to feature actress Mary Kay Bergman who died in 1999. |
| 359 | ** ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCyberChase'': Released in 2001 and the last production from Hanna-Barbera before the company folded into Warner Bros Animation (even though WBA handled the bulk of the production by this time); as well as the final production credit for William Hanna before his death in 2001. |
| 360 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Sectaurs}}'' |
| 361 | * ''WesternAnimation/SilverHawks'' |
| 362 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' |
| 363 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' |
| 364 | * The ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise had three… |
| 365 | ** ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' |
| 366 | ** ''WesternAnimation/{{Sonic The Hedgehog|SatAM}}'': Noteworthy for being a ''huge'' favorite among ''Sonic'' fans. |
| 367 | ** ''WesternAnimation/SonicUnderground'' |
| 368 | * ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': Much like ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', it got its start toward the end of this era too; also like ''Family Guy'', its presence is widely considered to have ended the era...No it didn't... |
| 369 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGoofs'' |
| 370 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpicyCity'': A Creator/RalphBakshi tv cartoon, and one of, if not the first, aimed at an adult audience, predating ''South Park''. |
| 371 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpiralZone'' |
| 372 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Although this cartoon, along with ''South Park'' and the [=MacFarlane=] shows, is held up as representative of the Millennium Era and (also like them) played a big role in starting it, it began here. |
| 373 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSpooktacularNewAdventuresOfCasper'' |
| 374 | * ''WesternAnimation/StreetFighter'' |
| 375 | * ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' |
| 376 | * ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioBrosDic'': |
| 377 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'': Featured the animated segments with live-action wraparounds, with Mario and Luigi played/voiced by Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano and Danny Wells, respectively. |
| 378 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'': Served as a wrap-around with the second season of ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster''. |
| 379 | ** ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld1991'': Served as a wrap-around with the third season of ''Captain N: The Game Master''. |
| 380 | * ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'' |
| 381 | * ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' |
| 382 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'' |
| 383 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': By far the longest running British example of this era. |
| 384 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'' |
| 385 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' |
| 386 | * ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' |
| 387 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventuresHowISpentMyVacation'' |
| 388 | * ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryKids'' |
| 389 | * Creator/{{Toonami}}: Cartoon Network's original action after school block, launched in '97 near the end of the age. While showcasing such hits as ''[=ReBoot=]'', it's also known for one of the earliest and most successful blocks to showcase anime, bringing us classics such as ''Sailor Moon'', ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'', ''Dragon Ball Z'', ''Manga/OutlawStar'', and many more, and is probably directly responsible for the rise in anime in Western audiences. |
| 390 | * ''WesternAnimation/ToxicCrusaders'' |
| 391 | * ''Series/TheTraceyUllmanShow'': Notable for airing a series of [[Main/BlatantLies obscure shorts about]] [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons a crazy, yellow family]]. |
| 392 | * Franchise/{{Transformers}}: |
| 393 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' |
| 394 | ** ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' |
| 395 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{TUGS}}'' |
| 396 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheTune'': First feature by indie legend Creator/BillPlympton |
| 397 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Twipsy}}'' |
| 398 | * ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'': Having released its first episode on video in 1993, it is ''the'' world's very first full-length AllCGICartoon, surpassing both ''[=ReBoot=]'' and ''Toy Story'' by a year and two years respectively. |
| 399 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Visionaries}}'' |
| 400 | * ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' |
| 401 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheWackyWorldOfTexAvery'' |
| 402 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Waynehead}}'' |
| 403 | * ''WebAnimation/WeekendPussyHunt'': A SpinOff of ''The Goddamn George Liquor Program'', and likewise is one of the earliest flash cartoons ever made. |
| 404 | * ''WesternAnimation/WhatACartoonShow'': Originally known as ''World Premiere Toons'', this anthology series launched some of this era's definitive cartoons. |
| 405 | * ''WesternAnimation/WhereOnEarthIsCarmenSandiego'' |
| 406 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' |
| 407 | * ''WesternAnimation/WingCommanderAcademy'' |
| 408 | * ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'' got his comeback during this time thanks to the TV series ''The New Woody Woodpecker Show''. |
| 409 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheWorldOfDavidTheGnome'' |
| 410 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheWorldOfPeterRabbitAndFriends'' |
| 411 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheWuzzles'' |
| 412 | * ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' |
| 413 | * ''WesternAnimation/YoYogi'': This series made the [[GenreKiller long and painful decline of]] the SaturdayMorningCartoon irreversible. |
| 414 | [[/index]] |
| 415 | [[/folder]] |
| 416 | |
| 417 | [[folder:Real Life People Directly Involved With This Era]] |
| 418 | * Creator/AkiraToriyama |
| 419 | * April Winchell, daughter of fellow voice actor Creator/PaulWinchell |
| 420 | * Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó of Creator/KlaskyCsupo. |
| 421 | * Creator/BillPlympton |
| 422 | * Creator/BillyWest, best known as [[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Stimpy]]. |
| 423 | * Creator/BruceTimm, who launched the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse during this era. |
| 424 | * Craig Bartlett, an animator for ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'', writer for ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', and creator of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold''. Also Creator/MattGroening's brother-in-law, interestingly enough. |
| 425 | * Creator/CharlieAdler, actor who voiced [[WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures Buster Bunny]], [[WesternAnimation/SWATKats Chance Furlong]], and both WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken, among others. |
| 426 | * Creator/ChrisSanders: Worked for Creator/{{Disney}} during this time. Storyboard artist for ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder'', ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}''. Also a screenwriter for ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}''. |
| 427 | * Creator/CoreyBurton: Voiced many classic Disney characters in this era and continues to do so to this day. |
| 428 | * Creator/CreeSummer: Actress/voice actress who got her start at the beginning of this era with her role as Penny in ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget''. She's still a popular voice actress today. She also portrayed Freddy in ''Series/ADifferentWorld'', which aired around this time. |
| 429 | * David Kirschner, who was largely responsible for ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' and more obscure animated movies during The90s such as ''WesternAnimation/OnceUponAForest'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePagemaster'' and ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance''. |
| 430 | * Creator/DonBluth - A major force behind the start of this movement whose career was ironically (and depressingly) destroyed by the resulting competition. |
| 431 | * Creator/FrankWelker, often considered ''the'' most prominent voice actor in both the Dark and Renaissance Ages. |
| 432 | * Frank Wells, president of Creator/{{Disney}} in this period. |
| 433 | * Fred Seibert, the producer behind [[WesternAnimation/WhatACartoonShow World Premiere Toons]] and ''WesternAnimation/OhYeahCartoons'', making him indirectly responsible for their various spin-offs. |
| 434 | * Creator/GenndyTartakovsky |
| 435 | * Creator/HayaoMiyazaki |
| 436 | * Creator/HideakiAnno |
| 437 | * Hiroaki Noguchi |
| 438 | * Hiroyuki Aoyama: Before doing ''Anime/TheGirlWhoLeaptThroughTime'' and ''Anime/SummerWars'' for Creator/{{Madhouse}}, he was one of the people involved in this era of animation. |
| 439 | * Hisao Yokobori |
| 440 | * Creator/IsaoTakahata |
| 441 | * Jeffrey Katzenberg, head of Creator/{{Disney}}[='=]s film studio during this era. He left the studio during the era's peak [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation to create Disney's worst nightmare]]. |
| 442 | * Jim Jinkins, creator of ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', which aired in the middle of the Renaissance. |
| 443 | * Creator/JimCummingsVoiceActor voice actor who provided the voices of [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM many]] [[WesternAnimation/GoofTroop memorable]] [[WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh characters]] in this period. |
| 444 | * Joe Murray, creator of ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', and later ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo''. |
| 445 | * Creator/JohnKricfalusi, the creator of ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' |
| 446 | * Creator/KathSoucie |
| 447 | * Kazuhide Tomonaga |
| 448 | * Keiko Oyamada |
| 449 | * Kenji Hachizaki |
| 450 | * Margaret Loesch, television executive who helped launch Creator/FoxKids and green-lit both ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' |
| 451 | * Creator/MattGroening |
| 452 | * Michael Eisner, the CEO of Creator/{{Disney}} during this era |
| 453 | * Creator/MikeJudge |
| 454 | * Nelson Shin: Producer of ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' cartoon; director for ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' and founder of South Korean studio Creator/{{AKOM}}, who worked on several of the shows present in this age. |
| 455 | * Creator/NickPark, creator of ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' |
| 456 | * Creator/NobuoTomizawa |
| 457 | * Osamu Dezaki |
| 458 | * Pamela Segal-Aldon |
| 459 | * Creator/PaulDini: writer of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' |
| 460 | * Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere, who wrote for ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' (the former co-created it) and ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'', and the creators of ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' |
| 461 | * Creator/PeterCullen: Considered to be ''the'' voice of [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Optimus Prime]]. Also voiced Eeyore in the ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' franchise. |
| 462 | * Peter Lord, co-founder of Creator/AardmanAniamtions |
| 463 | * Creator/RichardRich: former Disney animator and director of ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' |
| 464 | * Robert Alvarez: Animation director for most Creator/HannaBarbera cartoons during this era |
| 465 | * Creator/RobPaulsen |
| 466 | * Saburo Hashimoto |
| 467 | * Sawako Miyamoto: More for her work at [[Creator/WaltDisneyAnimationUnits Walt Disney Animation Japan]] then Creator/{{TMS|Entertainment}}'s Telecom unit (as she was a director there, as she did mostly key animation at Telecom), not related with Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto. |
| 468 | * Creator/SethMacFarlane, who got his start writing, storyboarding, and voice acting in this era; and whose [[WesternAnimation/WhatACartoonShow World Premiere Toon]] would eventually serve as one of the inspirations for ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' (which of course premiered at the end of the Renaissance). |
| 469 | * Shojiro Nishimi: Before doing ''Manga/{{Tekkonkinkreet}}'' for Creator/Studio4C, he was one of the people involved in this era. |
| 470 | * Skip Jones, animator on many of the films of this era including several of Bluth's films. |
| 471 | * Creator/StevenSpielberg |
| 472 | * Takashi Kawaguchi |
| 473 | * Creator/TaraStrong |
| 474 | * Ted Turner: His company bought the rights to MGM's pre-1986 library and Creator/HannaBarbera's ''entire'' library, which of course included vast amounts of old cartoons. This would prompt the launch of Cartoon Network. |
| 475 | * Teiichi Takiguchi |
| 476 | * Creator/TomRuegger |
| 477 | * Creator/ToshihikoMasuda: Chief Creator/{{TMS|Entertainment}} Directer of the Disney and Creator/WarnerBros shows that TMS worked on. |
| 478 | * Creator/TressMacNeille, a very prolific voice actress from this time to today. |
| 479 | * Creator/WilliamJoyce: creator of ''Rolie Polie Olie'', which aired at the end of the era |
| 480 | * Yoshifumi Kondo |
| 481 | * Yuichiro Yano |
| 482 | * Yukio Okazaki |
| 483 | * Yutaka Fujioka: Founder of Creator/{{TMS|Entertainment}}. |
| 484 | [[/folder]] |
| 485 | |
| 486 | [[folder:Real life people who are directly influenced by this era]] |
| 487 | * Jerry Beck and Amid Amidi. Animation historians, writers on ''Art of'' and other animation novelty books, and bloggers of the industry-popular Blog/CartoonBrew. |
| 488 | * Doug Walker, a.k.a. WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic. Much of what he reviews exposes the somewhat worse aspects of some of the animation to come out of this era, and frequently includes gags referencing such cartoons. |
| 489 | * ''WebVideo/TheCartoonMan'' saga is a mostly live-action homage to animation from this era, and by extension, the previous eras by which it was influenced. One character is specifically said to have made cartoons in the 80s and 90s in-universe. |
| 490 | [[/folder]] |
| 491 | ---- |
| 492 | !!Tropes associated with this era include: |
| 493 | * TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects: In some of the 2D movies from the late '80s and early '90s, trying to integrate computer animation with 2D animation often looked weird because CG technology wasn't advanced enough yet. See the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/{{Thumbelina|1994}}''. |
| 494 | * AllAnimationIsDisney: This trope runs rampant on Don Bluth's work, and it doesn't stop there. |
| 495 | * AllCGICartoon: Started in this era in both film and TV; Pixar and [=DreamWorks'=] films and TV shows such as ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Insektors}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'' and ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', would begin a trend that'd carry on through [[MediaNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation the next couple of decades]]. |
| 496 | ** [[OlderThanTheyThink Before even that]], PDI would spend their formative, [=pre-DreamWorks=] years in the 80's producing fully CGI bumpers for the major networks and {{Creator/HBO}}, which eventually caught on with other CGI houses of the time like Omnibus and Cranston-Csuri and helped CG to both improve in quality as the decade rolled on, and make it a viable medium for animated shorts, VFX and commercials. |
| 497 | * AnimatedShockComedy: First emerged in the 1990s, largely thanks to the influence of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' itself, though it was strongly influenced by earlier cartoons like ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead''. ''South Park'''s trademark grade of vulgarity, sociopathy, and pop-culture snark became a much-imitated template in the following decade. |
| 498 | * AnimatedAdaptation: Though this does go back to the previous era, it began to happen more frequently in this era, with unlikely movies such as ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', ''Film/AceVentura'', and ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}'' receiving their animated adaptations. |
| 499 | ** [[/index]]Animated adaptations of video games were also big at the time, with [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM mixed]] [[Series/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow results.]][[index]] |
| 500 | * AnimationAgeGhetto: ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' was the first sign that animation was beginning to overcome this. However, along with other adult animated series released later in the 1990s, it ended up creating a new stereotype that adult animation was tasteless and juvenile. Animated film, on the other hand, was still trapped firmly within the Ghetto, and remain so arguably to this very day. |
| 501 | * AnimationBump: Don Bluth and the Disney Renaissance would set the standard for 2D animation in theaters from this point on; while the uptick in outsourcing for television animation, especially to the Japanese, would allow for producers to (usually) get more animation for similar cost or less than doing it domestically. |
| 502 | * {{Animesque}}: Shades of this started to form during this era as companies began contracting Japanese animators to work for them. This is especially prevalent in anything done by Marvel, [=DiC=] or Rankin-Bass. |
| 503 | * [[ArchEnemy Arch-Competitor]]: Creator/DonBluth to Disney from about the release of ''An American Tail'' until ''All Dogs Go To Heaven'' was beaten by ''The Little Mermaid'' at the box office (after which Bluth stopped posing a real threat to Disney, arguably due to the departure of Steven Spielberg). Disney spent most of the 1990s without any real competition, but in 1998, with the release of ''Antz'' and ''The Prince Of Egypt'', Creator/DreamworksAnimation became Disney's new arch-rival. |
| 504 | * AwardBaitSong: A staple of animated films of this era; "A Whole New World" is likely the trope codifier. |
| 505 | * BoxOfficeBomb: With Disney in its renaissance, few animated movies released by other studios stood much of a chance. Between the releases of ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' and ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'' most non-Disney animated films bombed at the box office. The only exceptions were ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheRugratsMovie'', ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHeadDoAmerica'', and ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut''. |
| 506 | * DenserAndWackier: During this era, creator driven works become the norm, and with that came a slew of shows with a much more simplistic and wackier art style compared to before: ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpy'' help pioneer such shows like ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'', and ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' are just a few. Meanwhile, Creator/KlaskyCsupo also helped introduced many EasternEuropeanAnimation styles to the West, exemplified by grotesque, crude and surreal cartoons such as ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters''. |
| 507 | * DirectToVideo: First era to release these |
| 508 | * {{Disneyfication}} |
| 509 | * DisneyAcidSequence |
| 510 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: At least one exists for most of the major milestones of the age. |
| 511 | ** Despite the films of this era being defined by [[AllAnimationIsDisney Disney-inspired animation]], Disney wouldn't come into its own Renaissance until 1989 with ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}''. Until this point, Disney was still [[OddballInTheSeries struggling to find its identity]], Creator/DonBluth was the only prominent {{Disneyesque}} animator on the scene (having formerly worked for the studio himself), and the films of this period were mainly DarkerAndEdgier fare that pushed what was acceptable for children's entertainment. |
| 512 | ** Although Reagan's deregulation allowed for an increase in animated shows on television and kicking off the age as a whole; a grand majority of these early on were either heavily toy-based or throwaway content by Hanna-Barbera or Ruby-Spears. It wouldn't be until 1987 or 1988 before the kinks were worked out and more creator-oriented shows started to get made. |
| 513 | ** Even though anime would start getting a foothold into the international markets during this period, it took until the formation of Creator/StreamlinePictures and even later still, Creator/{{Toonami}} before it became popular in North America. Downplayed with its popularity in Japan, where the start of the OVA format only made it more viable for more mature content to be shown more frequently across all forms of the genre until it became the norm. |
| 514 | ** While digital technologies including CGI and digital painting were getting more advanced day by day compared to the 1970s, it would still take a decade or so before any true innovation would be made by the industry. |
| 515 | * EverybodyLaughsEnding: Was still used ''a lot'' during the '80s, though it stopped being taken seriously and played straight at some point during the '90s. |
| 516 | * FollowTheLeader: The mentality of many of Disney's competitors during this era. Most of them failed miserably, though. |
| 517 | * GenreThrowback: Rampant. ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' was designed to be just like the old Disney animated musicals, ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' were inspired by the Warner Bros. cartoons in the [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation Golden Age]], Creator/GenndyTartakovsky and Creator/CraigMcCracken frequently threw back to both [[Creator/ColumbiaCartoons UPA]] and '50s/'60s-era Creator/HannaBarbera (a given as both worked for the latter company), as well as '70s/'80s anime and superhero shows (and at some points drifted into AffectionateParody territory), Creator/JohnKricfalusi threw back to Creator/TexAvery and Creator/BobClampett (specifically Rod Scribner's art style), the [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries first]] [[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries two]] shows in the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse took influence from the WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons, and so on. |
| 518 | * InkSuitActor: Happened quite a lot in Disney's movies during this period, such as the Genie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' basically just being Creator/RobinWilliams, only blue and a RealityWarper. |
| 519 | * LicensedGame: This trend would explode with the NES, and it continues to this day. Nearly any cartoon that has ever become famous has received a video game adaptation. |
| 520 | * LimitedAnimation: Not quite as present as in the dark age, but shades still existed throughout this era. Especially in regards to television animation. |
| 521 | * LiveActionAdaptation: Just as movies were being adapted into animated series, the inverse was also happening more frequently. |
| 522 | * OffModel: Despite better animation, this still ran rampant throughout. The fact that everyone in North America and Japan was outsourcing did not help matters either. |
| 523 | * ParentalBonus |
| 524 | * PrimeTimeCartoon |
| 525 | * RecycledTheSeries: ''The Little Mermaid'' and ''Aladdin'' are just a few examples. |
| 526 | * {{Revival}} |
| 527 | * SaturdayMorningCartoon: Though by no means did they end during the Renaissance (there are still a few around today), this was the last animation era in which Saturday Morning Cartoons on network TV were still big contenders. |
| 528 | * SerkisFolk: Disney's first all CG character was the carpet from ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}''. From there SerkisFolk would become increasingly more common, as traditional animation declined. |
| 529 | * ShoutOut: There were many shout outs to classic cartoons. ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' was one long ShoutOut. |
| 530 | * SpinoffBabies: ''Muppet Babies'', likely the TropeCodifier, premiered during this age. |
| 531 | * {{Surrealism}}: A defining trend of this era, as animators experienced stylistic freedom not seen since the 30s and 40s, and the medium allowed them to have visuals that live-action media at the time never could. See ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheMask'' for just a few examples. |
| 532 | * TheMovie: Many cartoon characters both old and new, such as ''WesternAnimation/{{Tom and Jerry|TheMovie}}'', ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'', ''[[Film/SpaceJam Looney Tunes]]'', ''[[WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie Goofy]]'', the ''[[Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The Transformers|TheMovie}}'', ''Film/TheFlintstones''. and others, got their own movies during this period, some of which vary in quality, but tended to usually be quite bad. |
| 533 | * ThickLineAnimation: Popularized by shows such as ''Dexter's Laboratory'', this style caught on towards what many may consider the end of the renaissance. Nowadays most western television cartoons that have come out have this style if it isn't trying to look anime. |
| 534 | * ToiletHumor: Became increasingly more commonplace in the 1990s, especially with {{Gross Out Show}}s like ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow''. |
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