What Do You Wish Was Different In The World Of Animation Today?

[Mr. Big]

I like to see more fun shows. Just a goofy, silly show that doesn't take itself seriously. There are a few that fits the bill (Adventure Time, certain episodes of "My Little Pony"), but lately it's few and far between.

And I know it's a pipe dream but bring back cel animation.  Many of today's cartoons are too bright and the colors often times too saturated.  I liked the colorization of cels, even shows that were really colorful like Rocko weren't bright as hell like the digitally colorized cartoons.

There's a show in Japan that still uses cels: Sazae-san, which began way back in 1969 and still in production to this day, with over 2,000 shows in the can. I guess since the show's been in non-stop production, they never got around switching to digital (they no longer shoot on film, though. They photograph the cels on digital camera).

Animator extraordinaire Mark Kausler is currently making a short film called "There Must Be Some Other Cat", which is cel painted and shot on 35mm. Here's a Facebook page I'm maintaining on Mark's behalf (he's not so keen on computers, hence him doing his short on cels)

Generally, any animators using cels are through independent, less mainstream means. I'm hoping to do some films on cels, although I'm going to shoot on lower-budget 16mm instead of the more expensive 35mm. (I'd like to do a TV cartoon on Super 16mm, though. Super 16mm is acceptable for HD and lower-budget features, so...)

[Pharass]

I'd kill for an adventure show like Avatar season 1 without the filler. And of course I'd love more adult-oriented action cartoons myself. I'm getting sick of people thinking anime can only be like that.

It's pretty old but I recommend The Mysterious Cities of Gold; a French-Japanese collaboration that always felt a bit like a spiritual predecessor to Avatar. It's 39 episodes long and from what I recall, doesn't contain any filler; each episode moves the main-plot forward in some way. One of the greatest adventure series ever made in my opinion.

I'll echo the sentiment of more serialized shows and while we're at it, I'd like to see a bit more variety when it comes to plot and concept. It feels like every other cartoon (at least the Western/American stuff) I watch these days is either a comedy or an adaptation of a superhero comic. Now, a lot of these shows I like and of course there are exceptions (Korra anyone?) but in general I'd really love to see something new; a mystery/thriller with complex characters and moral ambiguity would be nice.

[gunswordfist]

I think I've heard of that show.

[Goldstar]

I wish this show would just go away.

For all the thing's that CN has done right lately, this is one misstep that refuses to die.

Seriously. Johnny Test is like a zombie that refuses to stay dead. I honestly think that the only reason why it keeps getting renewed is so it's creators can say that they have 100 episodes, which is the new magic number to get into syndication. Either that or the shows' creators must have some compromising pictures to keep the series going on for this long. 

[Goldstar]

I'd like too see more mothers with active roles on animated TV shows and movies. Fathers get all the good parental roles and single dads have been done to death. We need more characters like Helen Parr (The Incredibles) in the animated world. That may seem like a weird request, but then I'm a weird guy with weird tastes. 

[Angus]

Mystery/thriller with complex characters would be fun; probably how Scooby-Doo was originally intended back in the Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew days. Well they could always dub more Case Closed.

[Spark Of Spirit]

As I said before, I mainly want more variety. Less "me too" shows.

[gunswordfist]

Yakuza, Triad, Mafia, shaolin monk, detective (no, not like my Case Closed), crime in general, horror and pirate anime (or mature cartoons) And not just One Piece or that stupid Yakuza anime with the talking dog.

[Goldstar]

You know what I miss in cartoons? Fun. Pure, unadulterated fun. No kick-butt action. No stylized fight scenes. No villain whomping. No elements of drama or sadness. No sagas. Just fun for the sake of having fun. Don't get me wrong; I like action in cartoons also. I loved Justice League. I enjoy Young Justice and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. I have nothing against action in cartoons, but I'm getting tired of action being the norm for animation now. I'm old enough to remember a time when edgy action wasn't a requirement for an animated series, and I'm also old enough to remember when any and every cartoon that didn't contain any such elements wasn't immediately dismissed as being "kid stuff" and therefore, "not cool".

Anyone remember the original Nicktoons? Doug, Rugrats and Ren & Stimpy? Now, I'm not a huge fan of any of these shows, but none of them were action oriented and everyone loved them. I'd like to see a return to that mentality. Not every animated series has to have a continuing story epic, world saving or evil villain fighting in order to be entertaining, and it is possible for show to not contain such elements and still be enjoyed by everyone and not just tiny tots.

I think that the reason why so many writers write edgy action stuff in cartoons nowadays is because explosions and fight scenes are easier to write than genuine humor.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I see what you're getting at. We either have heroes fighting villains, or main characters that sit around being slackers in most shows.