Disney's Current Animated TV Output

[Spark Of Spirit]

The main problem with current Disney is their lack of image, style, and unique identity. Don't get me wrong, when it comes to their films, they definitely still have it. They still remember what makes them different.

Their TV output is a whole different story. As Avaitor put it:

I mean, you gotta admit, whatever you think of the show now, the animation and artwork from this can easily fit into Disney's canon.

But when you watch this, would you guess that it came from the Mouse House?

There doesn't seem to be much passion in their TV department anymore. Aside from the live action still chasing that Hanna Montana gold, their animation is probably at its nadir. Just compare the two examples.

Gummi Bears had a whole world and lore created for it. This is all explored in the show. The characters all have individual personalities, episodes and plots centered around them, and the animation has so much care put into it you'd be hard pressed to notice it was made for syndication of all things. That's not even going into the insanely talented cast and the fact that it lead to possibly the most popular animated block of all time, but I'll stop here.

Fish Hooks has an art style ripped out of Nickelodeon, it has stock characters tipped out of a bland era Cartoon Network show, and the animation is Flash 101. This is not a choice of the people behind it, as the staff behind it were actually very talented and respected figures in the industry. No, this show was a deliberate move to be mediocre by Disney.

So let's compare. You have a show which was made to be on par with some of the greatest animated films of all time, and another that was made to be nothing but time filler. Both made by the same company.

This is just all kinds of disappointing.

[Avaitor]

I hate the current Disney Channel trend to have all of their actors scream every line. Hell, it isn't even that current, it kind of started with Kim Possible (moreso on Ron and Drakken's side, but still presently annoying enough), but became a full-fledged annoyance with Raven.

Do you remember that one part in the Nostalgia Critic's review for AOSTH, where he has Dumbass McGee try to send in the show for his project and says that it's all about running around like idiots and having loud, obnoxious characters do nothing but scream at each other for a half hour. It's like that was the actual pitch for the show, and Disney thought it sounded entertaining enough and ordered a full season of just that happening undersea.

[Foggle]

Okay, honestly... Disney has a current animated TV output?

[Kiddington]

As I said in the other thread, the art style of Fish Hooks really doesn't bother me all that much (even though yeah, it is still cheap flash), and the combination of live-action backgrounds is kinda cool in some situations.

What kills me about that show is everything else. The writing is atrocious, the voice-acting is somehow is even more atrocious, the characters are all as grating as they come (the fact that a large portion of the writing staff also worked on Chowder really shows), and the whole atmosphere basically boils down to your prototypical Disney teenybopper fare. Really, the art style is probably the best thing about it.

This quote, in particular, from one of the high-ups at Disney (Gary Marsh, I believe), really bothers me about this show:

The Fish Hooks team has created one of the most original, inventive animated series on television ? bringing an ingenious twist to the classic archetypes of high school life.

High school life has been done to death on television, and other than the fact that these are fish in high school, there is absolutely nothing new about this that hasn't been done a thousand times over already (even by Disney themselves). The characters act the same, talk the same... other than the whole fish aspect, what exactly about this show is so groundbreaking?

...and that's one of the major problems with Disney today. Everything on that network today is either a vague, over-the-top portrayal of high school life, or wish fulfillment. The days of a crime-fighting Duck, a gumshoe Bobcat, and all the other great things we've come to know and love about them (as far as their television side of things) seem to be long gone.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I hate the current Disney Channel trend to have all of their actors scream every line. Hell, it isn't even that current, it kind of started with Kim Possible (moreso on Ron and Drakken's side, but still presently annoying enough)

This has always bothered me because Will Friedle is a very talented actor with a lot of range. Kim Possible was probably one of his worst usages as it really made him do little more than scream all the time.

Okay, honestly... Disney has a current animated TV output?

They might as well not at this point.

[Commode]

I don't even know what channel Disney is on.  I don't think I've watched it in years, certainly not regularly.  Phineas and Ferb I've only seen on Netflix, but aside from that I don't even know what they air, or have aired for a few years now.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I just watch Phineas & Ferb, and after those 30 minutes, Disney Channel no longer exists in my world.

[Spark Of Spirit]

...and that's one of the major problems with Disney today. Everything on that network today is either a vague, over-the-top portrayal of high school life, or wish fulfillment. The days of a crime-fighting Duck, a gumshoe Bobcat, and all the other great things we've come to know and love about them (as far as their television side of things) seem to be long gone.

Which is ironic because that was exactly why the Disney Afternoon was created in the first place, to refresh old brands, to return to their roots, and branch out from there to create new ideas.

Can you even think of much pre-TDA Disney TV animation other than specials?

Disney is once again in a similar predicament, but instead of taking advantage of their talented lot (Imagine if they never let Tad Stones, Jymn Magon, or Greg Weisman create anything?) to return themselves to their peak, they just settle for mediocrity and time filler.

And the obsession with high school life is bothersome and it was even when I was in high school. Simply because nobody likes high school! Why would I want to spend my non-school time watching other people in school?

[Kiddington]

Phineas & Ferb is really mediocre. I don't know why people like it so much, and I hate to browbeat tastes to such a degree (especially given that this probably is the one instance that Disney is giving an honest effort), but almost everyone I follow on Twitter raves about it, and for the life of me, I just cannot see the appeal.

[Avaitor]

Can you even think of much pre-TDA Disney TV animation other than specials?

There wasn't any. Besides the specials and some packaging of their shorts and movies, Gummi Bears and The Wuzzles were Disney's first animated series.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Phineas & Ferb is really mediocre. I don't know why people like it so much, and I hate to browbeat tastes to such a degree (especially given that this probably is the one instance that Disney is giving an honest effort), but almost everyone I follow on Twitter raves about it, and for the life of me, I just cannot see the appeal.

Mostly because it tells kids to be imaginative and do things instead of being boring little shits for the rest of their lives, or at least that's how I've seen it.

[Kiddington]

And the obsession with high school life is bothersome and it was even when I was in high school. Simply because nobody likes high school! Why would I want to spend my non-school time watching other people in school?

It's always such a grand portrayal of high school as well; one that would never be allowed to exist in any real world setting.

I don't know where it became such a given that this is what kids like watching. I mean, as a kid, I never watched TV like this. I was about 9-10 when Lizzie McGuire debuted, and I couldn't stand it. It seems to be vague stereotyping, or something to that degree, that kids all want to watch other kids doing things they can't do (again, the grand portrayal of high school that simply isn't the case in real life). I don't get it, and I don't think I ever will.

[Avaitor]

I don't get why they make high school shows on kids channels.

High schoolers swear, have sex and do drugs. You can't do any of that on Nick or Disney, so why bother?

[Kiddington]

Phineas & Ferb is really mediocre. I don't know why people like it so much, and I hate to browbeat tastes to such a degree (especially given that this probably is the one instance that Disney is giving an honest effort), but almost everyone I follow on Twitter raves about it, and for the life of me, I just cannot see the appeal.

Mostly because it tells kids to be imaginative and do things instead of being boring little shits for the rest of their lives, or at least that's how I've seen it.

I can appreciate the message, but the humor just does nothing for me (which is why I don't understand the broad adult appeal; it's such a kids show through and through, and yet you've got guys in their 30's that legitimately enjoy it, and not out of nostalgia either). Even the Perry segments, admittedly the best thing about it, could still use a lot of work.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I don't get why they make high school shows on kids channels.

High schoolers swear, have sex and do drugs. You can't do any of that on Nick or Disney, so why bother?

Because they want to idealized version of the future or something, or maybe because Saved by the Bell made it popular. I don't know.