Cartoon Network "Real"

[LuketheXjesse]

no, not really. I personally started boycotting CN when they took toonami off the air. I don't know about you, but I lived for that 2-3 hour block of over the top anime in the afternoon, and when it went poof, I just wasn't intrested in watching CN anymore, mostly because all the shows I found entertaining kept poofing off the air.

THIS

seriously cartoon network died to me when they removed toonami.

they are a terrible terrible network.

[Native Jovian]

I stopped watching Cartoon Network when they started filling Adult Swim with all their ultra-low-budget crap instead of anime.

I've been hating CN since before it was cool!

[Strike911]

Aren't there more pressing and important things to spend our lives boycotting?

You mean things like Left4Dead 2? heehee.

[Nec5]

It would probably be cool with most everyone here if the new live action shows were extremely good, right?

No. I can get that from other channels. It's "Cartoon" Network. What if the food network began showing Schindler's list and The Shawshank Redemption?

[42]

no, not really. I personally started boycotting CN when they took toonami off the air. I don't know about you, but I lived for that 2-3 hour block of over the top anime in the afternoon, and when it went poof, I just wasn't intrested in watching CN anymore, mostly because all the shows I found entertaining kept poofing off the air.

I Agree 110%

Cut this reality junk and Bring Back Toonami!

That is all.

[Nekofrog]

I quit when this was cancelled

[XZero]

I haven't watched Cartoon Network consistently in a while (since before Toonami was removed from their block), and the reason for this is the same as above. As a kid in the late-80s and 1990s, Cartoon Network always had something good on. I remember watching The Flintstones and The Jetsons, as well as Looney Tunes and other classics, along with some of the cool 80s cartoons. Then I watched Toonami for DBZ, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, and DB, and other shows (Samurai Jack and Dexter's Lab were pretty good).

Now when you turn on Cartoon Network, there's just crap on. And the fact that Cartoon Network is airing things other than cartoons just baffles me. It's not that I'm too old for cartoons (I still enjoy DBZ and would watch re-runs of some of my old favorites, and I love "adult" cartoons like Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, and South Park); it's just that the stuff out there now is crap. Hell, the Super Mario Bros. Super Show was better than some of today's garbage.

On a related point, didn't Disney recently get rid of Toon Disney to turn it into another channel of stupid kids sitcoms? Duck Tales, Darkwing Duck, Chip 'n' Dale, Talespin, Gargoyles, Aladdin, and numerous others are thousands of times better than anything Disney has produced (excluding Pixar) in the last decade.

[Nec5]

That's not a great analogy. If CN had a really good live action show that was exclusive to their network, you wouldn't be able to watch it anywhere else.

It's a perfect analogy. The niche market and identifier for Cartoon Network is/was "cartoons" (yes, I'm one of those old fogies that still calls anime a cartoon). Here are some more absurd analogies:

The Comedy Channel showing "Platoon".

The Encore Action channel showing "Mansfield Park"

The SciFi network creating a sitcom like The Cosby Show or Home Improvement.

The Encore Romance channel showing "Commando".

CNN and Fox News airing sitcoms.

The Home and Garden Network showing cartoons.

Exclusivity does not matter. If they want to market themselves as the "Cartoon" Network, then they had better stick to cartoons. Otherwise, they'll become another kiddy channel that shows a variety of programming (stuff I never did watch even when I was a kid).

[Brycepops]

EDIT: Damn why does this site still only have 10 posts per page

Because you're doing it wrong. User CP > Edit Options > Thread Display Options.

[Toadofsky]

This move doesn't surprise me. After Toonami was moved to Saturdays, I pretty much quit watching Cartoon Network as much as I used to.

I liked Adult Swim, it had a few good shows. The late night anime carried the late night viewing block, at least in my opinion it did. I can't tell you how much some of my days ended so well watching it. Especially when I'd take trips to Cincinatti, I sit and watch Trigun or Lupin III, Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop (for the record, I HATE the ending to Bebop, made me feel like I wasted my time, sorry, just my opinion). I saw the absurdity that was FLCL, the CRAZY ending to Big O II. But then they started doing some low budget shows, okay, ATHF, and Harvey Birdman was good, but then you get absolutely crap shows like Saul of The Mole Men, Tim and Eric's Stupid Show Great Job, blah blah blah.

To me, after Samurai Jack was cancelled, the channel just didn't feel right. I didn't really enjoy Foster's that much (Bloo changed in the series, and came off as too much a jerk), I enjoyed the artstyle, and the characters in that show were very well made. I felt that Flapjack had a lot of good style similar to Ren and Stimpy, which is a plus.

What's funny, is that now Boomerang, it's network for "Classic" cartoons, is just playing CN's old shows, not necessarily a bad thing, but I don't think much of it.

Don't get me started on the garbage fest that is now Sci Fi. You're lucky to find a good movie on there, let alone a series...

[Nec5]

Cowboy Bebop (for the record, I HATE the ending to Bebop, made me feel like I wasted my time, sorry, just my opinion).

I agree but you can always imagine your own ending taking place a few weeks later.

[Toadofsky]

Very true. But all in all, I care little for Cartoon Network. These aren't good changes.

I don't mind them playing a movie, heck ones that integrate live action and animation (i.e. Roger Rabbit, Space Jam, you get the idea), get a free pass with me. But Spiderman? eh, that's just getting Spiderman obsessed kids to watch the channel.

This is a new generation of kids watching the network, so I think my time with said network is done. Same for Nick, Toon Disney, you get the idea.

The only t.v. I watch anymore is on Hulu, and all my shows Seasons are done for now.

But now Crackle.com's got The Three Stooges....

[SynthesizedStampede]

Exclusivity does not matter. If they want to market themselves as the "Cartoon" Network, then they had better stick to cartoons. Otherwise, they'll become another kiddy channel that shows a variety of programming (stuff I never did watch even when I was a kid).

That's what I'm saying! I guess somewhere down the line in CN history that mission statement lost its focus on just being "Cartoons". But as mentioned before, Cartoon Network's "gimmick" (can't find a better word right now for some reason) is that it purely shows cartoons, much like how Food Network's "gimmick" is that it runs shows related to food, and all that other stuff.

While I'm just repeating what's been said, I think it's that point that matters to most of us: with these new "CN Real" shows, the station should might as well be called "Children's Network" rather than "Cartoon Network".

[Secret Agent Man]

It seems that many, if not all, of the primary networks (NBC, ABC, etc.) have stopped showing cartoons on Saturday Morning (especially Fox Kids -- where did that go). Either that or they just stopped showing cartoons after 9 in the morning. Cartoons in general seem to be going the way of the dinosaur for some reason, and I can't understand that one little bit.

You know where I'd expect these new "reality" shows? The reality channel (yes there exists such a piece of garbage -- "Not reality: Actuality"). I do not understand the fascination with reality shows, but it seems every network and their mother's trying to get into it. Cartoon Network, I guess, is trying to become Kid's Network instead, cartoons or not (assuming reality TV appeals to kids).

[Thylacine]

It seems that many, if not all, of the primary networks (NBC, ABC, etc.) have stopped showing cartoons on Saturday Morning (especially Fox Kids -- where did that go). Either that or they just stopped showing cartoons after 9 in the morning. Cartoons in general seem to be going the way of the dinosaur for some reason, and I can't understand that one little bit.

I'd imagine it's a few factors.

1. Not a lot of returns on investment, i.e. nobody's watching the damn shows. This could be because kids are too invested in Spongebob to commit elsewhere, they don't like waking up early on a weekend (I know I didn't - Reboot was the only show that could coerce me from my sheets), or they aren't watching TV on Saturday morning altogether. In any case, Wimbledon is a better investment for NBC than some syndicated cartoon. It's more in tune with its target market, too.

2. High expenses. There's a reason the 3D-animated crap we see nowadays has defeated 2D "classic" films. While an artist has to painstakingly render each frame of a scene and re-draw each cel, a computer animator creates a 3D model and then manipulates that model. Easier, cheaper, and a lot more free-form than figuring out storyboards as well as animation.

3. Advertising revenue. I'm not talking commercials, either. Whereas cartoons would seem awkward with Samurai Jack drinking a Pepsi, and even the 3D fanfares would be a bit off with a billboard for Halo, reality TV (especially for kids) is the perfect vehicle for product placement. I mentioned "Brain Rush" in my last post. They used three different roller coasters for the game show, and they were secretly advertising said coasters right in front of everyone's faces.

It's obvious when the Powerpuff Girls are using a copyrighted product. It's weird if a regular kid does not. THAT'S the beauty of product placement.

Money, plain and simple.

[ChrisTheWriter]

There is a name change in the works from what I hear. I want to thank you guys for your input. I know this is purely musically-challenged, but Im glad that the majority realizes how ODD this is for a cartoon channel.

Yes, it has ALOT to do with advertising though there is a way to market coke, cell phones our whatever into a cartoon. Heck, I've seen it in Anime of all places.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=191217360303&ref=mf

Please pass along this link if you're so inclined. There alot of people affected by this and it's more than just geeks squealing about their kiddy shows. Opportunities are being lost by this lackluster move. Perhaps a shoutout can be made at Otakon?

[DarkeSword]

Are they just going to rename themselves "The CN?" Because that's exactly the kind of crappy network name I see them going towards.

[EdgeCrusher]

You know where I'd expect these new "reality" shows? The reality channel (yes there exists such a piece of garbage -- "Not reality: Actuality"). I do not understand the fascination with reality shows, but it seems every network and their mother's trying to get into it. Cartoon Network, I guess, is trying to become Kid's Network instead, cartoons or not (assuming reality TV appeals to kids).

Say what you want about the reality channel, known as TruTV, but some of that shit is funny. Especially The Smoking Gun's Worlds Dumbest ______ and Operation Repo. Thing is, thats a reality tv station, thats what they do. Im just saying that there are some good reality tv shows on that station. Now all the stuff they are showing on cartoon network? Complete ass. That little black kid from Role Models getting his own show pisses me off the most. I just want to punch him 99 times in the face then kick him in his maybe-or-soon-to-bed-dropped balls.

[Avatar of Justice]

Um...maybe the reason that a lot of people think Cartoon Network's programming sucks is because you aren't really the target demographic of their shows anymore besides the Adult Swim block. Assuming there aren't any OCR's posting who are 10. I'm not saying that you are too old for cartoons, I just doubt they care whether teenagers and adults like their daytime programming and therefore those shows may not appeal to you. Most kids I know have pretty low standards when it comes to what entertains them.

Blah, I hate how all these niche channels feel the need to grow their market after they've been around for awhile. They pretty much hit their limit in terms of profitability and decide to try to expand their market by diluting the brand. It doesn't matter whether Cartoon Network is a highly profitable business or not. Business people see a business that isn't growing as one that's failing.

[Archaon]

Um...maybe the reason that a lot of people think Cartoon Network's programming sucks is because you aren't really the target demographic of their shows anymore, besides Adult Swim.

That would be a reasonable theory if not for the fact that (presumably) the people complaining about it would still enjoy CN's earlier schedules if they were being shown today, even though they are not the target demographic.

I, for one, would definitely watch Ed Edd 'n Eddy if they brought it back.

[zircon]

Yeah, but I think that's because that's what we were watching when we were younger. And you know what? Late 80s/early 90s cartoons really don't hold up. I was the biggest TMNT fan when I was a kid. Absolutely loved it. Had the action figures, the toys, the whole nine yards. But watching it now is downright painful... the voice acting, the writing, the animation quality, everything is just worse than virtually any modern 'action' cartoon. Same goes for a lot of other series.

[ChrisTheWriter]

Yeah, but I think that's because that's what we were watching when we were younger. And you know what? Late 80s/early 90s cartoons really don't hold up. I was the biggest TMNT fan when I was a kid. Absolutely loved it. Had the action figures, the toys, the whole nine yards. But watching it now is downright painful... the voice acting, the writing, the animation quality, everything is just worse than virtually any modern 'action' cartoon. Same goes for a lot of other series.

too true. I went back and watched the old turtles and found Shredder hiding in a bush, waiting to am...bush, the turtles... it was laughably sad (dont get me started on Dinosaucers). And yes, half the toons out here now are loads of fun to watch.

But some breakthrough ideas are being tossed out by edgier, familiar and unoriginal ideas, which is why the majority of us producers and animators are extremely worried/pissed/betrayed. Thats why the boycott exists. Not because there's live-action on Cartoon Network per-se, but because Cartoon Network is phasing out artists' jobs in response to the push for something we see everyday, in spite there being actual good material in their lineup.

[Archaon]

Yeah, but I think that's because that's what we were watching when we were younger.

I don't know about that. Yes, the nostalgia factor still plays a part, no doubt, but I (for one) think I'd still enjoy a lot of the shows I watched as a kid even if I hadn't watched them as a kid. (TMNT was not one of them.) I mean, there are a few cartoons from CN's earlier lineup (Samurai Jack, for instance) that I never watched as a young'un and yet I still think they're great now.

That's not to say anything of what CN's currently showing. I haven't really watched any of it, so I can't really comment. I'm just lending some support to the idea that maybe the current line-up actually is shit compared to the older stuff and it isn't just the rose-tinted nostalgia lenses making people think that way.

[Vivi22]

Yeah, but I think that's because that's what we were watching when we were younger. And you know what? Late 80s/early 90s cartoons really don't hold up. I was the biggest TMNT fan when I was a kid. Absolutely loved it. Had the action figures, the toys, the whole nine yards. But watching it now is downright painful... the voice acting, the writing, the animation quality, everything is just worse than virtually any modern 'action' cartoon. Same goes for a lot of other series.

I have to agree with this, though I think there were some great cartoons in the mid-late 90's that still hold up. Reboot, Beast Wars, Batman, X-Men, and Spider-Man come to mind right now as ones that were enjoyable as a child, and stood out to me even back then for not treating kids like complete morons even if they did have their campy moments. And of course, some of this carried into the early-mid 2000's where we had shows like the remade TMNT, and Justice League.

There's been a fair few cartoons over the years that were not only among my absolute favourites as a child, but also held up over time because they didn't treat their audience like they were complete idiots.

[zircon]

I dunno, even stuff like X-Men and Spider-Man had pretty poor production values and writing compared to modern stuff. Samurai Jack is in another league BTW, I don't even really consider that a kid's cartoon.