[Music Alchemist]

I noticed there isn't a thread for discussing cartoons, so here we go!
 
Feel free to discuss any and all things related to cartoons.
 
(I'm much more into anime, having seen many thousands of episodes, and consider it to be far superior to everything else. However, this thread is *not* for discussion of anime. There is a separate thread for that here.)
 
I have always loved cartoons. Although they are typically targeted towards a younger audience, they are not just for kids; some are suitable for all ages, and some are even for adults only.
 
To get the ball rolling, here are a few cartoons I have enjoyed over the years, with favorites separated at the top.
 
Hey Arnold!
Invader Zim
Teen Titans
South Park
Futurama
The Boondocks
Todd McFarlane's Spawn
 
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
The Addams Family
Aladdin: The Series
Alvin And The Chipmunks
American Dad!
The Angry Beavers
Animaniacs
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Arthur
Batman (franchise)
Beetlejuice
Captain Planet And The Planeteers / The New Adventures Of Captain Planet
CatDog
The Cleveland Show
Courage The Cowardly Dog
Darkwing Duck
Dexter's Laboratory
Dilbert
Donkey Kong Country
Doug
Dragon Hunters
DuckTales
Ed, Edd N Eddy
The Fairly OddParents
Family Guy
The Flintstones
Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends
Garfield (franchise)
Gargoyles
G.I. Joe
Goof Troop
The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe
Hercules: The Animated Series
Home Movies
The Huckleberry Hound Show
Inspector Gadget (franchise)
Jackie Chan Adventures
The Jetsons
The Adventures Of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Johnny Bravo
Jonny Quest
Justice League (franchise)
King Of The Hill
Looney Tunes (franchise) / The Looney Tunes Show
Metalocalypse
Mighty Ducks
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
Peanuts / Charlie Brown (franchise)
Pinky And The Brain
Popeye (franchise)
The Powerpuff Girls
The Ren & Stimpy Show
Rocket Power
Rocko's Modern Life
The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show
Rugrats / All Grown Up!
Samurai Jack
Scooby-Doo (franchise)
Sealab 2021
The Simpsons
Space Ghost Coast To Coast
Spider-Man (franchise)
SpongeBob SquarePants
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Street Sharks
TaleSpin
Teen Titans Go!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (franchise)
Time Squad
Tiny Toon Adventures
Tom And Jerry
Transformers (franchise)
Underdog
The Venture Bros.
The Wild Thornberrys
Winnie-The-Pooh (franchise)
The Woody Woodpecker Show
X-Men (franchise)
Yogi Bear (franchise)
The Legend Of Zelda
 
(Dang, I've watched a lotta 'toons!)

 

[Muinarc]

Cartoons are dead, they only make CG shows these days.

 

[WraithApe]

Did you ever catch any of MTV's cartoons in the mid-90s, MA? Peter Chung's Aeon Flux is still probably the weirdest, most inventive cartoon I've ever seen - a lot of people probably only know the travesty of a live action film that was made in its name but the original animated series was something else. The Maxx was really good too.

 

[Muinarc]

  Did you ever catch any of MTV's cartoons in the mid-90s, MA? Peter Chung's Aeon Flux is still probably the weirdest, most inventive cartoon I've ever seen - a lot of people probably only know the travesty of a live action film that was made in its name but the original animated series was something else. The Maxx was really good too.

Aeon Flux was quite good indeed. The ending was a little rushed but the atmospheric story telling was great.

 

[WraithApe]

Never knew they made a cartoon of Spawn either. As it happens I'm working my way through a huge stack of back issues right now. Doesn't really surprise me though - McFarlane always was big on the merch. Looking through these old comic books I see ads for everything from Violator action figures to Spawn-themed BMX bikes!

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Cartoons are dead, they only make CG shows these days.

 
Alas, I must concur, to an extent.
 
The animation of modern cartoons is either just really crappy or in the goofy Pixar style. Same goes for animated (but non-anime) movies, for the most part.
 
Thank goodness we can discuss cartoons from any time period!
 
Some '90s cartoons were also made with the help of computers, but it was often done in a way that I respect and can take seriously.
 

  Did you ever catch any of MTV's cartoons in the mid-90s, MA? Peter Chung's Aeon Flux is still probably the weirdest, most inventive cartoon I've ever seen - a lot of people probably only know the travesty of a live action film that was made in its name but the original animated series was something else. The Maxx was really good too.

 
Never even heard of it until now...but wow, that look like it's right up my alley! Dystopian science fiction tends to be compelling. Definitely gonna watch it sooner or later.
 
On MTV, I only saw Celebrity Deathmatch. (Not really a cartoon, since it's claymation.) There's going to be a reboot of the show in the future!
 

  Never knew they made a cartoon of Spawn either. As it happens I'm working my way through a huge stack of back issues right now. Doesn't really surprise me though - McFarlane always was big on the merch. Looking through these old comic books I see ads for everything from Violator action figures to Spawn-themed BMX bikes!

 
Oh, dude, it's a must-watch! Very dark and violent, as you would expect. (Unlike the vast majority of cartoons, which generally cater to the comedic and childish side of things.) The DVD box set is really cheap on Amazon and worth buying.

 

[WraithApe]

I'll check it out for sure - I can see it having great potential as animated series, if done right. You should definitely seek out The Maxx as well - now that I think about it, the lead character actually has a lot in common with Al Simmons' character - an outsider, outwardly monstrous, shunned by society. He even lives in an alley! MTV commissioned some really weird shiit back then. The Head is also seriously whacked out and well worth a watch. Aeon Flux was the best though - pure surrealism at times and like not quite like anything else I've seen before or since.
 
You already mentioned a lot of my favourite shows on Adult Swim like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Home Movies. One thing you didn't mention, which I really like is Clerks - The Animated Series. If you enjoyed the film Clerks, I reckon you'd dig that too.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I'll check it out for sure - I can see it having great potential as animated series, if done right.

 
I just wish it was more fleshed-out. The original comics (and manga, when comparing to anime) always have so much more than animated series do. (Makes sense, with budget constraints and all...)
 
I actually would love to develop a serious adults-only animated television series someday, in the thriller/horror category. I wouldn't do it for money, though. I just want it to be as good as possible—my creative vision manifest in the highest quality, down to the last detail and with full control—so it would need to be funded by other businesses I operate in the future instead of putting it in someone else's hands. No compromises for me!

 

[WraithApe]

 
I actually would love to develop a serious adults-only animated television series someday, in the thriller/horror category. I wouldn't do it for money, though. I just want it to be as good as possible—my creative vision manifest in the highest quality, down to the last detail and with full control—so it would need to be funded by other businesses I operate in the future instead of putting it in someone else's hands. No compromises for me!

 
Operating businesses eh! Head-Fi today, tomorrow global domination?
 
The closest I've seen to properly adult-oriented animation might be Satoshi Kon's mini-series Paranoia Agent, or his feature length film Perfect Blue. I always wished Miyazaki would have made more adult-oriented anime. Studio Ghibli films are always a feast for the eyes but often-times too kiddified for my liking. People talk about the innocent magic of those films and I get that, but just once it would be amazing to see all that animating talent focused on making something dark and twisted!

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Operating businesses eh! Head-Fi today, tomorrow global domination?
 
The closest I've seen to properly adult-oriented animation might be Satoshi Kon's mini-series Paranoia Agent, or his feature length film Perfect Blue. I always wished Miyazaki would have made more adult-oriented anime. Studio Ghibli films are always a feast for the eyes but often-times too kiddified for my liking. People talk about the innocent magic of those films and I get that, but just once it would be amazing to see all that animating talent focused on making something dark and twisted!

 
lol. I already have years of experience running Internet businesses. Just gotta take things one step at a time.
 
There are countless adults only anime out there. Here is a list of ones I have seen:
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

A Kite
Another
Attack On Titan
B Gata H Kei
Black Butler (second season)
Blood+
Blood-C
Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan
Corpse Party: Tortured Souls
Dance In The Vampire Bund
Deadman Wonderland
Elfen Lied
Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works]
Fate/Zero
Highschool Of The Dead
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry)
Mirai Nikki (The Future Diary)
Parasyte -the maxim-
Psycho-Pass
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (initially rated TV-MA, but later rerated to TV-14)
Pupa
Rin: Daughters Of Mnemosyne
Rosario + Vampire
Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc
Rurouni Kenshin / Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal
Samurai Champloo
School Days
Shiki
Umineko No Naku Koro Ni (When The Seagulls Cry)

 
(Since this thread is not about anime, I don't want to focus on that here.)
 
There are also some cartoons for adults that are rated TV-MA in the US. A few examples (already listed in the first post) include:
 
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
The Boondocks
South Park
Todd McFarlane's Spawn
The Venture Bros.

 

[WraithApe]

Noted. I would just say though that most so-called adult-oriented animations (anime or general cartoons) still have quite a young target audience - young adult if you like. I could count on one hand (maybe two) the ones that have real depth, maturity and complexity. I think there's plenty of scope for more to be made, as you mentioned before.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Noted. I would just say though that most so-called adult-oriented animations (anime or general cartoons) still have quite a young target audience - young adult if you like. I could count on one hand (maybe two) the ones that have real depth, maturity and complexity. I think there's plenty of scope for more to be made, as you mentioned before.

 
I edited my post, so reload the page and check it again, in case you missed anything. You would like some of the ones I listed.
 

Spoiler: I highly recommend:

Elfen Lied
Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry)
Mirai Nikki (The Future Diary)
Psycho-Pass
Puella Magi Madoka Magica

 

[miceblue]

Tom and Jerry was one of my favourite shows as a kid!

The cartoons on Cartoon Network nowadays are kind of sad to see. I think cartoon shows have gone backwards in 'Merica... : (

 

[Music Alchemist]

Tom and Jerry was one of my favourite shows as a kid!

The cartoons on Cartoon Network nowadays are kind of sad to see. I think cartoon shows have gone backwards in 'Merica... : (

 
I liked how the dog was the good guy and protected the bird while beating up the cat. haha. (Though I am a cat person.)
 
Ugh. Yes. I can hardly watch most of the Cartoon Network stuff now, though I like some of the older shows, as listed above.
 
I have been watching the new Powerpuff Girls series, and even it is somewhat disappointing, which is saying a lot considering how much of a fan I am of the original show.
 
I'm an even bigger fan of Teen Titans. I was excited when I heard about Teen Titans Go!, the new series based on the original but more like a parody. I always watch every new episode whenever it comes out...but I gotta say, although there are awesome moments from time to time, it's almost like they intentionally tried to make it as stupid as possible. I hope no one writes off the original show without seeing it, because I consider the original to be one of the greatest cartoons of all time.
 
Another tidbit about Teen Titans: My favorite character is Terra. She's only in a few episodes. The creator of the show commented in an interview that once he watched the finalized episodes focusing on her, he couldn't stop crying because of how heartbreaking and emotional it was!

 

[miceblue]

Ben 10 and Codename: Kids Next Door were also interesting cartoons back in the day.

The only show on Cartoon Network I like right now is We Bear Bears.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MRfOvwQSaQ[/vidoe]