Seems plenty of people watch cartoons as they're younger and stop as they grow up. Television time goes to things like ESPN, evening cop dramas, the news, etc. But not for me. I'm sort of like Jim Carrey's character in The Mask, still watching cartoons as an "adult." And I have to say, Netflix is showing cartoons that aren't just for television anymore.
As the streaming giant loses more of other networks' content, it's doubling down, investing billions into its own content. And part of that content is cartoons. In fact, I'd make the argument Netflix is making its own golden age of cartoons, with new takes on older shows and fresh new animation.
Let's talk older shows first. Netflix has rebooted the '80s classic She-Ra and '90s classic Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? Each show has received a fresh new animation style and updated stories. You won't find He-Man in She-Ra's world, as they want her to be her own character. As far as the famous international thief, she takes on more of a hero role in this iteration than in the old video game and '90s cartoon.
Both are refreshing changes my wife and I loved to watch. She liked She-Ra a little better, but I think I enjoyed Carmen Sandiego more.
Then there are original cartoons Netflix has invested in. You might be familiar with the name Matt Groening. He created The Simpsons and my preferred show, Futurama. Well, he has struck a deal with Netflix to create a medieval fantasy satire called Disenchantment about a rebellious teen princess named "Bean" who refuses to marry a prince like her father wants.
She eventually meets a wandering elf named Elfo and a shadow demon named Luci. The black comedy has some really classic Groening humor. In the first episode they go to find a "wishmaster" for help with Bean's marriage situation, only to come across the "washmaster" instead, imbued with the magical power of cleaning garments. I couldn't stop laughing through every episode of this show. There's more narrative to it than The Simpsons will ever get, and I'd say it's closer to Futurama in its makeup. Season 2 of this can't come fast enough.
The last show I want to share my obsession over (I'm just going to go ahead and call it that to save myself any delusion) was created by the brilliant minds behind Avatar: The Last Airbender, perhaps one of the greatest cartoons ever made. The series is called The Dragon Prince, and it has had two seasons so far, with a third on the way.
Its story follows nations of humans and nations of elves being on the brink of war after humans killed the king of the dragons that protected the border between elven lands and human lands. But when two human princes and an elven assassin discover the son of the dragon king survived in an egg, they set off on a quest to return the egg to elven lands and stop the war. It's an epic story that offers everything from pulse-pounding action to scenes that erupt in belly laughs.
The first season saw some pretty rough animation that I believe turned off a good deal of fans. Avatar: The Last Airbender was done in a more traditional 2-D animation, but The Dragon Prince used more computer-generated looking models. Even the average cartoon viewer could tell some sequences moved awkwardly, even if they didn't know there were problems with frame rate. I will say those problems were fall fixed in Season 2, and it's still worth watching Season 1 anyway.
Netflix has so many great cartoons to offer from original programming such as its Voltron reboot to licensing international favorites that steal hearts like Miraculous Ladybug. And in a time when Nickelodeon continues to invest in teen dramas and low-quality shows like The Loud House, it's refreshing to see. Far gone are the days of cartoons that I truly adored like Hey Arnold, Rugrats and Rocket Power.
Cartoon Network has been hit-and-miss with me since Ed, Edd, n Eddy went off the air. They have fan favorites such as Adventure Time I'm happy to credit them for. And I've laughed and cried so much watching Steven Universe that I have no words strong enough to describe my affections for Rebecca Sugar's creation. But as long as it's ordering more garbage like Teen Titans Go! instead of bringing back the original (and clearly superior Teen Titans), I'll just continue to check in now and again with the network.
If you're not a cartoon watcher, I'm amazed you made it to the end of this article. Netflix is bringing its cartoon A-game.
MovieStyle on 04/12/2019