Western Animation - Discuss American, Canadian, and European cartoons here (or just bitch about wokeshit, I guess)

[Prophetic Spirit]

This is why I disregard Korra as canon and bonus points for the show leading up to a post apocalyptic future for the next iteration. They treated the old cast like they were washed up or dispensable losers.

Yeah, that was the worst part of Korra.
At least there's nice characters like Varric & Lin.

 

[Newcomer 42]

Pushing down the old cast to make the new one look better is an old cliché, usually because otherwise it makes you wonder why aren't the previous heroes fixing everything. Granted, there's spite involved here too.

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

Pushing down the old cast to make the new one look better is an old cliché, usually because otherwise it makes you wonder why aren't the previous heroes fixing everything. Granted, there's spite involved here too.

I came up with the idea of having a old cast supporting the new one with information & networking.
The old cast is fully explained in the first novel, with the second appearing over time.

 

[Trilby]

Yeah sesame street had this problem with the "Snuffy's parents get a divorce" episode which the studio banned from ever being aired because they thought it would be too much for Kids with divorced parents. Or it might make kids worry that their parents arguing would mean they're going to get divorced.

I think they pushed the metaphor too hard when fusion was introduced, because the actual fusion characters are a fun idea and represent each characters relationship with each other. But our introduction to it was Amethyst shaking her ass.
Fusion can be a flexible metaphor but when you introduce it as an erotic act that's what it gets associated with for the rest of the show.

Avatar did this better with firebending, it has a negative and destructive connotation for nearly the entire run, both due to the villains using it and due to Aang burning Katara by accident.
But characters like Iron and the Aztec guys give us a deeper understanding of it over the course of the show, Steven Universe made the mistake of coming out the gate with sex. They should have introduced it as something innocent, because that's how we come to understand sex and relationships as we get older.

Thinking of an early cartoon about divorce, I recall this TV special from 1979 that tackled the subject.

 

[AnAccount]

This is why I disregard Korra as canon and bonus points for the show leading up to a post apocalyptic future for the next iteration. They treated the old cast like they were washed up or dispensable losers.

One thing I've always found interesting is Korra seemed like it was an actual epoch moment, because it was the exact first example of the modern 'semi reboot future timeline, where the old cast is treated like losers, pushed to the side, and used as set dressing for a mostly new setting following a new progressive protagonist who continues the legacy of the old main character'

 

[A Grey Cat]

Unpopular Opinion: Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends sucked. It’s best episodes are low energy snoozes at best and completely forgettable in their entirety, with the exception of when the writing is so bad it pisses off the intended audience. It owes its art style to Samurai Jack and was a massive misstep considering the other things McCracken worked on.

Looking back I agree. The show was written on the two speeds of pure, no sarcasm intended autism. If a joke wasn't painfully slow and annoying. (It's hot in Topeka, the dancing cactus on bloos back) then it was loud and bouncy. (Macs sugar rushes, the episode where he and bloo were home alone)

and I really don't get why cheese had more than one appearance on the show. He and Fred Fred burger were the equivalent of the great gazoo. A bad idea that should have been a one off joke but ended up killing every episode made after their introductions.

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

and I really don't get why cheese had more than one appearance on the show. He and Fred Fred burger were the equivalent of the great gazoo. A bad idea that should have been a one off joke but ended up killing every episode made after their introductions.

cocococococococococococococococococococococococococococococococococococococo

Gee, i wonder what the fuck was Craig thinking.

 

[KingLiberty76]

I have sad news Jonathan Joss the voice of John Redcorn from King of the Hill has died after getting shot by his neighbor

https://nypost.com/2025/06/02/entertainment/king-of-the-hill-voice-actor-jonathan-joss-killed-in-texas/

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

I have sad news Jonathan Joss the voice of John Redcorn from King of the Hill has died after getting shot by his neighbor

https://nypost.com/2025/06/02/entertainment/king-of-the-hill-voice-actor-jonathan-joss-killed-in-texas/

Damn, seems Dale finally did it.

 

[Cave Fisher]

Pushing down the old cast to make the new one look better is an old cliché, usually because otherwise it makes you wonder why aren't the previous heroes fixing everything. Granted, there's spite involved here too.

It's usually a really bad idea to have the old and new cast coexist because they often have to make the old cast washed up, old, and/or incompetent so they don't just solve every problem of the new cast.

 

[Flexo]

It's usually a really bad idea to have the old and new cast coexist because they often have to make the old cast washed up, old, and/or incompetent so they don't just solve every problem of the new cast.

Which is a shame because if there's something kids (and even some adults) nowadays need to see and learn is that the elders have to let you stand on your own and fail sometimes so you can grow in wisdom and strength. Helicopter mentors are no better than helicopter parents.

 

[Chromeo]

Pushing down the old cast to make the new one look better is an old cliché, usually because otherwise it makes you wonder why aren't the previous heroes fixing everything. Granted, there's spite involved here too.

The world of ATLA is perfectly built to cause this problem tbh. The avatar has to die for someone else to inherit the position, and supposedly they're supposed to find out they're the avatar at age 16, though Aang found out at 12 because of the war and Katara found out as a toddler because SHE'S SO QUIRKY AND SPECIAL!!
Something else that I wish I could find the video I heard it from, is that every avatar ultimately has to deal with the shit their last incarnation didn't finish. Avatar Kuruk spent his life fighting dark spirits and neglected the tensions of the human kingdoms, so Avatar Kyoshi dealt with it by focusing on protecting the Earth kingdom and creating the gestapo, which made things worse and led Sozin to start the war that Avatar Roku couldn't quash, so Avatar Aang had to deal with that, and because the last 4 generations have been caught up in geopolitical chaos + 100 years while Aang was frozen, the spirit realm was neglected and Avatar Korra had to deal with it. The entire structure and history of the show is that the avatar cannot afford to be human, because they will fuck up and do something or not do something that the next guy has to deal with, which means they will do or not do something else that the guy after them has to deal with, so on and so forth. It's incredibly interesting, historically speaking, but as far as TV show goes it's always gonna result in "whaaaat I thought the last avatar saved the world, why does it need to be saved again??"
Honestly, I'm hesitant to even watch Korra knowing what I know of it. I've heard there are a lot of cool things in it, like bloodbending and metalbending expanding into new users, some guy starting a race war and trying to make the position of Avatar obsolete, yadda yadda, and all of that sounds cool as fuck. But then it's like, "here's Sally McSpecial who's better than everyone by virtue of existing and her woke posse of lesbian brown people come to solve everything in 5 seconds and shit on everything else you cared about." It's like the original ATLA was lightning in a bottle and literally any and every adaptation since has just shit the bed.

 

[God of Nothing]

It's like the original ATLA was lightning in a bottle and literally any and every adaptation since has just shit the bed.

It was. I remember taking time out of the day to watch the finale with my baby cousin. Good times.
fuck, if only i knew how bad everything in general would get

 

[Vyse Inglebard]

It's like the original ATLA was lightning in a bottle and literally any and every adaptation since has just shit the bed.

Replace ATLA with any IP made in the past century, and you've got modern media in a shellnut

 

[Trollblade69]

What's been getting merchandise these days? Just Spongebob and capeshit?

 

[XYZpdq Jr.]

It's usually a really bad idea to have the old and new cast coexist because they often have to make the old cast washed up, old, and/or incompetent so they don't just solve every problem of the new cast.

I recall Tetsujin 28-Go FX did a nice job of having the OG Gigantor still help out

 

[Chromeo]

What's been getting merchandise these days? Just Spongebob and capeshit?

Trolls, Bluey, Star Wars, Barbie, and lately I've been seeing a lot more Harry Potter stuff. The Walmart knockoff American Girls (My Life dolls I think they're called) have entire color-coded Hogwarts uniform sets.

 

[Newcomer 42]

Which is a shame because if there's something kids (and even some adults) nowadays need to see and learn is that the elders have to let you stand on your own and fail sometimes so you can grow in wisdom and strength. Helicopter mentors are no better than helicopter parents.

Unfortunately, many characters nowadays from the past decade are self-inserts of the writers who hate the original work and wish to destroy it, so downgrading the old cast is standard.

Katara found out as a toddler because SHE'S SO QUIRKY AND SPECIAL!!

As seen here.

avatar cannot afford to be human

So, they must be the God-Emperor, then?
That reminds me that RWBY copied the same thing for Ozpin for Season 4+ and it was even worse, as he couldn't afford to do much since he was fighting against a she-witch who's literally immortal, has infinite power and minions, her inner cast is more competent than Ozpin's, his daughters are MIA, few people listen to him for some reason and the she-witch is his ex to boot, and all of her plotting is to spite him and destroy humanity. Oh, and his procedure requires subsuming another soul instead of being the same with some variations.
As for Avatar, I only watched a few episodes of the original, I wasn't convinced, and I only read bad things of Korra, but it seems the new one will top that.

 

[Lone Star]

Unpopular Opinion: Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends sucked. It’s best episodes are low energy snoozes at best and completely forgettable in their entirety, with the exception of when the writing is so bad it pisses off the intended audience. It owes its art style to Samurai Jack and was a massive misstep considering the other things McCracken worked on.

Even as a kid I didn't understand why Mac liked Bloo or would visit every day to make sure they remain friends. Bloo was such an unlikable little shit.

 

[A Grey Cat]

Even as a kid I didn't understand why Mac liked Bloo or would visit every day to make sure they remain friends. Bloo was such an unlikable little shit.

I've heard some takes suggest that bloo used to be a sweet if naive friend when he lived with Mac, and being away from him over time eventually eroded away bloo's moral compass. Bloo became a jerk over time without Mac to regularly control him. But the sad thing is that's just fan takes, kt something they intentionally meant to insert into the show, or if they did they didn't convey it very well