Is BTAS really the greatest thing since Sliced-Bat-Bread?

[Otaku-sempai]

I think everyone can agree that the animation for Jonny Quest was a good deal more limited than that of BTAS--the same applies any made-for-TV cartoons of the 1960s and '70s. One can admire these shows for their concepts and characters, but not for their animation. The tragedy of that period is that lots of good writers and artists (starting with Alex Toth) were employed in TV animation, but the budgets, producers, censors and resources were simply inadequate.

What turned the tide was Disney seriously committing its money and prestige to weekday afternoon cartoons in the late 80s, with shows like Gummy Bears and Duck Tales, and then Warner Brothers followed suit with Tiny Toons and Animaniacs, followed by the crowning achievement of BTAS. These shows had better animation, bigger budgets, more sympathetic producers, and less censorship than any cartoons previously made for TV, so the circumstances were finally right for the action/adventure cartoon to reach greater heights with BTAS.

I think that, where we disagree,is that you put much more emphasis on the actual animation than do I. That is only one element of an animated series--albeit an important one!

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I think everyone can agree that the animation for Jonny Quest was a good deal more limited than that of BTAS--the same applies any made-for-TV cartoons of the 1960s and '70s.

Yeah, the animation on Jonny Quest was limited, but the illustrations were so beautiful I don't care. (As you might guess from my avatar, I'm a big fan of the show.)

 

[Otaku-sempai]

Yeah, the animation on Jonny Quest was limited, but the illustrations were so beautiful I don't care. (As you might guess from my avatar, I'm a big fan of the show.)

It probably helps that some of us were actually in our childhood when the show actually debuted! We didn't have anything more modern with which to compare it. In terms of animation, I admit that B:TAS holds up better.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

It probably helps that some of us were actually in our childhood when the show actually debuted!

I was still eight years from being born. I didn't discover Jonny Quest until sometime in the 1980s.

Good stuff is good stuff.

 

[Mejo]

A tad bit late to this discussion but I’ll just put in my own two cents:

YES there are duds, a lot more than most of the later DC cartoons. However, the highs are so high that they easily make up for those duds (and there are a LOT of highs). And even most of the lows are FAR better than most of the lows of most 80s action cartoons. Really, when it was on, there was NOTHING like it at the time.

Also, here’s a tip for a lot of those who want to start watching TAS. DON’T watch it in broadcast order. Watch it in production order. That way, you’ll get through a lot of the duds early on and you’ll see how the staff improved throughout the series.