My friend said 90s cartoons were more about selling toys than telling stories

I was hanging out with my buddy Mike last weekend and he dropped this take that's been bugging me. He said stuff like He-Man and Transformers were basically 22 minute toy commercials, while newer shows actually try to tell real stories. I mean, he's not totally wrong when you look at how many action figures came out for TMNT or Power Rangers. But then I think about shows like Batman The Animated Series or Gargoyles, which had crazy deep plots and character arcs. So which is it for you guys, do you think the 90s were more about selling merchandise or did the storytelling hold up on its own?

2 comments

2 Comments

victorcoleman23d ago

What about shows like Batman TAS though, does that fit Mike's theory?

campbell.robin23d ago

Batman TAS is actually a great test for Mike's theory because it breaks so many of his rules. The show barely has any close ups during conversations, they use those long pauses and moody shots to let the dialogue land. @victorcoleman you've gotta watch the episode "Two Face" and count how many times they just let the camera sit on a character's face while they're thinking. Mike would say that's bad pacing but that show is legendary for a reason. The key is they knew when to speed up and when to slow down, it wasn't just one speed all the time. Most modern shows don't have that patience anymore.