Animation Change on Vintage Cartoon

[IMJ]

Does anyone here remember how good the animation was in the first several episodes of the original TMNT cartoon, and how it later took a turn to that more rubbery (dare I say it...) American animation (please note I'm an all American, Chicago Irish guy)...

[SavantiRomero]

I remember the artwork overall was much better, better colors, better lining, better shadowing, better detail, better anatomy, better overall everything. Then it looks like they completely changed artists altogether and started doing the Rush rush rush mentality that we are seeing happen again here with Fast Forward.

All the detail, color, content, was abandoned for quicker drawn, quickly colored cels to speed along the process of production. There aren't any studios out there that are willing to risk the loss of $$$ for quality, they all want to push out as much as fast as they can to make more $$$.

If $$$ isn't involved, it's not happening.

There were a couple seasons late in the run of the original toon, though, that did bring back some awsome artwork, but they were also short lived.

[lilonardo]

The only change I ever noticed was the transistion from regular-red sky

[Jo Dawn]

I remember the initial animation change...

[DrSpengler]

The first season was animated by Toei Studios in Japan, the same people that did Transformers, GI Joe, Sailor Moon, Digimon, Bobobo-bo-Bobobo and a thousand other cartoons and animes.

The remaining seasons were done primarily in Korea, though Toei DID do a handful of season 3 episodes, like the Ninja Sword of Nowhere and the Fifth Turtle.

[PizzaPower]

rocksteady looked way better in season 1.

[VaughnMichael]

rocksteady looked way better in season 1.
I agree as did allot of characters but by the time the series was coming to a close I think that everyone started looking allot better.:)
+ woooohoo on my 2,000th post!

[IMJ]

At times, the animation looked like rubber hand puppets who were all asymetrical. lol, ahhhh, I miss those old cartoons. I don't think I've seen them in maybe 13 years...

[Draconic]

There was a very obvious change I noticed... In the first set of episodes, the turtles had a vertical lines on their faces, which helped to emphasize the "beak"-like shape of their mouth and nose. After a short while, those lines disappeared.

[jasonorme666]

rocksteady looked way better in season 1.

Indeed he did, as did Bebop.

Loved Rocksteadys Helmet. :D

[Drtooth]

The first season was animated by Toei Studios in Japan, the same people that did Transformers, GI Joe, Sailor Moon, Digimon, Bobobo-bo-Bobobo and a thousand other cartoons and animes.

It's actually shocking how many cartoons and Animes I liked that they have done. I really liked the look of japanese animation for an american audience (I mean, they animate shows for American TV). It doesn't have the rubberyness of American Cartoons or the Stiffness of animes. And you can see hints of both. I though AlfTales was a very good looking cartoon, animationwise. (it's another studio, BTW)

But once you look at it, in the 80's so many cartoons were animated in Japan for an american Audience. A lot of different studios did those cartoons.

[DrSpengler]

Yeah, I also like the Japanese take on American-style animation. It's sorta "the best of both worlds". You get the overall high-quality and detail of a Japanese production but without all the cliche'd elements of your typical anime.

Toei animated most of my favorite cartoons in the 80's, though you're right, several other Japanese studios worked on other American cartoons.

It's a little irritating that we don't hire Japanese studios to animate our cartoons anymore since Korean animation is so much cheaper (and it REALLY shows...except with Dong Woo).

I remember the days when nearly all of WB's cartoons were done by TMS and they were drop-dead gorgeous-looking.

But not anymore...

I mean, Dong Woo can only draw so many cartoons, and they're already getting to the point of over-exposure. Some other Korean studios need to learn to draw as good as them or *something*.

[Drtooth]

I remember the days when nearly all of WB's cartoons were done by TMS and they were drop-dead gorgeous-looking.

The also (as per my understanding) animated Inspector Gadget (mostly later episodes), giving him a more serious looking stiffness, detracting from an uber cartoony-ness that would have taken away from the fun. Look at the Gadget saves Christmas special... it's rubbery and wonky, so it just doesn't work on the same logic. It's like sometimes a comedy sketch is so much funnier when it looks like a serious film (a bit of logic I learned from Monty Python movies)
They also did Ducktales, Heathcliff (I think), and Rescue Rangers. This was in the 80's before Disney had their own animation studio in Japan (Darkwing Duck, for example... it was also animated in Austrailia, with a far more cartoony feel). I still say that ALF Tales (watching it on DVD reciently) had gorgeous animation. Bit limited, but I'd want my cartoon to have that style.

I might as well point out, in the most supreme act of irony, TMS not only animated the Japanese series Sonic X, but they actually DID animate several episodes of the Wonkier, less enjoyable Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.


I mean, Dong Woo can only draw so many cartoons, and they're already getting to the point of over-exposure. Some other Korean studios need to learn to draw as good as them or *something*.

If you're worried that too many cartoons are animated in Korea, I have news for you. The next big country for animation to come out of is... INDIA. None of the big networks have any yet, but keep watching. They're coming. Some PBS kid's show called "piggly Winks" (or something) is animated in India... and it's about life in Ireland. Wrap your brains around that one.

[DrSpengler]

(Darkwing Duck, for example... it was also animated in Austrailia, with a far more cartoony feel).

I remember watching the credits of every Disney animated series in the 90's to see what country animated what episode (Disney had studios in Korea, Japan, Australia, France, EVERYWHERE). I actually found that I almost preferred the Disney Australia episodes of Aladdin over the Disney Japan episodes. Or, at least, I thought they were neary on par with one-another.

Disney eventually got studios like Sun Woo in Korea to do all their TV animation and watching the credits stopped being fun. I did get pretty good at telling what episodes were drawn in what country just by looking at the various animation nuances and such.

I might as well point out, in the most supreme act of irony, TMS not only animated the Japanese series Sonic X, but they actually DID animate several episodes of the Wonkier, less enjoyable Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

You're kidding? It's been a while since I watched Adventures (since they took it off Toon Disney a few years back), but I guess it doesn't really surprise me. DiC did a lot of animation out-sourcing, particularly to Japan, back in the day. Now, dear god, their shows have some of the worst animation-quality I've ever seen.


If you're worried that too many cartoons are animated in Korea, I have news for you. The next big country for animation to come out of is... INDIA. None of the big networks have any yet, but keep watching. They're coming. Some PBS kid's show called "piggly Winks" (or something) is animated in India... and it's about life in Ireland. Wrap your brains around that one.

India? Damn, what WON'T we outsource to those guys?

I wish animation producers would just drop the penny-pinching and resort to paying that extra dollar for high quality animation. It's gotten to the point where American/Japan co-productions are an incredible rarity, these days. GI Joe Sigma Six is the only one I can think of that's written in America and animated in Japan like in the old days. Any other American cartoon that looks Japanese it probably done in Korea or...France? That company that does Totally Spies and Martin Mystery is French, right?

[Sage Ninja]

I think the animation vastly approved during season seven. The characters where drawn with more care and where proportioned better. And their facial expressions where more realistic and less out landish looking. And of Course Red Sky was better still with better editeing and more fliud motion during battles scenes. Did they change animation comapnies for seasons 8-10?

however even episodes after season one and before season seven had good looking animation.

Turtles on Trial has some good animation in it, and the coloring was vibrant. Some times I rewatch this episode just so I can enjoy the way it looks. Scenes like the one where the turtles are riding on their cheap skates through the sewers and Michaelangelo skits across the wall was nicely animated.

Another well animated episode was the "ninja sword of no where". I don't think I've seen an episode that aniamted the turtles with out their eyes masks so well. Usually when the turtles don't have their eyes masks on the their faces look really mis-shapen and funny looking.

[Drtooth]

India? Damn, what WON'T we outsource to those guys?

I wish animation producers would just drop the penny-pinching and resort to paying that extra dollar for high quality animation. It's gotten to the point where American/Japan co-productions are an incredible rarity, these days. GI Joe Sigma Six is the only one I can think of that's written in America and animated in Japan like in the old days. Any other American cartoon that looks Japanese it probably done in Korea or...France? That company that does Totally Spies and Martin Mystery is French, right?

And this will really honk you off... the Indian animation is CGI.

I agree. We need more cartoons animated locally or in some country where they do a better job. Some Korean stuff looks good, some awful. Just go back to Toei if you need to go Asian.

BTW... Bullwinkle was almost animated in Japan. They had to resort to Mexico, because the animation studio in Japan wasn't even built. They were going to use the money to build the studio from that contract.