From political cartoons to CG, animation has evolved much more rapidly than anyone could have guessed. What began as a way for primitive humans to depict real life events has become a modern form of entertainment. But how far has animation changed since the days of our youth? Growing up in the 1990’s, I got to be a part of a true revolution of animation in the United States. With shows like Pokemon, and Spongebob Squarepants, and movies like Space Jam, I felt like a kid in a candy store watching everything around me. Most of which had great plot and characters, and had a great message behind the story. Today, that isn’t the case. The animation you see today, even though it may be entertaining, has lost its moral value. With few exceptions like Phineas and Ferb, little of what the youth of America is watching today promotes positive ideas and leaves a positive impact. For example, although The Misadventures of Flapjack is entertaining, the message behind it is one of vulgarity and disregard for authority. The question I pose it, do you notice that the animation today isn’t as good as the ones you grew up on? What made it different? And why is it that those animation you saw as a kid you still remember today?
titotot 
I agree with you that cartoons of today do not really have a positive message anymore. Why do you think this is, because they do not think it is important anymore or because all the morals have already been told?
I disagree entirely. Disney is still going strong, the other major players have inspirational themes, and there are countless educational cartoons for young children. I’m most familiar with four current cartoons: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Regular Show.
Friendship is Magic explains itself. The next two teach you to believe in yourself, even if you’re small, to be yourself, and value your friends. Finn can be a moral mess sometimes, but he always learns a lesson. The villain is this martyr of self-destruction and self-sacrifice in “I Remember You”/”Simon & Marcy”. Even Regular Show, in its bizarre, 80s stoner comedy kind of way, warns you not to shirk responsibility and to take accountability for your actions — or else some innocuous inanimate object will take on superpowers and hunt you down, forcing you to go to extraordinary lengths to fix things, when you could have just mowed the lawn when your boss told you to and been done with it.
Which cartoons have convinced you that the majority of modern animation is amoral? There are always going to be duds, but I think nostalgia might be prodding you into an disproportionate reactionary response.
In reference to the content of animation – you have to acknowledge the filter of nostalgic remembering. There were many shows in the 80s and 90s that lacked any substantial moral dialogue. Your own example of Spongebob Squarepants completely fits this mold. Animation is an entertainment medium. Some exist solely for entertainment while others aspire to more.
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