Even though both Japanese and American cartoons both have a history of relying on adaptations, it seems like American action cartoons feel a lot staler in comparison. This is probably because we’ll get our zillionth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, Batman, and Spider-Man cartoons. Meanwhile, anime is providing fresh franchises like Kaiju No 8, Solo Leveling, Dan Da Dan and much more. Action animation may be heavy on adaptations, but American animation in particular seems hyper fixated on rebooting and reimagining franchises that have existed since the twentieth century.

You can argue that these franchises aren’t stale to children, as many kids will get their first exposure to Transformers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles via the most recent cartoons. The big difference between this era and the previous eras is that now the older versions are still accessible with the newer versions whereas in the past the older version tended to be removed from rerun rotation when a reboot came. Still, it does seem like even with those series that are have long been toy advertisements, they don’t seem to have the staying power they did in the twentieth century.

It seems like everything that can be done on the small screen with Transformers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that can be done has been done (I will give Transformers One and TMNT: Mutant Mayhem lots of kodus for being the most critically acclaimed films of the their respective franchises, be it animation or live action). Batman: Caped Crusader felt very paint by numbers and samey too. I have always heard people counter other’s complains about cartoons with, “cartoons haven’t changed, you have changed.” And I would say, “Yeah. That’s the problem. It’s not that cartoons aren’t like they were when I was a kid, it’s that they are the same as when I was a kid except the script in the new version changes a few words.”

I think it should be noted that the most excitement I have had towards new American action cartoons are with fresh franchises like Primal, Invincible, or Arcane. At least with adult action animation, there is room for innovation rather than retreads. X-Men ’97 should be noted for its status as a continuation rather than a reboot. Rather than rehashing the X-Men’s first battle with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the sequel allowed for the franchise to go forward rather than backward and do new things. Maybe action cartoons taking a Simpsons approach and keeping the same continuity for decades would work. Anime like One Piece takes this approach.

When it comes to family friendly action cartoons, the only non reboot I can think of is the just released Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld. Haven’t seen it yet, but at least it’s not something I’ve seen a million times. It is weird that kids action cartoons rely so much on twentieth century nostalgia when the twenty-first century started decades ago. Lots of nostalgic parents were born in the twentieth century and toy marketers probably know parents might recognize those brands better than a new toy brand. Still, it feels lazy to rehash these franchises.

Reboots are not inherently bad when they can do something bold and new. The 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (at least before the crappy Fast Forward and Back to the Sewers seasons) provided a darker and more comic accurate adaptation and the 2012 version combined the silliness of the 1987 with the seriousness of the 2012 version. It’s just that once you reach a fourth or fifth reboot things get stale and trying to put a new twist on the new version gets harder and harder.

As I mentioned before, the focus on big screen action cartoons is pretty bold and new. There was a 1986 Transformers movie, but it was only slightly above TV budget rather than the big blockbuster budget Transformers One got. It seems like Transformers One was beloved by critics and fans that saw the film, but it still seems like action cartoons struggle on the big screen at the box office. The recent Spider-Verse films are an exception, but Transformers One seems to prove that Spider-Verse is the exception of the big screen cartoon blockbuster and not the rule. Hardcore fans love these, but sadly, it seems like generation audiences do not agree.

In conclusion, I think enthusiasm for the bajillionth television reboot of a cartoon franchise that started in the twentieth century has led to diminishing returns both to nostalgic adults and to kids. This milking of twentieth century nostalgia is also hurting live action films, and I think most fans of both live action and animation have preferred it when twenty-first century media does something brave and different, like Primal, rather than do the same thing that was done in the twentieth century just done on fancy twenty-first century animation software. If adult action cartoons can drum up interest without relying on rehashing stories from the twentieth century, then so can kids cartoons (especially because kids have no attachment to the twentieth century). Please be a big hit Jentry Chau.

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