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  Figure 1: Sunbow Productions & Marvel Productions (1984)

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The Transformers animated series and toy line drew inspiration from Japanese toy Microman, a 12 inch G.I. Joe line. In the 1980s, Diaclone introduced miniature humanoid figures for small model vehicles, allowing drivers to control them. Japanese designer Shōhei Kohara created the earliest character models, humanising toy designs for appealing children's comics and cartoons (The History of Transformers on TV. (2011,).

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Figure 2: Hanna-Barbera Productions & Tonka Corporation (1985)

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Hanna-Barbera created the animated TV series The Pound Puppies (1985), based on Tonka's plush dog toys. The series featured Nose Marie, a Southern Belle bloodhound, and "the Pound Puppies," a band of dogs known for their chuckles. The series also featured Whopper, a cute kid in a diaper who lies and exaggerates. Hanna-Barbera Productions used limited animation, a technique popularised by United Productions in live-action cartoons. This method is used in television animation, particularly Hanna-Barbera's, to create realistic scenes on a small television budget. However, the final result may lack realism ( TV Tropes 2023).

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Figure 3: Sunbow Productions & Marvel Productions (1986) 

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My Little Pony: The Movie was a AKOM studio project, with Nelson Shin working on 300,000 cels for ten weeks. The series gained popularity in the 1980s, and the 1986-1987 American animated television series, My Little Pony, was created by Sunbow Productions, Marvel Productions, and Toei Animation. Hasbro hired her in 1980 to create toys. Zacherle always dreamed of owning a horse as a child. She made the toy My Pretty Pony after realising that she wasn't the only kid who yearned for a pet pony (My Little Pony: The Movie (1986 film) 2023).

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figure 4: Hanna-Barbera Productions (1987)

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Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers (1987)

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Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers (1987)

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In 1987, Hanna-Barbera Productions released Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers as part of the Superstars 10 package. This was the first full-length film featuring Scooby-Doo characters, and all three series featured Shaggy Rogers, Scooby-Doo, and Scrappy-Doo in tales featuring ghosts and monsters. The Scooby gang has appeared in live-action, 3D animation, the Lego treatment, puppet form, and even some of the best Scooby-Doo films are primarily made in 2D animation. Last January, Mindy Kaling's Velma marked the Scooby gang's first foray into adult animation (Patterson, M., & Barron, S. (2023).

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Figure 5: Sullivan Bluth Studios, Amblin Entertainment & Lucasflim

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The Land Before Time is an animated movie series directed by Don Bluth, produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios, Amblin partners Amblin Entertainment, and Lucasflim. Originally conceived as a no-dialogue film, the series was later replaced with voice actors to appeal to children. Don Bluth, who worked for Disney from 1955 to 1979, founded Don Bluth Productions during the Fox and the Hound production (About Don Bluth. (2023).

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Figure 6: Walt Disney Pictures & Walt Disney Feature Animation (1989)

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The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical fantasy film based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 Danish fairy tale. Initially a package film, it was abandoned by Walt Disney. Clements and Musker adapted the tale in 1985, and under Katzenberg's direction, they built a Broadway-style edifice. Before Clements finally opted to model the character on an octopus, Ursula's original design was inspired by a variety of aquatic animals, including manta rays and scorpion fish; her number of tentacles was decreased from eight to six for financial considerations. Ursula was animated by Ruben A. Aquino (Ursula (The Little Mermaid) ( 2023).

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Figure 1: Shot from The Rescuers Down Under opening scene where you can see the use of CAPS (Irvyne, 2014)

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The Rescuers Down Under has moments of experimental sequences to show off the new Computer Animation Production System (CAPS). Technicians from Disney and the newly partnered computer division Pixar worked together to develop a post-production program that digitally colours and assembled scanned-in artwork within the realm of a computer (Allison, 2022). CAPS helped create a zoom effect making some scenes look like live-action tracking shots, a multiplane camera shot without the use of a multi-plane camera. The opening scene is a great demonstration of the use of the new system. This system also helped Disney to create films with considerably less money (Ness, 2015).

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Figure 2: The characters of Aladdin (Milakovic, 2021)

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Aladdin was said to be the first introduction to the “one for kids, one for adults” joke formula that modern animation uses consistently with Robin Williams pop culture riffing Genie (Nashawaty, 2015). Williams does over 60 characters as Genie in the film, creating hours of material. Aladdin himself was more difficult to animate than the Beast, having 12-20 animators working on him all at once compared to the 6 that were working on the Beast. Aladdin received 5 Academy Award nominations winning for Best Original Song, “A Whole New World,” and Best Original Score. Robin Williams even won a special Golden Globe award for his performance which was much deserved. (Bergren‍, 2017)

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Figure 3: Princess Mononoke movie poster (IMDb, 1997)

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Despite its stark conflict with Hayao Miyazaki’s (Studio Ghibli) previous films, Princess Mononoke was a violent tale, it was his most critically and commercially successful movie to date when it opened in 1997. The film set a new record at 18.25 billion yen or $134 million and was the first animated movie to win Best Picture at the Japanese Oscars (Hunt, 2017). With over 144,000 animated cels, Princess Mononoke ranks in the top 10 longest-running animated films ever made. Miyazaki personally reviewed and corrected all keyframes of the movie and it's estimated that he drew or corrected approximately 80,000 cels (Fuster, 2017).

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Figure 4: Once Upon a December gif (Cook, 2015)

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Anastasia was directed and produced by Don Bluth, and I personally think there's such a softness to the film, it's so stunning, kind of like Sleeping Beauty if it came out 30 years later. The film features rich visuals, with only a few odd CGI- animated moments. Hand-drawn and stunning, one particularly amazing moment occurs during the song, “Once Upon a December.” It's an absolutely beautiful sequence, highlighted by the gorgeous score (Gardner, 2019). For all the brilliance of Bluth’s animation in the backgrounds, landscapes, action sequences, and surrealist moments, Anastasia‘s odd mix of CGI and rotoscoping its main characters with a traditionalist approach to hand-drawn, two-dimensional figures looks even odder in retrospect today than it did in 1997. (Johnson et al., 2022)

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Daria was a spin-off of Beavis and Butt-Head, tentatively lined and cartoonish, whereas Daria was bold, geometric and lined with firm, decisive strokes. It reflected Daria’s worldview and opened up the viewer to her perspective. The animated TV show also features naturalistic posing and uncomplicated camera angles, making it more of a written-driven show. Daria was and is symbolic of that certain intellectual disaffection that young people have had for the world throughout history. “People latched onto her right away. We were all surprised. But I really believe this because she seemed like a real person. Even though she's a cartoon… she was like a real teenage girl.” Susie Lewis, co-creator says. Glenn Eichler, co-creator, was sceptical about ‘Daria’s,’ reception while it was airing, “I’ve had a lot of people say to me, you know — that show really got me through high school. And for the first 10-15 years they said that to me, I’d be like oh yeah, okay, sure. But now I’m starting to like hearing that,” he said, laughing. “I’m glad people liked it. And I’m glad they still like it. It makes me feel like the work was worth it.” (Saraiya, 2017)

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The Road to El Dorado was a noteworthy contribution to the animation industry and left an enduring impression on the media. Its release in 2000 marked DreamWorks' return to using classical hand-drawn techniques, previously seen with their debut film "The Prince of Egypt."

Despite CGI's growing popularity, this production demonstrated that traditional animation could still captivate audiences successfully. Furthermore, its multicultural themes paved the way for more varied representation within animated movies. To sum up, "The Road to El Dorado" played a pivotal role in shaping and advancing animation as an artform and is sure to remain a part of its history.

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The Emperor's New Groove movie was created using a combination of traditional hand-drawn animation and computer-generated imagery (CGI) technology. The film utilized innovative techniques such as the "sweatbox," a screening room where animators could receive real-time feedback on their work, and the development of new software for digital ink and paint.

In its time, The Emperor's New Groove movie was important because it marked a departure from Disney's typical animated musical formula. Instead, it embraced humor and irreverence, making it stand out among other family-friendly films of the era. The film also featured diverse representation with its Incan-inspired setting and characters and showcased strong voice performances from David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, and Patrick Warburton. Despite production challenges and changes in direction throughout its creation, The Emperor's New Groove remains an entertaining and beloved classic to this day.

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“Twenty years ago, on July 20, 2001, a film that would become one of the most celebrated animated movies of all time hit theaters in Japan. (Moon, K. 2021)”. The movie ‘Spirited away’ was made in a time when animation was designed solely for children. This movie has affected the world in a way to express cultural differences and break down any barriers that stood in the way of sharing some of the cultural differences among the world.

This movie was made when Japanese media depicted females as cute and appealing, this then shows that Miyazaki’s was partially inspired to make this film different in a way to show the experience of a life that a pre-teen female do experience.

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"Tokyo Godfathers," released in 2003, revolutionized the animation industry by portraying homelessness with positivity and expounding on themes such as family dynamics, forgiveness, and redemption. The movie also disrupted traditional gender roles by having a transgender character as one of its main protagonists - an unprecedented move within Japanese media at that time. This film became a catalyst for diversifying storytelling in anime while setting new standards for delicately addressing complex topics through animated films. Even today it remains a classic example of how impactful animations can be when handled thoughtfully.

Describing "Tokyo Godfathers," it's known for its fusion of realism and fantasy, which harmoniously intertwine with a focus on character development. The animation brings the characters to life through expressive physicality that is highly detailed. This unique visual style also incorporates vibrant colors and intricate cityscapes in a way that adds extra depth to the overall experience.

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Figure 5: Universal 1440 Entertainment (2006)

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Curious George, the animated movie released in 2006, was significant in its day for multiple reasons. Firstly, it brought back to life the beloved character of Curious George from the classic children's books by H.A. and Margaret Rey (Borden, 2005). The movie introduced this curious monkey to a new generation of kids who were not familiar with the original stories. Additionally, the film incorporated modern animation techniques that made it visually appealing and captivating for young viewers. It also had an excellent soundtrack featuring Jack Johnson's upbeat music, which added to its popularity among kids and adults alike. Overall, Curious George was a fun-filled family movie that entertained and educated children on important values such as curiosity, friendship, and perseverance.

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Figure 13: Image from series - Sourced from Warner Bros. Television Distribution

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Adventure time aired on Cartoon Network in April of 2010 with widespread praise. The show immediately generated success amongst multiple age brackets ranging from young children to teenagers and young adults. Adventure Time is well known for its captivating and complicated storylines, animation variety and incorporation of dark and heavy topics. This show is classified as “...one of the first cartoons to bravely feature LGBTQ+ representation, with characters of the same sex having complex and heartfelt romantic relationships, during a time when the concept was deemed controversial for children's entertainment.” (Dougherty, 2022)To date, this show is well renowned for its breakage of 2D animation moulds and limits.

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Cartoon Network has had no shortage of iconic and unforgettable animated shows in its nearly 30-year history. Anyone who grew up with eyes glued to their television can wax nostalgic for hours about the vast catalog, all having their own personal favorite choice of cartoon comfort viewing.

One show, however, happened to come by at quite the experimental period for the network, which at the time was unsuccessfully flirting with the idea of hosting live-action programming on its traditionally animation-only channel. The failure of the CN Real block sent shock waves through the network, leading it into what many longtime viewers have labeled as "the dark age" for the channel. With ratings at an all-time low, there was no better time for a fresh new idea to take Cartoon Network (and subsequently the animation medium) by storm. Luckily for viewers and network executives alike, arrived to do just that.

Wrong Place, Right Time

Simultaneously, the soon-to-be award-winning animated powerhouse was also having trouble finding a place to stretch its legs and call home. Creator Pendleton Ward first pitched the idea for his cartoon to the rival animation network Nickelodeon, producing a short in 2007 for Fred Seibert's animation highlight series Random! Cartoons. The five-minute short demonstrated the main concept of the show-- best friends Finn the Human and Jake the Dog living in the mythical Land of Ooo, seeking out adventure while befriending and/or fighting a collection of colorful and distinctively weird inhabitants.

The tone and dialogue of the short were conceptualized by Ward and his team to be playfully casual, with characters speaking to one another in lax and comfortable tones, often times making up goofy expressions or catchphrases to trade back and forth. While going viral online, Adventure Time's pilot didn't impress Nickelodeon executives, and the attempt for a series deal was promptly shut down. Across the pond, Cartoon Network caught wind of the oddball short making the rounds on the internet, and being in no position to turn down a potential success, jumped right in to offer both Ward and Seibert commission for a full-length series.

Related: Will Adventure Time: Distant Lands Get a Second Season on HBO Max?

Growing With an Audience

Equipped with new voice actors, a vibrant art style, and varied supporting cast, Adventure Time premiered its first season in April 2010 to widespread praise. Carrying over the general plot, tone and characters from the pilot, the show began as an episodic comedy with original and imaginative plot lines for each episode. Ward and Seibert's creation immediately fostered an audience of not only the younger child demographic it initially aimed for, but young adults and teenagers as well, so much so that later seasons began gradually using more mature storylines and themes.

It became clear as time went on that the showrunners had something more in mind after the charmingly juvenile stories of the first season. As the cartoon grew older, so too did its audience, and episodes slowly worked in more emotionally complex and character-driven plots, ones that would span multiple episodes rather than being self-contained. More focus was put on backstory, world building, and character development all while maintaining the same distinct style of informal dialogue and light-heartedness that fans found comfort and familiarity in.

It wasn't commonplace at the time for a show generally seen for kids to challenge its viewers with storylines that could contain dark themes and narratives, and to not always be going for a laugh. However, episodes that highlight characters' mental struggles often came out as the most poignant and beloved of the series. Pioneering how animated television can handle taking about real-life issues, the team behind Adventure Time never shied away from impactful and heavy subjects, in some tear-jerking cases drawing parallels to the harsh reality of dealing with disorders and diseases such as PTSD and dementia. The show also received heavy praise for being one of the first cartoons to bravely feature LGBTQ+ representation, with characters of the same sex having complex and heartfelt romantic relationships, during a time when the concept was deemed controversial for children's entertainment.

An Imitable Style

The 2010s were ripe with new ideas and creative concepts for the world of animation, some pushing boundaries not yet attempted by the network, though in many cases had Adventure Time's influence to thank. The show acted as an incubator not only for budding talent, but for a visual style that would be mirrored in similar shows of the era. Whether they be lovingly crafted original concepts with minor inspiration, or unfortunate failures that missed the mark on what made the style special, many subsequent shows revealed the undeniable footprint Adventure Time left on the industry, and Cartoon Network was all the richer for it.

The art style presented in the show, with flat-yet-vibrant colors and simple character features, ushered in an era of very similarly-styled cartoons that, while sometimes being subtle with their inspiration, could other times be a drab and ill-conceived imitation. With what could sometimes be scornfully referred to as the "Cal-Arts" art style (a shorthand referring to the California Institute for the Arts), Adventure Time was one of the first cartoons to utilize the unique look for its characters, and while some have garnered a distaste for the overuse of the style, most can agree on where its origins took place.

From Writers to Show Runners

The minds at work behind the cartoon juggernaut were an assembly of unmatched talent and potential, many going on to not only work as staff members on other animation projects, but to create and head their own successes on the network. A handful of hit shows spawned from those who established a name for themselves behind the scenes after demonstrating their talents on Adventure Time, and subsequently getting their own pilots green lit for full series deals.

One of the prime examples of success stories to come from one-time staff members would be that of Rebecca Sugar, creator of the groundbreaking Cartoon Network show Steven Universe. Sugar worked as story writer, storyboard artist, and songwriter while with Adventure Time, being nominated for numerous awards for her contributions. Being responsible for several of the shows most iconic and emotionally rich episodes, as well as popular songs, it was a no-brainer for the channel to pick up Sugar's pilot for her own full cartoon series, premiering in 2013 and becoming a massive hit.

Rebecca Sugar's husband and long-time collaborator Ian Jones-Quartey also worked as a storyboard supervisor and revisionist for Adventure Time before pitching his own pilot to the network. While working alongside his spouse on Steven Universe, Jones-Quartey created a short named Lakewood Plaza Turbo that aired on Cartoon Network in 2013. The short was retooled as a mobile phone game before finally receiving its own series in 2017, with the new title OK K.O! Let's Be Heroes.

Related: Here Are 5 Reasons Why Teen Titans is One of the Best Cartoon Network Shows

Distant Lands and Beyond

The groundbreaking animated show lasted an impressive 10 seasons, with 283 episodes produced for its main incarnation. A few years after the finale, a four-part epilogue series titled Adventure Time: Distant Lands was produced, serving as the final send-off to the characters and the world conceptualized by Pendleton Ward nearly 15 years prior. A new spin-off show based around gender-bent versions of the characters (featured in several episodes of the main series) titled Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake is also in the works at HBO Max, slated for a ten-episode run.

Though audiences may have gone on their last adventure with Finn and Jake, the world of animation will never be the same after the boundary-breaking impact that the series had. Through some form or another, countless animated projects to this day have the show to thank for providing a template on how to display emotionally and mentally mature themes for young audiences. Being responsible for kick-starting influential careers, iconic art styles and a timeless formula, there may never be another show quite like Adventure Time, though many will try for years to come.

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Explained: Here's How Adventure Time Helped Change the Cartoon Landscape

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C'mon, grab your friends, let's dive into how Adventure Time influenced a generation of viewers and much more.

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Figure 14: Image from the series (Everett Collection, 2023)

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Gravity Falls is a serialised animated show pitched by Alex Hirsch under Disney. In the early 2010’s it was one of the few shows to have an extensive storyline with its creators having a “finite beginning, middle, and end.” (Jones, 2022) Alex Hirsch is known for many of his contributions to larger shows such as Phineas and Ferb, Rick and Morty, Inside Job, The Owl House, and more, having a strong reputation in modern 2D animation as a creator, director, animator, and voice actor. Considering all these contributions to the industry, his most well known work remains to be the imprint of Gravity Falls. “Despite all the trials and tribulations—Disney’s S&P notes over silly visual gags and LGBTQ+ representation, and jumping to a different network halfway through its run—Gravity Falls shook up the format, paving the way for what story-driven animated shows look like today for both kids and adults.” (Jones, 2022)

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Figure 15: Series Cover (Cartoon Network, 2014)

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Over The Garden Wall is a “10-episode Cartoon Network miniseries from 2014 about two brothers lost in a foreboding wood, trying to stay one step ahead of a fearsome beast.” (James, 2020) The uniqueness of the show’s artstyle stems from the vintage aesthetic of the late 19th to 20th centuries, presenting “a flashback of sorts to 1920s aesthetic mixed with New England-inspired autumnal vibes.” (Bender, 2021) The niche and emphasised theme of art surrounding the film creates a significant imprint on modern 2D animation, classified as a “touching look at the transcending part of life that is the inevitability of death, not only from dialogue but from the way these characters of Pottsfield are drawn.” (Bender, 2021)

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Figure 16: Image from the series - Sourced From Ludo Studios

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Bluey is a young children's show following “a six-year-old girl who is faced each episode with a developmental event.” The show creator, Joe Brumm, created a small animation studio in Queensland Australia “and started to toy with the idea of making an Australian Peppa Pig.” (Lamont, 2022) Despite the simple premise, the show is well known for being a “parenting guide” to many adults who take fondness to the lessons and bonds presented within the show. The official Bluey site provides highly accessible content towards the show’s production pipeline as it explains rough storyboarding through to rigging for the environment and characters. Rigging is best described as a process where “the drawings of each character are made into animated skeletons, called rigs. These rigs have controls on their faces and joints” (Yugire, 2022) and provide a technologically enhanced and more efficient form of animation for a week-to-week episodic series.

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Figure 17: Image from the series (Sandoval, 2020)

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The Owl House is “known for exploring LGBTQ+ themes and features the first bisexual lead Disney character, an Afro-Latina teenage girl from Connecticut named Luz Noceda.” (Tucci, 2022) This girl stumbles upon a portal to a magical realm where she befriends a rebellious witch, Eda, and a tiny warrior, King; despite not having magical abilities, Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by serving as Eda's apprentice. Its creator, Dana Terrace is well regarded for her incredible storylines and inclusion of intersectionality within her main cast.