I re-watched some cartoon shows from when I was a kid and this is what I took from it…
There are tons of hidden references
When a little kid watches one of their favorite shows, they might not understand some of the references made. We see this a lot in Cartoon Network shows when the character makes a joke. A few examples of shows that do this are Teen Titans Go and The Amazing World of Gumball.
The show could crack a joke about something and the parents/adults in the room would laugh, causing children to ask questions. I know for a fact that as a child I did the same thing. Whenever my mom laughed at a joke, I asked her what she was laughing at, and obviously she would not tell me. Now, I know that it was probably a reference to something I did not understand at the time.
Some of the pickup lines are terribly focused on making little kids laugh
If you have ever watched a Disney Channel show you know what I am talking about. This happens frequently where the comedic timing comes into play to make a little kid burst out laughing. Now, when I was a kid, I might have found this funny as well, but now I know that when it happens so often it’s not always hilarious, just expected.
Now, there is nothing bad about this statement in particular. Some people may hate the pickup lines, and others might still think it is hilarious when they are 90. It depend on the person and the type of humor they have, but still it is noticeable when re-watching.
Outfits in the non-animated shows were aggressively accessorized
It might seem like I am coming after Disney Channel here, but I grew up watching these shows the most, so I find them easiest to come back to rather than another show where I’ve only seen two episodes.
Another thing I noticed when going back and watching things like Liv and Maddie and Jessie was that the outfits were accessorized a little too much. Yes, I understand that was the style back then and I am not hating on it, but as a kid it never crossed my mind. I even wanted to dress like Cece from Shake It Up.
Most of the better shows were the ones made back then instead of now (Descendants is better than Zombies)
This might just be my own personal preference, but over time I noticed that I enjoy the older movies and shows much better than the newer ones. I’m not saying things like I prefer Snow White over Moana because both are good.
To be fair it seems like the shows and movies are slowly losing interesting plot lines and I would rather go back to watch the older ones. Most of my childhood was built around Disney movies and shows, but for some reason the recent movies and shows are not piquing my interest.
There’s a theme difference in the shows between streaming platforms and audiences it was intended for
If you are anything like me you can certainly tell the difference between movies and shows made by different streaming platforms.
For example, if you took Cartoon Network and Disney, then compared their shows, there would be a noticeable theme in which ones are which. Cartoon Network has more of an implied joke type of humor, where as Disney is more fantasy story telling entertainment. Even Nickelodeon has a distinct type of show, more similar to Disney themes, but still many people can tell the difference.
Conclusion
I understand that opinions may vary on shows designed for kids, but looking back, I can certainly see things I missed the first time, can see where they marketed the shows to me, and prefer the older shows to the current.
