Examine individual changes

'{{Multiple issues|primarysources=September 2008|refimprove=September 2010}} {{History_of_animation_in_the_United States}} '''Modern animation of the United States''' from the late 1980s onward is sometimes referred to as the "American animation renaissance". During this period, many large American entertainment companies reformed and reinvigorated their [[animation]] departments following a general decline during the 1970s and 1980s. ==Trends== ===Disney {{anchor|The Return of Disney}}=== {{main|Disney Renaissance}} At the start 1980s, [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney Productions]] had been struggling since [[Walt Disney]]'s death in 1966, and the 1979 departure of [[Don Bluth]] and eleven other associates from the animation department dealt Disney a major blow. Bluth formed a new studio, in direct competition with Disney. Disney's "[[Nine Old Men]]", the animators responsible for Disney's most famous earlier works, and their associates began to hand their traditions down to a new generation of Disney animators. New faces such as [[Glen Keane]], [[Ron Clements]], [[John Musker]], [[Andreas Deja]], and others came to the studio in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a period that produced such features as ''[[The Rescuers]]'', ''[[Pete's Dragon]]'' (a live-action/animation hybrid), and ''[[The Fox and the Hound]]'', as well as the featurettes ''[[The Small One]]'' (Bluth's final Disney credit) and ''[[Mickey's Christmas Carol]]'' (the first screen appearance of [[Mickey Mouse]] since 1953). At the same time, animator [[Steven Lisberger]] brought to the studio a concept about a computer programmer who is launched into a computerized world. The film would mix live action sequences with computer animation, which had not yet been used to such an extent. The studio was impressed with the idea; the result was an ambitious $17 million film (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|17000000|1982|r=-2}}}} in today's dollars){{Inflation-fn|US}} entitled ''[[Tron]]''. While Disney's stock dropped four percent after a screening for unenthusiastic investment analysts,<ref name="Potts">{{Cite news | last = Potts | first = Mark | coauthors = | title = ''Tron'' Fails to Dazzle Wall Street | work = [[Washington Post]] | pages = C1 | language = | publisher = | date =July 8, 1982 | url = | accessdate = }}</ref> and in spite of only moderate grosses at the box office,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tron (1982) |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=tron.htm |work=Box Office Mojo |accessdate=2009-06-22}}</ref> ''Tron'' received enthusiastic praise from film critic [[Roger Ebert]],<ref name="Ebert">{{Cite news| last = Ebert | first = Roger | coauthors = | title = ''Tron'' | work = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = January 1, 1982 | url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19820101/REVIEWS/201010350/1023 | accessdate = 2008-07-09 }}</ref> became a cult favorite and turned out—many years later—to have a greater influence on animation (at Disney and elsewhere) than expected.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} In 1984, Disney became the target of a [[corporate raid]] by [[Saul Steinberg (business)|Saul Steinberg]], who intended to break up the company piece by piece. At the same time, [[Roy E. Disney]], who had already resigned as President in 1977, relinquished his spot on the Board of Directors in order to use his clout to change the status quo and improve the company's declining fortune. Disney escaped Steinberg's attempt by paying him [[greenmail]], but in its aftermath CEO [[Ron W. Miller]] resigned, to be replaced by [[Michael Eisner]]. Roy Disney, now back on the Board as its Vice-Chairman, convinced Eisner to let him supervise the animation department, whose future was in doubt after the disappointing box office performance of its big-budget PG-rated feature, ''[[The Black Cauldron (film)|The Black Cauldron]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Black Cauldron (1985) |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=blackcauldron.htm |work=Box Office Mojo |accessdate=2009-06-22}}</ref> The studio's next release, ''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]'', fared better in relation to its significantly smaller budget, but it was overshadowed by [[Don Bluth]]'s ''[[An American Tail]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|title= 1986 Yearly Box Office Results |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1986&p=.htm |work=Box Office Mojo |accessdate=2009-06-22}}</ref> another film featuring mice characters that competed directly with ''Mouse Detective'' in theaters. In [[1988 in film|1988]], the studio collaborated with [[Steven Spielberg]] and [[Robert Zemeckis]], producing ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'', a comedic detective caper that mixed live action and animation while paying homage to the Golden Age of Cartoons. Disney characters appeared with characters from [[Warner Bros.]], [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], [[Universal Studios|Universal Pictures]] and other rival studios for the first time in animation history. The film was a huge box-office success, winning four [[Academy Awards]], reviving interest in animation made for theaters, and popularizing the in-depth study of the history and techniques of animation. Several aging legends in the business, such as [[Chuck Jones]] and [[Friz Freleng]], suddenly found themselves the center of attention, receiving acclaim and accolades after decades of being virtually ignored by audiences and industry professionals alike. Additionally, the release of many older Disney features and short cartoons on home video, and the 1983 launch of the [[Disney Channel]], renewed interest in the studio. Disney followed up ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' and its commercially successful<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oliver & Company (1988) |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=oliverandcompany.htm |work=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> 1988 fully animated feature ''[[Oliver & Company]]'' with ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'', an adaptation of the [[Hans Christian Andersen]] fairy tale with songs by [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] composers [[Alan Menken]] and [[Howard Ashman]]. ''Mermaid'' was a huge critical and commercial success, won two [[Academy Awards]] for its song score, and became the first of a series of highly successful new Disney animated features. The studio invested heavily in new technology, creating the [[Computer Animation Production System]] to be used in tandem with traditional animation techniques. The first film to use this technology, ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'', only grossed $27,931,461<ref>{{Cite web|title=1990 Yearly Box Office Results |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1990&p=.htm |work=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|27931461|1990|r=-2}}}} in today's dollars), not even equalling the take of the original 1977 film.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Rescuers (1977) |work=Box Office Mojo |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=rescuers.htm}}</ref> However, the films that followed it, ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' and ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]'', won rave reviews, received multiple Oscars, and topped the box office charts. ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' would eventually become the first animated feature to win the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy]] and the first animated feature to be nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]], followed by 2009's ''[[Up (2009 film)|Up]]''. In 1993, Disney released ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'', the first feature-length [[stop motion|stop-motion]] animated film. Disney's success peaked in [[1994 in film|1994]], when ''[[The Lion King]]'' grossed $328,541,776 (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|328541776|1994|r=-2}}}} in today's dollars). As of 2010, ''The Lion King'' ranked as the 22nd highest grossing motion picture of all time in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|title=All Time Domestic Box Office Results |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm |work=Box Office Mojo |accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref> Subsequent Disney films such as ''[[Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas]]'', ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'', ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]'', ''[[Mulan]]'' and ''[[Tarzan (1999 film)|Tarzan]]'' were box office and critical successes as well, albeit modestly so when compared to ''[[The Lion King]]''. In 1994, the death of Disney President and Chief Operating Officer [[Frank Wells]], and the departure of studio chairman [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]] to co-found [[DreamWorks]], left Michael Eisner in full control of the company. At the turn of the century, films such as ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire]]'', ''[[Treasure Planet]]'', and ''[[Home on the Range (2004 film)|Home on the Range]]'' failed to meet the critical and commercial expectations set by the early 1990s phenomena, in spite of exceptions such as ''[[Lilo & Stitch]]'' and ''[[The Emperor's New Groove]]''. At the same time, the high level of popular acclaim bestowed upon ''[[Toy Story]]'', the first film animated entirely using [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI), sparked an industry trend. Based on the commercial success of [[Pixar]]'s computer-generated animated films and other CGI fare (especially Dreamworks' ''[[Shrek]]'', which contained numerous jabs at Katzenberg's former workplace and boss), Disney came to believe that CGI was what the public wanted—so it ceased producing traditional two-dimensional animation after ''Home on the Range'', and switched exclusively to CGI starting with 2005's ''[[Chicken Little (2005 film)|Chicken Little]]''. Public rifts grew between the animation staff and management, as well as between Michael Eisner and Roy E. Disney. Roy resigned from the board of directors in 2003 with a scathing letter that called the company "rapacious and soulless", adding that he considered it to be "always looking for the quick buck."<ref name="Fonda">{{Cite news|last=Fonda |first=Daren |coauthors=Sean Gregory; Julie Rawe; Jeffrey Ressner; Chris Taylor |title=Eisner's Wild, Wild Ride |work=Time Magazine |date=2003-12-15 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1006430-2,00.html }}</ref> He then launched the internet site SaveDisney.com<ref>{{Cite web|title=Save Disney |url=http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.savedisney.com }}</ref> in an attempt to preserve the integrity of the company and to oust Eisner, who resigned in 2005 after public opinion turned against him.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} [[Robert Iger]] succeeded Eisner; one of his first acts as CEO was to regain the rights to Walt Disney's first star [[Oswald the Lucky Rabbit]] from [[NBC Universal]]. After Disney's acquisition of Pixar in 2006, Pixar executive producer [[John Lasseter]] became Chief Creative Officer at both Pixar and Disney, with a plan to reintroduce two-dimensional animation, starting with ''[[The Princess and the Frog]]'' in 2009. ====Television animation {{Anchor|Television and Direct to Video Sequels}}==== After 30 years of resisting offers to produce television animation, Disney finally relented once Michael Eisner, who had a background in TV, took over. The first TV cartoons to carry the Disney name, CBS's ''[[The Wuzzles]]'' and NBC's ''[[The Gummi Bears]]'', both premiered in the fall of 1985. Breaking from standard practice in the medium, the productions enjoyed substantially larger production budgets than average, allowing for higher-quality writing and animation, in anticipation of recouping profitably in rerun syndication. While ''The Wuzzles'' only lasted a season, ''The Gummi Bears'' was a sustained success with a six-season run. In 1987, the TV animation division adapted [[Carl Barks]]' [[Scrooge McDuck]] comic books for the small screen with the syndicated hit ''[[DuckTales]]''. Its success spawned a 1990 theatrical film entitled ''[[DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp]]'' and an increased investment in syndicated cartoons. The result of this investment was ''[[The Disney Afternoon]]'', a two-hour syndicated television programming block of such animated shows as ''[[Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers]]'', ''[[TaleSpin]]'', ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'', ''[[Goof Troop]]'', ''[[Bonkers (TV series)|Bonkers]]'', and ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]''. TV animation also brought many theatrical characters to Saturday morning, including [[The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh|Winnie the Pooh]], ''The Little Mermaid'' and ''Aladdin''. ====Direct to video sequels==== [[DisneyToon Studios]] was founded in Paris in the late 1980s to produce ''DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'', which is not considered by the studio to be part of the Disney animated "canon".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Walt Disney Animation Studios: History |publisher=Walt Disney Animation Studios |url=http://www.disneyanimation.com/aboutus/history.html}}</ref> The practice of making non-canon [[direct-to-video]] sequels to canon films began in 1994 with ''[[The Return of Jafar]]'', a sequel to ''Aladdin''. This was a reversal of the long-standing studio policy against sequels to animated films (which did not apply to live-action films); Walt Disney has often been quoted on the subject as saying "you can't top pigs with pigs." <ref name="Von Busack">{{Cite web|last=Von Busack |first=Richard |title=In Walt's Vaults |work=Metroactive |date=2006-05-24 |url=http://www.metroactive.com/metro/05.24.06/disneyland-0621.html}}</ref> Because of strong video sales, the studio continued to make these films in spite of negative critical reaction; 2001's ''[[Cinderella II: Dreams Come True]]'' received a rare zero-percent rating from the review-aggregating website Rotten Tomatoes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cinderella II: Dreams Come True |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cinderella_ii_dreams_come_true/}}</ref> Under John Lasseter, the studio has brought this practice to an end.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Disney To Halt DVD Sequels |work=The Internet Movie Database |url=http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2007-06-21/ |date=2007-06-21}}</ref><ref name="Fritz">{{Cite web|last=Fritz |first=Ben |coauthors=Dade Hayes |title=Disney unveils animation slate |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117983709.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 |date=2008-04-08}}</ref> DisneyToon also produced several non-canon entries that ''did'' receive theatrical releases, such as ''[[A Goofy Movie]]'' and ''[[The Tigger Movie]]''. The latter brought the [[Sherman Brothers]] back to the studio for their first Disney feature film score since ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'' in 1971. ===Don Bluth {{Anchor|Don Bluth: Triumphs, Trials, and Tribulations}}=== {{See also|Sullivan Bluth Studios}} [[Don Bluth]]'s company had been driven to bankruptcy twice: once, as [[Don Bluth Productions]], after the disappointing box office take of ''[[The Secret of NIMH]]'' coincided with an animator's strike; and again, as the Bluth Group, after the [[Video game crash of 1983]]—when [[Cinematronics]], in an attempt to cut its losses, charged fees and royalties of over $3 million (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|3000000|1984}}}} adjusted for inflation) to Bluth's company while it was working on a sequel to the laserdisc-based animated arcade videogame ''[[Dragon's Lair]]''. Bluth formed [[Sullivan Bluth Studios]] with backing from businessman [[Morris Sullivan]], while film director [[Steven Spielberg]]—a long-time animation fan who was interested in producing theatrical animation—helped Bluth to produce 1986's ''[[An American Tail]]''. The film was a hit, grossing $47,483,002 (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|47483002|1986}}}} in today's dollars).<ref>{{Cite web|title=An American Tail (1986) |work=Box Office Mojo |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americantail.htm}}</ref> During its production, the studio relocated to Ireland, taking advantage of government tax breaks for film production. Bluth's 1988 follow-up ''[[The Land Before Time]]'' was a slightly bigger hit, grossing $48,092,846 (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|48092486|1988}}}} in today's dollars)<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Land Before Time (1988) |work=Box Office Mojo |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=landbeforetime.htm}}</ref> and spawning [[The Land Before Time (series)|12 sequels]] and a [[The Land Before Time (TV series)|TV series]]. Neither Bluth nor Spielberg were involved with any of the ''Land Before Time'' sequels; Spielberg produced the 1991 sequel ''[[An American Tail: Fievel Goes West]]'' without Bluth. In order to gain more creative control, Bluth parted company with Spielberg on his next film, the 1989 release ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]''. While the film had the misfortune of opening the same day as Disney's ''The Little Mermaid'', it fared much better on home video.<ref name = "Lenburg">{{Cite book|last=Lenburg |first=Jeff |title=Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film and Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators |year=2006 |month=June |publisher=Applause Books |isbn=1-557-83671-X |page=32}}</ref> The early 1990s were difficult for the studio; it released several box office failures. In 1992, ''[[Rock-a-Doodle]]'' was panned by critics and ignored by audiences; its dismal box-office performance of $11,657,385 (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|11657385|1992}}}} in today's dollars)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rock-a-Doodle (1992) |work=Box Office Mojo |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=rock-a-doodle.htm}}</ref> contributed to Sullivan Bluth's bankruptcy. Bluth's next feature, 1994's ''[[Thumbelina (1994 film)|Thumbelina]]'' fared no better critically or commercially, while ''[[A Troll in Central Park]]'', also released in 1994, barely got a theatrical release, grossing $71,368 against a budget of $23,000,000 (or ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|71368|1994}}}} against ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|23000000|1994|r=-2}}}} in current terms).<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Troll in Central Park (1994) |work=Box Office Mojo |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=troll_in_central_park.htm}}</ref> Bluth and his partner [[Gary Goldman]] pulled out of 1995's ''[[The Pebble and the Penguin]]'' before it was completed due to disagreements with its distributor, [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. The remaining work needed to complete the film—thirty percent of the total—was finished by a Hungarian studio, and Bluth and Goldman took their names off the film.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} Sullivan Bluth Studios closed in 1995. Bluth and Goldman returned to the United States a year earlier to discuss the creation of a feature-animation division at [[20th Century Fox]]; the studio's three previous animated films (''[[FernGully: The Last Rainforest]]'', ''[[Once Upon a Forest]]'', and the live-action/animation combo ''[[The Pagemaster]]'') had all failed. ''[[Anastasia (1997 film)|Anastasia]]'', a musical remake of the [[Anastasia (1956 film)|1956 film]] with [[Ingrid Bergman]], did far better than any Bluth film since ''All Dogs Go To Heaven'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=Anastasia (1997) |work=Box Office Mojo |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=anastasia.htm}}</ref> but the 2000 release of ''[[Titan A.E.]]'', a film far different from the ones Bluth had been making up until then, was a flop. Fox closed their animation studio soon afterwards, and has outsourced all its feature animation since then to [[Blue Sky Studios]]. ===Warner Bros. {{anchor|A New Generation of Warner Bros. Cartoons}}=== {{See also|Warner Bros. Animation}} After parting ways with Bluth, Spielberg turned to television animation, working with the [[Warner Bros.]] studio to bring back its animation department, which it had abandoned in the 1960s. A team of former [[Hanna-Barbera]] employees led by [[Tom Ruegger]] formed a new studio, [[Warner Bros. Animation]], to produce ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]],'' an animated series that paid homage to the Warner Bros. cartoons of [[Termite Terrace]]. The popularity of ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' among young TV viewers made the studio a contender once again in the field of animated cartoons. ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' was followed by ''[[Animaniacs|Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs]]'' and its spinoff ''[[Pinky and the Brain]]''. Not only did these cartoons bring in new viewers to Warner Bros., they also captured the attention of older viewers. Warner Bros., minus Spielberg, continued with work such as ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]''. ''Batman'' quickly received wide acclaim for its animation and mature writing, and it also inspired [[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm|a feature film]]. Combined, these four Warner Bros. series won a total of 17 [[Daytime Emmy Awards]]. When Disney's feature animation surged in the 1990s, Warner Bros. tried to capitalize on their rival's success with animated feature films of their own, without the assistance of Spielberg. Their films—''[[Cats Don't Dance]]'', ''[[Quest for Camelot]]'' and ''[[The Iron Giant]]''—failed to come close to Disney's success, although the latter film received critical praise and developed a cult following. The 2001 live action/animation hybrid ''[[Osmosis Jones]]'', starring [[Bill Murray]], was a costly commercial failure.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Osmosis Jones (2001) |work=Box Office Mojo |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=osmosisjones.htm}}</ref> The perennially-popular ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' characters made a comeback. While the older shorts continued to enjoy countless reruns and compilation specials (and a few compilation films), new ''Looney Tunes'' short features were made in the 1990s. Inspired by the success of Disney's ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' and a series of [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] commercials teaming the characters with basketball superstar [[Michael Jordan]], the studio produced the live-action/animation combo ''[[Space Jam]]'' in 1996. The film received mixed reviews, but was a moderate commercial success.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Space Jam (1996) |work=Box Office Mojo |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=spacejam.htm}}</ref> However, another 2003 feature, ''[[Looney Tunes: Back in Action]]'', did poorly at the box office, grossing about a fourth of its $80 million budget (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|80000000|2003|r=-2}}}} in current terms).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003) |work=Box Office Mojo |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=looneytunesbackinaction.htm}}</ref> Other modern ''Looney Tunes'' projects were in a different vein. Unlike the original shorts, ''[[The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries]]'' and ''[[Baby Looney Tunes]]'' were aimed primarily at young children, while ''[[Loonatics Unleashed]]'' was a controversial revamping of the characters in the distant future. ===Ralph Bakshi {{Anchor|Bakshi returns}}=== [[Ralph Bakshi]], director of ground-breaking animated films like ''[[Fritz the Cat (film)|Fritz the Cat]]'' and the original ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|Lord of the Rings]]'' film, returned to animation after taking a short break in the mid-1980s. In 1985, he teamed up with young [[Canadian]]-born-and-raised animator [[John Kricfalusi]] to make a hybrid live-action/animated music video for [[The Rolling Stones]]' ''The Harlem Shuffle'', which was released in early 1986. The music video put together a production team at Bakshi Animation whose next project was the short-lived TV series ''[[Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures]]''. Bakshi and company worked on several other projects in the late 1980s, but his biggest project, 1992's ''[[Cool World]]'', was a critically panned commercial disappointment.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cool World (1992) |work=Box Office Mojo |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=coolworld.htm}}</ref> In 2005, Bakshi announced that he would begin working on another feature film, ''[[Last Days of Coney Island]]'', which he is financing himself and producing independently. As of 2008, Bakshi had suspended production on the film.<ref>{{cite interview | last = Bakshi | first = Ralph | subjectlink = Ralph Bakshi | interviewer = Mister Maybelline | title = Ralph Bakshi (BSS #214) | program = [[The Bat Segundo Show]] | date = May 21, 2008 | accessdate = September 15, 2010 | url = http://www.edrants.com/_mp3/segundo214.mp3 | type = MP3 | format = Audio}}</ref> ===Outsourcing animation=== The major reason for the increase in the quantity of American animation was the ability to [[outsource]] the actual physical animation work to cheaper animation houses in countries in South and Southeast Asia, resulting in higher frame rates at lower costs. Writing, character design, and storyboarding would be done in American offices. Storyboards, model sheets, and color guides would then be mailed overseas. This would sometimes cause troubles as none of the final product would be seen until the completed cels were mailed back to the United States. While budget became much less of an issue, overseas production houses would be chosen on a per-episode—or even per-scene—basis depending on the amount of money that was available at the moment. This resulted in wildly different levels of quality from episode to episode. This was particularly noticeable in shows like ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]'' and ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'', where at times characters would appear wildly off-model, requiring scenes to be redone to the dismay of their directors. ==First-run syndicated animation== {{Main|Broadcast syndication#First-run syndication in the U.S.#The 1970s and 1980s#Animated series}} The older Bugs Bunny and Popeye cartoons made way for first-run [[Television syndication|syndicated]] cartoons such as ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'', ''[[Rambo: The Force of Freedom]]'', ''[[ThunderCats]]'', ''[[Dennis the Menace (1986 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]'', ''[[My Little Pony]]'', ''[[The Transformers (TV series)|The Transformers]]'', ''[[G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985 TV series)|G.I. Joe]]'', ''[[Voltron]]'', and reruns of ''[[Scooby Doo]]'', ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' and ''[[Pink Panther (character)|The Pink Panther]]'', among many others. In 1987, [[The Walt Disney Company]] tried its luck at syndication; ''[[DuckTales]]'' went on the air that September and lasted 100 episodes. The success of ''DuckTales'' paved the way for a second series two years later, ''[[Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers]]''. The following year, the two shows aired together under the umbrella title ''[[The Disney Afternoon]]''. In 1991, Disney added another hour; the block aired in syndication until 1999. These cartoons initially competed with the nationally broadcasted ones. In the 1980s, national TV only aired [[Saturday morning cartoon|Saturday mornings]], not competing with the weekday and Sunday blocks of syndication aired by local independent stations but; however, by the 1990s, Fox and then WB started airing weekday afternoon blocks. By the end of the 1990s, both syndicated and national TV ended up losing most of its children's market to the rise of [[Cable television|cable]] TV channels like [[Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon]], [[Disney Channel]] and [[Cartoon Network (United States)|Cartoon Network]] which provided appealing children's entertainment throughout the week at nearly all hours. ==The fall of Saturday morning== ===From Hanna-Barbera to Cartoon Network=== {{See also|Hanna-Barbera|Cartoon Network}} The late 1980s and 1990s saw huge changes in the Saturday-morning landscape. By now, the once-prosperous [[Hanna-Barbera Productions]] was beleaguered by several factors. First of all, its dominance over the networks' schedules was broken by other studios' shows. Second, when ''[[The Smurfs]]'' was cancelled by NBC in 1990, Hanna-Barbera had no other hits on the air. Finally, its ability to successfully exploit older characters like ''[[The Flintstones]]'' and ''[[Scooby-Doo]]'' with new shows was coming to an end, even though the 1990 theatrical release of ''[[Jetsons: The Movie]]'' earned $20 million (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|20000000|1990|r=-2}}}} in today's dollars).<ref>{{Cite web|title= Jetsons: The Movie (1990) |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=jetsonsthemovie.htm |work=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> In 1987, [[American Financial Group|Great American Insurance Company]] owner [[Carl Lindner, Jr.]] became the majority shareholder of Hanna-Barbera's parent company, [[Taft Broadcasting]], renaming it Great American Communications. In 1989, producer [[Tom Ruegger]] led an exodus of Hanna-Barbera staffers to restart [[Warner Bros. Animation]]. At first, the studio was constantly under threat of closure.<ref name="Strike 1">{{Cite web|last =Strike |first =Joe |title=The Fred Seibert Interview, Part 1 |work=Animation World Magazine |date= 2003-07-15 |url=http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=pageone&category2=&article_no=1800&page=3 |page= 3 }}</ref> However, under [[Fred Seibert]]'s guidance, Hanna-Barbera's new staff (whose ranks included [[Seth MacFarlane]], [[Butch Hartman]], and [[Genndy Tartakovsky]]) created a new generation of Hanna-Barbera cartoons such as ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'', ''[[Johnny Bravo]]'', ''[[Cow and Chicken]]'', ''[[I Am Weasel]]'', ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' and ''[[Courage the Cowardly Dog]]''. These shows were designed to appeal to adults as well as children, and thus incorporated plenty of "adult humor", such as pop-culture references and veiled sexual innuendos. Great American wanted out of the entertainment business, and Hanna-Barbera was sold to the [[Turner Broadcasting System]] in 1991. Ted Turner had expressed that he mainly wanted ownership of the studio's back catalog; its launch of [[Cartoon Network]] on October 1, 1992 provided a new audience for Hanna-Barbera cartoons, both old and new. [[Time Warner]] acquired Turner in 1996, and thus inherited the rights to all of Hanna-Barbera's creative properties. This allowed Cartoon Network to begin airing classic ''Looney Tunes'' shorts as well. Cartoon Network's success with original programming lead them to move the reruns of old Hanna-Barbera and ''Looney Tunes'' cartoons to their spin-off channel [[Boomerang (channel)|Boomerang]]. In 1997, Fred Seibert left Hanna-Barbera to found [[Frederator Studios|his own studio]].<ref name = "Strike 2">{{Cite web|last =Strike |first=Joe |title=The Fred Seibert Interview, Part 2 |work=Animation World Magazine |page=1 |date= 2003-08-04 |url= http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=pageone&article_no=1825}}</ref> In 1998, Hanna-Barbera moved to the same building as Warner Bros. Animation; the use of the Hanna-Barbera name ceased with William Hanna's death in 2001. [[Cartoon Network Studios]] now handles all original animation for the network. ===Nickelodeon=== In 1991, [[Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon]] introduced ''[[Ren and Stimpy|The Ren and Stimpy Show]]''. ''Ren and Stimpy'' was a wild and off-beat series that violated all the restrictions of Saturday morning cartoons, instead favoring the outrageous style of the shorts from the Golden Age period. The series' creator, [[John Kricfalusi]]—a [[Ralph Bakshi]] protege—was largely influenced by the classic works of [[Bob Clampett]]. In spite of the show's popularity, the show was beset with production delays and censorship battles with Nickelodeon, which fired Kricfalusi in 1992.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} The show continued under the production of the network-owned Games Animation company until 1996, though many animators departed with Kricfalusi. [[Spike TV|TNN]] revived the show in a more risqué form in 2003, with Kricfalusi receiving more creative freedom, but it only lasted ten episodes. [[Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon]] also gave birth to hit shows such as ''[[Doug]]'', ''[[Rugrats]]'', ''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]'', ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'', ''[[The Angry Beavers]]'', ''[[CatDog]]'', ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'', and ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]''. Many of these shows spawned successful theatrical films as well, most notably ''Rugrats'' (which garnered 3 films), and ''Spongebob Squarepants'' (which has garnered 1 theatrical film and several TV movies). ===Other cable networks=== The [[Disney Channel]] switched from pay-cable to basic cable in the late 1990s, and launched a number of successful animated shows such as ''[[The Proud Family]]'' and ''[[Kim Possible]]''. Around the same time, it launched [[Toon Disney]], a channel specifically intended for animation (which has since been replaced by [[Disney XD (United States)|Disney XD]]). On [[Cable television|cable TV]], [[Nickelodeon (TV channel)|Nickelodeon]], the [[Disney Channel]], and the [[Cartoon Network (United States)|Cartoon Network]] grew to a point where they were competitive with the broadcast networks. ===Broadcast networks=== As the 1990s began, the "Big Three" networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS) were no longer a three-way [[oligopoly]]. The fledgling [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] launched their [[Fox Kids]] programming block on weekdays and Saturdays in 1990, while [[Kids' WB|The WB]] joined the competition with a kid's programming block shortly after the network's 1995 launch. When NBC compared the success of the live-action youth sitcom ''[[Saved by the Bell]]'' to the paucity of their animated hits, they gave up on cartoons in 1992, instead concentrating on live-action teenage shows with their Saturday-morning [[Teen NBC|TNBC]] block. [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] was purchased by Disney in 1995, and Disney transformed ABC's Saturday schedule into a series of Disney-produced animated cartoons collectively named [[One Saturday Morning]]. [[CBS]] was simply never able to come up with any new hits once the shows that anchored its late 1980s/early 1990s Saturday morning lineup—''[[Muppet Babies]], [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]], [[Garfield and Friends]]'', etc.—ran their respective courses. When CBS was purchased by [[Viacom (1971–2005)|Viacom]], which also owned Nickelodeon, Viacom simply repurposed much of the [[Nick Jr. (block)|Nick Jr.]] lineup—in addition to adding a Saturday edition of the CBS morning-news program ''[[The Early Show]]''. As a result of years of activism by [[Action for Children's Television]] and others against shows they believed blurred the line between entertainment and advertising, the [[Children's Television Act]] was passed in 1990. It began to be strictly enforced in 1996. The [[Federal Communications Commission]] began requiring three hours a week of educational and informational program intended explicitly for children, at times when children were awake. Since this required three hours to be "off limits" to programs aimed at the general public, the networks naturally chose to air them on Saturday morning, when children were already watching. As a result, almost every Saturday-morning network show is required to contain some educational content. Fox and The WB worked around this problem by airing short one-hour weekday children's blocks instead of morning news shows, but those weekday blocks no longer exist (with the notable exception of PBS, which continues to have large weekday children's programming blocks as of 2010). Nonetheless, there were still a few toy-based children's programs in the 1990s, particularly ''[[Power Rangers]]'' and ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]''. Cable networks were not subject to these—or most other—FCC requirements, which allowed their series to have more leeway with content than network shows. ==Animation for adults== The 1990s saw the beginnings of a new wave of animated series targeted primarily to adults, after a lack of such a focus for over a decade. ===''The Simpsons'' and Fox=== In 1987, "[[The Simpsons shorts|The Simpsons]]", an animated short cartoon segment of ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]'', debuted. [[Matt Groening]]'s creation gained its own [[The Simpsons|half-hour series]] in 1989, the first prime-time animated series since ''[[The Flintstones]]''. Although 70 percent of the [[Some Enchanted Evening (The Simpsons)|first episode's]] animation had to be redone, pushing the series premiere back three months, it became one of the first major hit series for the fledgling [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]]. ''The Simpsons'' caused a sensation, entering popular culture and gaining wide acclaim for its satirical handling of American culture, families, society as a whole, and the human condition. The show has won dozens of awards, including 24 [[Emmy Award]]s, 26 [[Annie Award]]s and a [[Peabody Award]]. ''[[TIME|Time]]'' magazine's December 31, 1999 issue named it the 20th century's best television series. A [[The Simpsons Movie|film version]] grossed over half a billion dollars worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Simpsons Movie (2007) |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=simpsons.htm |work=Box Office Mojo |accessdate=2009-06-22}}</ref> On February 26, 2009, Fox renewed ''The Simpsons'' for an additional two years, "...which will secure its place as TV's longest-running prime-time series."<ref name="simpsons-2009-renewal"/> Its 21st season began on September 27, 2009, breaking the 20-season record it once shared with ''[[Gunsmoke]]''.<ref name="simpsons-2009-renewal">{{Cite web|title=Fox renews 'The Simpsons' |work=[[USA Today]] |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-02-26-simpsons_N.htm |date=2009-02-26}}</ref> The success of ''The Simpsons'' led Fox to develop other animated series aimed at adults, including ''[[King of the Hill]]'' (created by [[Mike Judge]]), ''[[Futurama]]'' (also by Groening), ''[[Family Guy]]'' (created by [[Seth MacFarlane]]), ''[[American Dad!]]'' (also by MacFarlane) and ''[[The Cleveland Show]]'' (also by MacFarlane). ''King of the Hill'' was an instant success, running 13 seasons. Both ''Futurama'' and ''Family Guy'' were cancelled by the network; after strong DVD sales and ratings in re-runs, both returned to the air—''Family Guy'' on Fox, and ''Futurama'' on Comedy Central.<ref name=RottenTomatoesMattGroenigClarifiesFuture>{{Cite web|url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/1648183/|title=Groening's Bargain to Yield Four ''Futurama'' Movies|publisher=Reuters|date= 2007-01-28|accessdate=2010-09-15}}</ref> ===Spike and Mike=== Alongside the mainstream revival of animation in the 1990s, a stranger and more [[independent animation|experimental movement]] occurred. In 1989, a festival of animation shorts, organized by Craig "Spike" Decker and Mike Gribble (known as "Spike & Mike") and originally based in [[San Diego]], began showcasing a collection of short subject animated films. Known as the ''Classic Festival of Animation'', it played in theatrical and non-theatrical venues across the country. The collections were largely made up of Oscar-nominated shorts, student work from the [[California Institute of the Arts]], and experimental work funded by the [[National Film Board of Canada]]. Early festivals included work by [[John Lasseter]], [[Nick Park]], [[Mike Judge]], and [[Craig McCracken]]. Judge's piece, ''Frog Baseball'', marked the first appearance of his dimwitted trademark characters [[Beavis and Butt-head]], while McCracken's short ''The Whoopass Girls in A Sticky Situation'' featured the introduction of the trio of little girl superheroes that would later gain popularity under their new moniker ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]''. The festival gradually turned into a program of films called ''[[Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation]]'', an underground movement for adult humor and subject matter. ===Cartoon Network & Adult Swim=== {{Main|Adult Swim}} In 1994, the U.S. cable television network [[Cartoon Network (United States)|Cartoon Network]] approved a new series entitled ''[[Space Ghost: Coast to Coast]]''. In a particularly postmodern twist, this show featured live-action celebrity interviews mixed with animation from the original ''[[Space Ghost]]'' cartoon. It was the beginning of the now common practice of using old Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters for new edgier productions, such as the surrealistic ''[[Sealab 2021]]'', based on the short-lived early 1970s environmentally themed cartoon ''[[Sealab 2020]]''. ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law]]'' was about a lackluster superhero, Birdman—originally the star of ''[[Birdman and the Galaxy Trio]]''—who has become a lawyer. His clientele, as well as most of the other characters on the show, are made up entirely of old Hanna-Barbera characters. [[Adult Swim]], a scheduling block of adult-oriented cartoons appearing on Cartoon Network beginning after primetime, premiered in 2001. Originally limited to Sunday nights, as of January 3, 2011 Adult Swim now remains on the air every night until 6:00 a.m. Eastern time. Animated series produced exclusively for Adult Swim include ''[[The Brak Show]]'', ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]'', ''[[Sealab 2021]]'', ''[[Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law]]'', ''[[The Venture Bros.]]'', ''[[Perfect Hair Forever]]'', ''[[Stroker and Hoop]]'', ''[[Tom Goes to the Mayor]]'', ''[[Robot Chicken]]'', and ''[[Metalocalypse]]''. In addition to comedy cartoons, Adult Swim also runs popular [[anime]] series such as ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'', ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'', ''[[Eureka Seven]]'', ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist|Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood]]'', ''[[Bleach (manga)|Bleach]]'', and ''[[InuYasha]]''. ===Other cartoons for adults=== Other TV networks also experimented with adult-oriented animation. [[MTV]] produced several successful animated series especially for its young adult audience, including ''[[Liquid Television]]'', ''[[The Brothers Grunt]]'', ''[[Æon Flux]]'', ''[[Beavis and Butt-head]]'' (and its spin-off ''[[Daria]]''), and ''[[Celebrity Deathmatch]]''. [[USA Network]]'s ''[[Duckman]]'', starring the voice of [[Jason Alexander]], found a cult following. Another successful adult-oriented animated series was Comedy Central's ''[[South Park]]'', which saw its beginnings in 1995 with the short cartoon ''[[The Spirit of Christmas (short film)|The Spirit of Christmas]]''. Like ''The Simpsons'', ''Beavis and Butt-head'' and ''South Park'' were given the big screen treatment as ''[[Beavis and Butt-head Do America]]'' and ''[[South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut]]''. ==The rise of computer animation== The 1990s saw [[exponential growth]] in the use of [[computer-generated imagery]] to enhance both animated sequences and live-action special effects, allowing elaborate computer-animated sequences to dominate both. This new form of animation soon dominated [[Hollywood]] [[special effects]]; the films ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]'' and ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'' included [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Oscar-winning]] special effects sequences which made extensive use of CGI. After decades of existing as related-but-separate industries, the barrier between "animation" and "special effects" was shattered by the popularization of computerized special effects—to the point where computer enhancement of Hollywood feature films became second-nature and often went unnoticed. The [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning ''[[Forrest Gump]]'' (1994) depended heavily on computerized special effects to create the illusion of [[Tom Hanks]] shaking hands with Presidents [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], and to make [[Gary Sinise]] convincingly appear to be a double amputee, winning a special-effects Oscar. The film ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' used computer effects in nearly every scene of its three-hour running time; one of the film's 11 Oscars was for special effects. While Disney had made the film ''[[Tron]]''—which extensively mixed live action, traditional animation, and CGI—in 1982, and introduced the [[Computer Animation Production System|CAPS]] system to enhance traditional animation in 1990s ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'', a completely computer-animated feature film had yet to be made. In 1995, Disney partnered with [[Pixar]] to produce ''[[Toy Story]]'', the first feature film made entirely using CGI. The film's success was so great that other studios looked into producing their own [[computer-generated imagery|CGI]] films. Computer animation also made inroads into television. The Saturday morning animated series ''[[ReBoot]]'' won a large cult following among adults; it was the first of a number of CGI-generated animated series, including ''[[Beast Wars]]'', ''War Planets'', and ''Roughnecks''. The quality of the computer animation improved considerably with each successive series. Many live-action TV series (especially [[science fiction]] TV series such as ''[[Babylon 5]]'') invested heavily in CGI production, creating a heretofore-unavailable level of special effects for a relatively low price. ===Pixar=== {{See also|Pixar}} The most popular and successful competitor in the CGI race turned out to be [[Pixar]]. Founded by [[George Lucas]]' [[Lucasfilm]] in 1979 as a special-effects team, it was sold to [[Apple Computer]] co-founder [[Steve Jobs]] in 1986 due to Lucas's financial problems related to the failure of ''[[Howard the Duck (film)|Howard the Duck]]''. At that time, the company primarily developed computer animation hardware, but had made a name for itself by producing such acclaimed CGI short films as ''[[Tin Toy]]'', which won an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]. When the company saw financial problems, it branched in to TV-commercial production; it also made a deal with the [[Walt Disney Company]] to produce feature films. The first of these films, 1995's ''[[Toy Story]]'', was a smash hit, giving way to the success of ''[[A Bug's Life]]'' and ''[[Toy Story 2]]''. Pixar's string of critical and box-office successes continued with ''[[Monsters Inc.]]'', ''[[Finding Nemo]]'', ''[[The Incredibles]]'', ''[[Cars (2006 film)|Cars]]'', ''[[Ratatouille]]'', ''[[WALL-E]]'', ''[[Up (2009 film)|Up]]'' and ''[[Toy Story 3]]'' all receiving rave reviews, earning huge profits, winning awards, and overshadowing Disney's in-house offerings until ''[[Cars 2]]'' in 2011 ended the streak when it proved a critical and relative commercial disappointment. Disney produced a CGI/live action feature film of its own without Pixar (''[[Dinosaur (film)|Dinosaur]]''), but the film received a mixed reaction, even though it was a financial success. During the later years of Michael Eisner's management, friction between Disney and Pixar grew to a point that Pixar considered finding another partner when they could not reach an agreement over profit sharing.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pixar Dumps Disney |work=Money |publisher=money.cnn.com |date=2004-01-29 |url=http://money.cnn.com/2004/01/29/news/companies/pixar_disney/}}</ref> When Eisner stepped down in 2005, his replacement, [[Robert Iger]], bought Pixar in a $7.4 billion all-stock deal (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|7400000000|2005|r=-2}}}} in today's dollars) that turned Steve Jobs into Disney's largest individual shareholder.<ref name = "Holson">{{Cite news|last=Holson |first=Laura M. |title=Disney Agrees to Acquire Pixar in a $7.4 Billion Deal |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2006-01-25 |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/business/25disney.html?_r=1&oref=slogin}}</ref> Following the merger, Pixar's [[John Lasseter]] was placed in charge of greenlighting all new animated films for the combined company under his new role of Chief Creative Officer. ===Dreamworks=== {{See also|DreamWorks Animation}} When [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]] left Disney to become a co-partner of Steven Spielberg and [[David Geffen]] in the new studio [[Dreamworks]], the studio naturally became interested in animation. Its first film, ''[[Antz]]'', did not do as well as the Disney-Pixar releases. However, DreamWorks succeeded in its partnership with the British [[stop motion animation]] studio [[Aardman Animations]] with ''[[Chicken Run]]'' in 2000, and later the Oscar-winning ''[[Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit]]'' in 2006. Furthermore, DreamWorks finally had their own success in 2001 with the [[computer animated]] feature film ''[[Shrek]]'', a gigantic box-office hit that overpowered Disney's summer release for that year, ''[[Atlantis: The Lost Empire|Atlantis]]''. ''Shrek'' established Dreamworks as Disney's first major competitor in feature-film animation. Dreamworks' commercial success continued with three ''Shrek'' sequels, ''[[Shark Tale]]'', ''[[Madagascar (film series)|Madagascar]]'', ''[[Over the Hedge (film)|Over the Hedge]]'', ''[[Bee Movie]]'', ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'', ''[[Monsters vs. Aliens]]'', and ''[[How to Train Your Dragon (film)|How to Train Your Dragon]]''. DreamWorks Animation eventually became a separate company from its parent. ===Independents and others=== Other studios attempted to get into the CGI game. After ending its relationship with Don Bluth, [[20th Century Fox]] released a hugely successful CGI-animated feature in early 2002 entitled ''[[Ice Age (film)|Ice Age]]''. Also in 2002, [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] offered ''[[Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius]]'', [[The Weinstein Company|TWC]] offered ''[[Hoodwinked!]]'', and Columbia produced ''[[Open Season]]''. [[Warner Brothers]] had a major success in 2006 with the Oscar winning feature film, ''[[Happy Feet (film)|Happy Feet]]'', while [[Universal Studios]] attempted several times to become a viable participant in the market, finally achieving the goal in 2010 with ''[[Despicable Me]]''. In spite of all its success, computer animation still relies on cartoony and stylized characters. 2001 saw the first attempt to create a fully animated world using photorealistic human actors in ''[[Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within]]'', which met with moderate critical success but did not do well at the box office. The use of CGI special effects in live-action film increased to the point where [[George Lucas]] considered his 2002 film ''[[Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones]]'' to be primarily an animated film that used real-life actors. A growing number of family-oriented films began to use entirely computer-generated characters that interacted on the screen with live-action counterparts, such as Jar-Jar Binks in ''[[Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace]]'', [[Gollum]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'' and the title character of ''[[Hulk (film)|Hulk]]''. While computer generated characters have become acceptable to moviegoers, there have yet to be any fully animated films featuring virtual human actors, or "synthespians". ==Rise of Internet and Flash animation== {{See also|Flash animation}} The late 1990s saw the rise of [[Flash animation]]—animated films created using the [[Adobe Flash]] animation software—produced in the U.S. and elsewhere, and distributed through the [[Internet]].<ref name = "Waldron">{{Cite web|last=Waldron |first=Rick |title=The Flash History |work=Flash Magazine |date=2000-11-20 |url=http://www.flashmagazine.com/news/detail/the_flash_history/}}</ref> The term "Flash animation" refers not only to the file format, but to a certain kind of movement and visual style that is seen in many circles as simplistic or unpolished.{{By whom|date=September 2010}} There are dozens of Flash-animated television series, countless more Flash animated television commercials, and award-winning online shorts in circulation.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}} Some popular Flash animated cartoons include ''[[Joe Cartoons]]'', ''[[Weebl and Bob]]'', ''[[Happy Tree Friends]]'', ''[[Homestar Runner]]'', the ''[[Brackenwood]]'' Series, ''[[Making Fiends (web cartoon)|Making Fiends]]'' and ''[[Salad Fingers]]''. ==The decline of traditional animation== Despite the box office success of Disney's ''[[Lilo & Stitch]]'', the failure of their much-hyped ''[[Treasure Planet]]'' seemed to ensure that there would be major cutbacks at Disney's animation studio. In 2004, Disney released what it announced to be its last traditionally-animated film, ''[[Home on the Range (2004 film)|Home on the Range]]''. The film received mixed reviews and was not successful at the box office. That same year, the live-action film ''[[Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow]]'' was released. It was notable for being filmed entirely in front of a [[bluescreen]], with the background being completely computer generated; only the actors and some props were real. [[Robert Zemeckis]]' film ''[[The Polar Express (film)|The Polar Express]]'', starring [[Tom Hanks]] in five roles, was completely CGI animation, but used [[performance capture]] technology to animate the characters. Zemeckis followed ''The Polar Express'' with two other motion capture films: ''[[Beowulf (film)|Beowulf]]'' and [[Disney's A Christmas Carol|Disney's ''A Christmas Carol'']]. However, the release of ''[[The Princess and the Frog]]'' and ''[[The Secret of Kells]]'' in 2009, both nominated for an [[Academy Award]], marked a renewed interest in traditional animation. In the same year, ''[[Coraline (film)|Coraline]]'' and [[Wes Anderson]]'s ''[[Fantastic Mr. Fox (film)|Fantastic Mr. Fox]]'' (also Academy Award nominated) renewed interest in stop motion animation. ==Animation accolades== ===Recognition by the Oscars=== Historically, despite the continuation of the Best Animated Short Subject category, animated feature films seldom received much recognition from the [[Academy Awards]] for anything other than musical scores. The unprecedented nomination of Disney's ''Beauty and the Beast'' for Best Picture and five other awards changed things, even though it only won two Oscars for its song score. Animation had become so widely accepted by the beginning of the 21st century that, in 2001, the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] introduced a new [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature]]. The three contenders for first honoree in this award were both CGI feature films: ''[[Shrek]]'', by Dreamworks, ''[[Monsters, Inc.]]'', by Disney and Pixar, and ''[[Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius]]'', by Nickelodeon and Paramount. The award that year went to ''Shrek''. Films that year which were passed up included the acclaimed adult oriented film ''[[Waking Life]]'' and the photorealistic CGI film ''[[Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within]]''. [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s critically acclaimed ''[[Spirited Away]]'' won the Oscar in 2002. Disney/Pixar's ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' received the 2003 award, defeating nominees ''[[The Triplets of Belleville]]'' and ''Brother Bear''. Since then, Pixar has won the most awards in this category with the current exceptions being ''[[Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit]]'' in 2005 and ''[[Happy Feet]]'' in 2006. ===Annie Awards=== {{See also|Annie Award}} The [[Annie Award]]s are presented each February by the Hollywood branch of the [[International Animated Film Association]] for achievements in the fields of film and television animation in the United States. Formed in 1972 to celebrate lifetime contributions to the various fields within animation, the awards started to honor animation as a whole, including current offerings. ==See also== {{portalbox|Animation|United States}} *[[History of animation]] *[[List of animated feature films]] *[[List of computer-animated feature films]] {{-}} ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== *[http://www.annieawards.org/ The official site of the ''Annie Awards''] {{Animation|state=collapsed}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Modern Animation In The United States}} [[Category:History of animation]] [[Category:American animation]] [[es:Animación moderna americana]] [[ko:미국의 애니메이션]] [[hu:Modern animáció Amerikában]] [[pt:Animação moderna nos Estados Unidos]] [[zh:美国动画]]'