Earlier I happened to catch an episode of Ed, Edd n Eddy and it only emphasized how nearly everything that's appeared on television since the program's height in the late 90s is simply boring. I am very thankful that Ed, Edd n Eddy has run for as long as it has because, to be blunt, it is probably the most visually appealing program currently on TV and the only remainig twinkle from the 90s golden age of television animation.



It may be true that Ed, Edd n Eddy does not ride on its scripts; the plotlines are not terribly complicated and the humor can sometimes be not only slapstick but even stupid. But in the show's defense, the stories never feel "dumbed down"--you don't feel like you're being insulted (although part of that might have to do with the "real world" approach where the protagonists never win). And as far as dialogue goes, at least Ed, Edd n Eddy has never stopped throwing in subtle humor that goes over younger viewers' heads. "Babies, huh? Uh... Where do they come from? They grow on trees! Like apples." "He's got the tree part right!" Ed, Edd n Eddy, currently on their fifth season, probably has more humor like this now than it did when the series premiered, so television censorship is not necessarily harsher--it's either the networks' or the writers' paranoia that they will pervert the minds of American youth even though this humor is bound to jump over their heads. And so what if some of it doesn't? Children are not given enough credit; they are more likely to be corrupted by something silly if they've been raised to think it's taboo. And they are also not given enough credit when it comes to storylines; I love Teen Titans but it's sad how simplified so many of the storylines were for the sake of the younger audience.

But, as I've said, even if Ed, Edd n Eddy's writing is better than much of television animation in recent years, the appeal of the show is not the writing. Censorship--whether it's legitimate or limits set by networks' seemingly limited imaginations--does not appear to be the only issue as many have suggested. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy thrives on gross-out or adult humor--I'm surprised with some of the jokes they get away with. Not to mention the wonderful way they treat death as just another subject as opposed to something not to be spoken of.



"Look at me body!  Look at me body!"

I think more important than the writing is the visuals.  Animation is an art form and, to be blunt, very little "art" has come of it in the past number of years.  Unfortunately computer animation has brought on a new dark age.  What started as something innovative and inventive has now minimized the time, effort, and passion present in traditional animation.  Ed, Edd n Eddy--though for the holiday specials and season five it has been colored on computers--has been hand-drawn and hand animated since day one.  The result is unique character designs with malleable, cartoonishly expressive bodies.  Yes, not only are the faces expressive; the entire body is utilized.  Thusly the animation is not only smooth but beautiful.  The show's artists (which are also the show's writers which is saying something) know how to use color, cartooning, and movement for the sake of creating a piece of art that is fun to look at for the entirety of the episode.

Sadly, other cartoons of this age do not have such talented and innovative staff members.  Companies spit out garbage animated on Macromedia Flash.  Even programs that are hand-drawn are animated on the computer, which means movements are only marginally less stiff than if the whole thing was done on the computer for the sake of making the animators' lives easier.  Computer animation does not have to be stilted and unappealing but for the sake of making the lives of the animators' easier, that's what the medium has become.  Movement is stiff and limited.  And aside from that, we are treated with the same camera angles in all of these shows.  How many times do we need to see things from this perspective?:







But at least a few shows, such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, have some appealing environments and interesting and expressive character designs.  But even Foster's designs are stiffer than one might like for the sake of easy computer animation.  And My Gym Parner's a Monkey?  It's hideous.  And for the record...


Weird does not alwyas mean organic and expressive.  Sometimes it just means ugly and stupid.

I miss characters that were designed looser, with greater potential to express themselves through movement.  I miss characters and envrionments like these:







I miss the art of animation.