Everyone has grown up on some type of media, such as cartoons. These cartoons were there for entertainment whenever we were bored, or when we wanted something to help pass the time. But they weren’t there just to entertain us, they were also there to impact our creativity, behavior, and language development.
Though, the cartoons many high school students watched in their childhood are different from modern day cartoons. Now that a new year started, ten years have officially passed since 2016. That also means that cartoons have had a big shift in pacing, streaming, and animation technology.
The time length of cartoons has been affected, causing shows to be shorter than before. This is to accommodate the low attention span many children have now. Cameron Rust said, “New cartoons are more stimulating than they used to be. It distracts younger people and makes it harder for them to be patient and focused than before.” The attention span that children have now is already bad enough. Cartoon directors shouldn’t be accommodating it. They should be keeping the normal pace, instead of making it faster.
The way people watch cartoons is different from before as well. In 2016, many people watched cartoons on cable, like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney XD. Nowadays, children are watching cartoons on streaming services like Disney +, Hulu, HBO max, and many other streaming services. One student said, “When I was younger, I would just deal with what was on TV, I would watch whatever was on. But now, I can choose what I want to watch through streaming services.” Back then, kids would have to watch whatever was on cable TV, since those were the only options. But with the power of streaming, people could watch whatever they want, whenever they want to.
There has also been a shift in style in cartoons as well. In 2016, cartoons were mostly animated (2D), whereas shows in 2025 are now a mix of CGI (3D) and animation. In 2016, the primary technique was digital 2D and the automation was basic digital puppetry. Now, cartoons are primarily hybrid 2D/3D & CGI and the automation is AI-assisted movement & coloring.
