With many services either leaving animated series unfinished or removing completed works from the platforms, animation fans have wondered if there’s a solution to the medium’s current content drought.
Recent children’s animated shows have fallen victim to streaming services ending their run times short. Within the past decade, shows like “The Owl House,” “Craig of the Creek,” “Infinity Train,” and “OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes” were all canceled despite overall positive ratings.
Studios like Disney, Netflix and Warner Bros. decided to discontinue these shows with varying reasons. In some cases, such as that of “The Owl House,” it simply didn’t fit Disney’s brand, according to the show’s creator Dana Terrace, who shared this in a Q&A on Reddit.
For some viewers, this pattern of canceled shows motivates them to not begin these shows in the first place. Venus Duvert, a senior studying elementary education, never began “Infinity Train” despite being interested in its concept.
“I never watched it because I was like, well, they're probably going to cancel it, and then they did,” Duvert said.
When previous beloved shows such as “Gravity Falls,” “Steven Universe” and “Adventure Time” finished airing, many animation fans started believing the animation scene has become relatively dry of new, long-form content.
It has even become difficult for fans to rewatch older shows due to the large sweep of content on platforms. “Over the Garden Wall*,” a fall-themed series, was removed from Max just a week before October.
Shows such as “Infinity Train” have been removed entirely from their original platforms and have no locations to be legally streamed. “Voltron: Legendary Defender,” a Netflix original with eight seasons, is set to be taken off the platform in December.
“Netflix has gotten really bad about it,” Duvert said, regarding the company’s history of cancellations.
The platform has also had many live-action originals, such as “The End of the F***ing World,” “Everything Sucks!,” and “I Am Not Okay With This*” conclude after one or two seasons despite high ratings.
Lyanna Smith, a sophomore studying animation, said the consistent pattern of show removal leaves her worried about the future.
“I get worried that my industry is going to be … ruined by corporate greed,” Smith said.
Netflix has recently released some successful animated shows, possibly opening up an avenue to it becoming a center for animation. “Arcane,” which is based on the video game “League of Legends,” was released in 2021.
With a production value of $250 million for its first and second seasons, it is the most expensive animated show ever produced. The show also has astounding ratings, holding a 100%on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Arcane” is confirmed to have a second and final season, concluding Nov. 23. The show’s wrap-up after two seasons stands apart from the trend of animated shows having at least three seasons with over twelve episodes per season.
Netflix has recently produced a few other animated shows, including “Blue Eye Samurai” in 2023 and “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft” in October. “Tomb Raider” currently holds a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Blue Eye Samurai has a 97%.
Animation has perks that set it aside from live-action media, which makes losing it upsetting for some, according to students.
“There is more creative freedom in (animation),” Kerrigan Wilson, a sophomore studying art therapy, said.
For now, Disney+ and Max are many fans’ favorite spots for animation shows.
“I feel like (Max stands out) because they have all of the Adult Swim shows, and they have all of Cartoon Network because they’re owned by (Warner Bros.),” Wilson said.
If Netflix continues to release animated pieces, it may ultimately end up joining these streaming services as a new producer of animation. Overall, Smith hopes the future of animation will allow for works to last.
“I want to create, and I want those creations to last and mean something,” Smith said.
