Industry Pros Share Their Most Controversial Opinions On Animation

The Simpsons sucks. Madhouse beats Ghibli. American cartoons only really got good in 1991.

If you like animation and hang out on Twitter, you won’t have missed a certain conversation in recent days. It was launched by a tweet from artist Janine Trexe, in which she invited people to share “your most controversial cartoon opinion.” The discussion swiftly blew up as people from all corners of the industry pitched in with their thoughts, ranging from playful to serious. In some cases, people raised crucial issues that are rarely talked about in public.

We’ve collected the sharpest and most provocative ones below. Which do you agree with, and what’s your most controversial opinion? Let us know in a comment at the bottom.

Frank Angones, producer, writer, story editor, Ducktales:

Animation Writers and Animation Board Teams should not be siloed from each other; the writers and board teams should know each other and their strengths to foster collaboration instead of breeding resentment. https://t.co/YpPIjp7zIp

— Frank Angones (@FrankAngones) January 20, 2020

Josh Weinstein, writer and producer, The Simpsons, Disenchantment:

There should be no difference between "kids animation" and "adult animation" – just make great animation.

Also, animation is the greatest & hardest form of entertainment to get right and should get MORE credit than live-action stuff! https://t.co/QwMfk2YtQe

— Josh Weinstein (@Joshstrangehill) January 21, 2020

Matt Braly, creator, Amphibia:

Feature artists need to stop looking down on those who work in TV. Especially in 2020 where the two are essentially merging into one. Not that it was okay before. https://t.co/0lhz8GPlvp

— Matt Braly (@Radrappy) January 20, 2020

Jorge R. Gutierrez, director, The Book of Life:

Cartoons will never be better than when you were a child because you still believed in magic. https://t.co/J7YIwlA5Tv

— Jorge R. Gutierrez (@mexopolis) January 20, 2020

Shannon Tindle, creator, Kubo and the Two Strings:

-Animation writers should be repped by the WGA.
-Directors of animated series/films should be repped by the DGA.
-Character designers should be considered for costume design awards.
-Creators should have be given a much greater creative stake in the things they make. https://t.co/W8jAI1zGLE

— Shannon Tindle (@ShannonTindle_1) January 20, 2020

Sam King, director and storyboard artist, The Curse of Molly McGee:

There are so many amazing shows with female protagonists right now but I wish more than 10% of them had female showrunners! A goal for the future! https://t.co/BO5hTnQUsp

— 🐝 Sam King 🎃 (@SamanthaCKing) January 20, 2020

Stephanie Gonzaga, director and story artist, Gremlins:

Not controversial but I wish adult cartoons expanded to softer storytelling, focusing on the little nuances of life. https://t.co/ZSqWnaItQh

— Stephanie Gonzaga (@gostephgo) January 19, 2020

Kaiji Tang, voice actor, Doraemon:

Some japanese localizations of our western cartoons sound better than the original. #weeb https://t.co/CCcgkUSSkQ

— Kaiji Von Tang (@KaijiTang) January 21, 2020

Adri T., illustrator:

Given the state of technology, it baffles me why there aren't more animation jobs where you can work remotely. Not all of us can afford to move to frickin' Burbank. https://t.co/IB1K6kExy5

— AdriOfTheDead (@AdriMakesArt) January 20, 2020

Shane Lynch, script coordinator & writer on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power:

Execs should look at the prevalence of shipping in fandom and greenlight more romance-centric shows. And slice of life should be allowed to exist in Western animation as well. https://t.co/voKfQaEbWk

— Shane Lynch (@MsShaneLynch) January 19, 2020

Dave Trumbore, animation journalist, Collider.com:

Many of these "controversial opinions" are essentially seeking things that aren't in traditional Western kids animation.

Seek out anime, people. There are decades of literally every conceivable slice of storytelling–visually and thematically–you can imagine, and then some https://t.co/Sa4HQ5RKn3

— Dave Trumbore (@DrClawMD) January 20, 2020

And finally, our very own editor-in-chief, Amid Amidi:

"Adult" animation doesn't have to look like it was designed & animated by people wearing blindfolds. It can be beautiful, move elegantly & have appeal like other animation. This issue is prevalent in the US on account of art-illiterate creators & producers coming from live-action https://t.co/1m3ETsTBGf pic.twitter.com/k46Q2loErA

— amid amidi (@amid) January 22, 2020