Green Lantern and Young Justice Have Been Defeated by Cartoon Network



The first few weeks of 2013 have been depressing ones for fans of sci-fi and superhero cartoons. First, Disney XD aired its final first season episodes of Tron: Uprising during January with no intention of renewing the series for a second season. Then, Cartoon Network announced the cancellation of its current "DC Nation" series Green Lantern and Young Justice. According to news sources, Cartoon Network will replace these two shows in April with a new Batman series, Beware the Batman, and Teen Titans Go!, a revamped relaunch of the previous Teen Titans cartoon series that first aired in 2003.

I have a personal theory about what is happening here, at both Cartoon Network and Disney XD. While I don't have access to the ratings information of any of these shows, I do know that each of them have proven to be successful among certain age demographics; unfortunately, for the network executives, they are the 'wrong' demographics. Older fans of sci-fi and superheroes, such as teenagers and adults, have shown their support of cartoons such as Green Lantern, Young Justice and Tron: Uprising by watching episodes on TV or downloading episodes through online services, but this kind of support is not enough for their respective networks. What the networks want instead are demographics that watch the shows AND buy as much of the licensed merchandise as possible, merchandise such as toys, clothing, linens, and so on (i.e., they want viewers who loyally watch Young Justice and loyally buy Young Justice action figures, Young Justice toothbrushes, Young Justice bed sheets, Young Justice wallpaper, etc.). Adults and teenagers don't fit these merchandising goals, but children do. I suspect that this rationale was also behind the cancellation of Genndy Tartakovsky's Sym-Bionic Titan series back in 2011.

If my theory is correct, then it's bad news for fans of American animation entertainment that's aimed at older audiences. It means that the business model for syndicated TV cartoons in the 80s still applies to cable TV cartoons of today--that the only cartoons that will receive long-term support from American entertainment companies are those that are 30-minute commercials for kids. I suppose that's why Disney XD cancelled the animated Tron: Uprising series but Disney itself is still moving forward with the live-action Tron 3 movie: Disney feels that when it comes to the Tron franchise--in terms of economics and demographic appeal--it will get a greater return on investment from a live-action movie than it will from a cartoon series. That's a disappointing way for a quality TV cartoon series like Green Lantern, Young Justice and Tron: Uprising to end, but that seems to be the way the cartoon business works these days.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Tron: Uprising (Part 1 of 4): Characters

Image
This month marks the one year anniversary of the cancellation of Tron: Uprising , which aired on Disney XD for 19 episodes. Set between the events of Tron and Tron: Legacy , Uprising chronicled the events shortly after Clu’s rise to power within the stand-alone Grid created by Kevin Flynn. Personally, I think that Tron: Uprising got a raw deal from Disney. It’s a fantastic addition to the Tron saga that went on to win both Emmy and Annie Awards , yet Disney clearly had other priorities and was willing to toss Uprising aside without so much as an official cancellation notice. Even to this day, Uprising has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray and I’m wondering if it ever will. In honor of this amazing animated series that was cut down in its prime, I have decided to do something that Disney won’t. Since there will never be an official Tron: Uprising art book, I have searched across the Internet to find a selection of art from Uprising that I can share here on my blog with
Read more

FOUND: Mechanical Shark from Universal Jaws Theme Park Ride

Image
When the Universal Studios Theme Park in Florida shut down its Jaws ride back in January 2012, Jaws fans everywhere were devastated. Yet even though this part of the Jaws franchise is no longer operational, some of its sharks are swimming around out there … including places such as Frederick, Maryland. A few days ago, I was contacted by a fellow Jaws fan named John Ryan, asking me if I knew anything specific regarding the sharks from the Universal Jaws ride. He was asking because he thought he found one and is trying to verify its authenticity. We spoke on the phone and exchanged a few emails, and here’s what he told me about his find: “I've been collecting Jaws memorabilia for decades and when I found this incredibly rare gem sitting in a backyard in Frederick, Maryland, I wondered about its connection to the state. The current homeowners said the shark was already there when they purchased the property. They also told me it had been the subject of neighborhood rumor for y
Read more

Machine Robo's Magnificent Robot Combiners

Image
I don't collect Transformers merchandise, but I see articles and advertisements about it when I browse through Japanese robot toy sites. From what I can gather, one of the latest product lines for Transformers is called "Combiner Wars" , a line that consists of five or six transforming robot toys that combine into one bigger robot. Combiner robot toys have been around for a long time, and Transformers had quite a few of them even back in the '80s. Yet of the many combiner robot toys I've seen over the years, the ones that have consistently impressed me were the ones released by Bandai under the Machine Robo line. Whereas other robot toy lines are stuck in the novelty of combining smaller toys into a bigger toy, Machine Robo has used the concept of combination to promote creative play. Read on for a review of how Machine Robo has built upon its combiner toys throughout the years.
Read more