Cartoon Network At a Animation High

[Nexonius]

From C21 Media:

Cartoon Net: animation at all-time high

Cartoon Network has produced more half-hours of animation this year than in any other in its history, according to an exec behind the Ben 10 franchise.

While much talk at Mipcom Jr last month reflected a boom in live-action children's programming, with Nickelodeon Germany, France Télévisions and ZDF among those trumpeting its rise, Cartoon Network has taken a different standpoint.

Tramm Wigzell, Cartoon Network's VP of original series for action-adventure, who co-developed the Ben 10 franchise, said this didn't reflect thinking at his channel, where animated shows remained the cornerstone of its strategy.

"We did more half-hours as a studio this year - not even counting all the other animations from other studios like Warner Bros' Thundercats - than ever before," he told C21.

"If anything, there's been a rebirth of animation at Cartoon Network in the past few years, with shows like Adventure Time. In many ways, it feels a lot more like the place I came to in 2002, when Dexter was going, than it has done in many, many years."

Wigzell admitted Cartoon Network was "diversifying its air" with new live-action series such as the recently launched Tower Prep, but rejected the notion that it was overtaking animation.

"The amount of live-action that we're doing - and they're fantastic and completely on-brand - is comparatively miniscule in terms of hours. So although I can't speak for our competitors, we are the place for animation. We're not seeing the death of animation."

Wigzell, whose credits at Cartoon Network also include The Batman and Teen Titans, was talking exclusively to C21 as part of the London Children's Film Festival, where he gave a Bafta-backed presentation at The Barbican cultural centre.

Wow. I knew they were producing more animation, but this is quite a accomplishment. Adventure Time, Regular Show, Ben 10, Generator Rex, Sym-Bionic Titan, Secret Mountain Ft. Awesome and many more cartoons on the way. While the live-action isn't stopping anytime soon (sadly) it's nice to see CN Studios having a big taste of their earlier years.

[brickrrb2]

Now to get rid of all live action garbage and we're set

[cuzin34]

im sure it will be all gone by 2011 when [as] takes over the 9pm hour.

[Silver]

im sure it will be all gone by 2011 when [as] takes over the 9pm hour.

Oh my, I completely forgot about this. Doesn't it take effect in January?

[cuzin34]

Oh my, I completely forgot about this. Doesn't it take effect in January?

yup in January which is very soon. it will be interesting to see what adult swim does with the extra hour.

[Kiddington]

yup in January which is very soon. it will be interesting to see what adult swim does with the extra hour.

Probably nothing worth talking about. It'll just end up being an excuse to run more Family Guy for a quick and cheap ratings payday... that is, until they get the rights to The Cleveland Show in three years; then they'll start airing that on a daily basis instead.

They really give AS way too much power. I mean, I know it does a pretty good job in the late night ratings, but it's kind of annoying how the block has become more of a "Fox rerun channel" than anything (and what little original programming they do still come up with is terrible).

It really won't help CN, at all, in giving up that extra hour. The 9PM hour is still a good time to get ratings, especially since Nickelodeon has already shifted over to Nick at Nite at that point.

[Silver]

Probably nothing worth talking about. It'll just end up being an excuse to run more Family Guy for a quick and cheap ratings payday... that is, until they get the rights to The Cleveland Show in three years; then they'll start airing that on a daily basis instead.

Man, I really wish AS would bring more variety into their schedule. Maybe mix some anime on the weekdays or something.

[Karl Olson]

well, with the raw number of debuts this year it makes sense. it's still annoying because they did ultimately blow a lot of time in some of their less productive eras that gave competitors nearly unstoppable leads (not that the middle of the decade didn't have some great shows in Billy and Mandy and Ed, Edd n' Eddy, but there were years where they were it for quality,) but you really can't say much negative about 2010. live action aside, they've had the finest over all line up in a long time, especially under the CN studios label.

[Nexonius]

well, with the raw number of debuts this year it makes sense. it's still annoying because they did ultimately blow a lot of time in some of their less productive eras that gave competitors nearly unstoppable leads (not that the middle of the decade didn't have some great shows in Billy and Mandy and Ed, Edd n' Eddy, but there were years where they were it for quality,) but you really can't say much negative about 2010. Live action aside, they've had the finest over all line up in a long time, especially under the CN Studios label.

I mean Snyder and Sorcher are bad whenever it's live-action, but when it's about animation, they have a strong cartoon hold that in my opinion, continues to be untouched. Nickelodeon's crop is pretty much either bland, Butch Hartman made, or already have a franchise (that doesn't mean CN isn't doing that with WB Animation) and Disney Channel's new crop of shows are just....uncreative and too teeny bopper, while Disney XD's animation is actually getting better.

[Dudley]

Though Cartoon Network is producing more cartoons than ever before, does that mean it's producing more than Nick, who at a time was stated to be producing more animation than any other studio on television?
Keep in mind said claims was done a few years ago.
Still good for Cartoon Network, with this news, they might get rid of the live action shows in production.