Cartoons: A long way to go

BANGALORE:  With the summer vacations coming to a close, kids in Bengaluru are more than happy to go back to school. They no longer have to watch the boring and mediocre cartoons to kill time. Out of the wide array of sub-standard cartoons and kids’ shows, only a handful are genuinely funny and worth watching.Cartoons, which are now finding their way through the Internet and movie theatres, are still primarily aired on television. Hence, City Express takes its readers through the opinion of educators, professional cartoonists, teenagers and, of course, kids on the quality of cartoons shown on television nowadays.While parents, most of whom are aged above 40, grew up in a realistic environment, watching only a few Disney cartoons on television; students in their late teens (16-19 years) were addicted to US-based cartoons like The Popeye Show, Tom and Jerry, Johnny Bravo and Dexter’s Laboratory, in their childhood. They believe that they grew up in the best era of kids’ shows. Children now watch shows, that are not only poorly presented, but also make a futile attempt at being funny.Natalia Rebecca Isaac, aged 19 says cartoons like Top Cat and Tom and Jerry had a better ‘background score’. Their title tracks and music made her childhood better. According to another student, Jai Sehgal, the present generation cartoons don’t teach much. “By watching ‘The Popeye Show’, children knew that spinach is healthy. It motivated them to eat more greens.” These cartoons had some meaning and purpose to deliver. While Deborah Jessica Isaac, a 10-year-old girl barely watches cartoons because they’re boring. “The language is not good, and they’re not funny.” Even kids who watch the present day cartoons, only view them because they have no other choice. Varun Venkatesh, studying in Clarence Public School said “I enjoy shows like Horrid Henry and Johnny Test, because they’re entertaining.” They, however, lack creativity.Sumita Joshua, a primary school teacher at New Millennium School, has observed her students imitating vehement actions of their super heroes. She believes that the kids today, do not have appropriate role models. Even the superheroes, feel the need to exercise their power over others, in order to show their supremacy. Children being motivated by such characters, do the same in their daily lives. “What happened to good old, down to earth characters like ‘Noddy’?” she asks. A successful educator, she thinks that the language in many Indian cartoons is of poor quality, and hence, prevents her own kids from watching them.At the same time, some shows deserve appreciation. “Chota Bheem is a big hit!”, said Sumita reflecting the thoughts of her students. Another teacher from Legacy School, Ashwati Roshan, said that channels like CBeebies air some educative shows. However, this generation of teens and parents were exposed to non-Indian shows. It is now a season for budding cartoonists from India to showcase their skills. While the story quality and humour of the present generation cartoons is inadequate, the technological achievements must be appreciated.