Phineas & Ferb or Gravity Falls - Which series started the "modern" era of Disney cartoons?

[GreenTeaHarbor1297]

Modern era - Think like Owl House, Amphibia, or Star VS The Forces of Evil - As opposed to the likes of Recess, Proud Family, or Kim Possible.

Between Phineas & Ferb and Gravity Falls, which cartoon would you argue started off the modern era?

Phineas & Ferb was the first major Gen Z cartoon on the network, and arguably started the trend, at least for Disney Channel cartoons, of shows airing during Gen Z's time while still having a huge following from Millennials who just wanted a good animated series that wasn't adult cartoon frat humor. Phineas & Ferb also lasted well until 2015, the same year Star VS The Forces of Evil came out, and when Gravity Falls was over half-way done. (There's also the 2020 special and 2023 reboot, though granted, those two are arguably part of Disney's nostalgia-pandering).

Though granted, Phineas & Ferb, like the classic era shows, was still episodic and slice-of-life, with a setup and vibe far more akin to that of the likes of Recess than the likes of Owl House. Gravity Falls, on the other hand, was certainly the one that set the trend towards a serialized - as opposed to an episodic - format. Gravity Falls also seemingly has a higher proportion of a Millennial fanbase than Phineas & Ferb does, and is constantly brought into the same conversation whenever Owl House, Amphibia, and Star VS The Forces of Evil are brought up together. Gravity Falls is constantly considered part of the same era as those three despite coming out and concluding much earlier, and the Gravity Falls canon is constantly theorized to be part of the same multiverse as those three shows.

What do you think about this?

 

[Tylerhelt14]

Phineas and Ferb started it.

 

[Belle T]

Neither; I'd argue that Adventure Time started it.

At least from my recollection, it was the first time I remember seeing a western animated television series aimed primarily at children that gathered a mainstream appreciation while it was still running (i.e. different to Invader Zim, where it became incredibly popular within the emo and goth subculture after the original show had already ended), and was beloved even outside of the spheres of animation enthusiasts. While not the first show to have lasting character development and long-running narratives, it was the show I believe popularized the idea to a wider audience and paved the way for shows like Gravity Falls to exist in the first place.

Phineas and Ferb and Gravity Falls are both excellent and influential shows that deserve the recognition they've received over the years, but I feel like they were both a product of existing trends, rather than the one individual show that started said trends.

 

[kikotoot]

All the ones out now feel much more Gravity Falls esque
P&F was def a bridge between the eras though, not falling too neatly in either.
Kinda like what Red was for Taylor Swift

 

[Flare]

I’d say Gravity Falls since the show is more “serious” about it’s themes compared to Phineas and Ferb. Most newer cartoons have more serious themes that make them popular.

 

[Roxxy]

I’ve never seen gravity falls so my opinion is biased Absolutely loved phineas and ferb watched every episode and movie (and bought dvds, for full disclosure it was for my son,and the movie was to get him through a brain scan)

 

[-Blue-]

I was going to say Adventure Time because it aired in the early 2010s and was going strong as the thread title shows launched and continued on...but I'd have to say the pioneer would have to be shows like Kids Next Door. The show is kind of dated if you give it a watch, but I can see similarities between KND and shows like AT, GF, and P&F.

It aired in 2002 and its final episode was at the end of 2008. So it was pretty damn close to when shows like AT, PF, and GF would begin. So it's not surprising if the creators of those shows took inspiration from KND and other shows like it. They would've probably watched those shows in 2002+ when they were younger.

 

[GreenTeaHarbor1297]

I was going to say Adventure Time because it aired in the early 2010s and was going strong as the thread title shows launched and continued on...but I'd have to say the pioneer would have to be shows like Kids Next Door. The show is kind of dated if you give it a watch, but I can see similarities between KND and shows like AT, GF, and P&F.

It aired in 2002 and its final episode was at the end of 2008. So it was pretty damn close to when shows like AT, PF, and GF would begin. So it's not surprising if the creators of those shows took inspiration from KND and other shows like it. They would've probably watched those shows in 2002+ when they were younger.

Haven't watched KND, but respectfully fully disagree with a show from 2002 being the start of the era, since Millennials were still the target audience of kids cartoons back then and there was no social media for adults still into kids cartoons to discuss and build an online community around them back in those days, not in its modern form at least. Plus, it would've aired the same year Kim Possible, one of the archetypes I used for the previous era, also first aired.

Primary facet of the "modern" era, at least according to how I see it, is airing when Gen Z were the target audience of kids cartoons, yet still with a huge Millennial following depending on the character-story depth determined success of the cartoon, and with huge online communities on social media sites centered around these cartoons - Generally a shift towards cartoons becoming more serial, but with a few episodic cartoons such as Loud House or Ghost & Molly McGee also seeing this reception.

 

[Ravenkitty22]

Imo Gravity Falls started the era due to it being more serious about its themes and more serialized. Also, the latter two of the shows you mentioned (Amphibia and The Owl House) were created by someone who had a hand in Gravity Falls, and there are tons of GF easter eggs in both shows. I also think it's worth mentioning that I'm definitely more of a serial cartoon fan as opposed to episodic ones, and GF was the first cartoon that I became really invested in. Phineas and Ferb, while it had its story, was still a mainly episodic cartoon compared to GF and definitely feels more like the previous cartoon era. I've never seen Adventure Time so I can't really comment on it, but this makes the most sense in my head lol.

 

[Romaki]

I think Gravity Falls started it. Phineas and Ferb was like the last hoorah to the old times.

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

edit: Just realised that this discussion is meant to be centered on Disney, so IDK, I would argue that Disney probably gets many of the same type of artists that Cartoon Network has, so maybe my point still stands?

I think Adventure Time/maybe even Gumball started the era. They both started in 2010/2011, while Gravity Falls started in 2012. The classic (or not so classic?) Bean Mouth era, which Pixar seems to be adopting now! (Luca, Turning Red, and soon Elio)

Phineas & Ferb started in 2007 (I'm getting all these dates from quick google searches so apologies for any incorrect info). I don't know much about the show but I feel like the style is too different compared to the Bean Mouth era?

I think Steven Universe (started 2013) cemented the modern cartoon look.

 

[Croconaw]

I think today’s shows are way more similar to Gravity Falls, but that’s just me. I liked Phineas and Ferb a lot, but it’s the only cartoon I’ve seen like it? I don’t know. I’m not much of a cartoon watcher nowadays, so maybe I’m wrong.

 

[GreenTeaHarbor1297]

Do y'all agree with this assessment? (Also note, the terms "Golden", "Silver, "Bronze", "Crystal" are not necessarily a reflection of quality of the shows themselves, but rather one of a vibe)