Massachusetts Daily Collegian

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A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

The golden age of ‘Arthur’ comes to an end

Courtesy of PBS

A nostalgic, familiar sight as Arthur and his friends are sitting in class with Mr. Ratburn, studiously paying attention as the curmudgeonly teacher drones on about math. But something is off. None of the characters look quite right. Their outlines are bolder and there’s almost no subtlety to their expressions.

And now they’re moving, but again, something about the aesthetic just feels wrong. Francine has gotten out of her seat and is walking as if she’s a puppet, jerking her limbs and awkwardly gliding across the classroom floor like some horror out of “Silent Hill.” And what’s this? She’s dropped a banana peel. What follows is exactly what you’d expect – a goofy, disappointing attempt to generate laughter as Francine slips on the peel and slides right into the chalkboard.

What happened to the show I used to love?

“Arthur,” the long-running PBS series about an adolescent aardvark and his friends, was a staple of my childhood. The show beautifully captured Marc Brown’s thoughtful children’s books, giving life to the characters by giving them a voice and putting them in motion. The animation was detailed, the stories were well-written and the dialogue was tight. After getting its start in 1994, it remains the network’s longest running show aside from “Sesame Street,” and the second longest-running cartoon on American TV other than “The Simpsons.”

There was a reason for the show’s success. The writers exhibited extraordinary insight on how to communicate serious ideas to kids – more so than perhaps any other children’s television series to date. Consider the classic episode Prove It!, where D.W. creates her own backyard “science” museum. Much to the chagrin of Arthur’s friend The Brain, she proceeds to use her creation to spread misinformation to all of the other kids in the neighborhood. At once, D.W. becomes the face of every pseudoscientific argument in modern political discourse.

This is a perfect example of how the writers refused to talk down to their audience, elementary school kids or no. Using D.W. as a vehicle, they framed the situation so that any child watching the show could explain why she is wrong and The Brain is right. I happen to know more than a few politicians who could stand to listen to their wisdom, too.

The showrunners also had an uncannily deft grasp of popular culture. Remember when “Arthur” predicted the meteoric rise of hologram bands like Gorillaz and Hatsune Miku with the episodes Binky Rules and Meet Binky? What about when Muffy starts a blog and almost ruins her friendship with Francine in a desperate attempt to drive traffic to her site? Or the time “Arthur” riffed on “Beavis and Butthead,” “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “Dr. Katz” and the “WWE” all in one episode? That’s right – it’s called The Contest and it’s a beautiful piece of intertextual commentary. Go watch it.

All this being said, you can imagine my surprise when I flipped on an episode from Season 16 of “Arthur” called Flippity Francine and saw the scene described above. This is not the “Arthur” I grew up with. This isn’t the “Arthur” that was, up until the most recent season, teaching kids using high-quality art and meaningful morality tales. What now stands in for the show is a traitorous abomination of what was once poignant children’s fare. And I’m mad.

Apparently, some behind-the-scenes drama has led to “Arthur” switching from Cookie Jar Entertainment to Story 9 Entertainment for Season 16 and 17. This new studio uses flash-based techniques instead of the traditional approach that bore the show through its infancy. While the old process was likely more costly and time-consuming, it also forced the writers to come up with situations and humor that relied on intelligence and wit instead of low-brow slapstick gags.

The new “Arthur” takes the insult beyond its visual shortcomings. These new episodes, with their strange puppet-like animation, belie their severely-altered style by using the same intro that has opened the show since Season 1. Indeed, Ziggy Marley’s famous theme song and the classic animation of seasons past open every new episode of “Arthur.” But those catchy lyrics no longer bring with them the promise of the masterworks of yore. Instead, they represent the disingenuous nature of this new, Frankensteinian monstrosity.

It’s too painful to go on describing what’s become of “Arthur”. Suffice it to say that you’ve desecrated something holy, PBS. And I say, “Hey, it’s not a wonderful kind of day.”

Søren Hough can be reached at [email protected].

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  • S

    SEBASTIANA DA SILVA PIRESSep 15, 2022 at 12:07 pm

    Man..I love this animaiton!

    Reply
  • M

    miles mMay 16, 2022 at 6:08 pm

    I love arthur its amazing

    Reply
  • E

    EthanMar 16, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    Man i like the new animation and the old one the old one is so good and the reboot i wish arthur would keep going with some new episodes

    Reply
  • H

    HeyFeb 22, 2022 at 2:29 pm

    Who else came here after seeing the game Arthur’s Nightmare?

    Reply
  • R

    RobertFeb 18, 2022 at 10:29 pm

    My kids call the episodes with the new animation “paper Arthur”, because it looks like paper dolls with limbs attached with brads. And the story writing has likewise gone downhill. The first three seasons were far and away the best. Joe Fallon is a genius, and is also responsible for Martha Speaks, Peep and the Big Wide World and Curious George, all excellent, well-written shows that capture the attention of adults as well as kids (I’m 65 years old and I enjoy all of these shows, even though the kids are all moved out.

    Reply
  • V

    VinnyNov 22, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    Hope its gr8

    Reply
  • T

    T. C.Jul 27, 2021 at 4:24 pm

    Late but I see this all the time so I have to say – @Tom did you even read the article? You do realize that something being aimed at kids doesn’t mean it’s inherently garbage that’s beneath criticism?

    If a show goes from generally treating its audience intelligently to constantly making dumb “hurrdurr she slipped on a banana peel” jokes, that’s usually an indication of a drop in quality. And kids’ shows are made by adults, so this is content that an adult had to have greenlit in order for it to be in the show.

    It’s just really lazy to respond to a well-thought-out piece of writing with “bhurr um acktshully you can’t say anything because you’re an adult, and I’ll dismiss your complaints as being blind nostalgia without making any kind of actual rebuttal”.

    Reply
  • A

    Antonio Davi Marques de SouzaMar 23, 2021 at 10:13 am

    I din’t wach the show and this comes an end, but there is nostalgic channel that makes it back in old days of the Arthur and this friends and still makes on his day on Youtube!

    Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCelJG1JV-pKYGOG3AM17Wvg

    Reply
  • C

    Carrie DanielsMar 11, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    this is for baby

    Reply
  • C

    ColeNov 27, 2020 at 7:03 pm

    This show is so awsome I hope it makes new episodes

    Reply
  • I

    IdaNov 25, 2020 at 11:57 pm

    Hi, I agree, but I recently watched the new Arthur Thanksgiving episode and I must say, they have improved the quality of the show. I actually enjoyed the cartoon and was funny.

    Reply
  • R

    RaphaNov 18, 2020 at 9:53 am

    man,they ruined the show she slipped on the banana peel and worst her animation!

    Reply
  • R

    RaphaNov 18, 2020 at 9:51 am

    it is good like butter!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  • R

    RaphaNov 18, 2020 at 9:48 am

    hi it’s me again i looked up the new animation so good!!!!!!!!!, besides what is the worse that could happen! its so good

    Reply
  • R

    RaphaNov 18, 2020 at 9:45 am

    well, l heard about the cartoon i’m new,know what I mean?, besides this cartoon is well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!its amazing 🙂

    Reply
  • K

    KirbyGuy11Oct 27, 2020 at 11:29 am

    This is from Arthur’s Nightmare, but I actually agree with the hand-drawn style being better.

    Reply
  • R

    RavioliRequeimSep 8, 2020 at 9:51 am

    I loved that show but now its bad (kid show revamp to bad 3D or 2D cases) just like Scooby-Doo,Teen Titans etc.

    Reply
  • G

    GottaGoFastAug 7, 2020 at 3:27 pm

    This animation is horrible and stupid!!!!

    Reply
  • M

    m0on luckJul 1, 2020 at 8:27 am

    Man how horrible!!!!!!!

    Reply
  • M

    m0on luckJul 1, 2020 at 8:21 am

    Man,the new animations it’s soo bad!!!it’s lazy they ruined the show!!!

    Reply
  • A

    AlexanderMay 7, 2020 at 10:19 am

    The new animation looks beyond awful it’s so lazy!!!! The caracteres movements are mediocre they look More like PUPPETS. The backgrounds look choppy and unfinished. Also D.W looks constantly off model. Same goes for Binky, Francine, Muffy and Buster. The animation on seasons 16 through 19 was so awful and mediocre at least season 20 improved a bit. This is not the show I used to watch

    Reply
  • A

    ArthurFan598May 7, 2020 at 9:23 am

    Man,the new animations it’s soo bad!!!it’s lazy they ruined the show!!!

    Reply
    • A

      ArthurFan598Apr 23, 2023 at 1:17 pm

      Man, the new animation is sooo bad!! it’s lazy! they ruined the show!!!!

      Reply
  • D

    DanielOct 3, 2019 at 4:37 pm

    I Just here because arthur’s nightmare

    Reply
  • D

    D.W HateAug 28, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    wait, i saw this from arthur’s nightmare!!! what the heck?!?!

    Reply
  • E

    EJ TaboadaJul 22, 2018 at 3:41 pm

    You know, and I don’t mean to sound pretentious, but you’re a fan of this show, right? Or used to be one. Change occurs. It always does. Sometimes there will be a few bad episodes. Remember Arthur’s Big Hit? That one sucked. If you’re going to let a few bad episodes and an animation change kill your love of this, then you might wanna move on. I didn’t stop liking The Loud House after No Such Luck aired, but that’s just me. Is there an episode in this era that you did like?

    PS: Your article is the prologue for a Arthur fanmade horror game. You might wanna check it out.

    Reply
  • A

    AnnieFeb 2, 2017 at 5:39 pm

    Was just talking about how Arthur’s animation sucks nowadays with a couple of coworkers and found this article to send to them. RIP, the classic Arthur wit/style/depth of our childhood. Everything you wrote here is on point.

    Reply
  • J

    Jasmine TJan 14, 2017 at 3:41 am

    Totally agree! I for one study animation and work with it in order to major in Animation and Character Illustration, and comparing the old episodes to the new, the animation has gotten cheaper and terrible. Like many shows recently, companies are using flash animation to finish the episodes at a faster rate because its being demanded much more than before. You have shows like Arthur, Teen Titans Go, Home (the Netflix series) and Turbo Fast, who all use Flash animation because its a newer concept but the animation itself looks broken, choppy, and seems to animate at a faster rate than older animated series. Now you did have older flash animated shows including Mucha Lucha, Blues Clues, and Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends that were very popular, but the animation was smooth, the lip sync on point most occasions, and the body movement perfected, silly, but perfected. Here we have flash animated shows that stiff the movement of the characters, the lip syncing doesn’t align and pronounce each word, and the color seems to be too bright and over the top, lets not forget the lines of the characters have gaps everywhere. Its sad that such high quality good animation has become a rushy mess, no hate towards the hard working animators, but the older animation concepts were better. Now many may disagree, saying “you’re just older now” and while that may be true, being older only lets you observe and see such a difference in quality, so truly your age doesn’t matter, its not getting upset over the show itself, but more over the animation change throughout the years, from hard working drawing and painting, to digital drawing, to flash animation. Its a disappointment to say the least.

    Reply
  • C

    ChrisOct 12, 2016 at 1:38 am

    The show actually started 1996 not 1994. Now Oasis Animation is doing Season 20. It’s still less Flash compared to 9 Story Entertainment.

    Reply
  • V

    VivAug 27, 2016 at 6:41 pm

    I absolutely agree. It’s like it doesn’t exist anymore. I miss the old animations. I didn’t mind in the past when I saw the animations changes, because they were subtle. Now it’s all over the place with this bad animation. I hope this isn’t the future of animation. I really don’t 🙁

    Reply
  • L

    LanaJul 31, 2016 at 10:54 am

    Great article! I always wondered why, after going to middle school, then high school, then university , I always remained a fan of Arthur ? I thought omg why am I so into a kids show? But your reasons now tell me exactly why I remained such a loyal fan to the show.

    The beautiful animation is 40% of it and I cannot believe they switched to the new style.

    Reply
  • D

    Diane NegronJul 11, 2016 at 12:34 am

    I really hope they go back to a more classic type of animation. The newer episodes feel so wrong.

    Reply
    • J

      JonathanAug 5, 2018 at 7:03 am

      “Arthur” had pretty solid animation when I used to watch it until halfway through Season 11. But the reason I gave up watching was because of excessive reruns, plus my increasing involvement in the computer and watching classic game shows, college, and now a full-time job. I probably would have continued watching if not for excessive reruns and my busy agenda.

      On an unrelated note, last year (2017) I developed a new hobby – I am developing an animated cartoon series which follows a similar format as the 1980-84 “Richie Rich” cartoon series. After I get enough episodes produced for my first season, I intend to upload them to YouTube or other video sharing sites.

      Reply
  • A

    AnnaMar 24, 2016 at 2:08 pm

    Arthur isn’t an “adolescent,” he’s an 8 year old child lol

    Reply
  • S

    Soren HoughJan 3, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    Hello Kim and Joe H,

    Thank you so much for your kinds words. Arthur clearly has a special place in a lot of people’s hearts. I’m glad my words held meaning for you both.

    Reply
  • J

    Joe HOct 14, 2014 at 8:26 pm

    Great article Soren. Arthur has always had a special place in my heart, with the positive message (I know the lyrics of the theme song by heart) and ‘educational’ content. Strangely enough, I didn’t discover Arthur until I was nearly 30 years old, when I was on the pediatrics service during my medical training. There will always be folks like [the commenter] Tom, don’t let it get you down. This has nothing to do with age.

    To this day Arthur is one of my favourite television shows. Of course I, and most of my friends, are not the usual plebian / philistine viewers that prefer (non-real, scripted) reality TV to an evening reading Dostoevsky, so unfortunately much of the change will go unrecognized by most adults. I actually rarely watch commercial television. The puppet-like flash animation is a real departure from the authentic art of the past. Perhaps the acquisition by DHX Media had something to do with it.

    The fact that you have such insight and can write so well about this change shows you likely have a bright future. Good luck!

    Reply
  • K

    KimSep 24, 2014 at 5:06 pm

    I thought I was the only one who felt that way. The show has really crumbled, and I am not a fan of the new animation.
    Great article!

    Reply
  • S

    Stefan RungeNov 16, 2013 at 8:00 pm

    I agree the new looking arthur stinks

    I like the old one better

    A bunch of my friends don’t even watch it anymore

    Stefano

    Reply
  • S

    Soren HoughNov 14, 2013 at 3:52 am

    Hi Tom! I see where you’re coming from, but I remain to this day an avid follower and fan of animation. Moreover, the classic episodes I listed I have revisited and remain as pertinent, well-written, well-animated and cutting edge as they were when they aired. Nostalgia and childhood are really beside the point; viewed objectively, the first 1-15 seasons of Arthur are of the highest quality, regardless of age. Season 16-17, not so much.

    Reply
  • T

    TomNov 11, 2013 at 12:36 pm

    Do you think maybe you’re just not a kid anymore? You’re an adult.

    Reply