The 1990s saw a new era of American animation on screens big and small. Anime emerged from the shadows of cult status to become a mainstream fascination with English-speaking audiences. Nickelodeon made kids’ cartoons cool.
reinvented the sitcom. Throughout the decade, the Walt Disney Company reasserted its status as the indomitable king of the medium after many years in the critical and commercial wilderness following Uncle Walt’s death. The much-vaunted Disney Renaissance saw the studio create some of its finest hand-drawn works, largely inspired by classic fairy-tales and traditional musicals of the golden age.
As a new millennium approached, the company entered a new era, eager to keep the gravy train going while distancing themselves from the tropes that were becoming old hat. The Renaissance concluded with a sign of things to come, for better or worse, but it was a profane satire about eight-year-old kids that helped to hammer that first nail into the coffin. Disney’s was released on June 18, 1999, intended to be the company’s big Summer hit.
A fortnight later saw the release of , the first feature film based on the popular yet highly controversial animated comedy. Trey Parker and Matt Stone had been at the center of the culture war long before it was ever called that thanks to their endless willingness to piss off anyone and everyone for no other reason than it amused them to do so. The show had barely been on the air for two years when was released, but they�.