Yopu know what amazed me about cartoons back in the day? That they sometimes even took the time to teach things a thing or two. Would you ever see a new age cartoon try this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li5nMsXg1Lk
And they actually made it entertaining. There are many more examples of this of course. This just shows they actually thought children could think.
Oh yes, Pinky and the Brain taught things every once in a while. Moreso, Animaniacs and Hysteria! were known for their combinations of slapstick comedy and constant education. There was even an episode of Animaniacs centering on Lincoln's Gettysburg Address! If there's anything we can
objectively claim is missing from contemporary cartoons, it's this penchant for intelligence and education. In my opinion, that's one of the forms of really good cartoons.
We can't look at classic Tom and Jerry and just praise the use of violence, either. It's more than cartoon violence that gives that show a good reputation; it's also the society themes therein. Tom would dress in a dapper zoot suit and swagger off to meet some coy girl cat with a Marilyn Monroe aura about her. There's a kind of awareness there that just isn't bothered with today.
Tom and Jerry isn't even at the top of the good classic list, anyway. Compared to such series as Flintstones and Scooby Doo and the like, it
was fairly repetitive and unoriginal. All of these filled a niche, though. Each cartoon was unlike the others, though they may have all made generous use of slapstick, incongruence, puns, set-ups, etc. Today it's much more a cramming of fast and easy yuks into ridiculous (and ridiculously bright/wacky) environments. I'll admit, there is some thought and process to a few cartoons, but nothing like the
wit and worldliness found in the most classic of all cartoons- the Looney Tunes.
(Incidentally, I was always annoyed at how much Tom lost to Jerry. Even as a child, I recognized how ridiculous that was, and always was disappointed with the awful ways Jerry miraculously beat Tom with. >_>; )
