Paramount Is The Latest Studio To Butcher Its Animation Legacy, And You Should Be Infuriated

Deadline has reported that Paramount and Nickelodeon decided to cancel "Dora," the latest iteration of the "Dora the Explorer" franchise, and also "Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," the spinoff and sequel to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem." Though these may not be the most successful or popular versions of Dora and the Turtles, these are nevertheless two hugely influential and prosperous franchises in animation history. One is a Spanish speaking icon that has helped millions learn a second language, while the other is coming off a hit movie that is getting a sequel.

The news comes, unsurprisingly, as part of a studio-wide restructuring at Paramount that's the inevitable result of its merger with Skydance, which has already resulted in some truly vile things for American media — from caving to convicted felon Donald Trump in his "60 Minutes" lawsuit to the cancellation of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." and much more. 

As Deadline notes, Paramount is consolidating all its linear networks, including Nickelodeon, into a single TV Media division under the corporation. The company defended the dual cancellations by saying it's "actively exploring third-party licensing opportunities for both series," but the fourth season of "Dora" is still expected to air on Paramount+ and Nick Jr., the fate of the already-completed fifth season is unknown. Moreover, Paramount's TV Media division chief tried to excuse the decision by claiming they will "focus on a more curated slate" that leans on franchises. Are "Dora" and the" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" not franchises that have hit with audiences for decades?

This feels like just another excuse to butcher the animation library of a legacy studio, sadly part of an epidemic that's been plaguing Hollywood for the last few years.

We have seen time and time again how animation can keep the entire entertainment industry afloat. We saw this during the COVID-19 pandemic ,lockdown when animation was the only medium that could easily move to remote productions before any other, and live-action shows like "Black-ish" took to making segments or even entire episodes in animation. And yet, when studios want to cut costs, animation tends to be first on the chopping block.

This is not limited to Paramount, which is merely the latest offender. We saw it when Netflix disintegrated its animation department just a couple of years ago, or when Warner Bros. Discovery became the enemy of toons everywhere by canning completed movies and erasing its animation legacy from its streaming service.

Animation is a medium seemingly always on the brink of death, even as it continuously produces monumental hits. This year alone saw Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" become the biggest movie worldwide. "KPop Demon Hunters" defied the streaming jail and became the summer's greatest hit both in streaming and even at the box office, and the Oscar for Best Animated Feature went to a Latvian independent movie. Yet studios like Paramount continue to undervalue animation despite good track records and leaving franchises to gather dust.

Do we need yet another "SpongeBob" spinoff when we barely have one "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" TV show to keep new generations familiar with the franchise? According to clueless executives, we do, but it shouldn't be this way.