I've noticed that very few cartoon fans seem to care about the lack of subtext, irony, thematic depth, or philosophical engagement in cartoons. Is this why cartoons are struggling to produce a work of artistic merit? An analogy might be the television serial, which had no merit until Twin Peaks (and no serious engagement from the elites until The Sopranos). When is animation going to have its Twin Peaks moment? Note that comic books have arguably achieved this milestone already, though comic book readers seem content to wallow in mediocre storytelling.