1998-2004 American Animation Was Great Then Mysteriously Stopped Meme

1998-2004 American animation really had something going on then just stoped for some reason

This multi-panel meme features text at the top paired with three stills from popular, critically acclaimed American 2D animated films released between 1998 and 2004. The top text claims that American animation output in this time period had unique creative quality, then declined abruptly for an unclear reason. The top large still is a scene from 2002's Treasure Planet, showing main character Jim Hawkins and John Silver on the railing of a space sailing ship against a starry purple sky. The bottom left still is a scene from 1998's The Prince of Egypt, showing a hooded figure overlooking a large Egyptian construction site with monuments and laborers. The bottom right still is a scene from 2001's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, showing characters Helga Sinclair and Kida looking angry. The meme expresses nostalgia for the bold, experimental 2D animated theatrical features released by major American studios in this era, before the industry largely shifted to 3D CGI animation and more formulaic family film content.

This meme originates from Reddit, as specified in the provided source information, where it was originally posted with the title "What's the reason?". It is a common type of nostalgia meme shared in online animation, film, and pop culture communities, referencing the widely discussed shift away from theatrical 2D animated feature production by major American studios after the early 2000s.