 As popular as their cartoons were with 1960s audiences , they were disliked by artists . Television programs had lower budgets than theatrical animation , and this economic reality caused many animation studios to go out of business in the 1950s and 1960s , putting many people in the industry out of work . Hanna @-@ Barbera was key in the development of an animation technique known as limited animation , which allowed television animation to be more cost @-@ effective , but often reduced quality . Hanna and Barbera had first experimented with these techniques in the early days of Tom and Jerry . To reduce the cost of each episode , shows often focused more on character dialogue than detailed animation . The number of drawings for a seven @-@ minute cartoon decreased from 14 @,@ 000 to nearly 2 @,@ 000 , and the company implemented innovative techniques such as rapid background changes to improve viewing . Critics criticized the change from detailed animation to repetitive movements by two @-@ dimensional characters . Barbera once said that their choice was to adapt to the television budgets or change careers . The new style did not limit the success of their animated shows , enabling Hanna @-@ Barbera to stay in business , providing employment to many who would otherwise have been out of work . Limited animation paved the way for future animated series such as The Simpsons , SpongeBob SquarePants , and South Park . 
