Character or animation?

Looking at Practial animation for television I have notest a common style in the characters, Particularly in new age animation.

All of there shapes are simple and bold, normally with a thick outline. But what is the reason for this? Is it simple to animate with and cheaper for production? Designed to be simplistic for smaller screens and audiences understanding? or a style choice like pop art that has became popular on places like cartoon net work?
At first i thoght it would have been simpler for animation becose of the switch from tradishonal to digital would make drawing solid shapes quichly and cheeply, How ever UPAs animation styled much like this was longe befor the digital animation era.

UPA insperation was from Illistrators of that time in the 1950's

here is a list of there Insperations (listed in Cartoon modern by amid amidi) to see there relevence to modern animation.

Stuart Davis

Ronald Searle

Ben Shahn

Robert Osborn

Martin and Alice Provensen

Raoul Dufy

Virgil "vip" Partch

 Saul Steinberg

From looking at theses Illistrashters you can see the clear isperation it had added to UPAs animation makeing it more of an animated art pice than a simple animation for televeshion.

(I have a link to an argument about this in a news paper artical....On my other P.c will add and find later)

 But agein Moder animation dose look similar or inspiyerd by UPAs first styal of limited animation. By only adding what is nececery. It also says in modern Cartoon by amid amidy,In the 1950s animation didnt only looked difrent they where seen difrently. Animation befor the 1950s was made purly to be seen in the cinima. Now with televishions becomeing more popular and common in the family house hold, animtion started to be simplare to agust to the smaller screen size as well as apeling to a family audiance. There was a large increce in animation for advetising it was said that 1 in ever 4 where animated. with this a lot of animation commponys opend and flureshed as this became the golden age for animetion.
This shows that theses simple shapes are for practicality and efectiveness for home televishion.

(next on to evelotion of a chracter)