Editing Dexter's Laboratory (section)

=== Legacy ===
As affirmed by Giannalberto Bendazzi in ''Animation: A World History Volume III'', ''Dexter's Laboratory'', along with Craig McCracken's ''The Powerpuff Girls'', helped define the style of Cartoon Network, both for being works "in which lines and colour are predominant", and for underlining their graphic aspect through [[limited animation]].<ref name="Bendazzi" /> Television critic Robert Lloyd claimed that both artists were "at the forefront of a second wave of innovative, creator-driven television animation, whose first wave began in the 1990s with the likes of [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s ''[[Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures]]'' and [[John Kricfalusi]]'s ''[[The Ren & Stimpy Show]]''."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lloyd |first=Robert |date=February 2, 2020 |title=At Netflix, 'Powerpuff Girls' Creator Savors Freedom: 'We Can Do This Now?' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-02-02/powerpuff-girls-craig-mccracken-kid-cosmic-netfix |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905160842/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-02-02/powerpuff-girls-craig-mccracken-kid-cosmic-netfix |archive-date=September 5, 2021 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Tartakovsky reflected on this period in 2024, saying that he and his colleagues took full advantage of the freedom provided by the still-new Cartoon Network, but that the level of trust on young artists was "pretty much gone" 30 years later.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zahed |first=Ramin |date=June 19, 2024 |title=Genndy Tartakovsky Looks Back at the Magic of 'Dexter's Lab' and the Cartoon Boom of the '90s (Exclusive) |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/06/genndy-tartakovsky-looks-back-at-the-magic-of-dexters-lab-and-the-cartoon-boom-of-the-90s-exclusive/ |access-date=July 19, 2024 |website=Animation Magazine}}</ref>

The show has been credited for kick-starting the channel's ascent and launching Tartakovsky's career, which later gave way to ''Samurai Jack'' and ''[[Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 TV series)|Star Wars: Clone Wars]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blumenfeld |first=Zach |date=April 16, 2016 |title=How Dexter's Laboratory Kickstarted Cartoon Network's Ascent |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/how-dexters-laboratory-kickstarted-cartoon-networks-ascent/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929005420/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/how-dexters-laboratory-kickstarted-cartoon-networks-ascent/ |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=[[Den of Geek]]}}</ref> To this, ''[[Gizmodo]]'' contributor Beth Elderkin added: "Since then, he's become a staple in children's and adult animation, responsible for everything from the ''[[Hotel Transylvania]]'' series to the powerful (and ultra-violent) ''[[Primal (TV series)|Primal]]''."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elderkin |first=Beth |date=October 29, 2020 |title=Genndy Tartakovsky's Unicorn: Warriors Eternal Is Heading to HBO Max |url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/10/genndy-tartakovskys-unicorn-warriors-eternal-is-heading-to-hbo-max/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102195510/https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/10/genndy-tartakovskys-unicorn-warriors-eternal-is-heading-to-hbo-max/ |archive-date=November 2, 2020 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=[[Gizmodo]]}}</ref> ''[[New York (magazine)#Vulture|Vulture]]'' called the first pilot episode "a testament to Tartakovsky's talent and commitment as a filmmaker and a proof of concept for the ''What a Cartoon!'' anthology format."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Vilas-Boas |first1=Eric |last2=Meher |first2=John |date=October 5, 2020 |title=The 100 Most Influential Sequences in Animation History |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/most-influential-best-scenes-animation-history.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005205951/https://www.vulture.com/article/most-influential-best-scenes-animation-history.html |archive-date=October 5, 2020 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=[[Vulture.com|Vulture]]}}</ref> For a while, the show's simplistic look was adopted by other American cartoons; in a 2021 interview with ''[[Syfy Wire]]'', animator Butch Hartman said, "When I started making ''Fairly OddParents'', I took cues from what Genndy did in terms of simplifying the designs and using bold colors and simple shapes."<ref name="Motamayor" />

''Dexter's Laboratory'' has been subject to scholarly works that include a study on [[post-9/11]] America by Media International Australia<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stockwell |first=Steve |date=November 2004 |title=Dealing with World Domination: Lessons from ''The Powerpuff Girls'' and Friends |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1329878x0411300105 |journal=Media International Australia |publisher=[[Sage Publishing]] |volume=113 |issue=1 |pages=23–29 |doi=10.1177/1329878x0411300105 |via=[[Sagepub.com]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and a publication about how [[Mexicans|Mexican]] children react to references in the series by ''[[Comunicar]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Niños Mexicanos y Dibujos Animados Norteamericanos: Referencias Extranjeras en Series Animadas |trans-title=Mexican Children and American Cartoons: Foreign References in Animation |url=https://www.scipedia.com/public/Cornelio_2015a |url-status=live |publisher=Media Education Research Journal |issue=45 |pages=125–132 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707091439/https://www.scipedia.com/public/Cornelio_2015a |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |access-date=July 7, 2024 |via=Scipedia.com |journal=[[Comunicar]]|date=2015 |doi=10.3916/C45-2015-13 |last1=Cornelio-Marí |first1=Elia-Margarita |volume=23 |hdl=11573/852381 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>