I discussed this a bit in a different thread talking about pretty much the same thing, but more in regards to the larger differences between Western & Japanese animation, so I'm gonna probably copy-paste bits of it. In that respect, the western audience thought up the term "anime" as a way of categorize it due to how different it approaches its narrative, through the use of different techniques, like less implementation of musical orchestra, and larger emphasis on natural audio visuals, also partly due to the obvious cultural references -- which is why "as far I can gather" explains how most anime fans don't appreciate dubs as it usually involves not just 'translation' in dialogue but also in the underlying subjects being discussed to something a westerner would comprehend. I'd bring up the stuff I talked about from the previous thread, regarding to an article from a well-informed nerd in my country (analysis between western & eastern) but that would take things a bit off-topic, so I'll just say this -- I think it's wrong to ignore the anime medium, because while they are not generally geared towards children given that they are at best; Uncompromising, bold & violent, but in a similar fashion to Miyazaki, while they don't always have credible characters, they do employ colorful worlds drowned in social and or future realism, discussing humanist philosophy like Bebop's exploration of human ties and how we relate to ourselves and others, how the past always affects you in some way and piles up as an invincible bag forever tied to your shoulders. "You're gonna carry that weight".
Going back to moral lessons in animation in general -- I think it's safe to say there are plenty of things to be gained from modern animation, especially in some of Pixar's flicks like Toy Story or Finding Nemo, whereas it doesn't necessarily have to retort to flat-out tell you "What you've just learned and why doing this and that is a bad thing". It's all drenched in subtlety behind the surface, partly because children of the 90's are different from children of the 21st century. Cartoons in general have split into sub-groups now.
It is true, however, that hand-drawn cartoons tends to remain quite conservative and playing chaotic violence for laughs.
Although, I'd argue that even among these flicks, there are the occasional worthwhile ones to fine --like say Ed, Edd & Eddy. One of the major premises of that cartoon has always been the alpha-male leader, Eddy, manipulating the other Eds to follow through with his suspect plans of scamming the other kids for money. At the end of the show, it is revealed that his brother was a source of abuse that molded Eddy into the person he pretends to be -- Inside he's actually a vulnerable kid, desperately looking for the acceptance of others. It's a fascinating twist even though considering that there's always been hints that Eddy's disposition towards everyone around him most have come from somewhere.
Batman: The Animated Series, while not being neccesarily new, it did however bring with it a lot of complexity to its character roster -- In villains like Mr. Freeze for instance it brought tragedy and sympathy to even the criminals, which functions as a moral lesson of how 'Good & Evil' is a flawed concept because everyone has a different moral compass that varies from society to society. He committs crimes because he sees as the only way for him to gain the resources needed to save his wife from a terrible disease, no one else are there to help him. And it's not a tragedy in which Batman simply can solve for him in the end, because like in the world, sometimes life will just **** on you and things don't always work out in the end.
The Last Airbender showcased that sometimes the heroes won't always win, and the characters whom we perceive as the bad guy (Zuko & his Uncle) might not be as 'evil' as we thought -- It takes a bold approach of shifting its focus between 'the supposed good guys' and the 'supposed bad guys' and thus drawing the conclusion that in the end. They are all human with their own desires and goals to reach. Instead of campy feel-good environmentalism, Avatar employs the traditional tropes 'hero having to save the day' artfully, mixing a mysticism inspired by Eastern spirituality with the fluid fight choreography of Asian wire-fu cinema. The resulting dynamic allows for gripping action sequences, while telling meaningful stories in a fantasy world that stays grounded in its own logic. The so-called obligatory parts of Bananas in Pajamas or what have you “And the moral of the story is…” moments are occasionally present, but tied in to the characters’ ongoing development in a way that feels earned rather than forced. The traditional slapstick gags, done with Hanna Barbera-inspired sound effects, are played for more than simple giggles, but more on the ground of deriving the attention away from the overly dramatic a bit -- bringing a character back down to earth when they become too serious or self-centered.
It's a bold move, I'd say, but while I was discussing the different things eastern animators do from the westerners in the other thread, I also pinpointed things I believe western animation can learn from Japanese animation or at the very least, I believe a western audience can take a lot of things with from anime. The term "foreign film" have basically become a misnomer for 'International films', because we've opened up to the thousand of stories out there and moved away from old prejudices that prevented us from seeing how different cultures perceive the world through storytelling -- I like to think Avatar is closer to that reality, and Batman The Animated Series had something going for it too.
Retour en haut
At least with airbender and LoK, I'd say they found the appropriate spots to throw that in. Batman: TAS did this a wee bit, too. Headed by the same people who did animaniacs, after all XD 
