Cartoons can't stay in production forever. Most shows from the Disney Afternoon were out of production before Pepper Ann, Recess, Disney's poorly-done Doug were even on the drawing board; airing on the Disney Afteroon long after their creators emptied their inkwells.
(largely thanks to Disney policy that limited animated shows to 56 episodes)
The addition of shows based off of Disney films (Aladdin, 101 Dalmations) took the place of most of the TDA's early favorites (Talespin, DuckTales, Darkwing) in the block's later years.
The Disney Afternoon and its shows had a good run, though. 9 years. There has not been anything much like it since, I guess it just didn't make money for the networks.

Now I love the old Disney Afternoon shows, and I love the old pre-Disney ABC saturday morning lineup (Bump in the Night, ReBoot) and I was sad to see them removed from the air. But the shows that replaced them deserve to be judged on their own merit. I liked Recess, I liked Pepper-Ann. Disney's Doug was a huge dissapointment (after the Nicktoon had been a favorite of mine). I tried to watch those shows with an open mind, and found myself enyoying some of them in spite of the shows that were lost in their wake.
But what goes around comes around. Pepper Ann, Doug, and even Recess vanished in the wake of Kim Possible, reruns of Disney Channel live action garb, etc. It's a life cycle.

Similarly, I wasn't happy to see Animaniacs, Earthworm Jim, Freakazoid, Histeria!, etc. leave KidsWB only to be replaced by Pokemon, Cardcaptors, Yu-Gi-Oh, Batman Begins, and Detention.
I gave all those a chance, and I liked some of them (like the Zeta Project, or more recently, Xiolin Showdown), hated others. I miss the old shows, but they can't last forever, and the new shows aren't at fault for the change (as much as I'd love to blame anime).

Or in other words, blame Michael Eisner, not his lackeys (or their work)...

I don't blame shows for leaving, I was never upset for Animaniacs or Tale Spin, Reboot, etc. They all had a very good run and had enough time to do what they wanted to do. But alot of those good shows were cut down in their prime.

Freakazoid and Earthworm Jim for examples were very adultish, modern day toons that were never really given the chance to shine for very long. Darkwing Duck pisses me off the most because it was doing well, they even had a 4th season planned for the show a very BIG 4th season.

That's what upsets me, that show had enough potential and popularity to go on longer. And it's not so much as me being upset the toons got cancelled, but more or less WHY they got cancelled. Freakazoid was too early (Family Guy styled) type comedy to be understood by kids, and I understand that.

But most of those Disney Afternoon shows were canned simply because disney was going in a "new direction" with Eisener and Recess and etc. The shows were not that great if you ask me, particuarly Recess. But it's more or less on the reasons why they got canned that bothers me.

What makes a good cartoon is one that can apply to everyone, and this mostly lies in the dialouge and script work. Kim Possible, Foster's, and even Ying Yang Yoi have fresh, original, and downright crazy dialouge that works on a much more adult level. I especially saw this in Kim Possible.

The way Ron Stoppable spoke like a true teen, using slangs for everything, even slangs that didn't exist. Or Dr. Drakken, who in and of himself is a brilliant cartoon villain, he had some AMAZING lines. I remember there was a Christmas episode and he was getting off track during one of his bad guy speeches..

Drakken: "Soon the world will be mine and all the money, and riches, and those who flangers and who trumplets and"

Shego: "Doctor D, you've stopped using real words"

Darkwing Duck was out of production long before Recess and Pepper Ann were in production. The last new episode of Darkwing Duck aired in late 1992, Pepper Ann and Recess debuted in late 1997.
If anything replaced Darkwing Duck production in Disney's studios, it'd be Goof Troop, Bonkers, and/or Aladdin; which all were released within 3 years of the last DD.

Now, the Mighty Ducks may have died in favor of Recess, Doug, and Pepper Ann and that is unfortunate. But it isn't unprecedented and certainly isn't the fault of those who created the new shows.
Networks move in new directions all the time. It's just TV business.

Now, I thought Recess was applicable to most folks(even to me), Recess is something that most American kids have experienced. Reminded me of all the fun I had with my friends on the elementary school playground with all sorts of silly, quirky, and exaggerated things thrown in.
There was made up slang in Recess as well... For what that's worth.

I kinda like Totally Spies; on CN I watch only Foster's. There's only 1 anime I watch, but only if I have the time: Shaman King. I think it's a cool and funny show, and it's not all about fighting like Dragonball and other garbage.

Try telling that to Fox and Matt Groening. 8D

I'll just post my favourite shows as I see the discussion is getting more specific. I absolutely adore cartoons and my favourites are Courage TCD, Ed, Edd and Eddie, Grim and Mandy (though I've seen a few of those), PPG and Simpsons I guess but the old ones.

Darkwing Duck was still being planned to release more stuff, every where I've looked a 4th season is constantly referred to and even episode titles and plans for certain characters to return. Plus the ending of one of the episodes in the 3rd season clearly sets it up.

Just because businesses go in "new directions" that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be one everyone likes. Pepper Ann and those shows were of an entirely different breed of cartoon then the likes of Bonkers, Goof Troop, and the others. Which is one of the reasons I dislike Eisner.

Neither Darkwing nor any of those afternoon shows had any bad ratings, Darkwing wouldn't have been preparing a 4th season if the ratings said they were bad. Disney's toons are nothing like they used to be, everyone knows that cartoons of today don't match up as good as the toons from back then.

And by today I am referring to "majority" of new toons.

Actually, I can't stand KND's animation (the enormous, balloonish hands and feet and impossibly skinny limbs, I think), but I'm just weird.

kageri is rite.

Not saying you have to like the shows that replaced your old favorites; I'm just saying that disliking them simply because they replaced an old favorite is silly. Let them stand on their own merits.

Disliking the folks who made the decision to kill the Disney Afternoon (etc.) I can understand. Of course, Eisner was also in charge back when the Disney Afternoon was born.

Today's cartoons vs. yesteryear's cartoons is rarely an objective debate. There's folks who don't undertand why we like that old 1990's junk. There's folks who'll say that cartoons have gone downhill since production of Silly Symphonies stopped. There's folks who have no idea how you can watch anything not drawn in Japan.
Not "everyone knows" that cartoons of today can't compare to cartoons of the past.
I've found that most folks (regardless of age) seem to believe that the "golden age" of cartoons occured during the era in which they grew up. Makes sense...