movies/tv Have we really moved past the "Animation is for kids" stigma?

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

I was reading a topic on Gamespot about why Insomniac's Overstrike became FUSE. Apparently, The style was changed because the game looked too cartoony, and Insomniac wanted to target an older audience with it. They said even 12 year olds complained about the art style. 

 

This brings me to the topic, Do we still believe in the Animation Age Ghetto? The fact that 12 year old are complaining about anything resembling a cartoon means we as a medium haven't moved past this childish stereotyping. In this day and age, there is no excuse. We have Fox, continuing to be a big player in Prime-time animation. We have Adult Swim, an entire nighttime network built upon mature cartoons. We have Seinen anime like Black Lagoon, Darker Than Black, Ghost in the Shell, etc. and we have the internet, home to all sorts of mature geared web series. The fact that these exist, and people still pigeon hole animation as a video baby-sitter for 7 year olds is sad to be honest.

Edited January 17, 2015 by TheMisterManGuy

[MechanicalDoom 300]

I don't think society has gotten over that fact. No one who I know really understands why I like MLP and other cartoons at school. I'm seen as childish. I think people's minds are sort of adjusted to cartoons being exclusively for children and are therefore incapable of thinking otherwise.

[Brony Number 42 10,093]

I think 12 year olds are going through that phase where they want to act mature, so they reject anything that makes them seem like little kids. When people get older they sometimes (not always) realize that it is ok to like "childish" things.

[Shanks 10,817]

Yes and no, we have come a long way with adult oriented cartoons like The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy ect becoming common place when they were almost unheard of 20 or so years ago. And there is an increasingly strong comic book/animation/"nerd" culture that is increasingly embracing teens and even adults getting into cartoons. But there is this bizarre double standard where it is okay for grown women to be into "boys" shows but not grown men to be into "girls" shows which is one of the main reasons there is so much hate toward the brony fandom and you have some occasional examples of certain kinds of "kiddy" looking animation being looked down upon. A good example of this is the uproar over Zelda Windwaker when it was first announced and even I will admit that while I didn't freak out nearly as much as some others did I pre judged the game based on the rather "kiddy" looking graphics.

[Eloquence 2,076]

I think things are getting better, but the big hurdle of today is getting past the false notion that animation can't be "serious". There's no stigma against adults watching cartoons as long as they're too crude and inappropriate for children to watch them, but people often don't believe that animation can deliver a serious, gripping narrative, and the more childish and colorful the appearance, the less "gritty" it is, the more people don't believe it has anything of value to say. *huffs*

[TenorSounds 832]

People still have an inclination to write off cartoons as being for kids, but some of the animation I see coming out nowadays (Korra, Clarence, Adventure Time, etc) is making me think that people are starting to realize cartoons can be enjoyed by all ages and can explore themes that people might consider "too mature" for kids. I mean did anyone see the new episode of Steven Universe, "Alone Together"? Those are some heavy themes they're throwing around.

 

So I guess I'd say that commercially we still see a lot of "oh this won't sell, it's too cartoony" but that the public is coming around to the idea that cartoons are not just for kids.

[TubeSock2018 325]

I don't think society has gotten over that fact. No one who I know really understands why I like MLP and other cartoons at school. I'm seen as childish.

MLP is a special case. Whereas cartoons like Adventure Time receive articles suggesting adults watch the show (LAWeekly published one, for example), when MLP gets media attention, it highlights how odd the fandom is, even when the segment is supposed to be positive.

For some strange reason, it's ok for men and women to watch a cartoon intended for boys and girls...when it's a show traditionally intended for boys.

But a show traditionally intended for girls? Then suddenly it's like "whoa, stop the presses, this is something new".

MLP carries a stigma that, at first, appears to be centered around the age of the viewer. Clearly, it's a bit more.

Edited January 17, 2015 by pollo20x6

[AlbaTross 1,586]

Japan obviously hasn't had the same stigma attached to animation as we have in NA where the only animation accepted by the masses as not for kids was comedy based series that are largely parody based such as The Simpsons or Family Guy. I don't think animation is out of the woods yet, but things have changed lately. Shows like The Legend of Korra supposedly pulled in a lot of viewers, and of course we're all here because of an animated show about talking anthropomorphic horses. Sure, FiM was initially meant for kids, but the fact that it managed to appeal to people outside its target demographic at least suggests that there is a market for animation, even if it isn't necessarily talked about in mainstream circles.

 

It wasn't that long ago that I thought animation was a dying art in the West, and while kid's cartoons have always existed, CG seemed to be creeping in slowly but surely, and some classic animated children's shows were brought back as new CG shows. If you want nightmare fuel for a week, check out CG Babar. It's quite frightening. I don't hate CG when it's done well, and I think it does have its place, but movie wise, CG pretty much replaced animation entirely up until recently, which sucks IMHO as I don't think CG is so much better than animation that the latter shouldn't exist anymore.

 

I will say that as someone who went to see Rainbow Rocks in theatre, that clearly isn't the case anymore. Say what you want about the EQG films, but I was intrigued by the very idea of a Western produced animated feature hitting theatres. Of course, animated features aren't very common, but that's better than them being dead IMHO, and I'm happy to be a part of a fanbase that had its hand in bringing animation to the big screen once again.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Tross

[Sanctified Absence 126]

None of us are perfect, whether morally, knowledgeably or rationally, it's not really surprising that certain "imperfections," when it comes to one of these three end up becoming widespread. I'm not entirely sure what has forced this mental condition in the first place, perhaps it is the way in which cartoons are a near-perfect medium for a child's entertainment? Either way it's just another irrational human opinion, only this one is more widespread than a few individuals.

[Gernia 692]

I do not believe we have fully gotten over that idea. More mature animations such as The Simpsons and South Park aren't exactly looked that way because I feel people know that those are geared towards older audiences. Ones that are aimed at younger audiences do generally have that kind of stigma, and I do not believe it will go away completely. I feel there will always be some that see the "kiddie" stuff as inferior or not necessary for older age groups no matter what. I remember being at my friend's house years ago and flipping through the channels and stopped briefly at Nickelodeon while it was airing Spongebob. His mother came by and said "Seriously, Spongebob?". That instance doesn't bother me a lot, but it is something I reflect on occasionally because of how some feel about older people watching kids' cartoons.

[King Sejong 859]

It is a very individual evolution, some of us still watch animation, whether it is for children or adults, coincidentally, both children's and adult's animation have pandering and felonious story telling, such as Caillou or Uncle Pickles. All media, live action and animation have a yin-yang existence, for every good show there is a bad show, unfortunately, people rather watch reality TV, which is just actors portraying an cartoon parallel universe, that we fall for the illusion and believe it is real, so instead of having variety in their lives, people will continue to watch an unhealthy diet of Toddlers and Tiaras or Dancing with the Stars. No one in my life will ever tell me, that animation is for children only, and adult cartoons are for crass under-dwellers, my mother tried to keep me from watching animation, because she didn't want me to appear immature, however my father let me watch cartoons, so I am grateful, I have a happy and balanced lifestyle that I am happy with, not my mother or society, that is immature in ways not related to watching animation, this stigma will persist, until we get older, for as we age we regress, the feelings of nostalgia pang at me all the time, I watch My Little Pony, PAW Patrol, Futurama and Adventure Time, society can think whatever it thinks of me, but it will fail to deter my liberty to watch and enjoy what makes me happy, so if you still enjoy animation, do not despair nor falter, the stigma will loose its grip, and we can cherish the tenderness of what dreams may come.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Emperor Peter

[sweetolebob18 728]

IMO, the whole thing goes back to Disney.  The movie Fantasia was the only adult cartoon Walt Disney ever made & it got shredded.  Critics dissed it, it BOMBED at the box office (in an era when that was almost impossible) & even some of the song writers sued.  Of every movie Disney ever made, it came closest to losing money (would have, too, if hippies hadn't taken it up in the 60s).  From this, he learned that animation is for children.  (Kind of like Mark Twain's comment about the cat that sat on a hot stove lid & never sat on a cold one either)

 

For decades, Disney was just about the only studio doing animation & it just stuck w the public

[Tao 8,995]

I think its more of adults watching cartoons is not bad but

which area of cartoons they might watch.  18 year olds to 24 in

the male should be staying up late and watching Adult Swim

and etc,  not liking MLP and Adventure time due to its supposed

to be the "norm" of what every thinks or ones like Family Guy

and etc.

 

Anime is a gray zone I think but you get animes just for kids

and one made more for adults,  but than you get the labels of "guy" and

"girl" animes and which is aimed at which.  Seesh my fav anime is DBZ!

 

So to those we need to stay in labels and safe zones to fit into a norm:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1gysM76eLc

[VitalSpark 1,830]

 Yes and no, we have come a long way with adult oriented cartoons like The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy ect becoming common place when they were almost unheard of 20 or so years ago.

 

Oh, cartoons for adults go back much further than 20 years. Just the examples you gave... The Simpsons started over 25 years ago. And South Park is almost 20 years old now too. But there are examples further back than that.

 

Yellow Submarine came out in 1968. Monty Python's Flying Circus started in 1969 and included animated segments.  Fritz the Cat came out in 1972 and was commercially successful, but definitely not for kids. Wait Till Your Father Gets Home (also 1972) was a cartoon sitcom for adults, and in some ways a predecessor for shows like Family Guy and American Dad. And don't forget Ren and Stimpy and Beavis and Butthead which were enjoyed by adults, but more aimed at teens and older children.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Vital Spark