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CastletonSnob

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ShadOBabe
ShadOBabe

Probably because in the West the common populace has not gotten over the concept of the “animation age ghetto”, aka the idea that animation is for children. They'll accept a raunchy comedy via th

CypherHoof
CypherHoof

So more like anime then?

cuteycindyhoney
cuteycindyhoney

I loved the anime. I flat out refuse to ever watch the American live action.

ShadOBabe

ShadOBabe

Probably because in the West the common populace has not gotten over the concept of the “animation age ghetto”, aka the idea that animation is for children.

They'll accept a raunchy comedy via the medium of animation because animation does lend itself to over the top visual gags. But good luck trying to get your average non-nerd Western viewer to accept an animated drama and take it seriously.

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Latecomer

Latecomer

Because shows like Sopranos and the Wire trade on gritty realism - abstraction weakens that. And what benefit would the cartoon format offer them anyway? A comedy can at least do physically impossible or dangerous gags.

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SharpWit

SharpWit

3 hours ago, CypherHoof said:

US seems to have a talent for taking the few that DO exist and making crappy live-action movies out of them (the last airbender and ghost in the shell spring rapidly to mind)

The Last Airbender was made in the Us and has plenty of comedy mixed in with the action and drama also.

I think it's because cartoons are where things beyond reality can happen. It's a medium to let ones imagination run wild, which is why elements of sci-fi and fantasy are so common throughout. Cartoons are amazing for expressions as well, some that feel universally understood despite it being impossible for a human face to do the same. Where cartoons fail in more serious tones is the subtleties. If someone says something inappropriate or is cause for anger, or does an action to cause someone pain that they're doing everything not to show despite it clearly hurting, something like a little wince does a lot to tip us off as to how someone in real life is feeling, which live action can capture. To capture something like that in a cartoon is difficult because the movement of facial features is too obvious with what's normally a flat background. This is the case even in 3D animation. Now I'd love to see more cartoons that take on serious tones, but there are visual roadblocks to get over.

This is just a guess on my part, but maybe part of the reason why there are so many comedic cartoons is because that's what the majority of animators are into. As serious as they take their jobs, perhaps it's not uncommon that they have more silly personalities?

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SharpWit

SharpWit

2 hours ago, CypherHoof said:

Sure, but the live action movie remake was an abomination.

Oh without a doubt :laugh:

I tried to give it a watch but the universe deemed me unworthy of such a punishment by making the disk unreadable.

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CypherHoof

CypherHoof

6 minutes ago, SharpWit said:

Oh without a doubt :laugh:

I tried to give it a watch but the universe deemed me unworthy of such a punishment by making the disk unreadable.

You need to do something nice for the universe then - it spent significant karma giving you that gift :)

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Prospekt

Prospekt

Comedy is what sells in the west, simple as that. The Simpsons paved the way for King of the Hill, Futurama, and Seth McFarlane's work. Along with some zany, edgy stuff like South Park and Robot Chicken. There's some even weirder stuff that experiments with being downright surreal and internationally low quality, but that stuff is confined to the wee hours of the morning on Adult Swim. What sells is mostly the formulaic animated sitcom, with a good amount of satire.

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joanro

joanro

Honestly think it's because it is hard to take an animated cartoon seriously.

P.S. I guess I am in the minority. I actually enjoyed the live action adaption of Ghost in the Shell. I think they nailed the aesthetic of the show. It just looks so cool in my opinion. I know the film is not nearly as deep or philosophical as the anime, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.

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cuteycindyhoney

cuteycindyhoney

(edited)
2 hours ago, joanro said:

I actually enjoyed the live action adaption of Ghost in the Shell. I think they nailed the aesthetic of the show.

Yes, but that's it. From the reviews I read, they took what it LOOKED LIKE and wrote a nonsense story using the characters. It has little or nothing to do with the original work. It's like they wrote a fan-fic using pictures of the characters, without ever watching the anime or reading the manga. That's why I won't watch it. On a lesser note, that's pretty much same reason I refuse to ever watch the Kim Possible live action.

Edited by cuteycindyhoney
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joanro

joanro

(edited)
26 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

Yes, but that's it. From the reviews I read, they took what it LOOKED LIKE and wrote a nonsense story using the characters. It has little or nothing to do with the original work. It's like they wrote a fan-fic using pictures of the characters, without ever watching the anime or reading the manga. That's why I won't watch it. On a lesser note, that's pretty much same reason I refuse to ever watch the Kim Possible live action.

I don’t usually go off of reviews. I would much rather watch the film myself and make my own judgement. Also, some of the scenes were ripped right out of the anime(The anime film and the TV series S.A.C.), so they were in fact familiar with some of the source material. To each their own though, I guess.

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SharpWit

SharpWit

5 hours ago, CypherHoof said:

You need to do something nice for the universe then - it spent significant karma giving you that gift :)

Well you see, I got really lucky by being born at and remaining a permanent resident of the center of the universe, so I'm exempt from that sort of thing :mlp_icwudt:

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Prospekt

Prospekt

10 minutes ago, Fluttershutter said:

They're just profitable and there's not a huge market for adult animation in the west.

This looks really good. Gendy Tarttakovsky really knows good, simple animation:

 

Yeah... Genndy Tartakovsky excels at animation that isn't just pure comedy. I'm really hoping that Primal, with its darker atmosphere, will do well. And I'm really liking how much the animation style borrows from his 2003 Star Wars Clone Wars series. That show was criminally underrated and far more mature than its better-known successor.

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The Historian

The Historian

Western audiences don't expect it out of animated material. Popular comedies aside, most people still think of cartoons as being "for kids." Obviously, this isn't strictly true but it's a common perception. If I want animated drama, I just watch anime. Tends to have better narrative flow.

There are also a host of cultural reasons for this divide as well.

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Lulaypp

Lulaypp

I think it kinda just simply sells? It is what is popular?

My theory is that this carries from 'family' cartoons. Those few popular shows that contain adult comedies and jokes like Teen Titans Go, Spongebob (at least from what I have heard), and several others were/are watched by adults and this makes show creators think maybe that is what people want. And so they make more of those shows (this time probably geared towards adults). This also probably goes to animation quality. I am not sure about this as I don't think there is an adult comedy cartoon that I have watched, but there is a possibility that when the genre is comedy, less emphasis can be placed on the animation (I am not sure about this point so correct me if I got this wrong) thus, lower budget, less money used.

Granted there are a plenty of adult cartoons that are not comedy, like Young Justice and the DC Animated Original Movies Universe, I really think that there should be more non-comedy concentrated cartoons, be it for adults, kids or family. Winnie the Pooh for example, is for kids and I think can be enjoyable for older audiences but isn't a comedy (comedic/funny moments doesn't necesarily makes something a comedy). And there are also kids and older audienced cartoons that have comedy as one of it's high points but also have something bigger to make the story enjoyable, better and not just funny, like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Teen Titans (not 'Go!'), Boboiboy and Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu.

Creators should take the freedom and flexibility of animation to make, for example action cartoon, where something that is otherwise imposible or difficult to do in live-action can be done.

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Samurai Equine

Samurai Equine

Why are most adult cartoons comedies? I think the bigger question to ask is... Why is there a lack of people willing to take risks?

 

There was once an "adult" cartoon known as King of the Hill. That cartoon was brilliant.
I live in Texas. If anyone ever asks what life in Texas is like (because there are probably people who still think Texas is nothing but cowboys, native americans, and badlands), I gladly point them to this cartoon. Even if it's a little dated, it still accurately paints a picture. And you know what? I have no doubt that Mike Judge pitched the show to the network executives as a "comedy". Oh sure, it has some humor that come from natural, true-to-life scenarios. However, the show is actually slice-of-life, not just comedy. Mike probably pulled the wool over the eyes of the network executives just to get the green light, but you know what? It paid off.

We need the same. We need more people willing to take a chance. People who will pitch their show idea as an adult "comedy", but is actually more focused on telling a good action show, something gritty and serious, or just something different than what everyone is use to. The catch, of course, is that the show has to been REALLY great. It should have -some- small amount of comedy, just so the pitch wasn't a lie. But it needs to really be a hit, a big success with the fans and anyone willing to buy merch. Otherwise, studios will be less likely to approve these shows in the future.

However, I am guessing there is a lack of people doing this for 2 big reasons...

When you pitch a show idea to a studio, chances are that company will ask for exclusive ownership rights. Even if it's your idea, even if you decide to leave that specific studio someday, they'll own the rights to it and they'll ultimately decide what happens to it. It's a catch-22 that many creative people in showbiz have to face, especially for cartoons. You want to use their staff and their creative resources to bring your vision to life? You gotta give them some kind of ownership rights. (That's one of the biggest reasons why there are so many adult comedies. Creators don't want to easily give away their best ideas, so they pitch lesser ideas that are easier to make just so they can build up their experiences and their portfolios.)

I love how people are mentioning Genndy's upcoming show Primal, because that's the second reason. Studio's don't just give you the reigns to do whatever you want off the bat. You need to earn their trust. If it's your first time pitching a show idea, they might like it, but expect to have a lot of chefs in the kitchen telling you what changes to make and so on. This is why you never pitch your personal magnum opus the first chance you get. You have to show the studio's that your shows are a hit with the targeted audiences, either consecutively or the majority of the time. People like Genndy have earn their prestige. He's responcible for Dexter's Lab, Samurai Jack, Symbionic Titan, and more. With so many great titles under his belt, it's no wonder he has been given the green light to make Primal. But that also explains why adult cartoons rarely aim for different genres in the west. Studios would rather play it safe, and it can be a while before you earn a studio's trust.

Yeah, I know, a big read. But this is pretty much everything I've learned from listening to directors and creators of TV shows, movies, etc. and why their vision doesn't always come to life the way they wanted.

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Number62

Number62

(edited)

If this is true, South Park's huge success meant that other adult cartoons coming along were also to be comedies as well since South Park was a proven success. I'll admit that I haven't watched much adult swim, so I don't know if there were a number of adult cartoons (sans anime) that weren't cartoons.

There may be more chances for adult dramas on streaming platforms right now, or at least adult cartoons that aren't comedies. Neftlix has Castlevania and will be releasing Love, Death, and Robots and a Magic: The Gathering cartoon. There's also Young Justice: Outsiders on DC Universe right now, and it's getting a fourth season. DC Universe also has a Harley Quinn cartoon, but that's more of a comedy than a drama. And I bet there a number of other ongoing animated dramas that I'm unaware of.

Edited by Number62
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