Has streaming been better for adult animation than kids' animation?

[Moe]

201 was banned by CC out of fear for their lives.

Super Best Friends was only banned years after the fact during the Danish protests when Trey & Matt had to remind CC that they already produced an episode featuring the Muslim prophet.

Both of which are very special cases that I wasn’t really trying to go for in this discussion.

Ok, I just want to say that was very unusual for Comedy Central to get involved in this matter for safety reason.

I mean, things have definitely laxxed down for televised broadcasts.

It wasn’t til about a decade ago when Adult Swim could start throwing around S bombs more.

But even leaving some words unbleeped doesn’t completely stop whatever else they have to deal with when going through Standards.

Even with something more vain like FOX. A large portion of modern Family Guy episodes, as tame as they could be, would be deemed downright unairable just in the early revival seasons.

I have yet to see any specific or unique protocol when it comes to what you can and can’t do on streaming. I saw some laughable stuff from S&P back in the day but rarely any current hiccups from Max or wherever else. Maybe creators just aren’t as vocal about that anymore.

Ok, I got it now.

and yeah, if Family Guy premieres in 1984, we would see widespread outcry on media and very heavy attack from National Federation for Decency (before rename to American Family Association) and end up cancel after first episode aired.

 

[harry580]

and yeah, if Family Guy premieres in 1984, we would see widespread outcry on media and very heavy attack from National Federation for Decency (before rename to American Family Association) and end up cancel after first episode aired.

um?, as in this cartoon?:

 

[Moe]

um?, as in this cartoon?:
-snip-

No, that's not Family Guy, even not close. It is prime time cartoon shows similar to The Flintstones.

 

[harry580]

No, that's not Family Guy, even not close. It is prime time cartoon shows similar to The Flintstones.

but, I giving you a example of what family guy was like before the actual family guy

 

[Moe]

but, I giving you a example of what family guy was like before the actual family guy

Ok, probably no violence and family friendly jokes.

 

[Ace]

In comparison to kids animation.... yes. Partially because kids watch YouTube, TikTok and spend their time in other apps. Also because they don't have to deal with a lot of decency standards they do on cable TV.

but I think that first thing kind of spells trouble for streaming going forward with getting a brand new audience. Everyone's noticed the trend or kind of a new meta of appealing to nostalgia by aging up old nostalgic properties and bringing back older adult properties. It shows there's a generational gap with who is watching these shows.

 

[harry580]

In comparison to kids animation.... yes. Partially because kids watch YouTube, TikTok and spend their time in other apps. Also because they don't have to deal with a lot of decency standards they do on cable TV.

but, what about the whole Elsagate controversy?

 

[Antiyonder]

Incidentally, can we really be sure that the problem is kids being uninterested in animated shows when it could just be the continuing problem of networks just having to high of expectations?

 

[The Overlord]

Kind of an update to this thread, but with Hazbin Hotel coming to Amazon Prime, I have to ask besides that new Batman show, are any new kids cartoons coming to Amazon Prime?

Also, it seems like most of the new animated Netflix shows shown off recently were aimed at adults rather than children.

 

[SweetShop209]

Kind of an update to this thread, but with Hazbin Hotel coming to Amazon Prime, I have to ask besides that new Batman show, are any new kids cartoons coming to Amazon Prime?

Also, it seems like most of the new animated Netflix shows shown off recently were aimed at adults rather than children.

There is Angry Birds: Mystery Island coming later this year. Hello Kitty: Super Style has also been out since December. As for Netflix, they seem to be leaning more into preschool kids shows over non-preschool kids shows. I mean, their last non-preschool kids show that wasn't based on an established property is in 2021 with Kid Cosmic and Maya And The Three. They've since had at least three original preschool kids shows since then (Action Pack, Deepa And Anoop, and Dew Drop Diaries).

 

[The Overlord]

There is Angry Birds: Mystery Island coming later this year. Hello Kitty: Super Style has also been out since December. As for Netflix, they seem to be leaning more into preschool kids shows over non-preschool kids shows. I mean, their last non-preschool kids show that wasn't based on an established property is in 2021 with Kid Cosmic and Maya And The Three. They've since had at least three original preschool kids shows since then (Action Pack, Deepa And Anoop, and Dew Drop Diaries).

So it seems like the range of animation at Netflix is preschoolers and then adults, with not much in between. It feels like the last kids show that got traction on Netflix is Sonic Prime. I am guessing Netflix has given up trying to challenge Disney as the king of kids entertainment and is focusing on marketing to babies or people in their 20s or 30s.

Also I will admit I have not heard of those kids shows on Amazon Prime, perhaps I am out of the loop on what kids watch. But it seems like their adult shows get more attention than their kids shows.

 

[SweetShop209]

So it seems like the range of animation at Netflix is preschoolers and then adults, with not much in between. It feels like the last kids show that got traction on Netflix is Sonic Prime. I am guessing Netflix has given up trying to challenge Disney as the king of kids entertainment and is focusing on marketing to babies or people in their 20s or 30s.

Also I will admit I have not heard of those kids shows on Amazon Prime, perhaps I am out of the loop on what kids watch. But it seems like their adult shows get more attention than their kids shows.

For the Amazon kids shows, you can blame lack of good marketing. For Hello Kitty Super Style, the show's December 7 premiere was announced on November 15, which is fine, but clips and trailers only started coming out two days before then. Do, Re, And Mi got good advertising in 2021, but after that, it got basically nothing. Even something like Lego Monkie Kid, which wasn't designed as an Amazon show from the start, got this treatment when it came out in America, with its debut on September 9, 2021 being announced that same week. I fully expect Angry Birds: Mystery Island, their first non-preschool kids show in 4 years, to get similar marketing.

 

[Corwin Haught]

There is Angry Birds: Mystery Island coming later this year. Hello Kitty: Super Style has also been out since December. As for Netflix, they seem to be leaning more into preschool kids shows over non-preschool kids shows. I mean, their last non-preschool kids show that wasn't based on an established property is in 2021 with Kid Cosmic and Maya And The Three. They've since had at least three original preschool kids shows since then (Action Pack, Deepa And Anoop, and Dew Drop Diaries).

You forgot Oni: Thunder God's Tale.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I'd say so, given that I've seen more media attention to the likes of Castlevania: Nocturne and Invincible than those aimed at younger audiences.

 

[PicardMan]

Topsy turvey world we live in right now. Never would I ever expect that adult cartoons would supplant kids cartoons. Still, to the older generations, cartoons are still for kids unless it's an adult comedy and only a very small contingent of people over 40 would dare to touch Castlevania. The main factor is that Z might be the very last generation of cartoon fans if Alphas have no gateway cartoons without blood and boobs. There are kids cartoons that exist like Transformers Earthspark and Tiny Toons Looniversity, but are these cartoons enough to keep the fanbase alive in 20 years? What will the future of Western animation be in 20 years? For now a lot of these adult cartoons like Invincible and Arcane have been true artistic achievements, but will animation continue this pace of innovation? I still think that cartoons without graphic violence, swearing, and sex can do well. Batman: The Animated Series had very little blood and no swearing and it is still adored by adults and kids alike. Can we have the next Batman: The Animated Series in 2020s, or do cartoons need edgy stuff to be respected?

 

[Leviathan]

Not really. Adult cartoons are getting cancelled off of streaming left and right.\

One way in which streaming is letting adult animation down is the lack of advertising. Who knew that Pantheon existed before it was cancelled? Who knows that Fired on Mars and Scavengers Reigh exist?

Adult cartoons are at a massive disadvantage if they're not based on a pre-existing IP (like Arcane or Invincible or Castlevania).

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Adult cartoons are at a massive disadvantage if they're not based on a pre-existing IP (like Arcane, Invincible or Castlevania).

Or if they're animated sitcoms like Bojack Horseman, Big Mouth, F is for Family etc. as those shows lasted over two seasons.

 

[Leviathan]

Or if they're animated sitcoms like Bojack Horseman, Big Mouth, F is for Family etc. as those shows lasted over two seasons.

Those were back during Netflix' salad days when they were actually spending money on animation.

Tuca and Bertie did not fare so well.

 

[PicardMan]

We are at a point where not even a standard adult comedy cartoon is a guaranteed success as Agent Elvis got the ax. Now a comedy cartoon based on a licensed property like Harley Quinn is definitely a success. In fact, it seems like Harley Quinn is the only Max cartoon that has gotten even remotely close to mainstream success.

One thing I am thinking about is to what extent were the 2023 slate of Nextlix's adult action cartoons, with three of them being based on licensed properties (Skull Isand, Captain Laserhawk, Scott Pilgrim) being based on licensed properties and the other being a samurai cartoon (Blue Eye Samurai) as samurai cartoons tend to do well, a success. The first two I mentioned didn't chart at all in the US and the other two barely lasted a week before getting booted off. Blue Eye Samurai did make it two weeks on the worldwide chart. Arcane is often trumpeted as a big success story and it charted about as well as Blue Eye Samurai. The big issue with Netflix is the one season every four years model that makes shows fade into oblivion quick, as Arcane has already faded as a forgotten memory in pop culture. The one season every three or four years model may work with live action like Stranger Things, but ridiculously long waits between seasons haven't been good for animation on streaming. Blue Eyes Samurai has hope of a second season renewal, but we'll probably get season 2 in 2026 at the earliest and season 1 has arguably already been forgotten just a little over a month after it first streamed. Nefflix action cartoons (aside from Castlevania) are like fireworks that are shine bright, but then flicker and fade quickly. Castlevania had the benefit of having a season break of two years maximum rather than the standard 3-5 year break.

 

[The Overlord]

Not really. Adult cartoons are getting cancelled off of streaming left and right.\

One way in which streaming is letting adult animation down is the lack of advertising. Who knew that Pantheon existed before it was cancelled? Who knows that Fired on Mars and Scavengers Reigh exist?

Adult cartoons are at a massive disadvantage if they're not based on a pre-existing IP (like Arcane or Invincible or Castlevania).

Except you wouldn't have seen something like Arcane, Invincible, or Castlevania in the 90s or 2000s, it's hard to say that adult animation is somehow in a worse position now than it was in the 90s or 2000s when we are finally seeing stuff produced that is not Simpsons, Family Guy or South Park clones.

As I said you are seeing a far bigger diversity of adult animation now, than in the past. I will say there is a big decline in animation for kids though, Amazon Prime only seems to make animation for adults, nothing for kids.