The Difference Between Child and Adult Cartoons

[bigducky]

So I'm writing this paper for school (if any of you are familiar with the words "international baccalaureate" you'll know this is the evil 4,000 word essay of doom) and I have decided to focus on cartoons, particularly on the differences between adult and children's cartoons.
I am having trouble formulating a really strong thesis, however, and I am just wondering about your opinion.

There are some things that are really obvious. For example, content. The content is totally different between the two, but I know they won't like something that obvious. This program is all about having an interesting idea and being able to back it up. No one cares if you are right or not.
I was just thinking about plot progression maybe. Or character design. What do you think?

 

[Gokou Ruri]

I've noticed children's shows can actually have a plot and developing characters, while adult cartoons tend to just be episodic comedies. One would usually assume the opposite.

 

[rattis1]

There is one thing one must always keep in mind when discussing this issue, which serves to make the whole issue a whole lot more confusing, and that is that many, many, many "childrens cartoons" are actually intended just as much for adults as they are for children. A network may choose to air and promote a show as childrens programing, while they people who actually MAKE the show arent interested in making something with a child audience in mind, and so instead they mostly just try to make a good show. One that they have to keep clean enough from things such as swearing and sex, sure, but still not something they make with a "would i child be able to comprehend this?"-way of thinking. The extreme examples of this is shows like Ren and Stimpy and Batman: TAS, but also a lot of less obvious examples still contains a lot of material that nobody could ever expect a child to fully appreciate. Animaniacs, Spongebob, The Powerpuff Girls, ect, often contain jokes about everything from 70's rock music to prison rape.

 

[Lavenderpaw]

Kid shows are for kids, adult shows are for adults.

And the rare ones in between, my favorites, are for everyone.

Spongebob for one.

 

[Goldstar!]

Kid shows are for kids, adult shows are for adults.

And the rare ones in between, my favorites, are for everyone.

I think the point that rattis1 was making is since that all cartoons are made by adults, that even the shows that are allegedly tailored for kids can contain some jokes or allusions that will undoubtedly go over the heads of children. Rocko's Modern Life was allegedly a kids' cartoon (and it was), but it was filled with little innuendos and double meanings that kids watching wouldn't get until they're older.

Watch this and you'll see what I mean.

 

[rattis1]

Exactly. Rocko's Modern Life is an excellent example of a kids cartoon meant for adults. And as i said, there are a lot of those. In fact, that's largely the reason why a forum like this can have so many teenage-and-up members; we dont only watch and discuss officially adult cartoons (or nostalgic cartoons from our own childhood), we watch and discuss present-day "kids" cartoons as well. And the reason we do that is because we enjoy them, and the reason we enjoy them is because they have qualities that makes them entertaining even to adult minds (maybe intelligent humor, powerfull drama, engaging action, ect). So to simply label them "just for kids" would be wrong.

 

[J!!!]

Adult Cartoons have "suggestive jokes" and kid shows for the most part don't.

And kid cartoons most of the time can have overarching plots but..adult cartoons are standalone.

 

[creativerealms]

Cartoons that target adults tend to be more immature and dare I say childish then cartoons for kids.

 

[Anthonynotes]

I have noticed that "kids' shows"---even comedies---can have ongoing plots (or subplots), some sense of continuity, etc. Whereas adult cartoons (like the Simpsons) seem stuck in their sitcom roots, and thus can only be episodic (with a rather aggressive attempt at showing how they don't have any continuity/ongoing plots--- "it's wacky! We're just a TV show! Only nerds care about contin-who-ity!"). Rather ironic (or just saying a lot about television) that 10-year-olds watching "kids' shows" are expected to have a stronger sense of attention-span than adults like me watching something like Fox's Sunday lineup...

 

[DarthGonzo]

I think it has more to do with kids having more time on their hands and a greater willingness to watch something from beginning to end and follow longer, intricate plots. Adults are more likely to just watch a show every once in a while or whenever they happen to remember to catch an episode. Thats definitely true of everyone I know who is my age. Shows with intricate storylines spanning an entire season or series won't work when watched this way.

There's a reason why Spongebob became a cultural phenomenon and not, say, Avatar.

 

[Atomius]

This is one of the reasons i almost always prefer a kids cartoon to an adults cartoon. Adult cartoons like South Park, Family Guy etc are all great and well written etc etc but they don't take themselves seriously, and i'm the sort who likes things not taken too seriously, so that's saying something. Whereas in Avatar or Kim Possible or what not you have a proper continuity, and that's why i don't take adult animation as seriously as kids cartoons which i respect more on the whole. Adult cartoons are fine for a laugh but i class them with say The Chaser's War on Everything or Seinfeld.

 

[rattis1]

That's one reason why i think the earlier seasons of The Simpsons stands so far above most other adult cartoons: because much like many of the best kids cartoons (and indeed, many of the best works of fiction in any media), although it was first and foremost a comedy, it wasn't afraid to get emotional when it fitted. Unlike a show like Family guy where you laugh at the characters but hardly ever sympathise with them, in the earlier seasons of The Simpsons you actually felt for the characters, for instance when they were sad. Like, just think about the episode where Bleeding Gums Murphy died, or the one where Flanders new store failed and so he and his family was about to lose their home.

*sigh* Why cant more adult cartoons be like that? A good mix of laughter and emotion often makes for the very best, most engaging, most memorable entertainment.

 

[Mistah K88]

Well a lot of adult cartoons now are just "adult" because they could get away with stuff because they can (like cursing).
A lot of kids shows (comedies) in the 90's had a bunch of sexual innuendos that kids my age wouldn't get until we got older...heck...even the "Krusty Krab" is in "Bikini Bottom".

Now that I think of it, "The Critic" was an adult show, but Ibelieve the only thing that kinda made it "adult was less restrictions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoTJuSaW8dg <I don't think we'd get something like that in a children's show, but although obvious, I think stuff like that would still slip over a kid's head with them only knowing that Madonna was cursing.

 

[Atomius]

That's one reason why i think the earlier seasons of The Simpsons stands so far above most other adult cartoons: because much like many of the best kids cartoons (and indeed, many of the best works of fiction in any media), although it was first and foremost a comedy, it wasn't afraid to get emotional when it fitted. Unlike a show like Family guy where you laugh at the characters but hardly ever sympathise with them, in the earlier seasons of The Simpsons you actually felt for the characters, for instance when they were sad. Like, just think about the episode where Bleeding Gums Murphy died, or the one where Flanders new store failed and so he and his family was about to lose their home.

*sigh* Why cant more adult cartoons be like that? A good mix of laughter and emotion often makes for the very best, most engaging, most memorable entertainment.

Indeed. One of the reasons imo the earlier Simpsons seasons are better than the newer ones. Shame that those cartoons unlimited by restrictions always take advantage of this to become Family Guy type cartoons

 

[Antiyonder]

There's a reason why Spongebob became a cultural phenomenon and not, say, Avatar.

Like many shows though, it's execution that makes or brakes the show rather that the idea (continuity in Avatar's case). For example:

1. The Spectacular Spider-Man which was more continuity heavy than other shows on the KidsWB, and was the top viewed show before the switchover to the CW4Kids.

2. Heck, I hear that Wolverine & The X-Men and Iron Man Armored Avenger does well on Nicktoons Network.

It's like comic book continuity. If a story is written and executed well, then it can be accessible from anyone like the hardcore fan to the new viewer who just tuned in.

Cartoons that target adults tend to be more immature and dare I say childish then cartoons for kids.

That's pretty much why I prefer the kid cartoons. I mean at least with them, they don't claim to be mature, and the ones that do (Gargoyles, DCAU, W.I.T.C.H. Avatar and TSSM) actually back it up (and they don't even feel the need to prove they are mature).