Adults in Animation

K

Karen52

New member
Is it me or do adults don't get that much respect in animation? I know some animation was made for kids, but still I like to see a good adult in a cartoon/anime. One that's very important to the story and NOT a villain, and adult that acts like an adult and doesn't gets bashed for it. King of the Hill is a good example of this.

So, how are adults treated so far?
 
Well, if you think about it, many of the main characters in the old Warner Bros Cartoons---Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig---were often put in adult-like situations (like having a job, owning a house, etc.). Those cartoons were originally meant for kids and adults alike, BTW. The same is true with many other Golden-Age cartoon stars.
 
I'm a little confused... do you mean an adult that isn't portrayed as a brain-dead loon (like The Simpsons) or villain, but an actual, regular adult?

The first adult to pop into my head was Dave from Alvin and the Chipmunks. He pretty much acts like a regular adult, helps his adopted sons with their problems, grounds them when need be, does his taxes at the kitchen table, owns a home, tinkers with his car, etc. Doesn't do anything totally out there (any more out there than you would expect of the parent of chipmunk pop stars) that I know of.
 
There are cartoons tailored for kids and cartoons tailored for adults. When it comes to kids shows, the belief is that kids only want to see other kids and non-kid characters who are viewed as kids see them. The belief on kids' cartoons is that except for the occasional wacky parent or teacher, kids don't want to see adults unless they're super heroes, secret agents, crime fighters, adventurers or talking animals.

The only time you can really expect to see any "real" portrayal of adult characters is in a cartoon that's tailored specifically for adults, and even then, how realistic depends on what type of show that it is.
 
Hmm... I think I get your point. You should check out Chicken Run. That's a good example of a movie featuring adult-like characters in adult-like situations, with no bashing involved. Also, a lot of 80's cartoons (Johhny Quest and the Mysterious Cities of Gold, off the top of my head) featured relatively realistic adult characters.
 
Oh Chicken Run.. I love that movie.
I also know that in a lot of romance anime adults act like adults whether they are the main characters or parents or teachers or even older siblings. In super hero cartoons too. The heroes are usually adults and the people that surround them (especially ones unaware of their identities) act like normal adults.
 
That's one thing I liked about W.I.T.C.H.; adults have meaning and importance. They subvert that 'adults are useless' trope and portray them as actual characters. Susan Vandom, for one, is great, and they show her struggling as a single, divorced mother and trying to do what's best for her daughter's well being all the time.
 
I think it's really only in the last decade or so that kids cartoons have actually started to feature kids as main characters more often than adults. For instance, almost all golden age stars were adults, and so were most Hanna-Barbera characters, and most toy-based 80's characters.
 
Now, where do I start?

Well, it seems that in animation, adults are less important and respectable than before. For school settings, there are only less than three teachers and one principal. From what I recalled, Ouran High School Host Club had NO teachers whatsoever. It's like the students run the school(I'm not sure if Disney's Recess would count) and the adults(if there are any) are just in the sidlines.

Then, we have series(ANY form of media) where the fate of life itself rests in the hands of... children?! What kind of person would make children responsible for saving the world? On the same vein, why are some artifictal superpowered bio-weapons in the form of children/kids(majority and especially lolis)?! Some people must really have a child fetish.

I also hate when the children characters have little or no parents/guardians at all! They're either dead or missing. Having two TRUE full-fledge parents, Hell, a TRUE, FULL happy family is rare in Japanese fiction. Annother bit I hate is when an adult went through Hell to get to where he/she is now, yet he/she gets overshadowed by a child/kid who even show no true effort at all? So, experience means nothing?

Anothing is that adults tend to be useless, incopetent, insane, irresponsible idiots. Comedy Central's South Park is the worst offender, IMO.

I always thought the adults in Arthur were good. Mr. Nigen Ratburn knows where it's at, yet he can't operate a computer? When there not being idiots, the adults in King of the Hill are also good. Same goes for The Office, where EVERY character is an adult(considering where the setting is...)

And the new anime, Eden of the East, might give us hope for the adults. Hell, the main characters are adults(21 years of age).
 
Well, the most recent Monsters vs. Aliens features a female lead who's in her 20s, and is not an animal or other creature, sans her co-stars. I was actually glad that the main character wasn't an animal for once.
 
Not like Pixar done it with The Incredibles. Yes, there were kids, but Bob came first. Rattatouie sub counts, I think. Up will be the recent, as the lead character is old. Very old.

What about The Road to El Darado?
 
One of the things I like about The Secret Saturdays is that Drew and Doc are just as important to the over all show as Zak is. They are not overly protective parents but not idiotic parents ether. They actually feel more like real adults then most. It's one of the many good things about that show IMO.
 
[/SIZE]

I'd say that as long as the adult cast members are respectable, then the over glorification of kids can still be enjoyable.



I'd add Captain Flamango as another candidate. Adults were either controlling, overprotective or just ignorant. Teamo Supremo did it right, kids were glorified, but without the villification of adults.
 
Fairly Odd Parents is one show I actually do cringe at because of this. it's not even just adults with that show, it's anyone over 11. The worst part is the kids aren't even smart there, they just look smart in comaprison.
 
Back
Top