Why do we watch animated shows aimed for children?

A

albino_moogle

New member
Hey guys, question here. Because of a writing/speech project I'm working on right now, I want to ask this question: Why do the majority of us teenagers and adults are watching shows they aren't obviously aimed for us?

Or, in lame mans terms, why are some of us are watching shows like "Pokemon", "Ben 10", "Transformers", or anything like that doesn't really have adult appeal in them? And I'm not talking about shows that have mass appeal in them (like the Nicktoons, Disney Afternoon, TMNT and the like), just the shows that don't even consider us.

Sure, there's the thought that we just find the shows enjoyable and watch them, and there's the possibility that we were once children and wanted more of certain shows we watched, but are there any other reasons (OTHER than nostalgic goggles)? I would like to know.

So, willing to ask why?
 
If you like animation, and a children's cartoon is good, you'll watch it. It shouldn't matter who its aimed at if you like it.

And of course some cartoons have humor that goes over a kid's head for the parents, unless you mean cartoons that made solely for kids excluding those jokes.
 
Beyond the obvious "This series was designed for adults", I think the best answer is that as Animation matured it begun to appeal to a wider range of audiences. The theme, complexity and robust story lines make for good competition compared to adult orientated (live action) programming.

In many cases, I think a lot of the recent series produced are almost too complex for the networks target audience IMHO. It's certainly not complex to the point that younger audiences can't enjoy it, but I think many series takes an older audience to truly appreciate it.

It may also be true to say that media in general has matured substantially in recent years. As a result, younger audiences are bombarded by these more complex themes at an earlier age allowing their tastes to mature at a much faster rate then in previous generations.

Another good reason is because we're starting to see a lot of series return from our childhoods. The remakes are simply much better then the versions of our childhood. What I actually find extremely funny is Toys-R-Us and Walmart currently look very similar with their toy lineups to what they did back when I was growing up. There's literally every major franchise I grew up with: G.I. Joe, Transformers, Power Rangers (surprisingly), Star Trek, X-Men and DC. Many of these series give serious nods to the older generations.

A final reason may simply that a series caters much better to an older audience then it's intended to. Certainly, we've seen that happen many times. When it does, networks don't seem to pickup on that fact as they are only focused on younger audiences. Many series in recent history have been canceled for exactly that reason.
 
- the carefree days of childhood is brought out in the minds of adults when they see a cartoon
- people grow and mature, but maybe what they find enjoyable doesn't dramatically change

I'm just throwing ideas out there, good luck with your project.
 
Because I like animation and just because I can drink now doesn't mean I have to stop watching it.

Anime is obviously not a children-only market, so I don't need to do much explaining there. Disney and Pixar make films that are not limited to children (do kinds understand the Shakespeare underlying the Lion King?). So adults are free to enjoy animated things.
 
Because despite the target demographic teenagers and adults can still find them entertaining. It doesn't even have to be a show you've grown up with.
Hell they're some people that watch kiddy shows.
 
The thing is, there really isn't such thing as adult appeal in my opinion. For one reason or another, someone may prefer that kind of humor but something completely different could just as easily appeal to an adult. It is all in the eye of the beholder. Some people "grow out" of watching younger cartoons. Personally, I can't think of one good reason why I would stop when I still get a ton of joy and entertainment out of them.
 
I think it's more like they're trying to prove their maturity and they think that dropping kid toons will make them mature. Which incidentally some of us can still enjoy kid cartoons. We aren't trying to base our programming choices on what appeal to the masses, but to ourselves.
 
Well, I don't watch any of those shows, but I do catch the occasional episode of Spongebob Squarepants and I do watch just about any video game oriented cartoon. Actually that's how I got turned on to Spongebob; I had to review the Battle for Bikini Bottom video game and marveled at the absurdity of it all. I have a soft spot for goofy humor and what really got me rolling was Gary (which, in case you don't watch the show, is Spongebob's pet snail who meows.) At some point I realized I had no choice but to tune into an episode just so I could figure out what was going on.

I still haven't. (Figured out what's going on, that is.)
 
I like stuff that entertains me. Animated stuff (especially superhero/action-adventure based shows like BTAS, Gargoyles, Avatar, One Piece etc) tends to do that.
 
If you're making a distinction between Pokemon and Spongebob, with the former being really just for kids and maybe kind of fun to laugh at for adults and the latter being made for everyone even though it's sold primarily to kids, I can say I do not watch Pokemon and I still watch Spongebob.
 
simple, because they enteratin us...and humans by nature are childish creatures despite are age...In fact one could argue "Adult" shows are alot more immature then kids shows for the most part.

but yea, a shows rating is irrelivent, it doesn't matter if its G or R, TVY7 or TVMA, if the show is entertaining and has a good cast of characters and intersting story, thats all that matters.:D
 
I generally prefer plots that can be resolved in 20 minutes or less, and with a few notable exceptions, I'm not really a fan of "adult" humor. Drama bores me for the most part.
 
Because I am an overgrown manchild :p

In all seriousness, its because sometimes I'd rather have a simple, lighter show when I don't feel too good about current events or because I wouldn't want to overanalyze every show I watch. I still watch Pokemon partly because I like seeing adaptations in animated form and partly because I know what to expect so I can just enjoy the show instead of attempting to create conclusions based on some vague hints or a character's actions.
 
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