Adult animation

Characteristics and themes

Animated films, television series, and web series in this medium could be considered adult for any number of reasons, which include the incorporation of dark humor, violence, adult humor, mature themes, shock value, toilet humour, nudity, sexual content (either explicit or suggestive), profanity, political themes, or other thematic elements inappropriate for children and/or younger viewers. Works may explore philosophical, political, satirical, or social issues.

Some animated productions are noted for their complex and/or experimental storytelling and animation techniques, the latter with many distinct styles have defined such unique artistry.

Definitions

Adult animation is typically defined as animation that is aimed at an adult audience. It is also described as something that "formative youths should stay far, far away from" or has adult humor and comes in various styles, but especially sitcoms and comedies. Some have stated that it refers to animations with "adult themes and situations", which uses "explicit language" and make jokes that adults, and often teens, are "more likely to understand" than others. On television, such animations often run in the evening, but they are not generally pornographic or obscene. AdWeek called adult animation "animated projects aimed at grown-ups, not kids." They also focus on issues that adults handle, and have cheeky, and occasionally crass, humor "that has no limits—bouncing between funny and offensive," while evoking a "balance of reality and fantasy". They may also contain violence or sexual themes.

Notes

References

References

1. Martinez, Sam. (March 5, 2024). "Adult animation: An ever-changing industry".
2. Motamayor, Rafael. (10 March 2020). "11 Adult Animation Shows We Can't Wait to See in 2020".
3. Vargas, Alani. (1 October 2018). "7 Animated TV Shows On Netflix That Adults Will Absolutely Love".
4. (10 January 2019). "The 17 best cartoons for adults".
5. Collider Staff. (21 April 2020). "The 25 Best Cartoons for Adults Streaming Right Now".
6. Fowler, Matt. (25 March 2019). "The 25 Best Adult Cartoon TV Series".
7. Krell, Jason. (8 April 2014). "Why Saying Animation Is Only For Kids Is Bullshit".
8. Laux, Cameron. (27 November 2019). "Is Japanese Anime Going Mainstream?".
9. Baron, Reuben. (23 December 2019). "Adult Animation Is Better Than Ever - So Why Does It Draw Ridicule?".
10. Barrett, Duncan. (2 November 2020). "Animation nation: how Covid fuelled the rise of adult cartoons".
11. Sarto, Dan. (19 March 2020). "What Future Lies in Store for Non-Comedy Adult Animation?".
12. Silliman, Brian. (2 November 2019). "SYFY drawing in more animation with a midnight-ish block of adult genre fun".
13. Sanderson, Katherine. (30 June 2020). "The Future of Adult Animation (With and Without Comedy)".
14. Mokry, Natalie. (15 July 2017). "A Brief History of Cartoons for Adults".
15. Kunkel III, Earl Monroe. (2009). "Why ARE people laughing at rape? American adult animation and Adult Swim: Aqua Teen Hunger Force as contemporary humour". [[Lehigh University]].
16. Mak, Phillip. (10 July 2020). "Why is everybody talking about adult animation?".
17. Sutton, Kelsey. (12 April 2020). "How Adult Animation Became the Hottest Genre for Streaming Services".
18. (12 March 2020). "Advertising Embraces Adult Animation's Existential Turn".
19. Habib, Ayesha. (20 May 2020). "Why Adult Animation Shows Like Netflix's Midnight Gospel Are the Perfect Form of Escapism Right Now".
20. Heckleton. (27 October 2017). "The Double-Edged Stigma Faced By Western Animation".