Adult animation
Adult animation, also known as mature animation, and infrequently as adult-oriented animation, is any type of animated motion work that is catered specifically to adult interests and is mainly targeted and marketed towards adults and adolescents, as opposed to children or all-ages audiences.
Characteristics and themes
Animated works in this medium could be considered adult for any number of reasons, which include the incorporation of nudity, explicit or suggestive sexual content, graphic violence, profanity, dark comedy, or other thematic elements inappropriate for children, and/or any young viewers. Works in this genre may explore philosophical, political, or social issues. Some productions are noted for their complex and/or experimental storytelling and animation techniques. This includes animated films, television series, and web series.
Adult animation is typically defined as animation that skews toward adults.[1][2][3][4] It is also described as something that "formative youths should stay far, far away from"[5] or has adult humor[6][7] and comes in various styles,[8][9][10][11] but especially sitcoms and comedies.[12] Some have stated that it refers to animations with "adult themes and situations", which uses "explicit language" and make jokes that adults, and occasionally teens, are "more likely to understand" than others.[13] On television, such animations often run in the evening, but they are not generally pornographic or obscene.[14][15] AdWeek called adult animation "animated projects aimed at grown-ups, not kids."[16] They also focus on issues that adults handle,[17] 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.[18][19]
See also
- Adult animation in countries
- List of highest-grossing adult animated films
- Modern animation in the United States
- List of adult animated television series
- List of adult animated web series
- List of adult animated feature films
- Independent animation
- Animation in the United States in the television era
- Cartoon violence
References
- Motamayor, Rafael (10 March 2020). "11 Adult Animation Shows We Can't Wait to See in 2020". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Vargas, Alani (1 October 2018). "7 Animated TV Shows On Netflix That Adults Will Absolutely Love". Bustle. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Jaworski, Michelle; Riese, Monica; Weber, Sarah (10 January 2019). "The 17 best cartoons for adults". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Collider Staff (21 April 2020). "The 25 Best Cartoons for Adults Streaming Right Now". Collider. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Fowler, Matt (25 March 2019). "The 25 Best Adult Cartoon TV Series". IGN. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Krell, Jason (8 April 2014). "Why Saying Animation Is Only For Kids Is Bullshit". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Laux, Cameron (27 November 2019). "Is Japanese Anime Going Mainstream?". BBC. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Baron, Reuben (23 December 2019). "Adult Animation Is Better Than Ever - So Why Does It Draw Ridicule?". CBR. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Barrett, Duncan (2 November 2020). "Animation nation: how Covid fuelled the rise of adult cartoons". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Sarto, Dan (19 March 2020). "What Future Lies in Store for Non-Comedy Adult Animation?". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Silliman, Brian (2 November 2019). "SYFY drawing in more animation with a midnight-ish block of adult genre fun". SYFY. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Sanderson, Katherine (30 June 2020). "The Future of Adult Animation (With and Without Comedy)". Animation Ave. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Mokry, Natalie (15 July 2017). "A Brief History of Cartoons for Adults". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Kunkel III, Earl Monroe (2009). Why ARE people laughing at rape? American adult animation and Adult Swim: Aqua Teen Hunger Force as contemporary humour (Masters). Lehigh University. pp. 5–6, 9. ProQuest 304916287. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Mak, Phillip (10 July 2020). "Why is everybody talking about adult animation?". Toon Boom Animation. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Sutton, Kelsey (12 April 2020). "How Adult Animation Became the Hottest Genre for Streaming Services". AdWeek. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- "Advertising Embraces Adult Animation's Existential Turn". LBB Online. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Habib, Ayesha (20 May 2020). "Why Adult Animation Shows Like Netflix's Midnight Gospel Are the Perfect Form of Escapism Right Now". Nuvo Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- Heckleton, Jeff (27 October 2017). "The Double-Edged Stigma Faced By Western Animation". The Artifice. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
External links
- Media related to Adult animation at Wikimedia Commons
- The Brief History of Adult Animation on The A.V. Club