Adult Animation

When people think of animation, they usually think of children. However, many cartoons and drawings are exclusively designed for grown-ups. Adult animation is any animation that is designed for mature entertainment. There are a number of reasons that the program, art or movie is considered adult animation. Some reasons are far more obvious than others.

When the makers of South Park originally released the program, many people were up in arms by its content. The argument against the program was that it was appealing to young people but the content was way too mature for children. The makers of South Park found themselves in the position of explaining the difference between children's cartoons and adult animation.

The mature subject matter in programs like South Park is one of the primary reasons that a show of this type is considered adult animation. Humor that appeals to a mature audience may not be suitable for younger people. Adult humor can easily be offensive and confusing to a child and even though shows like South Park and Family Guy may appear to be appealing to children, they are really inappropriate.

Aside from mature humor, graphic violence may make an animated program fall under the classification of adult animation. Violence is prevalent in many shows of this genre. Of course, a grown-up understands that the program is created by artists, but many children do not really grasp this notion. Graphic violence can be traumatic for young children.

Adult language and swearing is also common in many of the adult animation programs. Even though cable television beeps out the offensive language, the gist of swearing is apparent. Adult animation may also have suggestive images and nudity in some cases.

Some may wonder why on earth developers of racy programs like these would create the characters and settings in an animated style that would normally appeal to children. This approach is part of the humor. Adult animation is ironic in that the characters and events revolve around an immature format. However, the programs are normally aired after most children are fast asleep.

It is important to remember that adult animation is only harmful to children if the children are exposed to them. Parental supervision is crucial with such programs at the tips of our remote controls. It is important that parents know what their children are watching especially when the program airs after nine o'clock at night. This is common sense.