Modern cartoons get a really bad rep. Not just post-90’s cartoons either; any era of animation is subject to this. People tend to hold a subjective fondness towards the era they grew up in; if you were a kid in the 80’s, you probably hate 90’s cartoons. If you were a kid in the 90’s, you probably hate 2000’s cartoons. And chances are, the kids who are growing up now will learn to hate 2010’s cartoons. Now, these assumptions are not completely invalid. Televised animation hasn’t been in its most pristine state over the past decade or so, with “hit” shows being fewer and farther in between. Despite this, there are diamonds to be found.
And so, to prove that the last decade hasn’t been completely void of animated creativity, I am starting up this new section that I have dubbed “Cartoons You Should Be Watching.” In this section, I will list… well, cartoons you should be watching. I will explain the premises of the various series and try to give the hardened cartoon cynics a reason to be optimistic.
To kick off this feature, I will be going over one of my personal favorite cartoons on TV today. It's a series that I, and many others, waited years upon years to finally get a glimpse of. And believe me, it was worth the wait. I am, of course, speaking of Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time.
This show is living, breathing proof that Cartoon Network is still worth watching. This makes up for years of terrible cartoons, awful creative decisions, and, I shudder to say, reality shows. Adventure Time is fun, unpredictable, and as it says on the label, adventurous.
The series takes place on a post-apocalyptic world populated by mutants, talking candies, and a slew of other miscellaneous whatsits. Despite this... rather grim backdrop, the series manages to be consistently upbeat and optimistic, with only occasional hints that the bright and cheery land of Ooo wasn’t always so bright and cheery.
The main protagonist of the show is a twelve-year-old human boy named Finn. Finn loves nothing more than adventuring about; recovering magic artifacts, saving princesses, all the usual heroic stuff. Accompanying him is Jake, the magic shapeshifting dog. Jake can stretch and enlarge any part of his body, and plays a mean viola. The two chums regularly have to deal with the many villains and sort-of-villains of Ooo, such as the lonely, princess-obsessed Ice King, and the house-stealing vampire queen, Marceline.
The show prides itself in its zany, sometimes surreal atmosphere. It toys with the viewer’s expectations, employing non-sequiturs and plot twists that would seem more at home on a Williams Street series. You’d think this would be a detracting factor, but it manages to work in the show’s favor. There’s something appealing about such a bizarre, unpredictable world. It’s unconventional, it often doesn’t make sense, but it’s just so much fun to watch.
The art direction of the series is excellent; the backgrounds are vibrant and detailed, the denizens of Ooo are lively and expressive, and the animation is crisp and smooth. I’d go so far as to say it’s the best-looking show on television right now.
Adventure Time is reason enough to have faith in modern animation. It shows that the creative well hasn’t quite run dry yet, and that some networks are still willing to give creators the freedom to do... well, whatever the heck they want. Just give it a watch. I dare you not to smile.
