Five animated shows for kids (that adults like, too)
Animation isn't just for kids anymore, as any number of vapid local news stories have happily chirped over the years. But even though grown-ups have plenty of animated fare aimed at an older, more experienced audience, there are a lot of kids' shows that are popular with the over-18 set, as well. As with Young Adult fiction (like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games), a good story is a good story, regardless of its intended target audience.
1. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
The current undisputed champion in the field of "shows meant for kids which have nevertheless garnered a substantial audience of grown-ups." Known online by its acronym, MLP:FiM is intended for pre-teen girls, but its strong characters, intricate plotlines, and deft animation have made it a favorite show for all ages and genders.
The show is certainly charming - sometimes aggressively so. And about 75 percent of the episodes end with a "Here's what I learned today" scene, a trope which is so stale that South Park has been mocking it for thirteen years. But I particularly appreciate the way that it handles its female characters, who are allowed to express the full range of humanity, rather than being relegated to just being pretty or dainty as usually happens with this sort of thing. Having watched the first two seasons, I'm looking forward to the third.
Image copyright Invader Zim/Nickelodeon
2. Invader Zim
You can be forgiven for having forgotten the fact that Invader Zim originally aired on Nickelodeon, and was intended for kids. (Even more mind-boggling, in light of the show's fervent and loyal following: the show was cancelled due to abysmally poor ratings.) The show's creater, Jhonen Vasquez, was better known at the time for his dark, violent, sardonic comic books. How he managed to get a show on Nickelodeon is one of life's enduring mysteries.
Invader Zim is all purples and greens and blacks, and it follows the adventures of a megalomaniacal alien (the eponymous Invader Zim) and his bumbling robot sidekick (GIR) in their constantly-failing quest for world domination. Its brief run included episodes about a giant zit, harvesting body parts, and germophobic panic.
Image copyright Adventure Time/Cartoon Network
3. Adventure Time
This show is popular enough among adults that it is on The A. V. Club's regular review roster. The award-winning show is entirely hand-drawn, and features the adventures of a 14 year-old boy named Finn, and his adopted brother Jake who is also a dog (voiced by John DiMaggio) and also a magical shape-shifter. Finn and Jake live in the Land of Ooo, where they travel around having adventures in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
I have to confess that I have not yet watched Adventure Time. Although Netflix Streaming just added it to their service this week, so I have plans to watch it in the very near future. I can say that what little bits of it I have seen have been pretty great, and it comes very highly recommended.
Image copyright Samurai Jack/Cartoon Network
4. Samurai Jack
This show isn't just "amazing for a show rated TV-Y7 (for ages 7 and older)." It's just plain "amazing." Created by the legendary Genndy Tartakovsky, it follows the adventures of a samurai warrior (Jack) who has been catapulted from feudal Japan to the distant, dystopian future which is populated by robots and aliens in addition to humans.
Where to begin? The show looks gorgeous, with an incredible visual design, intricate animation style, and top-notch sound design. The pacing is perfect, the action scenes elaborate and well-rendered, and everything about it is stylish.
Samurai Jack brought a cinematic aesthetic to the small screen. It won buckets of awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards. Netflix Streaming recently added the first season to their service, and hopefully they will soon be adding the other four as well.
Image copyright Wallace and Gromit/BBC
5. Wallace and Gromit
Just thinking about Wallace and Gromit makes me want a slice of Wensleydale cheese, and I don't even know what that is. Nick Park's stop motion clay animation series is so charming that you have to see it to believe it. Wallace is an absent-minded inventor of wacky elaborate inventions. Gromit is his sensible canine companion, always ready to roll his eyes and give Wallace a hand in a pinch.
The Wallace and Gromit shorts are sweet without being saccharine, and adorable without being too precious. (Although I personally found the feature-length film was just a bit more Wallace and Gromit than I could handle in one dose.)
Main image copyright My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic/The Hub, courtesy Wikimedia Commons
