Adult animation, also known as mature animation, and infrequently as adult-oriented animation, is any type of animated motion media 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.
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.[1]
Definitions
Adult animation is typically defined as animation that is aimed at an adult audience.[2][3][4][5] It is also described as something that "formative youths should stay far, far away from"[6] or has adult humor[7][8] and comes in various styles,[9][10][11][12] but especially sitcoms and comedies.[13] 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.[14] On television, such animations often run in the evening, but they are not generally pornographic or obscene.[15][16]AdWeek called adult animation "animated projects aimed at grown-ups, not kids."[17] They also focus on issues that adults handle,[18] 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.[19][20]
Max - a streaming service categorizes genre-oriented animated series generally for older audiences and also ventures into adding to its catalog and producing animated series for adults and teenagers, also owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
Several highly-acclaimed adult animated films and television series have received substantial recognition from critics. Thanks to Bakshi's Fritz the Cat, the film influenced animators and filmmakers over the course of the late-20th century and into the 21st century, catering such important artistic and narrative structures with mature subject matter.[21]
Conversely, several works have been largely ignored by many detractors for their depiction of graphic subject matter and sensitive topics, such as violence, race, gender, and sexuality. They still show a bias towards live-action and raunchy animated sitcoms, compared to early pioneers. However, the result is a new audience that is ready for narratively-sophisticated adult animated works and a new crop of creators exploring the adult animation space. This development allows creators to continue challenging the perceived limitations of animation.[23]
Relationship with Academy Awards and adult animation
Many animators and adult animation fans, both international and non-Disney respectively, boycotted the Academy over remarking that animation was synonymous with "kids" during the 94th Academy Awards in 2022. The award for the Best Animated Feature was presented by three actresses who portrayed the Disney princess characters in live-action remakes of their respective animated films: Lily James (Cinderella), Naomi Scott (Aladdin), and Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid). While introducing the category, Bailey stated that animated films are "formative experiences as kids who watch them," as James put it, "So many kids watch these movies over and over, over and over again." Scott added: "I see some parents who know exactly what we're talking about."[24]
The remarks sparked controversy and with those working in the animation industry describing them as infantilizing the medium and perpetuating the stigma that animated works are strictly for children, especially since the industry was credited with sustaining the flow of Hollywood content and revenue during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. An addition to the controversy was that the award for Best Animated Short Film (the nominees for which were mostly made up of shorts not aimed at children) was one of the eight categories that were omitted in the live broadcast; some speculations suggested that the speech played a role in the decision to not broadcast the award.[24][25] The winner for the Best Animated Short award was The Windshield Wiper, a multilingual Spanish-American film which is considered adult animated,[26] while another nominee in three categories: Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature Film, and Best International Feature Film, was Flee, a PG-13 rated animated documentary about an Afghan refugee.
Lord (left) and Miller (right) address criticisms toward the Academy as an insult to animation with general audiences.
Phil Lord, co-producer of one of the nominated films, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, tweeted that it was "super cool to position animation as something that kids watch and adults have to endure." The film's official social media account responded to the joke with an image reading: "Animation is cinema."[27][28] A week later, Lord and his producing partner Christopher Miller wrote a guest column in Variety criticizing the Academy for the remark and how Hollywood has been treating animation. The column commented that "no one set out to diminish animated films, but it's high time we set out to elevate them." Alberto Mielgo, director of The Windshield Wiper, later gave an acceptance speech for the Oscar: "Animation is an art that includes every single art that you can imagine. Animation for adults is a fact. It's happening. Let's call it cinema. I'm very honored because this is just the beginning of what we can do with animation."[25] They also suggested to the Academy that the category should be presented by filmmakers who respect the art of animation as cinema.[29]
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