With upcoming shows such as Craig of the Creek coming and Infinity train possibly being greenlit for Cartoon Network, I want to discuss the show I feel caused a resurgence of quality animated shows on the network.
Adventure Time is currently my favorite animated show to watch. I have been watching it since it was first released in 2011, when I was about 12 or 13 years old. The synopsis is human teenager Finn, the human, and magical talking canine Jake the dog, going on endless bizarre adventures in the fictional world of Oooh. Both fortunately and unfortunately the series is on its final season, spanning nine whole seasons.
That’s more than enough for it to qualify as a successful cartoon. Initially, I was drawn to the show for its vibrant color scheme in addition to its fluid and dynamic animation style and wide range of strange and fun adventures. I had never seen a show as unpredictable and weirdly entertaining as it.
One of my favorite episodes had a small mouse sized cat attempting to assassinate an anthropomorphic “wildberry” princess. Another had eponymous main characters Finn and Jake going to the Underworld to have Death himself resurrect the soul of their close friend’s dead flower.
As you can probably infer by the previous sentences, the show was a bit more mature than the average cartoon, and I came to I appreciate that as I grew older. Often times, the jokes used adult humor that appealed more to older audiences with a lot of innuendos.
It also was not afraid to tackle so more serious and controversial subject matter such as parental neglect, Alzheimer’s disease and even political commentary on totalitarian rule. I admired how the writers trusted viewers enough to create compelling stories with real themes for children and adolescents to contemplate on how they feel about them.
You do not see that as often now, as many shows targeted for children hold their hands or always have a cliché answer to more serious life phenomena. If you haven’t had the chance, make sure to check out Adventure Time on Cartoon Network.