By Julien Garcia
Animated movies are usually seen as very childish and meant for kids. Keep in mind, the people of that opinion usually watch only shows like 90 day fiancé or deadliest catch. Be so for real, an animated film could have the greatest script ever but will be outshined by other films due to the simple fact that it’s not animated. Spider-Man from the hit Marvel comic Spider-Man has seen multiple live action films. All though most of the films are relatively good: the best one is animated. Both Into/Across the Spider-Verse are better films than the Andrew Garfeild and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies (Tobey Mcguire is a close call). We have never seen a more respectful and faithful adaptation of Spider-Man than these movies and yet Into the Spider-Verse earned $384.3 million at the box office and The Amazing Spider-Man (2014) earned $716 million at the box office.
On the topic of comics, comics are not just for kids either. Yes, superheroes are rather childish at times, but superheroes are more than just a caped crusader. The X-Men (my favorite superhero group), are an allegory for discrimination, racism, victims of genocide, etc., but because they are comic book superheroes they are regarded as childish.
The most popular X-Men is undoubtedly Wolverine, but he is a literal murderer who has unbreakable knives in his hands. His famous catchphrase is ¨I’m the best at what I do, and what I do is not pretty¨ and the next panel would be him brutally massacring someone.
Batman’s parents got shot in Crime Alley, The Flash’s mother was murdered and his father framed, and Superman’s planet was blown to a crisp. Comics can be for kids, but they’re not just for kids. That’s like saying books are only for adults. Adults are allowed to have fun. Fun is not a luxury for the young.
That brings me to the idea that certain movies (animated movies) are only for kids.
I have written quite a few articles on the Horror movie genre, and I feel most people would correlate the horror genre as mature and for an older audience. But the Academy Award nominated Coraline for horror, and Coraline is known for a great film for both kids and adults. I take dark themes and imagery and translate them through Stop Motion, which is a form that would otherwise be lost. Through animation, films gain a charm and aesthetic that I have yet to see in any other film. If this was live action, this would most likely be a generic horror movie that is also an addition to the abundance of “coming of age” films. But animation, this movie is very.
My favorite cartoon growing up (and it still is my favorite) was Cartoon Network’s Courage the Cowardly Dog. But it is also a ¨horror¨ cartoon that is often considered not appropriate for kids due to scary and disturbing content. As a child who grew up watching this show, this show is not scary. I honestly think the average concerned adult is just stressed out with joint pain and wants children to have no fun. Courage the Cowardly Dog is a great show for kids, containing a plot about a pink dog who is very scared and cowardice but is always courageous enough to protect his family from supernatural beings or sometimes just weird people. In the show, there is a freak man who shoots cannonballs at people who makes him unhappy because he’s unhappy, and that’s who you imagine when people say animation is just for kids.
My last additions for you to think about are cartoons like South Park, Family Guy, or even Invincible. These shows are not meant for kids, yet they’re cartoons.
I first started watching South Park when I was a tween, and I even knew that ¨I shouldn’t be watching this,” but then I said, “I’m still gonna.” Same goes with shows like Family Guy and others, like Rick and Morty, The Boondocks, and the abysmal mistake that is Big Mouth. There is no way you could convince me that any of these shows are kid shows or meant for kids (besides Boondocks because that show is hilarious), even though they are animated. The people who have this thought process probably brought their kids to see Sausage Party and were shocked to see how inappropriate it was. Then again, I think taking your kid to see a Sausage Party is better than watching The Emoji Movie with your kids.
Animation simply rocks and is not only for kids. There are so many amazing animated films I didn’t bring up like the Fantastic Fox, any Studio Ghibli films, or even most Pixar/Disney films. Animated films are on the same level of art as live action films and should not be ignored for the false connotation that they are only for kids.
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