History LighterAndSofter / WesternAnimation

** On the subject of Creator/SethMacFarlane shows, ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' is also this compared to ''Family Guy''. The last season on FOX is noticeably lighter and softer than the show's previous several seasons as the foul language and even gore are significantly toned down. There's hasn't even been a PrecisionFStrike at all in these episodes.

* Any kid-oriented AnimatedAdaptation based on a property originally for adults. Examples include ''WesternAnimation/{{Rambo|TheForceOfFreedom}}'', ''WesternAnimation/RoboCopTheAnimatedSeries'', ''Film/PoliceAcademy'', and (to a lesser extent than the others) ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has undergone this following Disney's acquisition of Fox, with the more negative elements of Homer's personality significantly toned down, the famous RunningGag in which he strangles his son Bart [[RunningGagged disappearing]] in PlayedStraight contexts, and him and Marge being HappilyMarried as opposed to [[AwfulWeddedLife constantly teetering on the brink of divorce]]. This shift has met with a ''[[TropesAreTools positive]]'' reception from fans who see it as a much-needed CharacterRerailment evoking the show's "classic" run over the course of the 90s, since Homer's worst {{Jerkass}} tendencies were notoriously the result of {{Flanderization}} from roughly Season 10 onward. It probably helps that the show retains its fair share of BlackComedy and even inverted this trope for a BloodierAndGorier spoof of prestige TV drama in the 2-parter "A Serious Flanders."

* The 2002 ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'' series. The adaption of "Get the Gimmies", along with the moral expansion, takes out the tantrum scene, for one example. In fact, as a whole the series seemed to tone down a lot of the quarreling and screaming that was commonplace in the 1985 series; this is easiest to notice with Mama, who would scream at the cubs for doing something as small as not cleaning their room, yet in the 2002 series her tone is only mildly stern following Sister and all the other girls trashing Lizzie's house in "The Slumber Party".

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'':

** Relatively speaking, the show starting with Season 18 is this compared to many of the seasons before, due to being less reliant on shock value and {{Gorn}}, and leaning more heavily into absurdism and LampshadeHanging with it's humor. The characters, while still flanderized, have their {{Jerkass}} tendencies toned down, Quagmire's sex offender antics are downplayed to the point of non-existance (which, according to the show, [[RealLifeWritesThePlot is due to the #MeToo movement]]), and even Meg gets far less hate, being treated more like just another member of the family, and as much of a ButtMonkey as every other Griffin. It's still not as light as earlier seasons but still lighter than it's been for the past few years.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSamAndMaxFreelancePolice'' was a sincere SaturdayMorningCartoon adaptation of ''Franchise/SamAndMax'', a franchise whose tone is infamously [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids tricky to neatly identify]], being outwardly cartoony, absurd, and starring two {{Funny Animal}}s, but also very dialogue-heavy, satirical, and featuring humor that -- while not strictly inappropriate for kids -- is notably subdued in a way that will often fly over their heads. The cartoon leans more into the kid-friendlier aspects of the franchise with more zany scenarios and slapstick, [[{{Bowdlerise}} while also downplaying more outwardly mature aspects like swearing and realistic firearms]]. Despite this, it still manages to retain the franchise's signature bizarre and subtle tone -- Sam and Max are very much still straight-faced {{Heroic Comedic Sociopath}}s, just slightly more of the "heroic" and "comedic" to offset the still-present "sociopath".

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has undergone this following Disney's acquisition of Fox, with the more negative elements of Homer's personality significantly toned down, the famous RunningGag in which he strangles his son Bart [[RunningGagged disappearing]] in PlayedStraight contexts, and him and Marge being HappilyMarried as opposed to [[AwfulWeddedLife constantly teetering on the brink of divorce]]. This shift has met with a ''[[TropesAreTools positive]]'' reception from fans who see it as a much-needed CharacterRerailment evoking the show's "classic" run over the course of the 90s, since Homer's worst {{Jerkass}} tendencies were notoriously the result of {{Flanderization}} from roughly Season 10 onward.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has undergone this following Disney's acquisition of Fox, with the more negative elements of Homer's personality significantly toned down, the famous RunningGag in which he strangles his son Bart [[RunningGagged disappearing]] in PlayedStraight contexts, and him and Marge being HappilyMarried as opposed to [[AwfulWeddedLife constantly teetering on the brink of divorce]]. This has met with a ''[[TropesAreTools positive]]'' reception from fans who see it as a much-needed CharacterRerailment evoking the show's "classic" run over the course of the 90s, since Homer's worst {{Jerkass}} tendencies were notoriously the result of {{Flanderization}} from roughly Season 10 onward.

* When Nickelodeon's CBS block featured non-Jr. shows from 2002-2005, due to having to comply to the E/I guidelines, the two most popular Nicktoons of the time, ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', were off-limits for the CBS block, therefore Nick had to rely on less-popular Nicktoons to fill the roster, like ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'', ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'', and ''WesternAnimation/ChalkZone''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAnimalsOfFarthingWood:'' The third season is markedly more cartoony in nature, compared to the comparatively grim and serious prior seasons. The events of one novel from the equivalent time period, ''The Seige of White Deer Park'', were AdaptedOut due to their strong horror themes. The war against the rats was also greatly toned down, with far fewer kills by the rats, their one confirmed kill toned down from "ripping an adder to shreds with their teeth as it fights for its life" to simply strangling it, and their leader Bully is simply humiliated and driven away in shame after a young weasel kit sneaks up on him and bites off his tail, when in the novel he was mauled to death by Vixen before being thrown over the park's boundary fence in a climactic battle that includes hundreds of rats being trampled and gored by a herd of deer.
* The third season of ''WesternAnimation/TheAnimalsOfFarthingWood'' is much lighter and there are fewer deaths and tragic events than the first two seasons.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold,'' especially compared to [[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy that other Batman adaptation]] as well as previous cartoons featuring the Batman. One of its episodes was the only AnimatedAdaptation of the ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker'' comic, where Batman's deaths at the hands of ComicBook/TheJoker were less graphic and more comical and off-screen than the original, but still a little disturbing for children. Ironically, it managed to make Batman's origin '''darker''' than the original, and it's overall still darker than [[Series/Batman1966 the 60s show]]-- and occasionally surprised audiences with less-whimsical stories (since, with one exception, death was ''not'' a [[DeathIsCheap revolving door]]).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'': The cartoon based on ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', even with Creator/TimBurton as a creative consultant and quite a bit of mature humor, was tamer than its film counterpart.
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'', compared to the much DarkerAndEdgier ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' and ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien''. Everything from the art style to the writing harkens back to the original ''WesternAnimation/Ben10''. Heck, it's even Lighter and Softer than that very original series itself, considering all the NightmareFuel is replaced with [[DenserAndWackier comedy]].

-->'''Meg:''' I had rehearsal for Death of a Salesman, but we can't show death at school, so now at the end, we dance around with sparklers.
** Relatively speaking, the show starting with season 18 is this compared to many of the seasons before, due to being less reliant on shock value and {{Gorn}}, and leaning more heavily into absurdism and LampshadeHanging with it's humor. The characters, while still flanderized, have their {{Jerkass}} tendencies toned down, Quagmire's sex offender antics are downplayed to the point of non-existance (which, according to the show, [[RealLifeWritesThePlot is due to the #MeToo movement]]), and even Meg gets far less hate, being treated more like just another member of the family, and as much of a ButtMonkey as every other Griffin. It's still not as light as earlier seasons but still lighter than it's been for the past few years.

** ''WesternAnimation/BabyLooneyTunes'', being a SpinoffBabies version of ''Looney Tunes'', is built on this. The wacky slapstick antics of the Looney Tunes are absent here, instead focusing more on adventures around the nursery with an obvious target audience of preschoolers.
** ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'': Taking notice of the popularity of DarkerAndEdgier cartoons from Japan, Warner Bros. tried to jump on the bandwagon by reinventing the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' as intimidating crime fighters in a gritty futuristic setting. After a huge amount of backlash they realized that was something most people in fact didn't want to see and tried to salvage the show by instead reworking it into a more standard superhero cartoon that happened to have heroes who looked like famous [[FunnyAnimal funny animals]]. When that still failed to capture an audience they went even lighter, playing up comedy and reintroducing the rest of the classic characters in futuristic form. It didn't work, and the series was abandoned after only two seasons.

* The ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' games were a Hong Kong pastiche with a fetish for viscera. ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm'' was a bunch of superheroes that fought space ninjas, lived in a cave, and had trauma about being fat when they were kids.

* During production, the crew behind ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'' had to constantly be reminded that the show was airing in primetime, and so not to go ''too much'' toward Creator/AdultSwim content. They still got away with a whole lot.
* Later episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''. While the show was already about babies going on adventures, the later seasons dumbed down the baby talk and almost all of the {{parental bonus}}es were removed.

* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'', at least compared to the first. Characters are more humanized and sympathetic and less wantonly cruel, and this includes the inmates. It's still a {{Gorn}} series, but less randomly cruel than in the first season.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': the original Literature/TheRailwaySeries may have been kids books at heart, but they were written with the idea the world its characters inhabited was as close to reality as possible ''other than'' the talking trains and the existence of Sodor. The first few seasons of the TV series played pretty closely to this, with down to earth stories following the tone of the books; but as it went on more fantastical elements such as magic were added (notably in the film ''Thomas and the Magic Railroad''). Many of the darker real-life elements of the original books, such as locomotive scrapping or the death of human characters, were removed from the TV show or downplayed with time, while more absurd elements were included such as the trains daydreaming fantastical adventures in a bid to [[MerchandiseDriven sell more toys]].
* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo'': If the original show is a lighter and softer evolution from the books, then the reboot series was that ''to the original TV series''; any remaining dark elements have been expunged in favor of a brighter more wacky series.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'''s midquel and TV Spin-Off, ''WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa'', is a wacky slapstick comedy about its side-characters Timon and Pumbaa, and as such it was way DenserAndWackier than the film it was based on.

* The Mondo TV [[WesternAnimation/TheTrashPack adaptation]] of ''Toys/TheTrashPack'' toyline practically eliminates all of the gross-out feel of the original toys, thus almost making it lose some of its charm at the same time. The grossness was eventually brought back with the webisode series and concurrent media in the franchise.
* When compared to the LongList of [[FaceOnAMilkCarton Missing Kids on Milk Cartons]], BodyHorror and impoverish slums in the underworld present in the ''Literature/{{Trollhunters}}'' novel, the ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}'' animated series is an ActionAdventure SugarBowl by comparison.

* The Creator/{{Image comic|s}} book ComicBook/WildCatsWildStorm is very violent, dark and cynical. By contrast, the AnimatedAdaptation ''WesternAnimation/WildCats1994'' is more standard superhero fare.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'''s spin off show ''WesternAnimation/TheZetaProject'' is much cuter and softer than what it was spun off from. They also redesigned Zeta to be much more human-looking without even a HandWave. When Batman shows up in a {{Crossover}} episode, he doesn't mention that Zeta looks different than he remembers.

* Although the ''WesternAnimation/{{Babar}}'' animated series in its original 1989-1991 run was already lighthearted and family friendly, some of the issues that it depicted were pretty harsh including Babar’s mom being shot dead by The Hunter in front of his eyes (this even caused controversy in later re-runs of the show due to outrage of MoralGuardians), school bullying, racism, political intrigue and war. The 2000s revival was much more fantasy-oriented and let aside all hot topics, presenting fairy tale-like adventures. The 2010 SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/BabarAndTheAdventuresOfBadou'', while dropping the fantasy elements, continues the softer path, with much less dramatic stories and being generally aimed at a more preschool-oriented audience than the original.

* The [[WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}} cartoon]] based on ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', even with Creator/TimBurton as a creative consultant and quite a bit of mature humor, was tamer than its film counterpart.

* While ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'' is a DarkerAndEdgier incarnation, the show also softens the portrayal of certain villains. For example, Professor Pyg is an affable, well-intentioned eco-terrorist instead of the brutal psychopath he was in the comics. Humpty Dumpty has been described as being less dark than his comics counterpart, which makes sense since there's no way in hell Creator/CartoonNetwork was going to allow scenes of a deformed, mentally deficient man dismembering his victims.

* The short lived cult series ''WesternAnimation/{{Cybersix}}'' was waaaay lighter and softer than the original comic it was based on: All the Nazi {{backstory}} of Von Reichter becomes subtext; when defeated the Fixed Ideas evaporate videogame-style leaving behind a pile of clothes & a "Sustenance" health powerup for Cybersix so she didn't need to ''bite them like a vampire'' as in the comic; and nothing of all the ''high'' sexual content of the original.
* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ewoks}}'', compared to first and the made-for-tv films; and the whole series compared to Ewoks' appearance in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.

** Relatively speaking, the show starting with season 18 is this compared to many of the seasons before, due to being less reliant on shock value and {{Gorn}}, and leaning more heavily into absurdism and LampshadeHanging with it's humor. The characters, while still flanderized, have their JerkAss tendencies toned down, Quagmire's sex offender antics are downplayed to the point of non-existance (which, according to the show, [[RealLifeWritesThePlot is due to the #MeToo movement]]), and even Meg gets far less hate, being treated more like just another member of the family, and as much of a ButtMonkey as every other Griffin. It's still not as light as earlier seasons but still lighter than it's been for the past few years.

* Creator/RabbitEarsProductions' version of ''WesternAnimation/TheFoolAndTheFlyingShip'' was much lighter and softer compared to the original Russian folktale due to making the characters more wacky and changing some scenes from the original text. For example, there was a scene in the original folktale where the Fool and the man who carries the straw have to stay in a heated bath house over night. This scene was cut out in the Rabbit Ears version.

* The Red Lantern power rings in ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries''. In the comics, the ring essentially takes over the user's heart, replacing their blood with rage energy. This has the effect of making removing the ring a fatal prospect in most cases. Red rings also drive their users into a berserker rage, with most except Atrocitus being incapable of basic reasoning (though, to be fair, Atrocitus made them do that intentionally). Finally, the red light itself burns like napalm, and looks a lot like blood. In the cartoon, the ring is merely a more powerful, slightly more unstable version of the Green Lantern ring, and the personality effects are minimal by comparison. Most of the Lanterns shown are in possession of their faculties, albeit perpetually angry.

* The later seasons (particularly season 6-8) of ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' are this to the earlier seasons. There are ''way'' less adult jokes in these episodes than in earlier seasons, and the ones that do get by aren't as raunchy, FamilyFriendlyFirearms is now played straight instead of averted, the mild swear words in early seasons are absent, and violence is toned down much more (barring a few episodes like "Brilliant Century Duck Crisis Special").

* ''WesternAnimation/ToxicCrusaders'', a spinoff of the ''Film/TheToxicAvenger'' films that are not for kids. A similarly "kiddie" spin was put on the ''Film/AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes'' cartoon.

* Both the ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' cartoon series (or ''WesternAnimation/ConanTheAdventurer'' as it was called), and the live-action TV series ''Series/ConanTheAdventurer''.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'':
** The TV series was definitely lighter and fluffier than the comic. Much retooling was needed to make some of the storylines kid-friendly, such as how in the comic, Terra was having an affair with Slade ([[NeverSayDie aka]] ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} the Terminator) while willingly being his mole; and Brother Blood is a cult-leading sorcerer who practices BloodMagic. Other dark elements from the comics are gently implied, like Trigon having raped ComicBook/{{Raven}}'s mother [[ChildByRape to conceive her]] and Starfire being a former slave (and not the floor-scrubbing kind). It's been noted that in an ironic twist, ''Teen Titans'' was far closer in tone to the Lighter and Softer ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' comics, while the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' cartoon was a DarkerAndEdgier show that had content more in line with the 80's ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' comics.
** ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' is more lighthearted than its predecessor ''Teen Titans'', both in tone and art style. It's also DenserAndWackier than its predecessor. While the predecessor has its share of wacky moments, it wasn't afraid to veer into dark and disturbing scenarios (like the Terra arc and the episode ''Haunted''), ''Go!'' does not have that quality. The series ''also'' manages to be DarkerAndEdgier, in that it has [[BlackComedy darker references]] and doesn't use the NeverSayDie trope.

* ''Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters'' was a lighter and softer version of ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters''. To wit, the focus of the show has shifted from the quartet going around capturing ghosts (some of which are truly malicious) to Slimer constantly trying to evade a mad scientist who wishes to capture him for research via zany schemes.

* When Nickelodeon's CBS block featured non-Jr. shows from 2002-2005, due to having to comply to the E/I guidelines, the two most popular Nicktoons of the time, ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', were off-limits for the CBS block, therefore Nick had to rely on less-popular Nicktoons to fill the roster, like ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'', ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'', and ''WesternAnimation/ChalkZone''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow'', like the toyline it comes from, manages to include ''Comicbook/ThePunisher''. How does that work, you ask? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XoRGgpF2qc Like this]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'''s spin off show ''WesternAnimation/TheZetaProject'' is much cuter and softer than what it was spun off from. They also redesigned Zeta to be much more human-looking without even a HandWave. When Batman shows up in a {{Crossover}} episode, he doesn't mention that Zeta looks different than he remembers.

* During production, the crew behind ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'' had to constantly be reminded that the show was airing in primetime, and so not to go ''too much'' toward Creator/AdultSwim content. They still got away with a whole lot.

* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'', at least compared to the first. Characters are more humanized and sympathetic and less wantonly cruel, and this includes the inmates. It's still a {{Gorn}} series, but less randomly cruel than in the first season.


* ''WesternAnimation/BabyLooneyTunes'', being a SpinoffBabies version of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'', is built on this. The wacky slapstick antics of the Looney Tunes are absent here, instead focusing more on adventures around the nursery with an obvious target audience of preschoolers.
* Also, ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'', which puts the characters in a more sitcom-type setting.





* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'''s midquel and TV Spin-Off, ''WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa'', is a wacky slapstick comedy about its side-characters Timon and Pumbaa, and as such it was way DenserAndWackier than the film it was based on.

* ''WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed'': Taking notice of the popularity of DarkerAndEdgier cartoons from Japan, Warner Bros. tried to jump on the bandwagon by reinventing the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' as intimidating crime fighters in a gritty futuristic setting. After a huge amount of backlash they realized that was something most people in fact didn't want to see and tried to salvage the show by instead reworking it into a more standard superhero cartoon that happened to have heroes who looked like famous [[FunnyAnimal funny animals]]. When that still failed to capture an audience they went even lighter, playing up comedy and reintroducing the rest of the classic characters in futuristic form. It didn't work, and the series was abandoned after only two seasons.





* The Mondo TV [[WesternAnimation/TheTrashPack adaptation]] of ''Toys/TheTrashPack'' toyline practically eliminates all of the gross-out feel of the original toys, thus almost making it lose some of its charm at the same time. The grossness was eventually brought back with the webisode series and concurrent media in the franchise.
* When compared to the LongList of [[FaceOnAMilkCarton Missing Kids on Milk Cartons]], BodyHorror and impoverish slums in the underworld present in the ''Literature/{{Trollhunters}}'' novel, the ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollhunters}}'' animated series is an ActionAdventure SugarBowl by comparison.
* The 2016 reboot of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Powerpuff Girls|2016}}'' is this compared to [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998 the original series]], due to toned down violence and more focus on comedy. The look of the series is also literally Lighter and Softer, as the sharp edges from the original series are rounded, and the show has lighter coloring.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCatsRoar'' is a wacky, comical take on ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'' with plenty of action sequences. It's been heavily criticized because the premise of "alien refuges flee their dying home planet to start a new life" doesn't exactly scream "comedy".
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'' is this to [[WesternAnimation/TotalDrama its parent series]]. Being a SpinOffBabies show, its aimed at a younger audience and features preschooler versions of the teenage contestants having adventures around a daycare instead of spoofing RealityTV. It's also much DenserAndWackier than the parent series ever was.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': the original Literature/TheRailwaySeries may have been kids books at heart, but they were written with the idea the world its characters inhabited was as close to reality as possible ''other than'' the talking trains and the existence of Sodor. The first few seasons of the TV series played pretty closely to this, with down to earth stories following the tone of the books; but as it went on more fantastical elements such as magic were added (notably in the film ''Thomas and the Magic Railroad''). Many of the darker real-life elements of the original books, such as locomotive scrapping or the death of human characters, were removed from the TV show or downplayed with time, while more absurd elements were included such as the trains daydreaming fantastical adventures in a bid to [[MerchandiseDriven sell more toys]].
* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo'': If the original show is a lighter and softer evolution from the books, then the reboot series was that ''to the original TV series''; any remaining dark elements have been expunged in favor of a brighter more wacky series.

* Any kid-oriented AnimatedAdaptation based on a property originally for adults. Examples include ''WesternAnimation/{{Rambo|TheForceOfFreedom}}'', ''WesternAnimation/RoboCopTheAnimatedSeries'', ''Film/PoliceAcademy'', and (to a lesser extent than the others) ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters''.
* ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'':
** The Joe Oriolo made-for-TV cartoons from the late 1950's and early 1960's have none of the urban tone, dark or vulgar gags or surreal nature of the original silent cartoons. Part of this was because of content restrictions imposed on TV cartoons of the time, and because of mandates imposed by Trans-Lux; they wanted the new Felix to exclusively be a kids show, hence why Jack Mercer (the sole voice actor for the series) spoke in slow deliberate tones. Felix was to be everybody's best friend who could solve any problem anyone had, even if it meant taking the easy way out with the Magic Bag.
** This also applies to the Creator/VanBeurenStudios Felix the Cat cartoons, where Felix becomes a kid like protagonist and all of the darker, urban elements of the older films were abandoned, due in part to the Hays Office growing its claws and also due to their director, former Disney alumni Burt Gillett, seeing the approach of the original Felix cartoons as [[SoLastSeason old hat]] in 1936 and wanted to switch the series to pure fantasy.
** ''WesternAnimation/TheTwistedTalesOfFelixTheCat'' took a turn towards this during the second season [[ExecutiveMeddling due to Don Oriolo wanting to preserve what was left of his father's works]], despite the writers openly hating the Joe Oriolo cartoons, [[WriterRevolt eventually writing their protests into the episode plots]].
* ''Franchise/{{Barbie}}'': The CGI movies followed a very similar route to the evolution of ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' up to [[Franchise/MyLittlePonyGeneration4 Generation 4]] (not counting ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheRockersOutOfThisWorld''). In the original series, which ran from 2001 to 2009, the series actually had a pretty dark run. Aside from the princesses and cute animals, these stories contained monsters, dark magic, and even occasional death and injury (the darkest of which is ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheDiamondCastle''). Characters, including two adorable puppies, are stalked, threatened, and even '''turned to stone''', but the next series of ''Barbie'' movies leaves the dark magic behind, and instead takes a much more lighthearted and fashion oriented approach, with none of the villains being threatening and being very comedic. However, the third series completely wipes any idea of darkness in ''Barbie'' away. This series has no true villains, is all sparkles and pink, and has very lighthearted and humor-oriented storylines.
* In ''WesternAnimation/HighlanderTheAnimatedSeries'', immortals don't behead each other. They choose to pass on the knowledge by handing their sword over to the other Immortal, giving them everything the other immortal experienced through their lives. The heroes do this. The villain, however, opts for the classic decapitation (though it's off screen). They also offhandedly mention that he killed Connor [=McLeod=] after Connor chose to fight the BigBad after giving an oath not to.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMask'', which was itself based on [[Film/TheMask a movie]] that itself was a lighter, softer version of a quite grimdark comic book.
* ''WesternAnimation/ToxicCrusaders'', a spinoff of the ''Film/TheToxicAvenger'' films that are not for kids. A similarly "kiddie" spin was put on the ''Film/AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes'' cartoon.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' starting with Season 16 has been this. It's been years since the last time Cartman called Kyle a dirty Jew, Kenny died, or a celebrity was brutally roasted.[[note]]Even though they still make fun of the famous, it's definitely got tamer.[[/note]]
* ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' is an animated version of [[ComicBook/{{Static}} a much more mature comic]], straying further from the source as time went on. It was also lighter than the rest of the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse for the most part.
* Both the ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' cartoon series (or ''WesternAnimation/ConanTheAdventurer'' as it was called), and the live-action TV series ''Series/ConanTheAdventurer''.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'':
** The TV series was definitely lighter and fluffier than the comic. Much retooling was needed to make some of the storylines kid-friendly, such as how in the comic, Terra was having an affair with Slade ([[NeverSayDie aka]] ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} the Terminator) while willingly being his mole; and Brother Blood is a cult-leading sorcerer who practices BloodMagic. Other dark elements from the comics are gently implied, like Trigon having raped ComicBook/{{Raven}}'s mother [[ChildByRape to conceive her]] and Starfire being a former slave (and not the floor-scrubbing kind). It's been noted that in an ironic twist, ''Teen Titans'' was far closer in tone to the Lighter and Softer ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'' comics, while the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' cartoon was a DarkerAndEdgier show that had content more in line with the 80's ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' comics.
** ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' is more lighthearted than its predecessor ''Teen Titans'', both in tone and art style. It's also DenserAndWackier than its predecessor. While the predecessor has its share of wacky moments, it wasn't afraid to veer into dark and disturbing scenarios (like the Terra arc and the episode ''Haunted''), ''Go!'' does not have that quality. The series ''also'' manages to be DarkerAndEdgier, in that it has [[BlackComedy darker references]] and doesn't use the NeverSayDie trope.
* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': Nearly all film and TV adaptations are LighterAndSofter than the brutal comic book that inspired them.
** The [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 2003 cartoon]] came closer to the original comic books, until Season 6, Fast Forward, which is considerately lighter and more laughable than all the five seasons before it. It doesn't even feature any deaths, save for Sh'Okanabo's at the end of the penultimate episode when he gets killed by a light grenade batted into his mouth by Donatello. When they return to the present, the old atmosphere returns as well.
** The [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 2012 show]] adopts bits and pieces of the tone of [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 the 1987 series]], but character designs and certain villains occasionally veer the show into darker territory, with the tone being more or less a moderation of the 1987 and 2003 shows.
** The crossovers that most of the TV adaptations have with ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'' are considerably lighter than the serious, violent JidaiGeki comic that inspired them, although the 2012 3-part arc featuring Jei is the least comedic of them.
* The third season of ''WesternAnimation/TheAnimalsOfFarthingWood'' is much lighter and there are fewer deaths and tragic events than the first two seasons.
* The ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' games were a Hong Kong pastiche with a fetish for viscera. ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm'' was a bunch of superheroes that fought space ninjas, lived in a cave, and had trauma about being fat when they were kids.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold,'' especially compared to [[Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy that other Batman adaptation]] as well as previous cartoons featuring the Batman. One of its episodes was the only AnimatedAdaptation of the ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker'' comic, where Batman's deaths at the hands of ComicBook/TheJoker were less graphic and more comical and off-screen than the original, but still a little disturbing for children. Ironically, it managed to make Batman's origin '''darker''' than the original, and it's overall still darker than [[Series/Batman1966 the 60s show]]-- and occasionally surprised audiences with less-whimsical stories (since, with one exception, death was ''not'' a [[DeathIsCheap revolving door]]).
--> "To be sure, this is a lighter incarnation, but it's certainly no less valid and true to the character's roots than the tortured avenger crying out for mommy and daddy."
* ''Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters'' was a lighter and softer version of ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters''. To wit, the focus of the show has shifted from the quartet going around capturing ghosts (some of which are truly malicious) to Slimer constantly trying to evade a mad scientist who wishes to capture him for research via zany schemes.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines'' is about planetary genocide, religious fanaticism and unceasing, torrential whining. ''Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'' is about the wacky adventures of a put-upon space shark and the delightful things he does. That's something of a simplification, but the fact remains: Transformers has never gotten quite so dark as Beast Machines since, [[note]]until ''Transformers: Prime'', anyways,[[/note]] if only because presumably Hasbro have decided they'd quite like people to actually buy their toys.
** ''Everything'' is lighter and softer compared to Beast Machines, even its AnyoneCanDie-prone predecessor ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars.'' Let's put it this way - when Simon Furman, who is sometimes Britain's answer to Creator/YoshiyukiTomino in the AnyoneCanDie (and probably will) department and who (reportedly) immediately asked "Who can I kill?" when asked to work on your series, says you're getting too dark, ''you're getting too dark.'' Of course, RID is still the lightest TF series yet, and one where ''nobody'' dies - not even Prime puts in the obligatory temporary death. It's pretty accurately described above, and would fit the trope no matter what series it followed.
** Also, there's ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' following the first PG-13 movie by a few months. The movie: every so often, the torrent of sex jokes pauses to depict bots getting ''savagely ripped apart.'' The fact many humans caught in the crossfire would get ''all kinds of dead'' goes from FridgeLogic to onscreen reality. So of course we follow it with the cutesiest TF series ''ever.'' However, it was prone to CerebusSyndrome and winds up second only to ''WesternAnimation/BeastMachines'' in the darkness category (at the time. ''Prime'' hadn't had its say yet.)
** There is also ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRescueBots'': For starters, there are no Decepticons present for the Bots to contend with (yet). The series is especially notable in depicting this trope in that WordOfGod places the series within the Franchise/TransformersAlignedUniverse, meaning it shares some form of continuity with ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime''. Prime is ''usually'' played by Creator/PeterCullen these days so his (highly redesigned) presence wasn't proof, but now we've seen Bumblebee portrayed ''just'' as he is in TFP and get clear references to the series anytime someone from it shows up. It's interesting to see the ''Rescue Bots'' series dance around the violence of the crossover characters' world; Prime says Bumblebee "lost his voice in the line of duty" because "The AxCrazy EvilOverlord Megatron horribly tortured him, and when he still wouldn't talk after days of it, Megs ripped his voice box out so he'd ''never talk again.'' Oh, did I mention Cybertronians ''totally'' feel pain, too?" is a ''teensy'' bit heavier than what you usually see in RB.

* When Nickelodeon's CBS block featured non-Jr. shows from 2002-2005, due to having to comply to the E/I guidelines, the two most popular Nicktoons of the time, ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', were off-limits for the CBS block, therefore Nick had to rely on less-popular Nicktoons to fill the roster, like ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'', ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'', and ''WesternAnimation/ChalkZone''.
* ''WesternAnimation/MakingFiends'' is a good example for Nick. During its jump to TV, Nick made changes to many of the darker things, such as a "A is for alimony" poster, and a poster of a cat being hanged. Also in remakes of web episodes, they replaced lines like "Tempt not yon hellcat" to "Tempt not yon fiendcat", and the line "And your eyeballs will fall out" to "and your eyebrows will fall out." It's still a dark cartoon with heavy black comedy themes, however some aspects were toned down on Nick.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow'', like the toyline it comes from, manages to include ''Comicbook/ThePunisher''. How does that work, you ask? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XoRGgpF2qc Like this]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'''s spin off show ''WesternAnimation/TheZetaProject'' is much cuter and softer than what it was spun off from. They also redesigned Zeta to be much more human-looking without even a HandWave. When Batman shows up in a {{Crossover}} episode, he doesn't mention that Zeta looks different than he remembers.
* ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012'' is a much more comedic approach to the franchise than any series before it, falling somewhere between sitcom level and ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' level, unless certain KnightOfCerebus villains are around to make you say "Damn, am I ''still watching the same show?!'' Also the show's take on Carnage, but it'd have to be, since an AxCrazy serial killer doesn't really fit in a campy show aimed at children.
* ''WesternAnimation/KryptoTheSuperdog'' is more kid-friendly in comparison to ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as it focuses on Superman's dog Krypto]].
* During production, the crew behind ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'' had to constantly be reminded that the show was airing in primetime, and so not to go ''too much'' toward Creator/AdultSwim content. They still got away with a whole lot.
* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'': Most people would be surprised to find out that ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is actually more lighthearted and wholesome compared to the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials original]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends incarnation]] of the animated show from TheEighties.
** "[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials Rescue from Midnight Castle]]" aka the 1984 pilot is considered the darkest and edgiest incarnation of the entire franchise, featuring creepy characters, real death situations, competent henchmen and the infamous BigBad Tirek, who was a genocidal (and hyper competent) villain who used physical violence and death threats. Without mentioning how the original incarnation of Megan was a rough cowgirl who ended up graphically killing Tirek by ripping him into shreds with the power of her Rainbow of Light (and then finishing him off by destroying what was left of Tirek in a big explosion).
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' could be summed up as "Disney Princesses visit [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Sunnydale]]", as it featured very cutesy pastel-colored pony girls getting routinely threatened by horrible monsters. Follow-up Series ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' dropped the monsters and the magic, and turned it into a teen drama/comedy set in a quaint little town of near-anthropomorphic ponies. The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3 G3]] series, however, goes full-blown SugarBowl. The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic current]] [[Franchise/MyLittlePonyGeneration5 generation]] dials it back a bit, finding a happy medium between cute slice-of-life comedy and adventure and danger.

* The Creator/{{Image comic|s}} book ComicBook/WildCatsWildStorm is very violent, dark and cynical. By contrast, the AnimatedAdaptation ''WesternAnimation/WildCats1994'' is more standard superhero fare.
* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'', at least compared to the first. Characters are more humanized and sympathetic and less wantonly cruel, and this includes the inmates. It's still a {{Gorn}} series, but less randomly cruel than in the first season.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheProblemSolverz'' was originally pitched to Creator/AdultSwim and was much more random and surreal than the Creator/CartoonNetwork series. Now the show is quite toned down and focuses more on the episode plots instead of arbitrary [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment BLAMs]].

* ''WesternAnimation/BabyLooneyTunes'', being a SpinoffBabies version of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'', is built on this. The wacky slapstick antics of the Looney Tunes are absent here, instead focusing more on adventures around the nursery with an obvious target audience of preschoolers.
* Also, ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'', which puts the characters in a more sitcom-type setting.
* The later seasons (particularly season 6-8) of ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' are this to the earlier seasons. There are ''way'' less adult jokes in these episodes than in earlier seasons, and the ones that do get by aren't as raunchy, FamilyFriendlyFirearms is now played straight instead of averted, the mild swear words in early seasons are absent, and violence is toned down much more (barring a few episodes like "Brilliant Century Duck Crisis Special").
* Later episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''. While the show was already about babies going on adventures, the later seasons dumbed down the baby talk and almost all of the {{parental bonus}}es were removed.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Recess}} Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade]]'' was a more subtle example. The gang's crazy schemes were nowhere near as epic as they were in the show itself (aside from T.J.'s boycott against school in the beginning), and became more SliceOfLife.
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'', compared to the much DarkerAndEdgier ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' and ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien''. Everything from the art style to the writing harkens back to the original ''WesternAnimation/Ben10''. Heck, it's even Lighter and Softer than that very original series itself, considering all the NightmareFuel is replaced with [[DenserAndWackier comedy]].
* While ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'' is a DarkerAndEdgier incarnation, the show also softens the portrayal of certain villains. For example, Professor Pyg is an affable, well-intentioned eco-terrorist instead of the brutal psychopath he was in the comics. Humpty Dumpty has been described as being less dark than his comics counterpart, which makes sense since there's no way in hell Creator/CartoonNetwork was going to allow scenes of a deformed, mentally deficient man dismembering his victims.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'' is a much lighter and softer version of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', with foul language, gore and extreme domestic abuse[=/=]violence much more minimized, in comparison with the original series.
** On the subject of Creator/SethMacFarlane shows, ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' is also this compared to ''Family Guy''. The last season on FOX is noticeably lighter and softer than the show's previous several seasons as the foul language and even gore are significantly toned down. There's hasn't even been a PrecisionFStrike at all in these episodes.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bionicle}}: The Legend Reborn'' is an animated movie with slapstick comedy, cartoon sound effects, a cutesy animal sidekick, easily beatable bad guys, a great emphasis on friendship and unity, and mild fantasy violence. A drastic shift from its prequel novel ''Raid on Vulcanus'' (which is a serious-toned tale of gruesome fights, death, cynical and morally vague heroes, dangerous villains and ungrateful villagers) and the original Creator/{{Miramax}} trilogy. The novel adaptation of ''TLR'' is more in line with the book's tone.

* ''WesternAnimation/PrincessGwenevereAndTheJewelRiders'' is ''much'' more whimsical and lighthearted than Robert Mandell's other work. Mandell has a background in horror, directed an episode of ''Series/TheXFiles'', and his two previous series (''{{Thunderbirds 2086}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'') were sci-fi action-adventure series with sometimes shockingly violent content.
* Creator/RabbitEarsProductions' version of ''WesternAnimation/TheFoolAndTheFlyingShip'' was much lighter and softer compared to the original Russian folktale due to making the characters more wacky and changing some scenes from the original text. For example, there was a scene in the original folktale where the Fool and the man who carries the straw have to stay in a heated bath house over night. This scene was cut out in the Rabbit Ears version.
* The second season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ewoks}}'', compared to first and the made-for-tv films; and the whole series compared to Ewoks' appearance in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.
* The Red Lantern power rings in ''WesternAnimation/GreenLanternTheAnimatedSeries''. In the comics, the ring essentially takes over the user's heart, replacing their blood with rage energy. This has the effect of making removing the ring a fatal prospect in most cases. Red rings also drive their users into a berserker rage, with most except Atrocitus being incapable of basic reasoning (though, to be fair, Atrocitus made them do that intentionally). Finally, the red light itself burns like napalm, and looks a lot like blood. In the cartoon, the ring is merely a more powerful, slightly more unstable version of the Green Lantern ring, and the personality effects are minimal by comparison. Most of the Lanterns shown are in possession of their faculties, albeit perpetually angry.
* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' is this to the original primetime specials. While the specials still had humor in them, they were more dramadies than anything else, as many of them also played up several emotional parts for genuine drama, and at least half featured Garfield, Jon, and/or Odie having their lives seriously threatened. The TV show focused more on slapstick and comedy, with Garfield frequently BreakingTheFourthWall and hanging numerous lampshades on cartoon cliches.

* Although the ''WesternAnimation/{{Babar}}'' animated series in its original 1989-1991 run was already lighthearted and family friendly, some of the issues that it depicted were pretty harsh including Babar’s mom being shot dead by The Hunter in front of his eyes (this even caused controversy in later re-runs of the show due to outrage of MoralGuardians), school bullying, racism, political intrigue and war. The 2000s revival was much more fantasy-oriented and let aside all hot topics, presenting fairy tale-like adventures. The 2010 SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/BabarAndTheAdventuresOfBadou'', while dropping the fantasy elements, continues the softer path, with much less dramatic stories and being generally aimed at a more preschool-oriented audience than the original.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' took this concept to Wrath as a whole. In the comics, the original Wrath was the child of two criminals killed when they started a firefight with a young Jim Gordon after he caught them and when he grew up, his role as an EvilCounterpart of Batman was as a CopKiller. Here, his parents were sent to prison and he fills the same role as Killer Moth originally did (running protection from Batman for his enemies).

* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': After the first two seasons depicted the Belchers as a largely DysfunctionalFamily, Season 3 onwards shows them as extremely quirky and prone to bickering but a primarily loving and wholesome family, which has only gotten more prevalent as the show continues. The show has also shied away from some of the edgier humor used in Seasons 1 and 2 (especially the former), with later seasons using biting and often adult-oriented humor but not outright dark humor.

** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' could be summed up as "Disney Princesses visit [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Sunnydale]]", as it featured very cutesy pastel-colored pony girls getting routinely threatened by horrible monsters. Follow-up Series ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' dropped the monsters and the magic, and turned it into a teen drama/comedy set in a quaint little town of near-anthropomorphic ponies. The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3 G3]] series, however, goes full-blown SugarBowl. The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic current]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyANewGeneration generation]] dials it back a bit, finding a happy medium between cute slice-of-life comedy and adventure and danger.

* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'': Most people would be surprised to find out that ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is actually more lighthearted and wholesome compared to the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTVSpecials original]] [[''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' incarnation]] of the animated show from TheEighties.

* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' could be summed up as "Disney Princesses visit [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Sunnydale]]", as it featured very cutesy pastel-colored pony girls getting routinely threatened by horrible monsters. Follow-up Series ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' dropped the monsters and the magic, and turned it into a teen drama/comedy set in a quaint little town of near-anthropomorphic ponies. The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3 G3]] series, however, goes full-blown SugarBowl. The new ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' series dials it back a bit, finding a happy medium between cute slice-of-life comedy and adventure and danger.

* ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' is an animated version of [[ComicBook/{{Static}} a much more mature comic]], straying further from the source as time went on. It was also lighter than the rest of the Franchise/{{DCAU}} for the most part.

* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': ''[[Recap/ReadyJetGoOneSmallStep One Small Step]]'', being the second TVMovie, is much more tame compared to "Back to Bortron 7", the first one. While "Back to Bortron 7" was very dark in some places and even had some adult jokes, "One Small Step" has no peril except for when Jet and Sunspot go missing and when the kids crash land into Little Dipper Lake and nearly drown, but both of these are made softer when it was revealed that Jet and Sunspot were just building a mini-golf course, and when Mitchell saves the kids with his rowboat, respectively. Plus, all the jokes are clean for kids.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' starting with Season 16 has been this. It's been years since the last time Cartman called Kyle a dirty Jew, Kenny died, or a celebrity was brutally roasted.[[note]]Even though they still make fun of the famous, it's definitely got tamer.[[/note]].

* Although the ''WesternAnimation/{{Babar}}'' animated series in its original 1989-1991 run was already lighthearted and family friendly, some of the issues that depicted were pretty harsh including Babar’s mom been shot dead by The Hunter in front of his eyes (this even caused controversy in later re-runs of the show due to outrage of MoralGuardians), school bullying, racism, political intrigue and war. The 2000s revival was much more fantasy-oriented and let aside all hot topics, presenting fairy tale-like adventures. The 2010 SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/BabarAndTheAdventuresOfBadou'', while dropping the fantasy elements, continues the softer path, with much less dramatic stories and being generally aimed at a more preschool-oriented audience than the original.

** ''Everything'' is lighter and softer compared to Beast Machines, even its AnyoneCanDie-prone predecessor ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars.'' Let's put it this way - when Simon Furman, who is sometimes Britain's answer to Creator/YoshiyukiTomino in the AnyoneCanDie ([[KillEmAll and probably will]]) department and who (reportedly) immediately asked "Who can I kill?" when asked to work on your series, says you're getting too dark, ''you're getting too dark.'' Of course, RID is still the lightest TF series yet, and one where ''nobody'' dies - not even Prime puts in the obligatory temporary death. It's pretty accurately described above, and would fit the trope no matter what series it followed.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': the original Literature/TheRailwaySeries may have been kids books at heart, but they were written with the idea the world its characters inhabited was as close to reality as possible ''other than'' the talking trains and the existence of Sodor. The first few seasons of the TV series played pretty closely to this, with down to earth stories following the tone of the books; but as it went on more fantastical elements such as magic were added (notably in the film ''Thomas and the Magic Railroad''). Many of the darker real-life elements of the original books such as locomotive scrapping, or the death of human characters were removed from the TV show or downplayed with time. while more absurd elements were included such as the trains daydreaming fantastical adventures in a bid to [[MerchandiseDriven sell more toys]].
* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsAllEnginesGo'': if the original show is a lighter and softer evolution from the books, then the reboot series was that ''to the original TV series...'' Any remaining dark elements have been expunged in favor of a brighter more wacky series.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'':
** The TV series was definitely lighter and fluffier than the comic. Much retooling was needed to make some of the storylines kid-friendly, such as how in the comic, Terra was having an affair with Slade ([[NeverSayDie aka]] Comicbook/{{Deathstroke}} the Terminator) while willingly being his mole; and Brother Blood is a cult-leading sorcerer who practices BloodMagic. Other dark elements from the comics are gently implied, like Trigon having raped Comicbook/{{Raven}}'s mother [[ChildByRape to conceive her]] and Starfire being a former slave (and not the floor-scrubbing kind). It's been noted that in an ironic twist, ''Teen Titans'' was far closer in tone to the Lighter and Softer ''Comicbook/YoungJustice'' comics, while the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' cartoon was a DarkerAndEdgier show that had content more in line with the 80's ''Comicbook/TeenTitans'' comics.

* ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'' is a much more comedic approach to the franchise than any series before it, falling somewhere between sitcom level and ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' level, unless certain KnightOfCerebus villains are around to make you say "Damn, am I ''still watching the same show?!'' Also the show's take on Carnage, but it'd have to be, since an AxCrazy serial killer doesn't really fit in a campy show aimed at children.

* The Creator/{{Image comic|s}} book Comicbook/WildCatsWildStorm is very violent, dark and cynical. By contrast, the AnimatedAdaptation ''WesternAnimation/WildCats1994'' is more standard superhero fare.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'', compared to the much DarkerAndEdgier ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' and ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien''. Everything from the art style to the writing harkens back to the original ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}''. Heck, it's even Lighter and Softer than that very original series itself, considering all the NightmareFuel is replaced with [[DenserAndWackier comedy]].

* The 2016 reboot of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Powerpuff Girls|2016}}'' is this compared to [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls the original series]], due to toned down violence and more focus on comedy. The look of the series is also literally Lighter and Softer, as the sharp edges from the original series are rounded, and the show has lighter coloring.