Line #29 GenreDeconstruction/WesternAnimation


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3	%% Note: If you wish to add examples, please explain in detail. For instance, sketch the basic premise of the genre that is being deconstructed and how the example deconstructs the genre.
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5	%% Also remember: Darker and Edgier is not inherently Deconstruction, nor is the inverse true.
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8	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' is a deconstruction of TrappedInAnotherWorld-type wish fullfilment stories. Anne Boonchuy and Sasha Waybright were both completely miserable when they first arrived in Amphibia with no warning, Anne surviving off plants and roots in the woods for days while Sasha spent an entire month imprisoned by a hostile army. The only one who seems to have an unambiguously happy life in Amphibia is Marcy Wu, who got the favor of the king and became his chief ranger. The Season 2 finale "[[Recap/AmphibiaS2E36TrueColors True Colors]]" reveals that is only because [[spoiler:she ''wanted'' it in the first place, and knew what the music box would do when she first tricked Anne into stealing it. And even she doesn't get away from the deconstruction, as the king is actually a ManipulativeBastard who's merely playing along with her fantasy as part of his true goals]].
9	* Creator/BobChipman has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmSI0Ua2Uvg described]] ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' as a this to the IJustWantToBeSpecial fantasy of creative misfits whose geeky interests and outcast nature turn out to be their source of superiority, as seen with the ComicBook/XMen, [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter Parker]], [[Series/FamilyMatters Steve Urkel]], and [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Lisa Simpson]]. He feels that the unstated implication of this premise is that creative misfits and ugly ducklings who ''don't'' "show them all" later in life deserve all the mockery they get from their peers. This perfectly describes the Belchers, who are all invested in one creative field or another, except they're all ''bad'' at it and are often [[ButtMonkey the butt of the joke]]... yet this doesn't matter, because, at the end of the day, they're still portrayed as a loving family who all have value as human beings.
10	* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' deconstructs family-oriented "hugging and learning" sitcoms like ''Series/FullHouse''. The titular character learns early on that he can't fix his mistakes with a simple apology, but truly has to change his behavior. Even if he has changed, other characters are not obligated to forgive him.
11	* The ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' episode [[Recap/EdEddNEddyS2E4OnePlusOneEqualsEd "One + One = Ed"]] is a deconstruction of how cartoons work, similar to WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck.
12	** ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow'' deconstructs most of the show's tropes, most notably Eddy's {{Flanderization}} into a {{Jerkass}}, Edd's role as the NoRespectGuy, and the blatant AmusingInjuries and StatusQuoIsGod. The movie starts off with another ZanyScheme going horrendously wrong, with the Kids displaying some very ''un''amusing injuries, and now the kids want to ''kill'' the Eds. Eddy's behavior is causing more and more problems during the Eds' journey, and finally, when Ed and Eddy fake their deathes as a joke on Edd, he snaps and tries to pull a ScrewThisImOuttaHere, stating he'd rather face the kids than spend another second with Eddy. And to top it all off, the ending. [[spoiler: It's revealed Eddy's Brother was a twisted BigBrotherBully who used Eddy as a punching bag when they were kids, which gave Eddy his InferioritySuperiorityComplex.]]
13	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' does a [[CrossesTheLineTwice particularly nasty]] deconstruction of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' and its AmusingInjuries in ''WesternAnimation/StewieGriffinTheUntoldStory'', wherein Elmer Fudd is out "hunting wabbits", shoots Bugs Bunny four times in the stomach, snaps his neck amidst cries of pain, and then drags him off leaving behind a trail of blood. In another episode "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS4E15BrianGoesBackToCollege Brian Goes Back to College]]" where Peter and friends became Series/TheATeam, the show's "amusing injuries" are discussed as actually life-threatening.
14	** The second ChristmasEpisode "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS9E7RoadToTheNorthPole Road to the North Pole]]" deconstructs SantaClaus to creepy levels.
15	* ''"WesternAnimation/HeyGoodLookin'"'' by Creator/RalphBakshi (who else) is one big Deconstruction and TakeThat against anyone who believes that the [=1950s=] were really just like ''Film/{{Grease}}'' or ''Series/HappyDays''. The main character is ostensibly as cool as The Fonz but actually a DirtyCoward who can't back up his bragging, the PluckyComicRelief is actually a racist sociopath, their gang aren't really TrueCompanions despite looking like it, the supposed BigBad never [[MindScrew explictly]] does anything really bad and the ending's BrokenAesop is intentional about the [[SatelliteLoveInterest "Romance"]] between the main character and Rozzie.
16	* ''WesternAnimation/ItsOppo'', a student film made by Cal Arts student Tyler Chen, deconstructs Nick Jr., as well as preschool television programs and morally unscrupulous media companies in general. [[http://vimeo.com/11573607 Watch the entire thing here.]] (NSFW for [[spoiler:nudity]])
17	* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' director Chuck Jones often used deconstruction on his cartoons. The best known example is ''WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck'': First the scenery changes, forcing Daffy to adapt. Then Daffy himself is erased and redrawn. Then the soundtrack fails, then the film frame, and so on until Daffy is psychologically picked clean. Another example is ''WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc'', which takes the base elements of a typical Bugs Bunny cartoon and reassembles them as a Wagnerian opera. (Conversely, you could also say that it takes the base elements of Wagnerian opera and reassembles them as a Bugs Bunny cartoon.)
18	* ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'' deconstructs TheMoralSubstitute by presenting a culture where ALL MEDIA are Christian fundamentalist propaganda, and showing just how messed up and disturbing said culture would be.
19	* The famous ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E23HomersEnemy Homer's Enemy]]" is a deconstruction of the general weirdness and insanity of its setting, based around the premise of ''What if a real-life, normal person had to enter Homer's universe and deal with him?'' Frank Grimes, a relatively humorless but hard-working man who is still forced to live cheaply despite working almost his entire life, encounters Homer on the job at the nuclear power plant. You can imagine what happens next - the result is funny, but also disturbing and very dark upon further reflection (one of the darkest ''Simpsons'' episodes ever made).
20	** At one point, Homer is about to drink a beaker of sulfuric acid when Grimes stops him. Grimes reacts ''exactly'' as we would expect a normal person to react - he's visibly freaked out, and when Homer blows off the danger with laughter, he shouts, " ''Stop laughing,'' you imbecile! Do you realize how close you just came to killing yourself?!" A series of such incidents ultimately drives Frank Grimes into insanity [[spoiler:and death]].
21	*** The episode eventually winds up in CrossesTheLineTwice territory when, [[spoiler:at Frank's funeral, the "mourners" do not cry but rather laugh when Homer dozes off and mumbles some idiotic gibberish. Even the minister.]]
22	** The episode also highlights the absurdity of one man having such a rich and adventurous life (meeting Gerald Ford, winning a Grammy, ''going into space''...)
23	-->'''Frank:''' ''(in disbelief)'' You...went into outer space. ''You.''
24	-->'''Homer:''' Yes. You've never been?
25	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', being the self-aware show that it is, devotes its premiere episode to [[DeconstructiveParody comedically deconstructing]] the premise of [[Franchise/MyLittlePony its parent franchise]] and the [[GirlShowGhetto "little girls' cartoon"]] genre which its predecessors [[TropeCodifier codified]] by asking what happens when [[SugarBowl a setting where everyone is friends with each other by default]] plays host to someone who isn't interested in friendship. Enter the introverted (and somewhat conceited) Twilight Sparkle, who is dumped in Ponyville and left to [[MetaGuy react as any of the sane, adult human beings]] [[PeripheryDemographic who may be watching]] would if placed amidst the [[CloudCuckoolander colorful characters]] that inhabit such a world: with bewildered frustration. Throughout the episode, the other ponies' overzealous attempts to befriend Twilight merely drive her to ever-greater seclusion and jadedness in their unwitting validation of her cynical worldview. The close of the episode is a DownerEnding where [[FallenAngel Nightmare]] [[MadGod Moon]] (who acts as a dark counterpart to Twilight thanks to her past exclusion turning her into an [[OmnicidalManiac omnicidal]] WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds) demonstrates the [[CrapsaccharineWorld inherent dangers]] of the fantasy setting that helps Equestria exist in such perfect harmony by [[SugarApocalypse plunging the world into]] TheNightThatNeverEnds. Miraculously enough, [[DeconReconSwitch the following episode]] manages to [[{{Reconstruction}} reconstruct]] every last one of these elements [[{{Pun}} with flying colors]].
26	** [[OncePerEpisode Normal episodes]] end with Twilight Sparkle sending [[AnAesop a message]] to her mentor Princess Celestia about [[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle what she learned about friendship that day]], satisfying the [[EdutainmentShow Edutainment quota]] for the week. The episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E3LessonZero Lesson Zero]]" specifically begs the question: "What happens if there was no friendship message to write about?" Thus begins one of the most bizarre, creepy episodes of the series when our [[SanityBall normally]] [[OnlySaneMan calm and collected]] (and [[SarcasmMode slightly]] [=OCD=]) Twilight races to find, and eventually ''create'', a friendship problem to report about. Ultimately, an Aesop about missing the Aesop is arrived at, and [[WhamEpisode introduces a running change]] where any of Twilight's friends can provide the Aesop (likely as a way to avoid having to shoehorn in Twilight into every episode).
27	*** Which is then kinda mocked in one episode, where Applejack writes that she didn't learn ''anything'', because the Aesop one could've learned from that day's adventure was something she'd always known.
28	* The episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' "[[Recap/ThePowerpuffGirlsS3E2TownAndOutChildFearing Town and Out]]" is about them moving to "Citysville" deals with what would happen if their brand of heroics was applied to a real life city.
29	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', as well as deconstructing everything else on the planet, has a fine line in deconstructing itself. In "[[Recap/SouthParkS5E13KennyDies Kenny Dies]]", the RunningGag character they had [[TheyKilledKennyAgain killed over seventy times already]] gets a terminal disease and slowly expires while Stan and Kyle react with utterly realistic grief and despair.
30	** "[[Recap/SouthParkS15E7YoureGettingOld You're Getting Old]]" portrays Stan Marsh and his parents as completely fed up with the insane events constantly creeping in their daily life, along with StatusQuoIsGod. Randy, somehow an adult SixthRanger to the children, is forced to admit how immature that makes him when he cling to whatever awful next big thing comes out in an attempt to look cool and relevant; Sharon has this speech:
31	--->''"I'm unhappy too. We both are, obviously. How much longer can we keep doing this? It's like, the same shit just happens over and over and, then in a week it just all resets until- it happens again. Every week it's kind of the same story in a different way but it, it just keeps getting more and more ridiculous."''
32	*** ... and Stan himself gets depressed as he grow out of his childish hobbies before his friends, without finding anything else to enjoy, and becomes "a cynical asshole" who ''literally'' experiences anything as "shitty". At the end of the episode, he has taken up drinking to cope with his depression, but as he hides it, to everybody else it seems like nothing has changed.
33	** Also, this speech from Craig Tucker, one of the boys' classmate, in "[[Recap/SouthParkS12E10Pandemic Pandemic]]":
34	--->''"Do you guys know why nobody else at school likes hanging out with you? Because you're always doing stuff like this. You're always coming up with some stupid idea to do something, and then it backfires, and then you end up in some foreign country, or in outer space or something. That's why no one likes hanging out with you guys."''
35	* ''WesternAnimation/TalesFromTheCryptkeeper'', despite its LighterAndSofter nature, often used this trope:
36	** "All The Gory Details" deconstructs the tropes made by ''Film/Frankenstein1931''. The Mad Scientist? [[spoiler: Was trying to ''protect'' his creations]]. Said creations? [[spoiler: Just want to be left alone, and only attack the heroes to destroy the evidence of their existence.]] It also deconstructs the idea of the HardboiledDetective with Harold Klump, who embodies every negative trait involved with the trope and twists every positive trait into a negative. His determination? Keeps him from getting anywhere and [[spoiler: gets him changed into one of Kromwell's creations at the end.]] His snarkiness and general misogyny? [[spoiler: Alienates him from his partner, who ends up leaving after having enough of his abuse.]]
37	** "Hyde and Go Shriek" deconstructs the GodzillaThreshold trope at the end. [[spoiler: Try to stop the kid you bullied when he has a werewolf formula by drinking more of it? Congrats! Too bad he set it up so that ''you'' would be captured and taken away instead. Have fun in government testing!]]
38	** "Fare Tonight" deconstructs the "KidHero fights monsters" genre made by ''Film/TheMonsterSquad'', as the kids in question, while able to talk big about killing vampires, end up being about as prepared to fight an actual vampire as kids with no professional training whatsoever would be in real life. [[spoiler: They only win by pure luck at the end.]]
39	** "The Works... In Wax" deconstructs classic monster films by portraying the climactic monster hunts... from the viewpoints of the monsters. [[spoiler: The hero actually helps them escape their deaths, and they help him in a BigDamnHeroes moment.]]
40	** "Cave Man" deconstructs ''Film/EncinoMan'', by showing what would ''actually'' happen if a caveman were brought into the modern world. [[spoiler: It doesn't end well]].
41	* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' is a deconstruction of the whole Autobot-Decepticon War. Things ain't so [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black and white]] as before, in fact the Autobots' leadership is flawed and somewhat corrupt, with one higly racist, incompetent, cowardly jerkass general on it, who only is amongst the High Command because he blames his mistakes on Optimus Prime, whose status as AllLovingHero makes him somewhat of a push-over, and its leader is ready to commit dirty tricks to defeat the Decepticons. The Decepticons however, are as much the monsters they were in G1, and this time Megatron's pragmatic enough to blast [[TheStarscream Starscream's]] ass any time he tries to overthrow him. Starscream only survives thanks to the Allspark piece on his head. [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality Without it he would have died right from the start]]. Also, because the Decepticons are war machines while Optimus' group are just maintenance bots, fending off just ''one'' Decepticon is a struggle that usually requires the entire team. Then comes the [[AnyoneCanDie season three]]...
42	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Undergrads}}'', college dorm life is deconstructed to counter its inspiration ''Film/AnimalHouse''; Rocko's [[WackyFratboyHijinx Fratboy behavior]] is looked down on heavily by his frat brothers, who view him as a source of grief. Nitz' everyman status really puts only a grade above [[ThisLoserIsYou Gimpy]], the resident {{Hikikomori}} of the 4 of them.

Context GenreDeconstruction / WesternAnimation