Sliding Scale Of Idealism Versus Cynicism / Western Animation

Manchester Black: You think that's it? It's not over, you poncy twit. If you think I'll just go to jail and rot, you're living in a dream world!

Superman: Good. Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us into something better. And on my soul, I swear that until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice are the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever.

— Superman vs. the Elite

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• Adventure Time is definitely an interesting example. Although its post-apocalyptic setting, backstory horror elements, general moral grayness, and tendency to show dark futures (such as the end of Lemonhope Story Part II) may seem like they would land the show near the cynical side the show has always been very optimistic, with a happy end for most of the characters involved. The series runs on the strategy of presenting that there will always be hope even into immensely dark situations like the afterlife and the aftermath of nuclear war, and that even though change is scary and inevitable everything will be okay.
  • The Spin-Off series Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake also lies hard on the idealistic side even though it does take a darker and more adult turn.
• Amphibia is on the idealistic end. Sure, the setting is a Death World where unimportant characters often die and it's played for Black Comedy, but a recurring theme of the show is changing for the better. Anne learns to be less selfish and becomes a loved member of the Plantar family and Wartwood, most of whom are good people, and even Mayor Toadstool eventually becomes a better toad. Sasha learns the error of her ways and redeems herself, and even King Andrias turns out to be a much more complex figure with a major Freudian Excuse than a psychotic tyrant, and eventually turns to the good side.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender:
  • The original series flip-flops on the scale madly... the mostly upbeat Season 1 gives way to the Darker and Edgier Season 2, with everything up in the air for the majority of Season 3 and the scale sliding like mad between idealism and cynicism. Finally, though, it lands hard on the Idealistic Side for the Grand Finale.
    • There's a line that parodies this flip-flopping (and the idealistic side) in 'The Phoenix King'.
      Zuko: ...Maybe you could show [Fire Lord Ozai] his baby pictures and all those happy memories will make him good again.
      Aang: Do you really think that would work?
      Zuko: NO!
    • In fact, a large aspect of the last four episodes centers around deciding whether to end in an idealistic or cynical way. All of Aang's allies and past lives tell him that he needs to kill Ozai (Cynical Ending), but he's convinced he can find another way to end the war without murder (Idealistic Ending).
  • Sequel Series The Legend of Korra, in contrast, takes all the cynicism that its predecessor left behind and runs with it. The city Aang and Zuko designed as a center of peace and balance? It's as corrupt and crime-ridden as Gotham City. The criminal whose life Aang spared? He abuses his sons so badly in his revenge gambit that they grow into exactly what he wanted in spite of themselves. The sympathetic villainous brothers? They're doomed to hurt everyone in their way, and they die without hope in a murder-suicide when the one with a functioning conscience realizes it. The world-destroying villain? Korra kills him, and his kids don't care. Human nature itself? Violent, xenophobic, and insular ^note in fact, humanity's immediate reaction to the first Avatar freeing them from their status as effective refugees is to try to slaughter everyone who didn't come from the same city, to the point that Wan died on a battlefield believing he'd failed the world. The nature of the spirits? Essentially the same. Even the romance is designed to show how terrible teenagers are at figuring out relationships. Thankfully, it all works out in an Earn Your Happy Ending by way of putting the tropes back together. Korra can't solve everybody's problems and individuals won't always change for the better, but that doesn't mean the Avatar still can't make a difference. The greater sources of corruption have been reduced to a threat governments can manage, even if they won't go away. And an Avatar's work will never end even after the war's won, destined to struggle every reincarnation for peace. But that's exactly why they'll always return when the world needs them, and that friends and finding love can still provide a fulfilling life. The worldview is still one of the most cynical ever chosen by a serious work of western animation.
• Big Mouth relies on the same formula as The Simpsons, Futurama, and Disenchantment in this respect, even if its humor is considerably more gross than the work of Matt Groening. While much of the humor is cynical with its treatment of puberty, social satire, and even sexual politics, it ultimately ends up more on the idealistic side, with family and friends being treated as essential parts of a twelve-year-old's life, and the main characters generally seeking positive relationships with both of those.
• Bob's Burgers is definitely one of the most idealistic adult-oriented cartoons. The Belcher family go through small, relatable dilemmas, but in the end they all have each other to get through hard times. They all love each other deeply and we love them because of it. Even despite the fact they live in Perpetual Poverty with their struggling business, they work hard, never give up, and continue to find happiness in their lives both in and out of the restaurant. Furthermore, while there are a few jerkasses here and there, most of the characters (especially the Belchers themselves) are decent people underneath their eccentricities.
  Bob: Let's go home, live our lives the best we can. I mean, we're poor but we're happy.
• Bojack Horseman is cynically optimistic. It's a very interesting example because the tone of each season seems to shift from something that is overall Darker and Edgier than shifts to Lighter and Softer and then back to a season that is Darker and Edgier again. Characters face such complex obstacles with others and their own emotions that they sometimes make hurtful emotional choices or reasonable good-hearted choices that affect other people greatly. Bojack is a self-loathing yet narcissistic horse who is constantly trying to find a way get better but finds it easier to stick to his own self-destructive habits which he still hates. By the end of season 4 however, he discovers in the midst of a drug-fueled epiphany that he's a good person worthy of redemption, and follows the others' lead in downtrodden expectations with a grain of hope. However, this doesn't exactly mean the show is going on a constant upward scale from here. Season 5 was much Darker and Edgier than the more colorful previous season revealing Bojack is still struggling to become better. By season 5 though he finally takes a forceful decision to go to rehab after he choked his girlfriend/co-star Gina not on purpose but due to drugs, felt horrible about it, and realized this is another wake up call to finally need help.
  • The season finales of each season in particular show how much of a swinging pendulum the show is with idealism vs. cynicism. Season 1 ends on a rather neutral note, Season 2 ends slightly idealistically with Bojack getting the "It gets easier" speech, Season 3 ends more cynically until the last seconds, as Bojack nearly commits suicide until he sees wild horses running through the desert, Season 4 ends very idealistically for Bojack, as he gives his first on-screen genuine smile when Hollyhock accepts him as a half-brother, and Season 5 ends pretty cynically, with Bojack going to rehab after he nearly commits murder while under the influence of drugs, though he also says aloud that he needs help, keeping Season 5's ending from being the most cynical one yet.
  • The sixth and final season zigzags with idealism vs. cynicism even more than the previous seasons. Season 6 Episode 7, "The Face of Depression," the penultimate episode of the first half of Season 6, ends in such a manner that would easily be an optimistic, tears-of-joy ending... if it wasn't immediately followed by an episode that sets up Hollyhock learning about some of the worst things Bojack has done and news reporters preparing to reveal some of the other worst things he's done. The second half of the season is much more on the cynical end, with Bojack finally being properly taken to task for his harmful behavior, especially in regards to the various incidents in which a younger woman he had a stronger power dynamic over had the quality of their life seriously lowered because of having known him, and Bojack's reputation is seriously damaged as a result. Such karmic justice isn't as cathartic as it might be if Bojack weren't the main character we've gotten to understand the mind of regardless of whether or not we actually like him, thus guaranteeing the last few episodes of the season stay pretty far on the cynical end. The penultimate episode of the series turns out to be the Dying Dream of Bojack as he's Driven to Suicide and begins to attempt to overdose on drugs and drown himself in the pool on his old house's back porch, which would make for the biggest Downer Ending in the entire show's run, which is saying something, given the kind of show this is. The series finale has a more bittersweet feel overall, with Bojack affirming where he stands with Mr. Peanutbutter, Todd, and Princess Carolyn, all of whom Bojack accepts for who they are, and all of whom accept Bojack for who he is, albeit mainly because none of them can truly claim to be better than him at the end of the day. Bojack's final conversation with Diane is less sweet, as Diane acknowledges that, as close as they are due to their mutual understanding of one another more than anyone else, Bojack kept putting her in the unenviable position of always being the one to save him from himself, keeping either of them from ever truly growing, and that after this last conversation with him, Diane will never see Bojack again. Even still, Diane acknowledges that she owes many of her professional successes in the past few years to knowing Bojack, and Bojack acknowledges that he may never have made what personal improvements he did without having known Diane, and the show ends with the two of them looking at the sky in silence. The last season is structured this way to show how life doesn't have neat and tidy happy endings, as there's always "the day after the happy ending," and how, despite Bojack seemingly having gotten sober at the end of the series, he could just as easily relapse at any point after that. The show ultimately ends on an uncertain but hopeful note. As Diane says at the end of the series finale, "Life's a bitch, and then you keep living," which makes it all the more important to appreciate how every event and every difficulty we face will lead to a nice moment in the end.
  • It should be noted that creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg considers Bojack to be an optimistic series as it portrays a hopeful look at how people can push through the muck and try to get better in the face of a lot of brutal reality that will keep you down.

• CatDog is very cynical in comparison to most Nicktoons. Despite its cartoony aesthetics, practically everyone on that show is a major league Jerkass (except Dog, who is more Innocently Insensitive), Nearburg is a Crapsack World with every business run by Rancid Rabbit, and the titular characters almost never win (and episodes often ended with them being beaten up by the Greaser Dogs).
• Centaurworld leans on the idealistic side....but just barely. Even though the story mostly takes place in a colorful, vibrant, and silly world, there are some really dark, horrific, and disturbing themes going on in the story, especially when it gets into the backstory of the Nowhere King. Thankfully, the heartwarming moments, insightful messages, and likable characters prevent the series from leaning too far on the cynical side.
• Chowder is an idealistic series. A bright and colorful world where people generally get along happily and the biggest problem is the next food order.
• Clone High started off with a more cynical edge compared to other Bill Lawrence or Phil Lord & Chris Miller projects. The first season served as an irreverent take on the Dawson's Creek and Beverly Hills, 90210 generation. It's mixed with social satire and a subplot involving secret government agents who create a school for clones only so they can prepare them to join a deadly army. That said, it's not too far down on the cynical side either. It's still a surprisingly tenderhearted series. Most of the episodes do still have a happy ending and there are characters who will ultimately do the right thing. Some of the Jerkass characters like JFK do have a lot of character development that ''changes them for the better. Overall, the first season was more towards the middle.
  • By the time of the revival, things started to lean more towards the idealistic side. High school has certainly changed over the past 20 years and seemingly for the better. Characters are more likely to be make friends with one another and be respectful. Even the board of shadow-y figures want to resurrect the initial plan not to create a deadly army but to create new leaders that could make a better future.
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2017) is basically in the mixed side of the scale. While the main protagonists (Flint and Sam) are happy-go-lucky and idealistic, they live in a town where most of the townsfolk are jerks that love to mistreat the innocent at worst and jerks with hearts of gold at best. Despite the sadistic tone, the main protagonists always survive in the end and all goes well for them.
• All three of Craig Bartlett's shows are on the idealistic end of the scale. Their protagonists are eternal optimists who want to help everyone, and they each show that no one is truly bad inside.
  • Hey Arnold!: Arnold tended to believe that most people were good at heart and could work out their differences with one another — and, ultimately, the show tended to prove him right. The trade-off was that episodes with Downer Endings and Karma Houdinis hit just that much harder, for being in apparent opposition to the prevailing ideology.
  • Dinosaur Train: Buddy wants to be friends with every type of creature. The predator and prey get along perfectly fine, and the Conductor's rivalry with Thurston eventually gets resolved.
  • Ready Jet Go!: The show is about overcoming your personal struggles, the beauty of imperfection, and learning to love yourself and others. The world is seen through the optimistic Jet's eyes as a planet full of wonder and beauty.
• The two shows that Craig Gerber created, Sofia the First and Elena of Avalor , both lean heavily on the idealistic side. Though that's to be expected for Disney Junior shows. No matter how much the characters go through, they always have a happy ending, or for bittersweet endings, the happy elements are emphasized much more.
• Daria lies mostly on the cynical side but shows a fair amount of optimism, especially in the final season. The bulk of the cast are concerned wholly with their appearance and popularity, though its due to their insecurities rather than complete selfishness and maliciousness. The Show Within a Show on Daria is called Sick Sad World.
• Disenchantment is set in the Dark Ages and has a cynical sense of humor but has a fair amount of genuine heart.
• Don Bluth films are usually heavily on the optimistic end of the scale even if the characters have to go through hell and back to achieve their happy ending.
• Both the 80's DuckTales (1987) and its 2017 reboot are heavily on the idealistic end of the scale: adventures that end in a positive outcome for the most part, fun characters, and the focus on family being the reasons.
• Ed, Edd n Eddy is very much on the cynical side. While not as cynical as a few other cartoons in this era, the characters are mean spirited, the ones who put others through hell often get away, five seconds of the show revolves around pain...it can be a mess. Until the movie, where things get better for the Eds, who were accepted by the kids.
• F is for Family is a tricky one. Much of the show highlights the more politically incorrect aspects of the 1970s with the intention of allowing people who grew up in that decade to laugh and think about how they feel society has gotten better or worse and/or make younger audiences raised in more politically correct times feel both humor and discomfort with the commonplace behaviors of the time period. That should make it sound well more on the cynical side, though the show also has the Murphy family sticking by one another when the chips are down. It can lean pretty hard into both, but Bill Burr and Michael Price are not the kinds of people who would make a plain nihilistic and mean cartoon, even if one's dislike of the style of humor present in the show can lead some people to think that about Burr and Price.
• The Fairly OddParents!, much like SpongeBob, had gotten increasingly cynical over the years. At first, Timmy did have a hellish life, but his fairy godparents were eager to help him out. Come Season 4 or so, and much of the cast Took a Level in Jerkass (including both Timmy and his fairies, especially Cosmo). Black Comedy became much more frequent, and his parents went from overworked to downright neglectful. However, everything is usually made right by the end of an episode.
• Family Guy is like Seinfeld compared to The Simpsons being Married... with Children. Some of the characters only serve to be chew toys for the others and like Seinfeld, no learning or hugging allowed and there are barely any heartwarming moments, and Peter is outright abusive towards Meg and at times Chris. To be fair, Family Guy's cynical phase is largely a result of Flanderization. Prior to that, despite it's obvious dark shades there was a fair amount of whimsy and innocence with the characters at least having visible lovable and sympathetic aspects. Peter was more a brasher Kindhearted Simpleton who genuinely cared for his family and nearly always felt bad for his actions in the end of each episode. There were also some vaguely realistic spotlighting in the relations of the family eg. Lois confronting Peter about his lack of passion and appreciation, which he merely thought she already knew.
• Final Space is very idealistic compared to most other adult-oriented animated comedies. There's minimal prolonged or mean-spirited Comedic Sociopathy among the main group, who all value and care for each other, or at least grow to, with the exception of KVN, who is generally more deserving of everyone's contempt than other chew toys in other media due to his insufferable nature, and Lord Commander, due to him obviously being the villain. While the first season ends with everyone scattered across space with no way of knowing who has lived and who has died, the show remains idealistic in a A World Half Full manner because even though the good guys don't always win in this show, it is still made clear that good can and should win out in the end.
• Futurama tends to be down the middle. Several known species of animal are extinct, New York City has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, crack is readily available in vending machines, the universe is threatened on a regular basis, Richard Nixon is president again, the nation’s military is commanded by an incompetent, womanizing Manchild who is more than willing to sacrifice his own men for unnecessary reasons and start a war with a race he hates, hell exists, and is in New Jersey; and the world’s leading manufacturer in robots, starship fuel, and electronics is an evil, abusive, amoral old hag, it is legal to eat human meat, and racism still exists in one form or another. But there are episodes that show that some of the worst offenders (namely Bender) have a human side to them, that no love goes unrequited, that shows humanity can band together and make significant changes (i.e. being able to give mutants, who, for the majority of the series, were treated as vermin, regulated to living in shoddy conditions in the sewers; the freedom to move about the surface and (possibly) equal rights as surface-dwellers, legalize robosexual marriage, and come to a fair and equal consensus on controversial subjects like evolution).
  • PBS Idea Channel has posited in this video that Futurama is the logical conclusion to a concept known as the hedonic treadmill: that no matter what good or bad things happen or how civilization changes over time, the way humans feel about their lives will ultimately return to a level of neutrality. This is shown by how the twenty-first century itself has not been the idealized future many in the mid-twentieth century believed it to be, even if our lives have indeed become easier due to better technology. Compared to how Star Trek is an optimistic future where technological advancements have enriched people's lives, or how AKIRA is a dark future where military advancements have led to further suffering and death, Futurama sits in the middle as a future where technological advancement itself is the only major change, with life itself remaining just as mundane as it did a thousand years before.

• Gravity Falls is Darker and Edgier than anything else on Disney Channel/Disney XD, but usually leans towards the idealistic side of the scale. Yes, the show borrows from Gothic Horror and is not afraid to shy away from the harshness of reality (especially when it comes to growing up), but the show teaches that good things can come out of bad moments. Dipper and Mabel face challenges, but their strong relationship is a testament to the show's idealism. Grunkle Stan and Great-Uncle Ford even manage to patch up their broken relationship in the Grand Finale.
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy generally falls into the cynical end of the scale. As a Black Comedy Sadist Show, a lot of characters are jerkasses and idiots, who also have a lot of moments of bad luck, and many of the villains have truly malevolent plans against our heroes, who, as stated before, aren’t much better than them. With that being said, it does have a sense of idealism to some extent, unlike many of its contemporaries of similar ilk.
• Hazbin Hotel, despite taking place in Hell itself, with all the bloodshed, depravity, and cruelty that entails, is surprisingly idealistic, though still tempered with cynicism. It's made clear that anyone, even damned souls, can change for the better. Though starting out as incredibly dysfunctional, the residents of the titular Hotel bring out the best in each other and grow to see themselves as a family. That isn't to say everything is secretly sunshine and rainbows; Hell is experiencing an overpopulation crisis after all, and Heaven is run by Tautological Templars who don't even know what gets someone into Heaven, being too self-righteous and cowardly to do anything about it. It's also made clear not all people can be redeemed; Valentino is a prime example.
• Infinity Train leans idealistic for Books 1, 2 and 4. The characters are forced to confront deep emotional issues, no easy answers or convenient outs are provided, and it's accepted that compromises must be made, but they ultimately manage to find what they desire and come to a better understanding of themselves. The train itself can inflict brutish punishments and offers with their consent, but is a Well-Intentioned Extremist that genuinely acts under what it views as their benefit, and even Amelia is granted another chance to make up for her failings, with the only villains definitively killed being in self-defense.
  • Book 3, on the other hand, is among the most cynical pieces of serious western animation ever produced, though still prevents itself from running fully into nihilistic territory and maintains a degree of hope. Simon and Grace's failure to communicate and moral failings result in dire consequences. Grace's attempts to Take a Third Option result in her completely isolating herself from Hazel and losing the closest friend of her life. While Simon could redeem himself, the show accepts that some people will simply continue to spiral downwards in self-destructive ways and that you won't be able to do anything to help them, and he is given no way out and is violently murdered. However, Grace accepts responsibility and pledges to get the remaining Apex members off the train, and still loves Simon and mourns his death despite everything he did.
• Invader Zim is perhaps the most cynical kids cartoon ever created. Practically every single character, major, minor or otherwise, is a total and absolute moron with the self-preservation skills of a brick. Those who aren't are grossly apathetic and consider the world's troubles to be somebody else's problem. And the slim minority who aren't either are generally the universe's Chew Toy. It's a Crapsack World, indeed. That said, when the series returned as a comic book and a television movie over a decade later, it eased up a bit: it's still plenty cynical, but not intensely so.
• Invincible (2021) Initially starts off in episode 1 as a lighthearted superhero show that focuses on a group of superheroes defeating two supervillains. It starts off very idealisticly with the main character Mark Grayson achieving his superpowers that is until it gets into the credits scene of it's first episode. In the credits, Omni-Man betrays his superhero friends by gruesomely murdering all of them in a horrifying fashion which completely throws off the idealistic mood of the series and replaces it with seriousness. In later episodes, Mark Grayson's idealistic attitude for heroism starts to become more jaded and sour as he is forced to deal with the deaths of multiple people and get into multiple curb-stomping battles that gets him heavily injured.
• Inside Job (2021) is an utterly cynical series set in a Crapsack World where conspiracy theories are true and the ones behind the conspiracies are self centered jerkasses (Rand Ridley, we’re looking at you).
• It's Such a Beautiful Day is a Black Comedy about a simplistically-drawn man dying of terminal brain cancer, but surprisingly winds up in the middle of the scale by the end, probably closer to optimistic.
• Justice League Unlimited has some fun exploring this during the Cadmus arc - memorably, Superman turns out to be the Unwitting Pawn by taking the "realistic" option, but Batman manages to save everyone's bacon by doing same. In the end Superman refuses to kill a goading Luthor, showing both a triumph of Idealism and internal fortitude, as he is sorely tempted to avenge The Flash, who turns out to be Not Quite Dead.
• King of the Hill is a very mundane and realistic show, consequently taking a grounded but fairly optimistic worldview. Not everything ends happily for everyone all the time but there's still many good things in life for them all to appreciate. In many episodes, Hank and other characters manage to find common ground with those carrying differing viewpoints and personalities, learning to adapt and adjust to a changing society even despite the difficulties they may have understanding it while also proving that the "good old ways" still have their place in the world. Almost none of the major characters are 100% irredeemable, with even major jerkasses like Cotton still having some nuance or humanity to them and the more straightforwardly sympathetic characters being flawed but decent individuals just trying to do the right thing.
• Despite the surface becoming a Death World, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts not only sides of idealism but shows cynicism to be dangerous. Kipo's willingness to make friends, even with enemies, is a major contributor to her group's success as it opens up seemingly impossible opportunities. Meanwhile, many of the problems in the series also stem from people making decisions stemming from a cynical mindset, as it not only allows the Cycle of Revenge to continue, but all the evils the protagonists face stem from Dr. Emilia not only rejecting her brother Liam's proposal for humans and Mutes to get along, but killing him so she could use Liam as martyr to her father's desire to reclaim the surface for humanity.
• The classic Looney Tunes shorts are all over the place. Some cartoons, such as "Feed The Kitty", "Martian Through Georgia" and just about anything with Buddy, are very much on the idealistic side. While others, such as "Fresh Airedale", "Hare Brush" and "The Ducksters", are very far on the cynical side. Some cartoons (such as "What's Opera, Doc?") even zig-zag from one end of the scale to the other.
  • In particular, Chuck Jones' shorts are often quite cynical and jaded in their humor; he was quite fond of portraying characters as hapless Chew Toys (such as Wile E. Coyote) and/or more nasty and flawed than the other directors (such as his iconic Straw Loser take on Daffy Duck, turning Bugs into a more vengeful, passive-aggressive trickster with somewhat less playfulness, creating Marvin, an alien villain who wants to destroy the earth for blocking his view of Venus, etc.). Some of his one-shots, like "Fresh Airedale", the Censored Eleven short "Angel Puss", and "Chow Hound" are some of the darkest cartoons in the entire franchise. Some of this was undoubtedly due to the input of Michael Maltese, who was the primary writer for Jones's unit from the mid-'40s through the late '50s. Following Maltese's departure, Jones's cartoons became considerably lighter and sometimes even sentimental in tone; likewise, Jones' earliest shorts (1938-early 1942) were very cutesy and Disneyesque in nature. However, Jones himself was quite a pessimist—in his biography, he quipped the following;
    "Human beings will line up for miles to buy a bucket of catastrophes, but don't try selling sunshine and light — you'll go broke."
  • Robert McKimson's cartoons tend to have a cynical worldview. Almost all of his characters—even his interpretation of Bugs—are grumpy, middle aged curmudgeons, with the main contrasts in the different characters' personalities being how smart or how stupid the various curmudgeons were. Ironically, Rob himself was by all accounts a soft-spoken, conservative and pleasant fellow in real life.
• The Loud House falls somewhere in the middle of the scale. Much of the show revolves around protagonist Lincoln Loud being at odds with his 10 sisters, and there’s some rather cynical humor at times, but it utimately leans closer to the idealistic end, as they ultimately all love each other and everything (more or less) works out in the end.
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack is very cynical. It takes place in a Crapsack World where pretty much everyone is bitter, abusive, and ugly, with Nightmare Fuel abound. The only optimist in the show, the titular character, is completely oblivious and naive to the world around him.
• Monkey Dust is far down the cynical side of this scale. At times, it exaggerates Black Comedy to the extent that it's barely comedy anymore.
• Even before the massive Cerebus Syndrome, Moral Orel is pretty firmly planted on the cynical side, playing both for laughs and for drama the Stepford Suburbia of Moralton and the dysfunctional and depressing lives of its residents. Despite this, the show keeps a few bright spots most notably in the episodes "Dumb" and "Closeface," as well as the ending.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is all things considered a very idealistic show. The My Little Pony franchise as a whole is extremely idealistic, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. By comparison, FIM is a little more cynical in relation to earlier incarnations of the franchise.
  • This comes inevitably as the lead characters are portrayed as flawed individuals, each bearing personality quirks that give them obstacles to overcome before they reach an episode's optimistic resolution. Nevertheless, these are mostly present to be overcome with the show's fairly idealistic morals and aesops, Easily Forgiven is the most commonly played card, and values The Power of Friendship über alles. Still, it does occasionally go out of its way to point out that many problems cannot be solved with sunshine and smiles. Some things take hard effort to resolve and might take a long time to fully fix. However, It's still firmly idealistic in the aspect that there is always an optimistic, happy ending, no matter what, and if there is a shot at redemption for someone (including bad guys, even the worst ones), it will always work out for them in the end.
  • It usually falls on the cynical side of the spectrum when it comes to the big bads. Out of the six of these over five seasons, only Nightmare Moon, Discord (via Fluttershy in Season 3), and Starlight Glimmer in Season 5 have proven redeemable by The Power of Friendship. The others have been either destroyed, imprisoned, banished, or escape punishment. Smaller, one-episode bullies usually just take off without learning a lesson, with The Great and Powerful Trixie and Gilda as the only ones to turn up again and undergo some character development thus far.
  • Starlight Glimmer is a unique case, being cynical before circling around and shooting off into the idealistic side. She is the only seasonal villain to escape and return to fight another day, the second go around however, she is truly defeated, but she is not imprisoned or punished, instead, she is befriended by the Mane Six and even becomes one of the group.
  • The Grand Finale turns this trope on its head: After their plans to Take Over the World have failed (again), Grogar's Legion of Doom (consisting of previous baddies Chrysalis, Lord Tirek and Cozy Glow) are not given another chance for redemption, especially after they have previously rejected their second chances and refuse to change their evil ways. They are officially declared irredeemable, and are turned to stone for eternity for their crimes. Showing that even the extremely idealistic world of Equestria has their limits on what they will tolerate.
• The Owl House is idealistic despite having a setting that would seem cynical. Despite taking place in a horrific landscape where the society shows social Darwinism and is ruled by a dictatorship/quasi-cult, supporting or background characters more often than not show they have good hearts or better sides. Given some empathy and mercy, many become loyal companions (and in Amity's case, a loving girlfriend) Main character Luz's kind heart is consistently shown to change the lives of those around her for the better (even if she starts to think otherwise later on), and positive relationships are a big focus. This comes to a head in the finale, when Luz manages to redeem The Collector and even states, "People are complex. And sometimes they just need a little kindness and forgiveness." And while The Collector's attempt to forgive and hug it out with Belos/Philip backfires horribly and he goes to his grave unrepentantly pure evil, it's clear that he's the exception rather than the rule. In the end, everybody gets a happy ending.
• Phineas and Ferb is possibly the most idealistic cartoon Disney Channel aired. The writers adhere to the rule of "no evil characters", meaning that the show's biggest recurring villain is the resident Butt-Monkey/partial Woobie whose biggest wishes are to rule the tri-state area and be a good father, and the worst one, a Drill Sergeant Nasty who pretty much brainwashed the main characters was just a dream. However, this comes off as clear proof of Idealism is not Bland, because this is where it gets all its charm.
• All of Pixar's films are incredibly optimistic. They are about real characters dealing with problems anyone can relate to and are full of heart, humor, and emotion.
• ReBoot. Bob was always the idealist, strongly against deletion, believing viruses could be turned. Enzo originally idolised him, but after being forced to grow up in the games, he became the cynic of the show. The contrast between them was most noticeable when brain washed guardians were attacking Mainframe. Bob wanted to contain them, Enzo wanted to kill them.
• To call Rick and Morty simply "cynical" or "nihilistic" is a drastic oversimplification of the show as a whole. The Smith family is made of deeply flawed, shallow, and abrasive people, made worse by Rick's corruptive influence, and, as Morty says in "The Rickshank Redemption," a life with Rick is one that he will force you to center around him with the constant reminder that you know nothing and he knows everything. The infinite nature of the multiverse renders an individual's identity completely disposable, attempts to do the right thing generally end in causing even more destruction than would have already happened if one doesn't even bother helping at all, and tropes are almost always deconstructed without even giving the viewer a moment to take in what they just saw. And yet, series creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland insist that the knowledge of nothing mattering, while accurate, does you no favors, and that even if happy moments are fleeting and often built on lies and/or ignorance, it's better to live happily and with and for other people than to surround yourself with negativity and contempt, even if that makes you smarter. The show makes it clear that Morty, Summer, and to a lesser extent Beth and Jerry can reconcile intelligence and nihilism with the ability to at least try to love your family, whether biological or by choice, and live a happy and pleasing life, while Rick cannot. Rick and Morty is not an idealistic show per se, and even mocks the idea that it should be categorized as idealistic or cynical by subverting most of its heartwarming and depressing moments as they happen, and thus indirectly acknowledging the mental manipulation tactics necessary for emotional investment in works of fiction, but the people making the show do want the show to have more meaning than to just take the piss out of the world's stupidly happy people, and believe that nothing mattering is the perfect reason to surround yourself with family and friends and be a good person, not the perfect reason to avoid doing those things.
• In spite of being Darker and Edgier than its predecessor, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power manages to still be idealistic. Sure, it's not always easy, but its main themes are The Power of Friendship and how anybody could be a better person if they wanted to. This is evidenced by the numerous villains who perform a Heel–Face Turn or get some form of redemption by the series end.
• The Simpsons is down the middle. The jokes tend to run on cynical, pointed Take Thats at society and popular culture, but the plots and characters themselves tend to to be idealistic and with a lot of sincere heart. There are some meaningful episodes which shows the bonds of the dysfunctional family and how despite how bad Homer's life is, he will never truly betray Marge and their marriage.
• Smiling Friends is in the middle, which is fairly idealistic for an [adult swim] cartoon. The Smiling Friends organization is genuinely interested in making people happy despite the Boss’s creepy moments, but run into difficulties due to the bizarre and occasionally horrifying nature of the world they live in. The protagonist Pim and Charlie represent two opposing sides, with Pim often being too idealistic for his own good while Charlie is often cynical in a defeatist fashion. Despite their difficulties, they always do manage to reach their assigned goal, but generally in a strange, darkly humorous or accidental fashion. "Frowning Friends" best displays the show's status in the center by having the Aesop that extreme cynicism is just as silly and useless as extreme idealism.
• South Park is quite far down on the cynical side of the scale, taking place in a small town hell where everyone is corrupt or idiotic, horror abounds and has enough squick and offensive humor that no one is innocent or spared. And it gets more cynical once social satire replaces the funny side of everyday life. It's worth noting that while the show is very cynical in general, there are several instances that shed some idealism in the world. The Movie, "Stick of Truth" video game, "You Have 0 Friends", "Crack Baby Athletic Association", and a few other examples all contain a happy ending showing that while the show is raunchy, dark and vulgar there does lie a number of instances that are heartwarming.
• Interestingly Spongebob Squarepants is a similar concept that slowly drifted from one to the other. The show was originally cheerful and vaguely sentimental with SpongeBob being somewhat relatable and most of his bumbling being treated sympathetically or as Laser-Guided Karma to meaner spirited characters. After the creator Stephen Hillenburg left the series, however, the humor slowly became darker and SpongeBob also became more insane and the consequences of his constant stupidity often shown to be harrowing and life destroying for innocent people. Other characters like Mr Krabs also became far more malicious (and unlike before didn't always fall victim to karma). However, some of the series' old charm is clawing its way back.
• Star vs. the Forces of Evil is incredibly idealistic overall, even in later episodes when it focuses on more difficult and cynical topics.
• Steven Universe is very much on the idealistic end of the scale, reflecting the protagonist's All-Loving Hero personality. As revelations are made as to where the Gems come from and why they came to Earth come to light, it quickly becomes apparent that the Crystal Gems defected from the Homeworld Gems to protect the planet, and that the Homeworld Gems are intending to return and suck its resources dry. What's more, the caretakers he's always looked up to have very real flaws with psychological hangups they've not gotten over. Despite the narrative's continually darkening plot, the show remains steadfastly idealistic with many lessons the characters learn about trust and enduring relationships together, and even most of the jerks and villains have sympathetic sides to them. In short, despite the innocent surface being revealed as a complex and tragic event, the characters keep their good hearts, with sobering reminders of how cynical the world can be but being a better experience because of it. Former writer Matt Burnett has even stated that the series' simple-life theme prevented the inclusion of cynicism or snarkiness.
  • The epilogue limited series, Steven Universe: Future is a little less idealistic as the previous series. This series shows how the events of the previous series have severely damaged Steven's mental and physical being. Thankfully, after his friends help save him from himself in the episode I Am My Monster, Steven does get a lot better. Overall, it does still lean on the idealistic side.
• Stressed Eric isn't on the cynical side of the scale. It is the cynical side of the scale. The show is about a man who is respected by absolutely nobody except his children. Eric fails at everything he tries, there are no lasting Throw the Dog a Bone moments in sight, and at the end of every episode, his stress vein strangles and kills him.
• Tear Along the Dotted Line and This World Can't Tear Me Down lie right on the middle being both brutally tragic and insightful and hopeful at the same time.
• Even though Teen Titans (2003) can be Darker and Edgier in its themes, even going towards subjects of paranoia and racism, its still leaning towards the optimistic end of the spectrum...
• ...Though this is entirely averted with Teen Titans Go!. While the series is definitely a Lighter and Softer incarnation of the first show, this series is heavily irreverent and cynical. The Titans go through a Adaptational Jerkass phase where they boarder Comedic Sociopathy and treat each other similar to how The Gang from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia treat each other.
  • This again changes though in the feature length film where it shows that the Titans are better than those guys because they really do care about each other.
• Total Drama started out as a fairly idealistic parody of reality shows in its first season, with a few cynical moments and individual Downer Endings. In its second season, though, things took a turn for the cynical end. Tropes like the Satellite Love Interest were deconstructed, and the cast turned into a pretty good example of Black-and-Gray Morality. Season 3 can be considered somewhat a Reconstruction, returning to the formula of the first season with some things from the second lurking in, and the series now lies at the center of the scale.
  • Season 5, consisting of the All-Stars and Pahkitew Island mini-seasons, are definitely a high point in the show's cynicism. All Stars boasts even more Deconstruction of beloved characters, especially Courtney betraying Gwen after their newfound friendship. There's a reason it's often the cited as the most hated season of Total Drama. Pahkitew Island, on the other hand, involves a heaping dose of Black-and-Gray Morality. It certainly doesn't help that Chris is more sadistic and cruel than ever.
  • Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race, however, is definitely the most idealistic season of the Total Drama franchise yet. Pretty much every team has a happy ending even if they don't win, from simply being dignified and relaxed in defeat to gaining better relationships with each other. The only team this isn't true for? The backstabbing, cold-hearted Ice Dancers.
• The Venture Bros. is a Dark Parody and Genre Deconstruction of the ideal youth adventure, Science Hero, costumed heroes/villains, and Spy Fiction genres showcasing its heavy themes of failure and the mental toll these heavy experiences may have on people as they age. Despite that, the series may not be as cynical as it sounds. In fact, the the finale movie ends the series on a surprisingly positive note for most of its characters.
• Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum falls heavily on the idealistic side. All of the historical figures provide a positive lesson to learn. The show also promotes the messages that kids can change the world for good.
• Wander over Yonder leans far on the idealistic side. The series does shift into darker territory in the second half although it remains idealistic see how the very theme of it seems to be that there is always hope no matter how bad things get.
• W.I.T.C.H.: For a show in which each season is essentially the story of a Civil War, it comes down incredibly hard on the Idealistic side. And it's not just the Non-Lethal Warfare - though it does often seem to be invoked from the Guardians' side, to the point that they Save the Villain mooks multiple times in the first season alone (and benefit from it). Only two characters are depicted being actually killed - Will's Altermere in "H is for Hunted" and Cassidy in the backstory (both by Nerissa).
  • In the first season, Meridian has been under the thumb of an oppressive tyrant for over a decade. Yet hope and optimism are in the air, not only among the regular inhabitants but among La Résistance as well - which actually grows stronger leading up to the finale, despite many setbacks.
  • In the Darker and Edgier second season, it's outright lampshaded. When a group of villains goes as far as to attack the heroines on Earth (including their families), and one of them explicitly goes out of his way to make said heroines hate him on purpose, their battle ends with this:
    Will: Compassion and mercy are more powerful than hate, Shagon. I can teach you that.

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