Is romance more common in western animation nowadays?

I welcome the concept becoming more prevalent - to attract more audiences, especially and only if done right, of course. Most importantly, it needs to be properly developed, as in both characters want each other. No one-sided crush or stalker BS we see too much of from dime-a-dozen Canadian fare... This is what I mean as something we Westerners can learn from the Japanese and how they approach the subject of romance.

When I think about it, I wouldn't actually say it has become more common, it just has become more complex. As in old days you didn't see relationship drama, just 1) someone having crush on someone 2) Obvious designated love interest 3) Couple/married couple and it was just part of their character/few jokes and never bigger focus besides maybe some special episode to deliver aesop about it.

People are being reardamaged about Christians, and completely overlook the fact it's just the writers trying to please the shippers.

I think I may have inadvertently started this, I meant to make an offhand response to what someone says and people seem to have ran with it...

Someone mentioned Christianity in something that doesn't even relate to it? On the internet?

Anyway, I think people here are forgetting that animation goes back a long way further than the '80s and '90s. Can anyone think of any examples of romance from the Golden Age? Or from the beginnings of animation? Or, say, if the first feature-length animated picture had romance in it?

edited 4th Apr '13 10:51:50 PM by 0dd1

^^^What if creators are shippers, want to introduce more mature elements to form of media thought to be for kids or attempt at "deeper" stories? Or romance related aesops of the week?

Seriously, I also find it annoying when people think only reason they do things is pandering.

^Didn't Hanna Barbara or Warner Bros cartoons have at least some sort of romance? As in, not maybe dating or anything but some random creep trying to woo over someone else while always failing comically? Or that someone trying to get away from them comically? Or just mentioned for jokes?

edited 5th Apr '13 12:11:11 AM by SpookyMask

I still don't see what is the deal with gay or other LGBT characters being barred from showing up in children's animation in America. *Gasp* gay and lesbian and trans people exist. How is that going to warp a child's mind?

It might lead to children thinking that is okay. We can't have kids growing up tolerant.

Is shipping really that irritating? I mean it is pretty easy to avoid.

edited 5th Apr '13 7:05:28 AM by Wildcard

^Its not really different from any other fan activity. Everything can be annoyed when done in certain way and people tend to generalize annoying behavior as the "normal" behavior because they tend to remember negative things better.

For Golden Age characters, of course there was romance. But it was pretty footnote-y; it was more that the characters were married than they actually did anything together. Hell, I don't think any of the Golden age couples had much development beyond "we actually have sex with each other".

Also note that most pairings were forced around the time of the Hays Code, because of the accusations of homosexuality in Batman.

@comicwriter: Animation is an expensive endeavor, and cartoons tend to be produced by companies that want the most bang for their buck. Even if the creators want to have a character that is LGBT and show that they are LGBT, they're not allowed by studio executives who don't want to start a negative controversy/have those who are against gay marriage (aka a decent portion of the country) pissed off and stop watching, thus loosing ratings and ad power. The creators can't push for it, because they need a job. They can hint, however, and do the whole Word of Gay thing. Heck, Young Justice even revealed that a character was either lesbian or bi in the tie-in comics.

But sadly, due to the number of people in the US who don't want to even acknowledge that being LGBT is legitimate, it will be a while before shows are allowed to have it mentioned that a character is LGBT/show it.

The only American children's show that I even know of that ever even came close to that issue is Postcards From Buster (aka an edutainment Arthur spinoff), and that episode that mentioned it (as in very briefly mentioned that someone has two mommies) rose a huge storm of controversy.

For the record, this is apparently all it takes to set people's rage aflame:

edited 6th Apr '13 11:12:08 PM by 0dd1

HERESY! FILTH! TIS A NEW SODOM AND GOMORRAH! THE LAWD SHALL SMITE THEE WITH RIGHTEOUS FURY FOR YE SINS AND DEBAUCHERY YOU DIRTY PHILISTINES!!!!!!

What were we talking about?

OH NOES! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD!

Yeah it's stupid that it was banned.

@Windona: Well actually there is some good news, the recent movie Para Norman, (rated only PG) had a character revealed to be gay in it's ending and it wasn't banned.

Isn't a lot of romance in cartoons today more of a Will They or Won't They? thing?

Edit: Fixed Trope word.

edited 7th Apr '13 4:54:42 AM by Wildcard

To be fair, the Postcards from Buster episode didn't cause that much of a public outroar. The main evil in the equation was one of the executives, which is pretty much Michelle Bachman's television cousin, who almost single handedly caused the controversy.

Basically, it's like with Ted Turner and the Swat Kats: a dumbass conservative executive bans a cartoon and claims it was "due to public controversy" when it's just him/her being a demented imbecile.

And let's face it, this was, like, in 2007? Since then, public opinions have changed.

edited 7th Apr '13 6:58:40 AM by Peryton

They have not changed fast enough - otherwise the LGBT would be recognized in a positive light, would have equal rights as married couples, but also - they wouldn't be portrayed as immoral or as stereotypes by the media, period!

@Peryton: I'm pretty sure Ted Turned is liberal. But both of those executives are dumb-asses.

I agree but can't we keep this on topic?

Is there really more romance subplots nowadays? They still don't seem to be a thing in episodic comedy cartoons.

Indeed, though at least Paranorman shows that any subsequent outcry is both not imediate and now pretty minor. Which makes the whole reluctance to have more LGBT characters all the more frustrating.

In comedic shows, the focus is generally the main couple, though admitely nowadays romance there is very much optional, what with both Homer and Marge - which have historically been more stable than, say Lois and Peter - being depicted as fundamentally dysfunctional.

The main reason why Turner canned Swat Kats was to make room for Captain Planet (Turner is well known for being a rabid environmentalist)

The reason why Paranorman and Buster didn't get much controversy was that they were just small jokes that had no follow up

edited 7th Apr '13 3:10:34 PM by truteal

He did that both to make room for his show, but also because "it was too violent and adult". Yeah, because vivissection and AIDS is so kid friendly...

Captain Planets main purpose was to be Turner's soapbox on assorted issues (I believe it was a good idea to teach children about AIDS)

edited 7th Apr '13 5:14:20 PM by truteal

I wouldn't have cared if the writing hadn't blown ballsack compared to SWAT cats.

I don't think romance is, no. When it comes to film, Western Animation has always been dominated by Disney, which was always huge on romance. Only recently have Pixar come into play as the big name in animation, and they actually don't do romance as much. I think rather you're seeing bumps and curves. For a while there wasn't a lot of romance in kid's flicks in the early 2000s. It's starting to come back in now.