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The Animation Age Ghetto and variants

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PDown It's easy, mmkay? Since: Jan, 2012
It's easy, mmkay?
#1: May 4th 2011 at 7:23:10 PM

The Animation Age Ghetto seems like a serious problem to me, though it seems to be a broader problem. It's not just the attitude that animation is for exclusively children that I disagree with, but the attitude that animation should generally keep children in mind in any way, or even more broadly, the attitude that animation must stick to any stylistic, thematic, or genre constraint as a whole. I thought that TV Tropes generally lacked people with these attitudes, but I'm seeing a lot of them lately. What do you think about animation stereotypes or claims that it should be constrained to a limited number of types of story?

edited 4th May '11 7:23:29 PM by PDown

At first I didn't realize I needed all this stuff...
Gault Laugh and grow dank! from beyond the kingdom Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: P.S. I love you
Laugh and grow dank!
#2: May 4th 2011 at 8:09:41 PM

I hate it. I agree with you, and have wanted to do something to break it for a long time. It's a shame that adult animation is viewed to be shows like South Park or Family Guy. Almost strictly comedic, never serious.

yey
Anthony_H Since: Jan, 2001
#3: May 4th 2011 at 8:48:37 PM

Am I the only one that sees some kind of Comedy Ghetto in TV Tropes? It's obvious that if it's comedy, it can't be taken seriously

Sorry, that was my inner comedian being channeling through my outter comedian...

Now, of course I hate this problem, but then again, and I don't know if someone else has noticed it too, but it seems that now the children are more interested in Disneysque tween comedies instead of animation, so I guess that's why a lot of modern cartoon shows, while being for children, appeal to a lot of adults with risque jokes and Pop culture references, since they can't rely on the younger demographics as they used to

Thank God my parents doesn't give a crap if a movie or a show are animated or not.

edited 4th May '11 8:49:43 PM by Anthony_H

PDown It's easy, mmkay? Since: Jan, 2012
It's easy, mmkay?
#4: May 4th 2011 at 8:50:48 PM

It's not that I dislike comedy. It's that I dislike the way that people try to limit animation to comedy. Your argument is similar to claiming that "not all gay people should be hair stylists" and "hair stylists are worthless" are equivalent statements.

At first I didn't realize I needed all this stuff...
Anthony_H Since: Jan, 2001
#5: May 4th 2011 at 8:56:53 PM

[up] Sorry, reading the statement again I realized I was overreacting, it is a serious Berserk Button to me, but of course that wasn't the point.

Back to the topic, the only time I faced some kind of Animation Age Ghetto was when I was in Junior High, and some of my classroom loved to bitch about how my group of friends were a little too old for those "Japanese cartoons"...then again, when they noticed how sexy were those Japanese toons (If You Know What I Mean) they stopped [lol]

...I'm not an anime fan, but it really bothered me

Theoriginalblader Sloving cases one by one from Downtown Since: Feb, 2011
Sloving cases one by one
#6: May 5th 2011 at 3:11:38 AM

Often times, I run into people who are in the Animation Age Ghetto. I get them out of there while other times they just stay in there. There were attempts to break the ghetto but however none of them were very successful.

AckSed Pat. St. of Archive Binge from Pure Imagination Since: Jan, 2001
Pat. St. of Archive Binge
#7: May 5th 2011 at 6:04:45 AM

I'd just seen Thor with an old friend and her boyfriend. We'd been talking about other adaptations, and I mentioned Hulk Vs and Marvel's other straight-to-DVD stuff. "Oh yes, there's lots of good stuff in animation these days, like A:TLA, one of the best animated series of the past 5 years..."

"It's animated? Oh."

Ironically,she'd enjoyed Watership Down and knew of Deadpool without seeing Wolverine.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
Maxmordon El Presidente from Venezuela Since: Jan, 2001
El Presidente
#8: May 5th 2011 at 1:13:57 PM

Something I have noticed is that a large number of cartoon nowadays seem to be set on the suburbs, instead of, you know, having adventures around. I don't know, it's a thought I had while watching The Looney Tunes Show.

BrayPhantom from Cloudsdale Since: Jul, 2010
#9: May 5th 2011 at 6:13:57 PM

Ugh, I hate the Animation Age Ghetto so bad. I want to be an animator when I get older, and all I want to do is make a mature for adults animated series/movie. I love like Adventure Time and Regular Show but if I tell anyone their response is "Wait, it's animated? Must be for babies then." I also hate how it is only for comedies. Like the only adult animation I can think of in America is stuff like Family Guy and South Park, which are comedies.

Theoriginalblader Sloving cases one by one from Downtown Since: Feb, 2011
Sloving cases one by one
#10: May 5th 2011 at 6:43:48 PM

[up]Same here Bray. I even have to deal with the Animation Age Ghetto 24/7 and I can't even be taken seriously with it. Heck I had even saw with my own eyes someone who was still in the ghetto(with a mixture of What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?). My friend was working at borders and all of a sudden he sees an angry woman(Who I assumed judging by her appearance was around 30 or so).

And she had a DVD of Batman Beyond return of the Joker(if you ask, it was the uncut verison. It even had a warning label from Borders themselves). And she yelled this which makes its way to the ghetto, "My son shouldn't be watching this! Its dark, scary, and BLOOD is in it!". Just because its animated, it doesn't make it a kids cartoon. Sheesh, parents can be so stupid when it comes to cartoons.

BrayPhantom from Cloudsdale Since: Jul, 2010
#11: May 5th 2011 at 6:49:23 PM

I know! Reading the troper tales for Animation Age Ghetto makes me depressed sometimes. :P

Theoriginalblader Sloving cases one by one from Downtown Since: Feb, 2011
Sloving cases one by one
#12: May 5th 2011 at 6:51:06 PM

What depresses me about the Animation Age Ghetto is that it left Brad Bird not to produce his take on Will Eisner's The Spirit. Which he wanted done as an animated film, but however the hollywood heads couldn't picture it working out as a cartoon. I think Bird's Spirit would have been a better movie of the In Name Only from Frank Miller. :(

edited 5th May '11 6:51:18 PM by Theoriginalblader

TheZMage Since: Oct, 2010
#13: May 5th 2011 at 7:04:33 PM

To be honest, I'm kinda annoyed by both sides of the Animated Age Ghetto conversation. I agree that treating all animation as if it was targeted at kids is annoying, but so what if it is for kids? Is "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" really in any way worse off for being targeted at elementary school kids? Avatar: The Last Airbender is definitely for kids, but it's still a remarkable piece of storytelling.

fungal88 from Upstate New York Since: Jun, 2010
#14: May 5th 2011 at 8:09:20 PM

Wow, that mother should know that sooner or later, her child will have to be exposed to such content at some point sooner or later whether it's in animated works, other forms of media, or in real life, especially since content in curricular material supposedly gets grittier and grittier as students advance through their public education.

BrayPhantom from Cloudsdale Since: Jul, 2010
#15: May 5th 2011 at 8:48:13 PM

[up][up] I think that animation should be just like live action in that it can have all genres. From toddlers to adults. It shouldn't matter that it is animated. It is just another medium.

TheZMage Since: Oct, 2010
#16: May 5th 2011 at 11:15:29 PM

[up]But we can do that without language that sets up a completely different ghetto for stuff aimed at children.

DracoDracul Since: Dec, 1969
#17: May 6th 2011 at 12:00:23 AM

My problem is that a live action series that deals with heavy issues without being inappropriate for children is seldom if ever labeled as a children's show, while an animated series is automatically labeled as such.

Dito Since: Dec, 1969
shadowgirl_13_chaos OMG Shiny Pidgey! from the Nerd Cave Since: Jun, 2009
OMG Shiny Pidgey!
#19: May 6th 2011 at 6:52:25 AM

This trope is my biggest pet peeve. Really.

It drives me insane that people think western cartoons is the lowest form of entertainment simply because of how it is treated by marketing, media, and social agenda.

Maybe one day Animators and Artists alike will revolt and end the Double Standards...

YOU! OBEY THE FIST!
kyun Since: Dec, 2010
#20: May 6th 2011 at 7:21:26 AM

Ugh, I hate the Animation Age Ghetto so bad. I want to be an animator when I get older, and all I want to do is make a mature for adults animated series/movie.

In that situation, make one of those on your own, and show em what you got!

And she had a DVD of Batman Beyond return of the Joker(if you ask, it was the uncut verison. It even had a warning label from Borders themselves). And she yelled this which makes its way to the ghetto, "My son shouldn't be watching this! Its dark, scary, and BLOOD is in it!". Just because its animated, it doesn't make it a kids cartoon. Sheesh, parents can be so stupid when it comes to cartoons.

Was her kid there? If her kid wasn't there, she's institutionally insane.

The whole thing just makes those people look stupid. It's like how you put a poster of Star Wars in front of them and they swoon and fawn over it, then you take a permanent marker, draw a few strokes over the characters, and they want to kill it with fire!

edited 6th May '11 7:24:03 AM by kyun

Theoriginalblader Sloving cases one by one from Downtown Since: Feb, 2011
Sloving cases one by one
#21: May 6th 2011 at 8:57:55 AM

[up]Her kid wasn't there dude. I assumed she was just part of the idiots from the Moral Guardians. Most likely, since she was insane.

edited 6th May '11 9:01:23 AM by Theoriginalblader

NapoleonDeCheese Since: Oct, 2010
#22: May 6th 2011 at 11:05:49 AM

Parents need to realize their children need to face the "dark and scary" to get over it.

fungal88 from Upstate New York Since: Jun, 2010
#23: May 6th 2011 at 12:12:35 PM

[up]That's probably what I mean by what I posted earlier.

Dito Since: Dec, 1969
#24: May 6th 2011 at 12:18:56 PM

Damn I was starting to feel you were quite cool Napoleon. But NOW I know you are AWESOME!

Playedforkeeps Since: Oct, 2010
#25: May 8th 2011 at 5:27:45 PM

I would say the AAG varies on a whole lot of people, only because I can assure you that 50% of the idiotic parents think cartoons are for kids only while the other 50% thinks its for everyone.

[up]x15 Wow, and I thought my cousin losted her marbles(before she got out of the ghetto). That woman needs a serious reality check by the sounds of it. What were the attempts to break the AAG? The only one I know is that Walt Disney almost broke it.


Total posts: 52
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