Kids cartoons disguesed as adult cartoons?

[themistermanguy]

Have you came accross a cartoon supposedly aimed at adults, but it just ends up being a kids show with sex, drugs, violence, and other "adult content" tacked on? The closest I can think of currently is modern Family Guy. The characters are all flanderized to a one-dimensional degree, and all the "adult content" just feels like a cop out because the writers don't have the skills, nor the talent to create a smart and clever show with a likeable cast of actual 3-dimensional characters that develop.

 

[Vegosiux]

I'm not sure I've seen such a thing before, nor do I think Family Guy is such a thing. It's more like that thing, writers not being able to tell the difference between "mature content", and "content that's rated M", which is usually "content that's mature in the way 'rebellious teenagers think this is mature'" way.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Family Guy is definitely not a cartoon for children.

The only example that I can think of is Teen Titans Go!, which serves as a spin-off to the original show Teen Titans. Despite it having a shinier, sleeker, and simpler animation style meant to appeal to kids, there are a lot of themes that are not really intended for kids.

Check these clips out.

 

[Zontar]

[
The only example that I can think of is Teen Titans Go!, which serves as a spin-off to the original show Teen Titans. Despite it having a shinier, sleeker, and simpler animation style meant to appeal to kids, there are a lot of themes that are not really intended for kids.

I think that's the opposite of what OP is going for, with your example being things apparently aimed at kids actually aimed at older views, but he's looking for things that appear to be for adults but are actually for kids.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

[
The only example that I can think of is Teen Titans Go!, which serves as a spin-off to the original show Teen Titans. Despite it having a shinier, sleeker, and simpler animation style meant to appeal to kids, there are a lot of themes that are not really intended for kids.

I think that's the opposite of what OP is going for, with your example being things apparently aimed at kids actually aimed at older views, but he's looking for things that appear to be for adults but are actually for kids.

I see.

Well, the only one that I can think of is Batman: The Animated Series as it was a darker re-imagining of the Dark Knight. Despite it appealing the teens and young adults, it was intended to be a kids show. Despite taking out a lot of adult themes like sex, drugs, and death/killing, it was a very successful animated series for both adults and kids.

 

[mrdude2010]

It's pretty hard to think of something that fits. I guess you could say Naruto, because the only people that program could possibly have entertained were brain-damaged 3 year olds, but they sure played up the battle scenes. The animation was pretty kid-friendly too, though.

 

[Saint of M]

'm having problems thinking of a few. Ren and Stimpy maybe, but most of the others I can think of are either mature in "MIght as Have Come From The Mind of A Pubescent 13 Year Old" mature, but that doesn't necessarily stop it from being adult or teen oriented.


I mostly see the other, where its just a few swear words short of being for actualy teenagers. Generator Rex comes to mind, still trying to figure out how The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy got its stuff past the radar, and and how I am hoping the Total Drama franchise wasn't a kid show (unless its Mythbusters or the survive in the middle of nowhere shows, why are kids watching enoug reality TV to get the jokes?).

 

[Wasted]

I wouldn't consider Family Guy in that camp because off the top of my head they dealt with the following themes: PTSD, abortion, religious freedoms, weed legalization, wealth distribution, suicide, physical disability, homosexuality, etc.

Not topics I would see in a children cartoon.

I know to the internet saying you like Family Guy is akin to being an openly preaching member of the Aryan Brotherhood, but come on. Give credit where credit is due.

 

[Happiness Assassin]

I can't think of a show like that that didn't end up getting canceled after a few episodes.

Other examples that I can think of include something like a shit load of those terrible Comedy Central animated shows, with the title of "least mature 'adult' comedy" going to Lil' Bush. Even as I was in middle school at the time, I hated how stupid that shit was. I have never seen a show dress up like satire and fail so hard as that show.

 

[elvor0]

Have you came accross a cartoon supposedly aimed at adults, but it just ends up being a kids show with sex, drugs, violence, and other "adult content" tacked on? The closest I can think of currently is modern Family Guy. The characters are all flanderized to a one-dimensional degree, and all the "adult content" just feels like a cop out because the writers don't have the skills, nor the talent to create a smart and clever show with a likeable cast of actual 3-dimensional characters that develop.

Firstly I don't think anything like that exists. There's stuff that can appeal to /both/ adults and kids, but you wouldn't last five seconds putting Family Guy on saaay...Cartoon Network obviously because of the list of adult themes you just mentioned. Sure they're immature, but they have their place. You're trying to be too serious about it, adult content doesn't mean the show has to be intellectually mature, it just means it has mature /content/. Because sex, drugs and strong voilence arn't for kids.

Secondly; it's a zany comedy cartoon...it's not supposed to have 3 dimensional characters that develop! Family Guy has /never/ had three dimensional characters that develop. Now granted whether or not you find it funny may vary; and I haven't for some time, but this is a show where you have a man that grabs his daughters face and farts in it, a genius baby bent on world domination, a talking dog who drinks martinis and shags human women, and a wheelchair bound beat cop. It's not Game of Thrones.

But I'm not going to approach it like I've just hit 18, and suddenly every form humour that isn't highbrow intellectual black satire is beneath me, because I'm /soooo/ much more matuuuure that. It just isn't for me.

 

[ShadowKatt]

Family Guy is definitely not a cartoon for children.

The only example that I can think of is Teen Titans Go!, which serves as a spin-off to the original show Teen Titans. Despite it having a shinier, sleeker, and simpler animation style meant to appeal to kids, there are a lot of themes that are not really intended for kids.

Check these clips out.

What...did you just show us? What did you just show me? WHAT HAPPENED!? I remember the teen titans cartoon, and it was...not that. That just made me feel sad. I think I'm gonna go watch my old teen titans dvds and try to forget this.

 

[SweetShark]

Well, Rock & Rule is I think you are looking for:

Spoiler

The movie take place after a big war on Earth resulting all the humankind die and the only survivors are are humanoid mutated animals [Dark as fuck].
The movie even it have a lot of scenes involving drugs use,boobs,devil worship.......it is actually a kid movie.
I am dead serious. Why?

Spoiler

The scenario is so kid like: The evil guy wanted to get a girl which her voice open a gate from Hell [never in the movie said it was Hell, but you KNOW is Hell]. Fortunately it turns out her voice and her boyfriend's voice can also close this gate of Hell. Why? The Power of F*cking Love, that why!!!!! It is like in the Nostalgia Criti's Review of Care Bears Movie: TASTE THE RAINBOW MOTHERF*CKER!!!!!!!

 

[sageoftruth]

That's certainly how I felt when I was made to watch "Meet the Feebles" directed by Peter Jackson (before he started tackling more tasteful material). It literally ran on the joke that the characters were muppets but were doing things like, drugs, sex, organized crime and a bunch of other things that children aren't allowed to see on TV.
As a one-off joke it might have worked. As a movie, I got sick of it 10 minutes in. The content may have been "M Rated" as was mentioned in an earlier post, but the execution was anything but mature. I could pretty much picture the director going, "Check it out kids! Muppets doing gross depraved stuff! And look! More of it! And here's some more! Do you feel like grown-ups yet?"

 

[vid87]

I think more concrete instances of this were the types of projects the directors BELIEVED were supposed to be adult-oriented, but were just balanced enough that they garnered a younger audience by accident. If I remember right, I heard Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder version) and Roger Rabbit were originally intended to be strictly for adults, supported by the various references and more mature (scary) content they slipped in (seriously, Roger Rabbit is a hell of a lot raunchier than you remember), but they were whimsical or featured cartoon characters or whatever.

 

[Pebkio]

Happy Tree Friends?

Heheh, okay serious answer: Nothing. There are no kid shows that handle those themes. You're confusing "childish" with "for kids". Adult immaturity is never meant for kids... just immature adults (and maybe teenagers). I'm starting to think you created a topic for the sole reason of ripping on Family Guy. That's called "begging the question" and is most known for being a dishonest tactic.

---

Now, if we were to take the spirit of the question: A cartoon sold as having adult themes but is really just for kids:

My Little Pony: Friendship is for Neck Beards. Okay, technically it was originally sold as a kid's show, I guess (I'm not really sure). But the internet made it into such a weird "for adult people" thing. And the first time I heard of the show was in tandem with the brony thing. So it was sold to me as a cartoon that was aimed at adults in the guise of a children's show.

Oh yeah, by the way... it's spelled "disguised".

And as a fan, in my youth, of the original My Little Pony movie things, I was, at the same time, sure I would like it and afraid I'd be a brony. But no, there were no adult themes. It was all about kiddy social problems and spoon-fed morality lessons aren't entertaining.

 

[Thomas Sunderland]

I get you OP but I can't think of anything other than family guy!