Adventure Time Appeals to Both Kid's and Adults

This cartoon is very surreal and creative. I have seen a few people suggesting that its not appropriate for children or that it should be rated TV14 which just baffles me. Adventure Time is very innocent and positive in tone and message. At its worst it has mild to moderate violence that even something like Tom and Jerry out does and there is some use of pseudo swears like "kick butt" or "sucks." Although rare, there are also some Adventure Time episodes that could be kinda scary for small sensitive children where the main characters find themselves in scary settings and situations, but like most things in Adventure Time much of the more adult and darker themes are only subtly implied rather than graphically and literally illustrated in a manner that kids will grasp.



The show is no where near deserving of a TV14 which I have seen suggested by a couple of individuals. That would be the same rating as something like Family Guy which depicts graphic drug and alcohol use, bdsm sex scenes minus the nudity and makes jokes where the punchline is something like spousal abuse or rape etc. To suggest that something as innocent as Adventure Time deserves to be lumped into the same rating bracket as Family Guy is absolutely ridiculous.



Anyway, back to Adventure Time. The one thing about this show that is somewhat ill suited for young children is how adult and complex many of the themes and characters are in some episodes. Although innocently and genuinely presented, themes in Adventure Time episodes can run the gambit from a silly romp where kid goes on an epic quest to retrieve his Frisbee from a tree to very adult plots such as exploring the emotional devastation caused by experiencing a loved one slip away into madness or dementia. The episode titled "I Remember You" is a very good example of just how adult some of the show's themes can be. Interestingly enough it's the adults who have lost loved ones to alzhiemers or serious mental illness that I have seen seriously teary eyed after watching it, rather than the children. I asked my nephews what they thought of the episode after seeing it because I was very curious how they interpreted it. The children watched it and just saw Ice King acting weird and goofy again and they found the episode amusing rather than tragic where as the adults who saw it understood what was really going on and were left to contemplate the sad implications that simply went strait over the kids heads.



I think it does the show's writing credit that it can tell stories and jokes on two different levels. On one level its a literal goofy, fun romp through a fantasy world that kids love, yet on another implied level that goes strait over their heads it's a post apocalyptic world filled with sometimes darker humor revolving around human nature. Adventure Time is a rare gem in that it can appeal to both kids and parents and does so in a charming and positive manner.