Excuse me if there is any improper grammar and stuff.

As I sit around my computer thinking of all of the time I’ve spend this summer (the summer of 2015) watching cartoons, I start to realize more and more that we have reached a new age of storytelling through the medium that is animation. In Adventure Time: Finn (The show’s main character)’s father is an abandoning asshole, in Bojack Horseman: Bojack’s parents were abusive during his childhood therefore leading to the show’s titular character to live a life of underlying misery, In The Legend of Korra: Avatar Korra suffers from extreme Post Traumatic Stress Disorder throughout the final season, and in Steven Universe: we have a whole cast of characters with their own problems, insecurities, and even mental disorders. Yes, it may be safe to say that we are currently in the Realistically Tragic age of cartoons and we love it. I’m not saying that realistically tragic characters and situations used to not exist within animated series before this current movement. I mean my goodness, we have all of the tear jerking moments within some episodes of the 1999 show Futurama, the abstract yet Freudian representation of what would happen to a child if the fate of the world was placed on his shoulders in the 1995 anime superstar Neon Genesis Evangelion, and… Well for god sakes; In Craig McCracken’s 1998 show The Powerpuff Girls the main antagonist, Mojo Jojo is not evil because he is a failed experiment, but because he was abandoned by his creator, Professor Utonium; father of the Powerpuff Girls. Realistic devices have existed in cartoons before this latest “phase,” but what is different, what I am posing as the forefront of this little essay, is how this realistic tragedy is no longer a separate part within the shows, but it’s what helps makeup the shows as a whole.





Allow me to provide some examples. The show I am most in love with at this current moment in time is Steven Universe, I could go on and on about how much I love the visuals, music, all around message, characterization, etc. I wont though, for the sake of retaining some audience. What I will focus on is one character from the show. In fact, I will focus on the main character, Steven Universe. For those that do not know the show, Steven is a half human, half Crystal Gem. Crystal Gems are intergalactic creatures with amazing magical powers that are genderless (though most take the gender identity of female) and ageless creatures. When Steven’s Gem mother falls in love with his human father they end up creating Steven at some point. But in order to do this, Steven’s mother had to sacrifice her life to give Steven one of his own. Crystal Gems don’t reproduce cause…they’re magic space rocks you know? So the end result of the ultimate self-sacrifice is Steven Universe; a happy, loud, excitable, amazing individual who is raised by his father and his mother’s 3 Gem comrades. Sounds great right? Well it actually is! Steven lives a mostly happy life with his dad and the other Crystal Gems. But a key focus, even in the beginning of the series is the part of Steven that feels missing. No matter how happy Steven is, there are many times in the series where Steven laments on the fact that he will never know or meet his mother. The influence of a mother or mother like characters is one of the biggest themes in the show. And no one leaves a bigger impact on Steven’s life than his own mother. This part of Stevens character does not make the show “sad” or “depressing.” It makes it more realistic. As an adolescent grows up, what makes a huge impact on their sense of identity are the influences around the individual. Specifically that of the individual’s parents. Steven is growing up throughout the series and as he does he explores his relationships with his father, the other Crystal Gems, and many friends. He knows he will never get to meet his mother and that deeply bothers him. Like it would with anyone. But even within the sadness of this fact grows a level of wonderful beauty. In an episode where Steven finds a home video of his mother talking to him before he was born, she tells him that every moment that he feels him loving himself is her loving him. Because she is a part of him. That’s the best mother’s love she could ever give him. Is it poetic? Of course. Is it going to prevent Steven from missing his mother and fill that void in his life? Of course not. And in some ways that’s good. Because that’s how life works.





A few days ago the third episode of the second season of Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland’s Mature Sci-Fi Comedy, Rick and Morty aired. And everyone that I know that watches the series freaked out over the latest episode, “Auto Erotic Assimillation.” For those of you that have never seen an episode of Rick and Morty it’s about an insecure teenage boy, Morty and his adventures through time, space, dimensions, etc, with his sociopath of an evil genius grandfather Rick. It’s bitingly funny and has been known to have a few serious moments here and there throughout the series. But this latest episode really took the cake for some people. In “Auto Erotic Assimillation” Rick, Morty, and Morty’s sister, Summer travel to a planet that is inhabited by Rick’s old ex-girlfriend, an interplanetary being that can take control of the minds of whole races of people known just as Unity. Long story short, Rick and Unity get back together despite objection from Summer and the duo enjoy a sex and drug filled romp. As Rick and Unity are together for a longer and longer time, the less power Unity has over the race of people she controls and eventually loses so much power that the race falls in to civil shambles just like how it was before Unity took over. Finally, Unity leaves Rick, leaving him notes saying how she loves him but he is a horrible influence on her and he will ultimately never change. She ends the note stating that he is unknowingly better at taking over people’s lives than she is. This affects Rick so badly that he becomes seemingly emotionless for the rest of the episode. He goes back home and, at the very end of the episode does what looks like attempted suicide. Fans of the show LOVED this. But personally I’m interested in something that is of the same nature, but happened earlier in the series; the season one finale. Throughout all of the first season, Rick would drunkenly spout his self proclaimed catchphrase in an alien language “Wubba lubba dub dub” at random moments in time. This was funny because it sounded just like a gibberish exclamation. But in the final episode of season 1 an alien explains to Morty that the phrase that his grandfather repeats over and over means, “I am in great pain, please help me.” See, Rick may be a sociopathic asshole, but we as the audience love him. We do because his selfishness is funny and he is a catalyst for most all of the crazy things that happen in the series. But we also love him for the small amounts of human within him. The man that is so jaded and so selfish is also very alone. And he knows how alone he is. His going on adventures with his grandson is one of the only things that actually brings his life any joy. And being reminded in the most recent episode, of exactly how miserable and alone he is really hit home for him. Rick’s depressive psychotic breakdown is not just some one-shot-deal that exists in just one episode like Fry’s dog in Futurama or Mojo Jojo’s origin in The Powerpuff Girls Movie; this is a constant theme through the whole series. It is in so many ways the series itself. Just like how Steven would not exist if not for his mother’s sacrifice in Steven Universe, Rick and Morty would not exist if Rick did not only find constant joy in spending time going on adventures with his grandson.





Very recently I was asked by my friend, who by many merits could be called a “film buff” if there are any cartoons left that don’t have a level of seriousness to them. In his words “Can’t there be cartoons that are just goofy any more?” Well to ask this question and crave the answer “yes” can mean one of two things. The primary being that he wished for more variety in the medium. Where there is purely goofy Spongebob Squarepants there should be it’s realistic but also goofy Steven Universe in the middle, and it’s fully serious series like The Legend of Korra. Well in response to that, I must digress because the more variety a medium has the better in my opinion. But the other implication that the question may have is one I am not so happy with. To pose the question “Can’t there be cartoons that are just goofy any more?” is to limit the nature of what animation is. Animation, like all forms of art is a reflection of humanity and how we perceive the world around us. To ask that question is like being around in the early 1940’s and looking at Citizen Kane and saying, “Well films should be comedic like a Chaplin film! Aren’t there any more movies that are just comedies any more?” The notion that all cartoons are or need to be comedic is so wrong in nature from an artistic standpoint. Because art is subjective and should be able to be created in any way shape or form.





Also, if you want to watch a “purely funny” cartoon that is big now, go check out Fish Hooks. As I type this I am pretty sure there is no underlying tragedy in it…yet. Who knows, it could go the Gravity Falls route.





So, to wrap this all up. I wrote this to really get my thoughts together on what is going on in this beautiful medium known as Television Animated Series. I find more and more adults like myself enjoying cartoon shows which is really something amazing. The thing about cartoons is that, to me, it can help someone perceive the world and cope with their own feelings in the best way; through fantasy and imagination. And I think that’s what this new “Realistic Tragedy” in animation does best. It helps us see characters we know and love overcome, and in turn help us overcome.