Animation Doesn’t Get the Respect It Deserves
When I saw that Infinity Train was trending on Twitter a few weeks back, I thought it would be some update on the series making a comeback from being cancelled after the end of Book 4. But when I learned that Infinity Train was not only being removed from HBO Max but was also having their Infinity Train Documentaries shorts removed from Cartoon Network’s Youtube channel, I was devastated. It was bad enough that the series was cancelled after Book 4, but now there was no way for me to stream it? Talk about unfair!
And it’s not just Infinity Train that’s being affected. Close Enough was cancelled after its third season, and shows like OK K.O.!, The Fungies, Summer Camp Island, and Uncle Grandpa were also removed from the streaming platform.
Why was this happening, you may ask? On April 8 of this year, Warner Bros. merged with Discovery, Inc. And because HBO Max was owned by Warner Bros., it was inevitable that it would be affected by the merger. First, it started with the cancellation of Batgirl, a DC comics live-action film, and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, an animated film. Which soon led to the shows as mentioned above to either be cancelled or removed from HBO Max; sometimes a combination of both.
The worst part? According to Owen Dennis, creator of Infinity Train, animators and showrunners of these series weren’t even informed of these decisions until after they had been taken into effect. Or rather, the decision was made a week earlier before the networks like Cartoon Network even had the chance to break the news to them, as was promised. Many of these creators took to Twitter to voice their devastation of these decisions; they poured in a lot of time and effort working on a show for children, especially their own children, to enjoy, only to be told that their efforts were pointless and then have their work being scrubbed from streaming platforms as if it never existed.
Fans have also expressed their outrage at such decisions. There were those who were in the middle of watching these shows only to be cut off from finishing the episode and some who had these shows on their to watch list, and now won’t have the chance to watch them anymore because it’s removed from HBO Max.
It’s incredibly infuriating, I’d thought that we were at a point in time where it’s become accepted that adults find enjoyment in animation. I guess not, if there’s still the belief that animation is primarily for children’s entertainment only. If something like the Oscars was slammed for treating animation as “for kids only” then it seems that we still have a long way to go before animation is respected as an art form. This line of thinking is also why shows like Infinity Train and the Owl House are cut short before they can reach their full potential; if they don’t think that the content of the show is “suitable” for children, then there’s no point in renewing it after the end of the most recent season.
Which is unfortunate, because while I can understand being wary of shows getting too dark or presenting content deemed unsuitable for children, I don’t think it means that it shouldn’t be present at all. I think discussing more complex, mature themes in a way that children can understand them is beneficial; it can help them navigate their own situations in their life as well. Infinity Train, for example, discuss topics of divorce, loss, grief, and the ability to change oneself for the better while also providing endless creative ideas of the kind of train cars that, well, the titular Infinity Train could have. Children should be give more credit in being able to understand the themes and concepts of the media being presented to them. Plenty of adults, me included have found enjoyment in shows that are targeted to children and that should say a lot about the quality of the media if viewers not in the target audience are able to enjoy it.
And there are cartoons geared more towards adults, like Family Guy, Rick and Morty, South Park and Bojack Horseman. Which makes the belief of cartoons being “just for kids” more baffling. If they had seen even half of the contents of the show, what with the rampant crude humor and the satirical nature of several works, it would be clear that these things are something kids should not be watching until they’re older. But I guess we wouldn’t be hearing stories such as parents taking their young kids to watch Sausage Party at the movies and being shocked that, no, it was not for kids if that were case.
Oh, but we can’t leave Japanese anime out of this conversation. With anime becoming mainstream, that means more people are watching them; both kids and adults alike. And, but the thing is, anime tends to have content that is inappropriate for younger children, and not something you would find in a Western cartoon. But the great thing about anime is that they’re marketed towards children and young adult alike; there’s a show for everyone out there to enjoy. One could enjoy dark fantasy that is Demon Slayer whereas someone else would prefer the light-hearted, lowkey atmosphere of Laid-Back Camp.
It’s not about the visual aspects of entertainment, regarding shows and films alike. By suggesting that animation is merely children’s entertainment, it implies that adults cannot, and should not, be allowed to enjoy animation of any kind, and that’s a very narrow mindset to have. Not to mention unfair for the people who worked hard on these shows and films; the purpose is to entertain and if both children and adults are entertained, then it’s served its purpose. And if it can create meaningful discussions on current events? Even better!
I do hope that animation gets the respect it deserves as an art medium. Until then, all we can do is lend support to creators and work to combat the oudated mindset towards animation.
