How Will We View Adventure Time in 20 Years?
Adventure Time is
far and away the
hottest cartoon on
TV right now, this
very second. Nothing even
comes close to Pendleton
Ward’s trippy explosion
of colour and cavalcade
of whimsy that airs
on Cartoon Network and
has legions of fans
around the world.
We’ve been here
before of course.
Ren &
Stimpy (along with
Rugrats and Doug)
lit up the otherwise
desolate land of
animated kids TV
shows. The
Simpsons single-handedly
made animation cool for
adults again after
a thirty year hiatus.
And the likes of
Beavis &
Butthead has become
forever beloved by people
of a certain age.
All the examples
mentioned above have
remained well-known
and popular since their
prime. Some are
noted for their superior
quality while others
are constantly noted
for their continued
impact on contemporary
culture. Only The
Simpsons has managed
to achieve both while
remaining in production
for a full 25
years.
So how will
Adventure Time be
seen in 2023? Will
we look back on
it with the rose-tinted
glasses that we
do with say, Doug? Will
we (rightly?) praise
it for its innovative
approach to character
and storytelling? Or
will we lament it
for forcing its style
on all subsequent
shows?
Lastly, will we
look on Adventure
Time as the start
of a great era,
or the pinnacle
of one?
Charles Kenny writes prolifically on his own blog, The Animation Anomaly.
