i meant to say the older cartoons were for a broader audience.
by broader, i meant anything that people over 14 can tolerate. a prime example is uncle grandpa. no kid over 12 is going to like that show.
thanks for clarifying, that's actually my position as well
kids? these channels advertise towards kids < 14, given the kinds of toys and advertisements shown. not every show can be an atla, and atla was enjoyed more by the older kids who could appreciate such a broad storyline and character development, and even then it was only about halfway through to the end that such themes were pushed hard. if you look at the first season you see less of the deep, meaningful stuff and more kids-styled shows; the first real tone change happens at the northern water tribe.
What's to say that all cartoons can't be engaging to everyone? I watched Teen Titans (the original) growing up, Courage the Cowardly Dog, shows like that, all which existed around the same time period, and all which got pretty loving dark. I'm not saying that everyone should strive to make deep and meaningful cartoons, but you're going to hinder your cartoon's potential if you're only going to target young kids, and you're going to kill your channel if you air that stuff 24/7 like they are now.
That being said, if you're going to do deep and meaningful material, it needs a soft landing. That's why shows like Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Avatar, and even shows for older audiences like Bojack Horseman are so loved; they establish the characters through all the fun stuff that the kids like and that's gut-bustingly hilarious, and then they make you care about them by raising the stakes. It's a lot better to show character arcs, too; would Aang have undergone as amazing as a transformation as he did if he didn't come out of the iceberg wanting to go penguin-sledding?
IDK. I hate this lazy attitude of "it's kids, they don't care". "So what if the show is vapid, forgettable garbage? It's for kids!" You don't hear people say that when it comes to school lunches or child safety procedures. What gives?
