ABSTRACT
Whoever says that animated shows are just for kids and only provides entertainment, is terribly
wrong. We have been conditioned that all animated movies are about fairy tales, magic and a
villain to defeat. However, this is not true at all. There are shows that have underlying lessons
and backstories which you realize after reaching a certain age of maturity. By the time children
reach the age of sixteen, they consider animated shows and movies as kiddish and boring. In
recent years, animated films have been made to interest both the younger as well the older
audience. This includes the sense of humour used in the film to the themes and the moral values
it teaches apart from the basic “be kind to everyone” and “it’s okay to be unique”. Animated
shows have not only been able to influence children but also the adults watching with them in
powerful ways in the past few years. It has become a vehicle to enhance learning and has an
impact on our daily lives in more positive ways than many of us realise. It provides an
approachable platform to talk about difficult or gruesome topics. BoJack Horseman, the story
of a sitcom-star, who struggles to find his way in life as he fights through depression, anxiety
and issues of identity, is an example of an animated tv show that talks about real life issues
using humor and subtlety. To many people who silently suffer from depression, this show
provides the sense that someone out there understands what it feels like. Since, not a lot has
been discussed about this topic before, this paper attempts to capture the relevance of animation
in today’s world through important case studies and how it has provided a platform to discuss
sensitive issues more openly.
INTRODUCTION
Art can be used to express powerful social ideas and messages and the animated cartoons/series
are the perfect example of just how expressive and important art can be. Today’s educational
system is constantly working hard to provide enough exposure to promote verbal, cognitive
and physical development and as we learn to use the cerebral cortex, it keeps growing thicker
("How Animation Affects People’s Brains - mysimpleshow", 2018). Animation has shown
some really positive impacts on the development of a child in several efficient areas. Animation
is beneficial for necessary life skills like inclusion and problem-solving abilities and it also
encourages the usage of all senses at the same time which improves understanding and memory
function (Maier, 2019). It is a medium which gives us a glimpse of a large number of things in
this world. Though most of the animated shows are associated with fantasy worlds, enchanted
environments and an entertaining and happy ending, some of the directors and animators are
using this platform to depict the severe and darker side of reality (Arias, 2018).
While animated cartoons and shows are often viewed as something made exclusively for
children and are said to be only entertaining, the genre also creates animated series targeted towards the older audience (Klein & Shiffman, 2008). These shows are all about blending
funny, witty and thought-provoking depth with light presentation and good sense of humour
(Ellis, 2019). They have underlying messages and stories that get too real. A lot of people don’t
watch animated shows seriously because it is being looked down upon. However, some of these
shows with the most of dark humour, satire and social commentary have the potential to knock
your socks off (Wilson, 2016). They make it easier for adults to understand their problems
better. Earlier, adult animated shows used to be limited to a few specialized networks and
channels, but the genre, has now grown broadly and moved into mainstream. As a result,
Netflix has invested in more original adult animated sitcoms and snapped up the streaming
rights of popular adult cartoons and shows that might strike a chord with the older audience
(Ellis, 2019).
The story of the tortoise and rabbit taught children that slow and steady wins the race. The wolf
in sheep’s clothing taught them that you should not be fooled by appearances (Glatter, 2016),
and now a fictional 90s sitcom star BoJack Horseman is there to teach ways to cope with self-
sabotage and depression and tell you that you are not alone in this world (Bernstein, 2019). It
is an animated show about a celebrity horse who makes strong statements on what it means to
love someone whether they are of the same gender, or not. Caleb William Wilson in his article,
How A Cartoon Takes on Social Issues, 2016 discusses that this cartoon tries to portray social
issues, like living with same gender parents and single parents. This is one of many issues that
a lot of parents don’t really feel comfortable to explain it to their children. Therefore, this is
the reason why such animated shows are so unique. Such animated series are able to provide
kids as well as the adults an opportunity to understand and become aware of these unknown
aspects of life, and thus accept the diversity of the world they live in today (Bernstein,2019).
Whether its complications in relationships or abortion, BoJack Horseman uses dark comedy to
put its point across making it easier to approach these types of situations (DuBois, 2017).
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study attempts to address three principle research questions.
Do animated shows discuss about social issues or not?
How do these shows impact the younger as well as the older audience?
The findings of the study can be used to provide recommendations of some interesting as well
as educational animated shows that talk about social issues and have a positive impact on the
viewers.
THEORITICAL BACKGROUND
What is Animation?
“Animation is the process of designing, drawing, making layouts and preparing of
photographic sequences which are integrated in the multimedia and gaming products”.
Animated cartoons are created from a series of drawings, computer graphics or pictures of
inanimate objects which stimulated movements by making slight changes in each frame.
Animation had a greater degree of freedom in the former Communist states of Eastern and
Central Europe as compared to literature, theatre or feature films. It was portrayed as a less
serious form of art and being the first to be associated with childish innocence, animation
became an instrument for communicating social and political issues during the 1960-80s
(Orosz,2017). Therefore, this period is often called as “the golden era of animation” in the
histories of Eastern Bloc film. (The Calvert Journal,2017). Making an animated television
show is an arduous process and requires considerable time and efforts of hundreds of people
(Russell,2019). The modern entertainment industry has achieved greater heights because of
the progress in animation, graphics and multimedia ("What is Animation, Type of Animation
- 2D & 3D Animation", 2019). All the television advertisements, cartoons, movies and
presentations use animation and multimedia approach.
Development of Animated Shows
The changing trends and transformation in animation reflects it dynamic nature and also
highlights the changes taking place in technology and popular culture (Kowalczyk, 2018).
Linda Simensky, vice president of children’s programming at Public Broadcasting Services,
pointed out in her article “Ten Trends in American Animation”, that 3D animation has
outshined 2D. The feature films are moving towards the direction of 3D animation and this
upcoming trend is soon becoming a standard as most of the movies are expected by the
audience to be in 3D. The long-established dominance of Disney studios over the animation
world is being challenged as producers from different corners are creating animated films to
put across significant events and tell ethnic stories (Kowalczyk, 2018). With years of
development and innovation of technology, animators are now making use pioneering software
to create astounding movies and shows (Banerjee, 2017). Disney, in an attempt to attract new
audiences to old franchises, is producing remakes of classic films such as “Aladdin”, “The Lion
King”, “Jumbo” etc, and providing nostalgia-based content in the recent years
(Simensky,2019). Along with the advancement in technology, animated movies have also
come up with new female characters who have a strong personality and no longer wait to be
rescued by their prince charming (Kowalczyk, 2018). New female lead characters who are goal
driven and self-sufficient are being admired by both male and female audience. Elsa in Frozen
is an example of one such character which is breaking long-established gender stereotypes in
the animated films. Animated movies have also started targeting new groups that is kids under
the age of three and teenagers older than sixteen (Banerjee, 2017). The older audience
demands cartoons which are witty and talk about up-to-date topics with subtle humour
(Kowalczyk,2018). This is partly fulfilled by shows like Rick & Morty and BoJack Horseman.
Throughout the history of animated films, Disney constantly reinforce cultural stereotypes.
Rather than standing against the harsh expectations of the society, Disney movies promote
them (Barber,2015). Through both physical attributes of race and body type, and conventional
characteristics of gender, Disney has been presenting negative messages to its
viewers. However, as our culture is changing with regard to the acceptance and normality of
discrimination, some aspects of Disney’s negative expression on social issues are changing as
well but others have failed to improve (Towriss, 2016). Animated movies gravely impact the
children regarding their perception of social issues and therefore Disney’s promotion of
traditional values in an attempt to increase profit makes dominant race, gender and body image
as superior in the minds of children (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund & Tanner, 2004).
Nevertheless, in the recent years, the content of animated shows has improved drastically and
it is interesting to think that the underlying messages in these shows may be subconsciously
persuading the audience to think differently about some of the world’s large issues. Big-budget
cartoons have started addressing important discrimination issues and the marginalization of the
intellectually disabled with impressive skill and outstanding visuals (Glatter, 2019). Although
these movies are targeted towards children, they also include up-to-date humour to entertain
adults and provide them with age-appropriate examples which helps in addressing important
issues.
How Animation Affects Your Brain?
Animation improves slow learner’s learning ability due to easy access to various audio-visual
programs and mostly positive feedbacks are given from the learners on the use of animated
shows as a learning approach (Malhotra et all, 2018). An experimental study was conducted
on children of 3 to 6 years of age who were undergoing venepuncture to see the effectiveness
of "Animated Cartoons" as a distraction strategy to reduce the perception of pain. It was
concluded that animated cartoons significantly reduce the perception of pain and alter the
children’s behavioural responses (James et all, 2012). A message that is broadcasted using
marketing and advertising strategies in animated cartoons can increase knowledge among
parents with regard to polio vaccination as compared to the same message broadcasted in plain
printed text (Leiner, Handal & Williams, 2004). Animation tells us that by changing and
modifying the world, we get to learn more about it (Kiely,2018). Using animated cartoons as a
genuine source of learning input not only reduces the boredom of reading the text but also
reduces academic stress, nervousness, and disruptive behaviour (Malhotra et all, 2018).
Animated Shows and Social Issues in the Past
Some people may say that animated movies are not meant for older audience because they do
not offer as much emotional involvement as compared to the “mature”, fully grown movies.
The truth is that animation weaves through our daily lives in more positive ways that many of
us realize (Railton,2018). Emma Kiely pointed out in her article that watching an animated
movie as a child is an absolutely different experience to watching one as an adult. She said that
because of the simplified narratives created to engage children, the emotional background of
the movie comes out clearer and therefore it is more fascinating. All of the famous films
produced by Pixar in the last 25 years talk about strong underlying messages and deal with
real-world issues(Munkittrick, 2011). Finding Nemo portrays the importance of love between
a parent and a child and discusses the pain of losing loved ones. In movies like Toy Story, the
characters are all non-human who represent the power of friendship more distinctly than any
other action-oriented movie. Animation provides the privilege to combine magic with reality,
so that both kids and adults enjoy watching the movies as well as take home some important
life lessons with them (Kiely,2018).
Zootopia, an animated movie about animals who have adopted the everyday lifestyle of
humans, has been applauded for tackling social issues. “The movie deals with stereotypes,
discrimination, prejudice and as pointed out by Enoch Lee in his study, “It tackles social issues
that are very relatable to our lives.” Zootopia portrays the good and bad through a number of
characters and provides important lessons that a person’s personality cannot be determined by
his caste and race (Baten,2016). “Honestly, people tend to overlook or purposely ignore
important issues such as racism and stereotyping, and movies like these are a great way of
making people pay attention to them,” Lindsey Tait said in her article. The movie shows how
slight prejudice and fear can separate and ruin a community of a “utopia” where everyone
belonging to different communities used to get along. A lot of discussions have been conducted
on the male-targeted humour in adult animated shows. Loran Marsan, an assistant professor
of women’s gender and sexuality studies, said the crass humour used in adult animation isn’t
by definition “male humour.” It should be called sexist, homophobic or transphobic humour.
She acknowledged that often the show writers employ prejudiced jokes as a form of satire to
creatively bring attention to social issues through comedy.
Animation is an approachable way to present difficult or gruesome topic (Railton,2018). Apart
from using subtle humour to put across real life issues, animated shows provide a number of
other benefits too. It is believed that because of the deviation of animated movies from reality,
they are not considered culturally significant or important, but by creating colourful and happy
images, they can more easily delve into the social issues that need to be discussed (Kiely, 2018).
This study contributes to the scientific literature in several ways. Very few studies have
highlighted the importance of modern animation on social issues. The adult animated movies
streamlined on Netflix discuss about real world issues more comprehensibly than any other
movie. This study attempts to capture the relevance of animation through two case studies. It
also attempts to break the stereotypes associated with animated films and make people realize
that such films have much more to offer than just entertainment.
METHODOLOGY
The paper primarily uses secondary sources and takes a case-based approach to understand the
underlying issues addressed by animated movies and its impact on the viewers. Around thirty
papers covering over a wide range of themes related to animation have been reviewed to get
an integrated outlook on the matter. The literature highlights recent developments in animation,
underlying social issues, its impact on the older audience and much more. Some papers talk
about specific subjects like what real world issues are discussed in the show BoJack Horseman
or what is the affect of animation on children’s brains. The information for the case study has
been gathered from authentic sources such as newspaper or magazine articles. All the
information has been cross checked with multiple sources. The case study is based on a very
popular animated show, BoJack Horseman which streams on Netflix. The positive impact that
the show has on the audience is further analysed in this paper.
CASE STUDY
The Netflix Originals animated series BoJack Horseman is a show about an anthropomorphic
horse, a former Hollywood celebrity, who ruined his career on account of bad decisions and
alcohol. This animated show generally reflects the dark side of people and the episodes almost
never end with a happy ending. This show is not just like any other animated show that delves
into magic and a dream ending. BoJack Horseman provides an in-depth look at human
character and emotions through puns and subtle humour (Gotch, 2017). Throughout the series,
the audience emotionally engages themselves in the experiences of BoJack, who was best
known for the role he played in a successful sitcom Horsin’ Around.
In the world of cinema, some filmmakers claim that creating a comedy show is the most
challenging job while other filmmakers say that good drama and getting people to engage in
the lives of the strangers for three hours is the toughest job (DuBois, 2017). However, BoJack
Horseman is a dramedy that combines the two of the best elements together by creating a world
where anthropomorphic animals and humans live together in peace. The creator of the show
Raphael Bob-Waksberg, gave it time to develop its voice which is why it is considered as one
of the most important shows in the television’s golden era period (Poulos, 2018). The show
starts with a protagonist whose self-indulgence and disregard for other people around him,
makes him emotionally unstable and not being able to commit to relationships. There are other
equally strong and independent characters in the show like Todd, Diane, Princess Carolyn and
Mr. Peanutbutter. In Season 1, Diane, who is hired to ghost-write BoJack’s memoir, plays an
interesting role in his life by being able to make him open up about his past event and deeper
issues in life. This provides the viewers a deeper look into his character and flaws and it is a
surprisingly relatable show considering the cast mostly includes humanlike animals. This series
is a perfect mix of dark drama and comedy instances. Season 4 talks about a wide range of
characters because BoJack faces sudden changes in his life and delves deep in his family’s past
when a teenager shows up at his door claiming to be his daughter. The viewer ratings for season
two, three and four was 90, 89 and 87 respectively (Gotch, 2017).
There is rarely any episode in this show where one of the main characters does not have a serious
realization about life. BoJack was a very popular Hollywood actor in the nineties, but since his
one successful show Horsin’ Around came to an end, he has been unable to see success again.
In the first season, audience meets the character who wastes his days thinking about the past.
BoJack is unemployed and his daily habits include drinking, doing drugs and watching his once
famous sitcom show on repeat. Besides, he suffers from serious depression and fights with many
existential questions. BoJack Horseman of one of the television’s most touching animated
shows, and it has the power to make the viewers sob in pain and laugh out loud within the
shortest time frame in a way that no other show can.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
The dark animated comedy show BoJack Horseman, continues to give an accurate and deep
understanding of human behaviour through its non-human protagonist. It talks about what it
means to be happy and how the decisions we make have a great impact on the happiness and
well-being of the people around us. Throughout the show, the viewers encounter characters
who deal with personal trauma and both medical and mental issues. The only thing that makes
this show so appealing and different from the other shows is its brave emphasis on
accountability. BoJack’s power comes from holding himself responsible for his failings while
still giving viewers a hope at change and renewal. BoJack Horseman positively impacts its
audience by tackling serious issues such as body shaming, depression and the bizarre celebrity
culture. This Netflix sensation also addresses related social issues like abortion, sexism,
addiction and self-destructive behaviour. This show has secured 100 percent score on Rotten
Tomatoes for its second and third season. Following are the three important social issues that
have been beautifully addressed in this series:
1. Sexual Assault Allegations against Male Celebrities- We witness so many male celebrities
getting accused of or openly accepting to sexual assault and still facing zero consequences for
their actions. The increase in awareness because of the #metoo movement has encouraged a lot
of survivors to come forward and share their stories with the public. Since April 2017, more
than 250 celebrities or politician have been accused of sexual harassment and most of them
still walk free (North, 2019). In season two, episode seven of BoJack Horseman, a very beloved
talk show host, Hank Hippopopolous is accused of sexual misconduct publicly by multiple
women. Diane, a very strong female protagonist in the show, speaks about the issue and finds
herself the target of national hatred and death threats. Her own husband, Mr Peanutbutter and
her friend, BoJack urges her to stay silent because of their good professional relations with
Hippopopolous. This episode gives the viewers a poignant look at reality of what happens when
a woman speaks up against a famous man and the society attack her for her gender and not the
man for his actions. The message strongly delivered to the viewers when the editor in the show,
Amanda Hannity says “Everyone is gunning for you right now, because you’re a woman who
is talking out of turn about a man. We’re not supposed to have opinions. We’re supposed to
smile and look pretty.”
2. Abortion – There has been an ongoing controversy on abortion and instead of creating a guilt-
ridden and dramatic storyline, this animated show talks about abortion exactly as it should be.
It supports the fact that women have a moral right to decide what do they want to do with their
bodies and no one else should have an opinion about it. “In season three, episode six of BoJack
Horseman, Diane finds herself confronted with an unwanted pregnancy, which she decides to
terminate”. However, she accidentally tweets about a teen celebrity Sextina Aquafina of getting
an abortion. Sextina gets angry initially, but then she decides to talk about the issue and releases
a song about abortion. A girl who has come for abortion at the clinic tells Diane that she loves
the song because “abortions can be scary, with the protesters out front and how you have to
listen to the heartbeat and all that... and when you can joke about it, it makes it less scary, you
know?”. Thus, talking about such relevant and relatable issues emotionally engages the
audience in the show and moulds their opinion and attitude towards them. The true shining
moment comes in the episode when Diane tries to explain Princess Carolyn about her abortion
and the latter stops her and simply says “You don’t need to explain anything to anyone”.
3. Depression – BoJack Horseman is portrayed as a depressed character and it is apparent since
the beginning of the series. But until, the episode “Stupid Piece of Sh*t”, the viewers never got
the full perspective of what it feels like to be depressed as BoJack is. All that the viewers had
seen before this episode was the decisions that BoJack takes and their consequences on him
and people around him. This episode shows what BoJack thinks about in his head and talks
about the battles that he fights internally. His depression manifests as a little voice inside his
head constantly berates him and tells him how stupid and terrible, he is. While depression often
gets misinterpreted everywhere, this animated show portrays it very accurately and shows the
destruction that this mental illness imposes on BoJack. It is very essential to have more shows
like these to shed light upon depression and other menta illnesses. Unfortunately, shows like
“13 Reasons Why” (a very inaccurate and acclaimed series involving teenage suicide) have
influenced this spotlight.
CONCLUSION
From everything that we have covered in this paper, it is evident that animated shows play a
very important role for both kids as well as the adults. Animated cartoons have always been
instruments of satire for decades and the visual appeal that animation offers to its public, allows
the breakdown of a serious topic in a way that removes the wall of preachiness. Adult animation
has succeeded in putting across several gruesome issues through entertaining stories of famous
characters. Therefore, animation as a form of an art provides a medium to talk about social
issues and depict the dark side of reality. Explaining certain social issues to children like same
gender couple or single parenting can be a little difficult, but this is where animated shows
come into play. To many people who silently suffer from depression, there are animated shows
that provide the sense that someone out there understands what it feels like. Thus, it is clear
that animated shows have not only been able to influence children but also the adults watching
with them in powerful ways in the past few years.
DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
While conducting the review of literature, it was found out that even though there are many
articles on animated cartoons, there is very limited research on the impact of animated shows
on the adults and how it addresses gruesome issues with puns and humour. Very few studies
have highlighted the importance of modern animation on social issues. The adult animated
movies streamlined on Netflix discuss about real world issues more comprehensibly than any
other movie. What was specially lacking was proper research papers on this topic. A research,
specially on a larger scale with a bigger and varied sample size could significantly help in
uncovering some key highlights important to the field of animation.
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