Talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, in his infinite wisdom, made a joke about how animation is a genre just for kids.
He has clearly never seen Archer.
His jab during the 96th Oscars may have brought out a few laughs, but it’s the same joke every year. Making a joke about how animation is just for kids seems to have become an Oscars tradition, with hosts repeatedly talking down on this genre.
It is easy to label animation as a children’s genre. There are many famous animated films and series marketed towards children, or families. Disney’s most classic motion pictures are 2D animation, with their more recent works moving to the 3D medium.
But animation is a medium. It’s a genre. Fantasy can be for children such as The Chronicles of Narnia; but it can also be for adults such as The Lord of the Rings. The manner of which art or film is created is not pigeonholed into one kind of medium. In the same way, science fiction does not need to be about aliens or sentient robots, but it can be.
Animation as a genre
Animation is a genre that has a far-reaching scope of subject matter. It tells children light-hearted stories, or sombre tales to older audiences.
At this year’s Oscars, the winner of the Best Animated Short Film Award went to WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko. This film, running for eleven minutes, tells a story of two soldiers fighting in the First World War playing chess. The conflict between sides falls away as these soldiers play a game and exchange messages via carrier pigeons.
Animation is perfect for showing complex facial expressions, visual storytelling and stunning visuals. While CGI can create incredible backgrounds and characters, as shown in Avatar and Pirates of the Caribbean, it sometimes looks fake. Hand-drawn or painted backgrounds bring life to the story and demonstrate the wonders of human creativity; something that green screens and other special effects cannot replicate. When Studio Ghibli switched to 3D animation for Earwig and the Witch, fans shunned it for its lack of soul and plastic look.
In my favourite movie, Treasure Planet, the protagonist, Jim Hawkins has multiple visual storytelling techniques in his character design. In the beginning, he wears dark clothes, slouches and dark marks under his eyes. As he learns to believe in himself and proves himself, his clothes become lighter, he stands taller and his face loses its signs of worry.
Anime is a prime example of how far-reaching animation is. Many shows and movies are not suitable for children, just as much as others are. Attack on Titan and Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood are definitely not for kids, but Pokémon and My Hero Academia are. The way a story is told does not dictate who the story is for. What the story is about does.
For example:
Archer
If you let a child watch this show, you are about as irresponsible as a majority of its characters.
Archer is an adult animated show, originally airing in 2009 on the TV channel FX and running for fourteen seasons. The show focuses on a spy, and later a private investigation agency, and the cast of unique and certainly interesting individuals. H. Jon Benjamin plays the main character, Sterling Archer: the horny, lethal, iron-livered spy.
Without giving too much away, the violence, sex references, substance abuse and language make this animated show the last thing made for kids.
Archer has a unique art style with 2D characters and 3D backgrounds. The characters resemble 1950s pop art in appearance. They are drawn on Illustrator and animated with Adobe After Effects, and the still backgrounds are painted with Photoshop. This blend of styles fleshes out the show and gives literal depth to the characters and backdrops. It gives animators the ability to add more complex details and make the characters more aesthetically pleasing while not being aimed at kids.
Blue Eye Samurai
A fleshed out, stunning and well-written masterpiece that not only shows the power of animation, but its success.
Its well choreographed, albeit bloody violence, and occasional nudity and sex leaves this show with a mature rating.
Blue Eye Samurai is a Samurai Western Netflix show that uses 2D and 3D animation. The combination is what gives the show a smoother appearance. Klaus and Arcane used the same techniques. Lighting techniques used in 3D animation changed the lighting of the 2D animation. The characters look three-dimensional in some ways, and the use of 2D animation gives the backgrounds incredible detail. Blue Eye Samurai is another example of how the combination of 2D and 3D animation shows the best of both worlds. Improved lighting, more detail and artistic prowess rolled into one.
Stories like Blue Eye Samurai are larger than life, and therefore require creators to explore the peaks of creativity. While CGI and live action could tell a story like this, animation is the best choice for imagination, visuals and showing emotion. Live action could not show Mizu’s rage in the way this animated series did.
Audiences and critics have praised Blue Eye Samurai for its well-written, complex female characters, thrilling plot, beautiful soundtrack, and art.
The Breadwinner
The Breadwinner is rated PG-13 for some very obvious reasons. The story focuses on a young girl, Parvana, living in Kabul. The Taliban forbid women from leaving the house without a male relative and wearing a burqa. When her father is arrested without charge, Parvana disguises herself as a boy to support her family. The Breadwinner shows the different experiences between men and women, girls and boys, and how the Taliban has changed Afghanistan.
The Breadwinner delivers its messages of hope, friendship and family connections with beautifully drawn scenes. Showing changes in history, impending war, and Parvana telling stories. The film is a great story for children and adults alike; and it’s animation gives a larger appeal to younger audiences. The subject matter can be heavy at times, but the artistic medium tells the story in an evocative, heartfelt way.
This film is hand drawn and is part of a recognisable art style that comes from the Irish studio Cartoon Saloon, which animated Song of the Sea and My Father’s Dragon. Obviously these titles are children’s movies, but The Breadwinner’s scenes of peril and heart-breaking moments are what make this film the award-winning gem that it is. Cartoon Saloon collaborated with Melusine Productions and Aircraft Pictures and used Nuke software to create this film. The art style is appealing to younger viewers, and works in delivering the film’s messages but the topic means it is mainly suited for an older audience.
Final Thoughts
Animation can convey emotions differently from human actors. It can use visual storytelling and character design to create subtext, convey themes and develop characters. The diverse and versatile medium should not be forced into being a genre just for kids. Shows like Archer and Attack on Titan and films such as Persepolis and Grave of the Fireflies are for adults and use animation to tell stories that cameras and actors can’t. Storytelling covers all mediums and tales. From a story about a rabbit stealing vegetables from a farmer’s garden, to a young woman seeking revenge in the Edo period. Animation is most definitely not just for kids.
Featured Image Credit: Fisheye Film Festival Pinterest
Third year journalism student. 2025/2026 Lifestyle and Comment Editor at Brig. Published in The Yucatán Times, Mi Campeche and The Mourning Paper. Host of From the 40s with Air3Radio.
