Saturday morning cartoons. Nothing beats jumping out of bed, pouring your bowl of cereal and sitting down in front of the TV to enjoy your favorite shows.
As I was reminiscing about some of my favorite cartoons of the past, something caught my eye. At the time, I never picked up on the mature scenes that seemed so normal.
Two of the most watched shows from my childhood were, “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and its follow up “The Legend of Korra,” and both which were prime examples of this.
I recently bought the complete series of both shows, and after rewatching specific episodes, I got an entirely new sense for what the writers were aiming for. They were creating a show that appeals to both kids and adults.
In “Avatar: The Last Airbender” we meet Aang, the avatar and the last of his people.
Specifically, in the finale of this show, Aang is poised with the toughest question of them all: Can I sacrifice one life for the world? This choice he is faced with defines his character, and I am still as captivated watching him deal with his internal struggle today as I was back in 2008.
More recently, “Star Wars Rebels,” which premiered on Disney XD in 2014, started off a little goofy, but grew up with its audience. The lead character, Ezra Bridger, starts the show as a young orphan. As the seasons progress, he is taught more and more about his role in the galaxy and is able to develop from a static to a dynamic character.
By the end of the show, Ezra is a full Jedi, sacrificing himself for the world he grew up in. Kids that sat down every Saturday morning and watched the show from the beginning got to grow up alongside Ezra, taking in the same lessons and maturing with him as well.
Another show of many of our pasts that may not necessarily deal with mature themes, but definitely had a particular element that went over my head as a kid was “Phineas and Ferb.”
Think about this: Dr. Doofenshmirtz may be Phineas’ father.
Time and again, Doofenshmirtz would have flashbacks that showed the audience that he dated Phineas’ mom. Add in the fact that we never meet Phineas’ dad, they both have triangle heads, and are both scientists lends heavy implication to this theory being correct.
Whether it’s small details like that or more overarching themes, like those seen in “Avatar,” it’s clear that a majority of the cartoons we grew up with were not made solely for the young.
Kids can watch and enjoy them for the fun of it all and might be able to grasp the message, but maybe they don’t. Adults on the other hand can watch these shows and enjoy them not only for the fun, but the message they teach as well.
