I have been watching cartoons. Don’t judge me. It started in the festive season.
Actually, I’ve always loved cartoons but had neglected them in recent times, as the burgeoning world of cultural possibilities left me increasingly bewildered and out of touch (reader’s voice: “No news there.”)
A TV in a waiting room rekindled my interest. It was showing one of those computer-generated or digital animations, which I think are splendid.
Once I got started…
First one I ever saw, years ago now, was Scrooge, and I was knocked out by it.
This waiting room cartoon, which I could see but not hear properly, was Zootropolis, which I looked up when I got home, and then went on to watch more and more on yon Netflix: Rise of the Guardians, Wish Dragon, The Willoughbys, The Mitchells vs The Machines.
They were all fab (though The Willoughbys was a bit too adult for me). I was totally engrossed in them; you know, in that way where time flies by.
At the time of composing this epistle or homily, these are the others on my list: Secret Magic Control Agency, Bigfoot Family, Gnome Alone, Troll Hunters, Monsters vs Aliens, Animal Crackers, The Pirates, Mr Peabody & Sherman, Pets United, Jimmy Neutron.
You say: “A man in your position should be watching documentaries and current affairs programmes, not children’s tripe, ken?”
Unhand me, madam! I will give up children’s tripe when I have become an adult and not before.
Happy endings and all
If I were to tell you my main hobby as an aspiring grown-up it would be: escaping from reality. I prefer the clean, colourful world of cartoons. And I like happy endings.
I’ve noticed that these new cartoons I’ve been watching all have valid moral themes – loyalty, friendship, courage, hope – and, very frequently, family.
Usually, the family is dysfunctional, not in any way perfect, and the lesson seems to be that few are ideal, but they don’t have to be, as long as everyone is there for each other.
For people who lack any family, there are TV series like Firefly – which I may have mentioned several hundred times before – in which (and this is eventually stated explicitly) the crew of a spaceship becomes family.
They’re mostly misfits, or at least folk living on the edge of society, indeed on the edge of the universe or ’verse as they call it, and they don’t even get along in many cases.
But, when push comes to shove, they’ve always got each other’s back.
Clear distinctions
That’s been the recurring moral in my recent cartoons. But I guess it’s always been there. My backstory includes a lot of Disney, which seems rather variable these days, but I’ll never forget The Jungle Book. Oh, I loved that so much as a kid.
Another thing I like with cartoons is the clear distinction between good and evil. I like my baddies bad and my goodies good. I’m not your man for nuance.
No one has ever said to me: “You’re right subtle, Rab, ken?”
I cock a snook at your subtlety. Give me unlikely heroes, ludicrous baddies, and bright colours where even the garbage looks clean.
Add in clear moral instruction, and you’ve got one simple but happy viewer every time.
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