… for Visual Effects

Tip #1444: Adult Animation is in its Heyday

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

There has never been a better time to develop an animated series.

This article first appeared in NoFilmSchool.com. This is a summary.

The animation world used to be for kids, but adult animation is having a heyday right now. Adult animation is actually one of the most successful genres of entertainment today. Shows like Rick and Morty, Big Mouth, and Clone High dominate the conversation. We have Primal, Samurai Jack, and The Boondocks all coming back.

HBO Max paid $500 million for the exclusive rights to South Park, and they haven’t stopped there. They have a revival of Clone High (picked up for two seasons), the Scooby-Doo prequel Velma, a take on Gremlins, more Harley Quinn, plus an ongoing slate of additional animated content, including an adult-focused Game of Thrones animated series.

Netflix is constantly developing new animated series, and Amazon is not far behind. Think about Bojack Horseman and Undone. According to “The Hollywood Reporter”, Netflix has invested over one billion dollars in animated programming.

Recording voice lines is easy for actors and only takes a few days. Much of the animation can be done for cheap in foreign countries. And you can write and animate year-round.

Another shift in all of this is the COVID-19 pandemic. With live-action TV and films sidelined, the animation genre was able to continue. It was easier following COVID protocols when you just are sanitizing a room and a mic. And lots of lines could be done remotely, over Zoom, with a proper mic setup.

There has never been a better time to develop an animated series.