The show your grandkids love that you’ll fall in love with too
If you have grandchildren who, at any stage over the past seven years, have hovered around the age of 10, then they have no doubt watched their fair share of Adventure Time. It’s one of those special treats that appears on most television screens in the hours after school but before dinner, and the spell it has woven is intoxicating and special. But why, you might ask, should you care about a cartoon for kids? Let’s take a look.
In 2007, Pendleton Ward created for Nickelodeon a short animation about a boy named Finn and his anthropomorphic, magical dog, Jake. Together the friends went on an adventure to save the pink-hued Princess Bubblegum from the evil Ice King. Though the initial premise is simple enough, the execution is where this Adventure Time short really shone. The hand drawn animation recalls the quality of classic 1990s cartoons, while the dialogue is at once childish, knowing, and hilarious, bordering on the absurd. After Nickelodeon passed, rival Cartoon Network noticed the viral short and ordered it to series. It debuted in 2010.
Now, seven years later, Adventure Time is entering its ninth and final series. So what is it about the adventures of Jake the dog and Finn the human that has so entranced youngsters?
With their brother-like companionship, which calls to mind that of Calvin and Hobbes, Finn and Jake are easy to like, eerily relatable at any age (they have disagreements, voice their fears often, and strive to always do good), and just plain fun. Episodes usually concern a dangerous (or not so) quest the two are assigned by one of the expansive cast of supporting players. These quests range from traversing a dungeon to find hidden treasure, to keeping one of Princess Bubblegum’s suitors company while she continues her scientific study.
The ridiculous keeps pace with the ordinary in Adventure Time, and the candy coloured kingdom hides a dark past that kids and adults alike have responded to. Indicators of a long-forgotten conflict (unexploded bombs dot the landscape) paid off with the reveal that the strange, almost rule-free land of Ooo is actually the aftermath of an apocalyptic nuclear war that transformed the world and its inhabitants. This kind of adult backstory is rarely seen in children’s programming, making Adventure Time unique among its peers.
Unlike many other animated series, the timeline of Adventure Time progresses through the years, allowing Finn to grow from a pre-teen boy with a childlike crush on an older woman (Princess Bubblegum), to a teenager on the verge of adulthood who has experienced heartbreak and (slyly coded) sexual awakening. Though it has its fair share of fart jokes and weirdness, Adventure Time reaches for something more meaningful in its storytelling. The heartbreaking past lives of its characters resonate with fans, while the offbeat comedy keeps things light, playful, and fun.
All of these reasons aside, Adventure Time really is one of those shows you simply must experience for yourself. Thankfully, episodes typically run no longer than 11 minutes, so making your way through a handful takes less than an hour – and is well worth your time.
What’s your favourite show to watch with your grandchildren?