2 years, 1 month ago
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What is it about cartoons that appeals to children, and to some adults?
I was just wondering if anyone knew what the reason is for children being so entertained and stimulated by cartoon shows? Besides the educational value(that seems to be a perk for parents), what exactly do you feel is the reason cartoons are such a hit? For children maybe it is the movement and all of the many different colors, they don't actually focus to the moral at first. Or maybe it is the different sounds. I always wondered why it seems to be that all children love them.
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M$1 Answer
I’m afraid I haven’t found a scientific answer for this. So, I must speak from my own experience with children, and the fact that I have unusually strong memories of some parts of my childhood – particularly age 3 and up.
Speaking from my own experience, I had an attraction to cartoons and animation from a very young age, which continued into adulthood. Since I have no memory of my initial exposure to cartoons, I can’t say what personally attracted me to them in the beginning. But what I remember loving included:
- The element of simplicity. In a cartoon, what you see is basically what matters. The scenery is brighter and clearer; and the locations and characters are easy to identify and separate from each other, due to often having quite odd or exaggerated physical characteristics. Dialogue is simplified, and the “good guys” and “bad guys” are easy to identify and fit neatly where they should.
- The sound is exaggerated, funny, attention-grabbing, and usually easy to understand. Just think of all the sound effects in an average cartoon designed to be funny. In my adult life, I have had numerous occasions of frustration at not being able to reproduce or describe the sound that Hanna-Barbera characters make when they begin running in the air, and have not actually taken off yet. I’m sure you know the one I mean. How do you describe that? Booga-booga-booga-booga…. I don’t know.
- The color is usually bright, well-used, and attention-grabbing. Visual appeal is a particular factor, in some cartoons or animations more than others. For example, I distinctly remember being a little girl and finding characters such as She-Ra and Rainbow Brite beautiful, magical, and enthralling.
- The heightened, more simplistic emotionalism of many cartoons might be an appeal for children or younger people. I remember enjoying the “scariness’’ of He-Man’s villain, Skeletor – especially while the minions were being defeated - and the magical powers of the Gummi Bears after drinking Gummi Berry Juice.
- Finally… on the “magic” factor, again…. There is something simply beautiful, and enthralling, some special kind of escapism, that cartoons seem to create. We shouldn’t be encouraging our kids to try to escape from the world in an unbalanced way, but in a way any kind of “story” entertainment is exactly that. I think cartoons really create this effect particularly well. I will openly admit to having found a beautiful, fantastic, interesting, sweet, foreign haven in the very Japanese, and very fantastic, adventures (and cool transformation sequences) of Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts ... not to mention the Samurai Pizza Cats.)
http://cache.io9.com/assets/images/gallery/8/2009/06/medium_3660756461_728e95a8bc_o.jpg
Speaking from my own experience, I had an attraction to cartoons and animation from a very young age, which continued into adulthood. Since I have no memory of my initial exposure to cartoons, I can’t say what personally attracted me to them in the beginning. But what I remember loving included:
- The element of simplicity. In a cartoon, what you see is basically what matters. The scenery is brighter and clearer; and the locations and characters are easy to identify and separate from each other, due to often having quite odd or exaggerated physical characteristics. Dialogue is simplified, and the “good guys” and “bad guys” are easy to identify and fit neatly where they should.
- The sound is exaggerated, funny, attention-grabbing, and usually easy to understand. Just think of all the sound effects in an average cartoon designed to be funny. In my adult life, I have had numerous occasions of frustration at not being able to reproduce or describe the sound that Hanna-Barbera characters make when they begin running in the air, and have not actually taken off yet. I’m sure you know the one I mean. How do you describe that? Booga-booga-booga-booga…. I don’t know.
- The color is usually bright, well-used, and attention-grabbing. Visual appeal is a particular factor, in some cartoons or animations more than others. For example, I distinctly remember being a little girl and finding characters such as She-Ra and Rainbow Brite beautiful, magical, and enthralling.
- The heightened, more simplistic emotionalism of many cartoons might be an appeal for children or younger people. I remember enjoying the “scariness’’ of He-Man’s villain, Skeletor – especially while the minions were being defeated - and the magical powers of the Gummi Bears after drinking Gummi Berry Juice.
- Finally… on the “magic” factor, again…. There is something simply beautiful, and enthralling, some special kind of escapism, that cartoons seem to create. We shouldn’t be encouraging our kids to try to escape from the world in an unbalanced way, but in a way any kind of “story” entertainment is exactly that. I think cartoons really create this effect particularly well. I will openly admit to having found a beautiful, fantastic, interesting, sweet, foreign haven in the very Japanese, and very fantastic, adventures (and cool transformation sequences) of Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts ... not to mention the Samurai Pizza Cats.)
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