There's something that I'm struggling to understand about indie animation in terms of writing and tone. When I was a kid, I absolutely hated "kiddie shit". Whether that be Disney cartoons, cartoons forcibly sanitized underneath a corporate body or from the complaints of soccer moms and always wanted to see darker or more mature themes in animation.I'm autistic myself and I absolutely do not relate to this particular brand of autism where they are obsessed with things like musicals, keeping everything safe and happy, etc.Instead of wanting darker or more mature themes in animation, everything is the same, self-censored, PG-13, quippy, tumblr/MCU tier tone. Like the creators simply refuse to expand beyond that tiny bubble of possible tones, themes and writing. Nothing is allowed to be controversial, edgy or even out there anymore.Why is this? I don't relate to this shit at all. What's the point of it being indie if it's not allowed to push the bar at all?
Bump
>>155003652What do you consider edgy and mature?
>>155004177Complex 3 dimensional characters, complex morality exploration, complex moral dilemmas, adult topics handled in a dark, depthful and fulfilling way, real stakes and consequences, etc.
>>155003652When it comes to cartoons like TADC they were made by someone who used to be edgy but got desperate to please people angry at them for it (especially women) to the point of self-neutering, usually into transgender identity.So they were never able to capture a non-sanitized, successful take on animation to overthrow the norm of their childhood.
>>155004255I get the impression that Gooseworx was just done midway through and couldn't take the stress anymore. All of it feels so amateurish even compared to her other work.
>>155003652Because more mature means you don't get memes and porn. You're also more open to criticism and ridicule when you attempt to be mature through art. The best way to avoid this is to pretend to be above it all and jokey. The person who made Wastelandia is a youtuber who's reputation depends entirely on how much teenagers like her too, which is why it's so boring.If you want a good animated movie that explores mature themes, Princess (2006) is great.
>>155004255It's also a problem that they grew up on so much shit media and they don't know how to write.
>>155003652Not every cartoonist has the same taste. Some just want to make the show they always dreamed of having on an animation network, which means imitating the same style and writing they loved watching on those networks. Or they just like making people laugh.
>>155006324The problem is that all indie animation now feels like it comes from people all with the exact same tastes.
"write what you know" and it's consequences
The problem isn't so much about being edgy as it is about committing to it.To put it in perspective there's a reason why Jhonen V went from making a comic like JTHM to a show like Invader Zim: even in JTHM his perception of "dark" evolved, to the point he's questioning/criticizing it. While both processes are disimilar, Invader Zim was an animation, meaning it was gonna be more toiling and crippling for the sake of dark episodes like that one where Zim steals people's organs.Sure, he could've tried getting away with more edgy episodes, but the entire series was enough to push him into hiding from animation for quite some time due to that same process.
>>155006324I feel like you're underselling how a lot of this is because of social pressure and the banks.
>>155003652There's a lot of deep mature indie content, fact of the matter is that bright colored kiddy stuff sells. It would be awesome if you got money simply for creating, but unfortunately if you want to sustain yourself you need to dip into mass appeal.
>>155008816I think that if you're at the helm of an indie project, you have the obligation to push the bar a bit.
bump
>>155003652I'm gonna blackpill you, anon. Most indie animation is not being made for general audiences, but for:>terminally online theater kids (girls)>theater kids who grew up (girls)>very young children (of which girls are more vulnerable consumers)>existing cartoon fandoms (mostly girls)You're never going to get anything (for boys and men) on the level of 2000s edge or from what Japan routinely pumps out because it's easier and more cost-effective to create a video game that with that sort of content in mind. The entire western animation pipeline has gone the way of books ever since the 08 recession with the pivot towards gynocentrism as a means of ensuring more and more profit, and digital platforms censor anything remotely serious. Most people in the American animation industry either want to produce stuff for tweens, are naive enough to think they can make shonen/seinen anime, or get stuck making Family Guy clones.
>>155011007If that was the case then DBZ and One Piece wouldn't be some of the most popular IPs ever.
>>155003652YouTube is more sanitized and toothless than network television 40 years ago at this point, to the point where younger generations have invented newspeak like “unalive” “grape” etc.Hosting videos on your own site is too expensive and it would just get buried by search enginesI guess Newgrounds is the last place you could go
>>155003652>I'm autistic myselfYeah, I could tell from the fact that you keep reposting this shitty post multiple times.
>>155003652Look man if these people were capable of telling a story with mature themes their dream wouldn't be to make their own cartoon
