# Adult animation

Adult animation, also known as mature animation, mature cartoon or adult cartoon, and infrequently as adult-oriented animation or mature-oriented animation and adult-oriented cartoon or mature-oriented cartoon, is a term of any animated type or media that is catered specifically to adult interests and is mainly targeted and marketed towards adults and adolescents, as opposed to children or all-ages audiences. Adult animation is also identified as a subgenre of animation.

## Characteristics and themes

Animated media (includes animated films, television series, and web series) in this medium could be considered adult for any number of reasons, which include the incorporation of toilet humour, nudity, sexual content (either explicit or suggestive), graphic violence, shock value, profanity, dark comedy, political themes, or other thematic elements inappropriate for children and/or younger viewers. Works may explore philosophical, political, or social issues.
Some animated productions are noted for their complex and/or experimental storytelling and animation techniques, the latter with many distinct styles have defined such unique artistry.

## Definitions

Adult animation is typically defined as animation that is aimed at an adult audience. It is also described as something that "formative youths should stay far, far away from" or has adult humor and comes in various styles, but especially sitcoms and comedies. Some have stated that it refers to animations with "adult themes and situations", which uses "explicit language" and make jokes that adults, and often teens, are "more likely to understand" than others. On television, such animations often run in the evening, but they are not generally pornographic or obscene. AdWeek called adult animation "animated projects aimed at grown-ups, not kids." They also focus on issues that adults handle, and have cheeky, and occasionally crass, humor "that has no limits—bouncing between funny and offensive," while evoking a "balance of reality and fantasy". They may also contain violence or sexual themes.

## Notables
### Animators and filmmakers

Lists of international animators, filmmakers and television creators are among the notables of adult animation works:
* Ralph Bakshi - Fritz the Cat, Heavy Traffic, Coonskin, Wizards, American Pop, Fire and Ice, Cool World, Spicy City and Last Days of Coney Island
* Mike Judge - Beavis and Butt-Head, and King of the Hill
* Matt Groening - The Simpsons, Futurama, and Disenchantment
* Trey Parker and Matt Stone - South Park, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
* Aubrey Ankrum, Rhode Montijo and Kenn Navarro - Happy Tree Friends
* Don Hertzfeldt - Rejected, World of Tomorrow, and It's Such a Beautiful Day
* Everett Peck - Duckman
* Seth MacFarlane - Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Cleveland Show
* Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins - The PJs
* Christy Karacas - Superjail! and Ballmastrz: 9009
* Satoshi Kon - Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika
* Aaron McGruder - The Boondocks
* Katsuhiro Otomo - Akira and Steamboy
* Hayao Miyazaki - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, The Wind Rises, and The Boy and the Heron
* Alberto Vázquez - Birdboy: The Forgotten Children and Unicorn Wars
* Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro - Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, 12 oz Mouse and Perfect Hair Forever
* Raphael Bob-Waksberg - BoJack Horseman
* Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland - Rick and Morty
* Otto Guerra - Rocky & Hudson, Wood & Stock: Sexo, Orégano e Rock'n'Roll, Até que a Sbórnia nos Separe and A Cidade dos Piratas
* Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack - Smiling Friends, Koala Man and YOLO
* Rene Laloux - Fantastic Planet
* Alison Snowden and David Fine - Bob's Birthday and Bob and Margaret
* Loren Bouchard - Home Movies, Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil, Bob's Burgers, Central Park and The Great North
* Dino Stamatopoulos - Moral Orel, Mary Shelley's Frankenhole and High School USA!
* John Kricfalusi - Ren and Stimpy, The Goddamn George Liquor Program, and Ren and Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"
* Genndy Tartakovsky - Samurai Jack, Primal and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal
* Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter - Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law
* Will Carsola and Dave Stewart - Mr. Pickles
* J.G. Quintel - Regular Show and Close Enough
* Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn - Daria
* Mike Lazzo - Space Ghost Coast to Coast
* Aubrey Ankrum, Rhode Montijo, and Kenn Navarro - Happy Tree Friends
* Marc du Pontavice - Mr. Baby
* Jennifer Pertsch - Total Drama
* Vivienne Medrano - Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss
* Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan - Solar Opposites
* Ed Skudder - Dick Figures
* Nora Twomey - The Breadwinner
* Mauricio de Sousa and Roger Keesse - Astronaut
* Andrew Goldberg, Nick Kroll, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flacket - Big Mouth and Human Resources
* Olan Rogers - Final Space
* Tim Miller - Love, Death & Robots and Secret Level
* Lisa Hanawalt - Tuca & Bertie
* Danny Antonucci - Lupo the Butcher, The Brothers Grunt and Cartoon Sushi
* Carl Joseph Papa - Manang Biring, The Leaving and The Missing
* Adam Elliot - Harvie Krumpet, Mary and Max and Memoir of a Snail
* Avid Liongoren - Saving Sally and Hayop Ka!
* Robert Kirkman - Invincible
* Richard Linklater - Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly and Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
* Martin Rosen - Watership Down and The Plague Dogs
* Hideaki Anno - Gunbuster, Diebuster, Neon Genesis Evangelion and The End of Evangelion
* Kentaro Miura - Berserk
* Hiroyuki Imaishi - Dead Leaves, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Kill la Kill, Space Patrol Luluco, Promare and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
* Gen Urobuchi - Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Psycho-Pass and Fate/Zero
* Masami Kurumada - Saint Seiya, Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas, Saint Seiya Omega and Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya
* Kiyoshi Matsuda - Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill
* Masahiro Ando - T・P BON
* Ryū Nakayama and Makoto Nakazono - Chainsaw Man
* Tatsuya Yoshihara - Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
* Sunghoo Park - Garo: Vanishing Line, Jujutsu Kaisen and Jujutsu Kaisen 0
* Paru Itagaki and Shin'ichi Matsumi - Beastars
* Yoh Yoshinari - BNA: Brand New Animal
* Yuichiro Hayashi - Garo: The Animation, Kakegurui, Dorohedoro and Attack on Titan: The Final Season
* Imee Marcos - Tadhana and Fly Aswang
* Conrad Vernon - Sausage Party
* Fruto Corre and Nonoy Dadivas - The Criminal
* Kevin Temmer - Animator for Murder Drones and The Amazing Digital Circus
* Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud - Persepolis
* Shingo Natsume (season 1) and Chikara Sakurai (season 2) - One-Punch Man
* Song Haolin and Yi Liqi - Soul Snatcher
* Liu Jian - Piercing I, Have a Nice Day and Art College 1994
* Amp Wong - White Snake and Green Snake
* Jianxi Chen and Jiakai Li - White Snake: Afloat
* Mike Reiss - The Critic and Queer Duck
* Richard Starzak - Rex the Runt
* Tim Miller - Love, Death & Robots
* Adam Reed and Matt Thompson - Sealab 2021

### Channels, segments and blocks

Some television channels and their segments or blocks that focused on broadcasting adult animation:
* Adult Swim - an adult-oriented programming block only on nighttime as an opposite version of Cartoon Network, both are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
** Examples included: Robot Chicken, The Boondocks, Mr. Pickles, Superjail!, Ballmastrz: 9009, Rick and Morty, The Venture Bros., Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Birdgirl, Metalocalypse, Primal, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, YOLO, Squidbillies, Rick and Morty: The Anime, JJ Villard's Fairy Tales, Final Space, The Shivering Truth, Lazor Wulf, Stroker & Hoop, My Adventures with Superman, Samurai Jack, Royal Crackers, Hot Streets, Momma Named Me Sheriff, Smiling Friends, Tigtone, Moral Orel, Tender Touches, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, The Brak Show, 12 oz. Mouse, Sealab 2021, Mike Tyson Mysteries, Teenage Euthanasia, The Jellies!, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Apollo Gauntlet, China, IL, Uzumaki, Baby Blues, Mission Hill, Perfect Hair Forever, Tuca & Bertie, Dream Corp LLC, Invincible Fight Girl, Xavier: Renegade Angel, Mongo Wrestling Alliance, Common Side Effects and Oh My God... Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances.
* HBO - a pay television network and programming block categorizes genre-oriented animated series generally for older audiences, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
** Examples included: Animals, Astronaut, The Ricky Gervais Show, Spicy City, The Life & Times of Tim, Todd McFarlane's Spawn.
* Max - a streaming service categorizes genre-oriented animated series generally for older audiences and also ventures into adding to its catalog and producing animated series for adults and teenagers, also owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
** Examples included: Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, Astronaut, Clone High, Close Enough, Creature Commandos, Fired on Mars, Gen:Lock, Harley Quinn, Kite Man: Hell Yeah!, Santa Inc., Scavengers Reign, Ten Year Old Tom, The Prince, Velma, Young Justice and Young Love.
* TBS - a basic cable television network categorizes an adult-oriented animated cartoon series for older audiences, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
** Examples included: American Dad, Close Enough, Final Space, Neighbors from Hell and Tarantula.
* Fox Broadcasting Company - a commercial broadcast television network and programming block, owned by Fox Corporation.
** Examples included: The Simpsons, American Dad, Bob's Burgers, The Cleveland Show, Duncanville, Family Guy, Futurama, The Great North, HouseBroken, Krapopolis, and The PJs.
* Comedy Central - a comedy-genre television programming block used mostly animated series for older audiences, owned by Paramount Global.
** Examples included: South Park, Ugly Americans, Futurama, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, Brickleberry, Digman!, Shorties Watchin' Shorties, Moonbeam City, TripTank, Drawn Together, Jeff & Some Aliens, and Everybody Still Hates Chris.
* MTV - a cable television channel also categorizes an adult-oriented animated cartoon series for older audiences, owned by Paramount Global.
** Examples included: 3-South, Æon Flux, Beavis and Butt-Head, Celebrity Deathmatch, The Brothers Grunt, Cartoon Sushi, Clone High, Daria, Downtown, The Head, Liquid Television, The Maxx, Spy Groove, Undergrads and Wonder Showzen.
* Paramount+ - a streaming service also categorizes genre-oriented animated series generally for older audiences and ventures into adding to its catalog and producing animated series for adults and teenagers too, owned by Paramount Global.
** Examples included: Ark: The Animated Series, Beavis and Butt-Head, Star Trek: Lower Decks, The Harper House and Tooning Out the News .
* Netflix - a streaming service ventures into adding to its catalog and producing animated series for adults.
** Examples included: Arcane, Good Times: Black Again, Love, Death & Robots, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, BoJack Horseman, Paradise PD, Japan Sinks: 2020, The Midnight Gospel, Devilman Crybaby, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, T・P BON, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, Big Mouth, Human Resources, Super Drags, Mulligan, B – The Beginning, Disenchantment, Dota: Dragon's Blood, Kengan Ashura, Sword Gai: The Animation, Tekken: Bloodline, Aggretsuko, Castlevania, Hoops, Levius, Blood of Zeus, Castlevania: Nocturne, Farzar, Spriggan, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Scissor Seven, Neo Yokio, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, Devil May Cry, Dorohedoro, Blue Eye Samurai, Beastars, Great Pretender, Twilight of the Gods, BNA: Brand New Animal, Skull Island, Pacific Rim: The Black, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Inside Job, Exploding Kittens, Captain Fall, F Is for Family, Dragon Age: Absolution, Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series, Kuromukuro, Tuca & Bertie, Tokyo Override, Levius, Q-Force, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, The Grimm Variations, Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf, Carol & the End of the World, Godzilla Singular Point, Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, Sakamoto Days, Super Crooks and Terminator Zero.
* Amazon Prime Video - a streaming service categorizes genre-oriented animated series generally for older audiences, owned by Amazon.
** Examples included: Fairfax, Hazbin Hotel, Invincible, The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Batman: Caped Crusader, The Legend of Vox Machina, Sausage Party: Foodtopia, Los Lopeggs, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy, Secret Level, Mighty Nein, 1 Happy Family USA and Undone.

### In different countries

Specifically, the use of adult-oriented elements in animation of the United States and Japan influenced several countries to dominate their own work over the years, most notably the United Kingdom, China, France, Spain, South Korea and the Philippines.
| Countries | Films and television series |
| Philippines | Tadhana, Fly Aswang, Manang Biring, The Leaving, Hayop Ka!, and The Missing |

## Reception

Several highly acclaimed adult animated films and television series have received substantial recognition from critics. Thanks to Bakshi's Fritz the Cat, the film influenced American animators and filmmakers over the course of the late-20th century and into the 21st century, catering such important artistic and narrative structures with mature subject matter.
Conversely, several works have been largely ignored by many detractors for their depiction of graphic subject matter and sensitive topics, such as violence, race, gender, and sexuality. They still show a bias towards live-action and raunchy animated sitcoms, compared to early pioneers. However, the result is a new audience that is ready for narratively-sophisticated adult animated works and a new crop of creators exploring the adult animation space. This development allows creators to continue challenging the perceived limitations of animation.