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| - (Shortened opening) NC: Hello, I'm the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don't have to. As many of you know, I'm a big lover of classic nostalgic kids' shows. NC (VO): From Ninja Turtles to Transformers to the Disney Afternoon to Fox Kids, we had some pretty awesome shows in our time. NC: Which is why it really pains me to say this, but at some point you just have to accept reality. (he swaps out his own hat for a Gravity Falls one) Kids shows now are so much better than they were before. (clips of Gravity Falls, Adventure Time, Steven Universe and Legend of Korra) NC (VO): And that's so weird to say seeing how much I love the shows I grew up with and will always hold a place in my heart. But when you look at shows today like Adventure Time, Gravity Falls and Steven Universe, there's no question that they're pushing the boundaries of what's normally expected out of kids programming, at least what WAS expected in the past. Don't get me wrong, we still have plenty of mindless stuff, but these shows are going the extra mile to not only fascinate kids, but adults as well, and in a way that was never done in the past. For so many years we complained about how there's nothing good on for kids. Hell, we complained how there's nothing good on for adults. But now, intelligent, funny, thought-provoking kids' shows are surprisingly in competition. NC: Yeah! They're no longer the rarity: they're kind of the norm! (Clips of Steven Universe) NC (VO): And in a bizarre world where things seem to make sense, the more effort in the show, the bigger the hit it is. NC: So how and why is this possible? Hasn't kids stuff for the longest time been just that? Kids stuff? (Clips of Gertie the Dinosaur, Looney Tunes, and Disney) NC (VO): Well, not always. People forget when the art of animation started, it was for both kids and adults. But the more we got used to it, the more it made sense to aim it towards kids because you could be more exaggerated and expressive, which kids can relate to easily. But even then, some of the adults putting it together didn't slack off on the effort. Disney and Warner Bros., two animation giants, are prime examples of that. The Warner Bros. cartoons focused more on comedic writing that you'd find in most vaudeville acts, and Disney, despite it usually being seen as more kid-oriented, threw in more artistry and design that may not get as big a laugh as Goofy or Mickey but offered more of an artistic expression that weren't in much children's entertainment at the time. Both of these studios challenged what was seen as mere kids entertainment and were both big hits because of it. NC: So big that years later, they're still worth big money. NC (VO): Most homes wouldn't dream of being without at least a few Disney films, and everybody, young and old, still knows the Looney Tunes by name. This led to the conclusion that kids shows can lead to big moolah, and show business, still being a business, tried to capitalize on it and make them even more profitable. (Clips of Transformers, He-Man, My Little Pony and their toy commercials) NC (VO): The problem was they focused on the wrong areas. Shows for a while were concentrating less on good characters and story and instead more on what'll sell toys. So every episode of He-Man or My Little Pony or whatever was rushed out with new characters, vehicles and accessories, whether they made sense in a coherent story or not. And we ate it right up. We didn't care if it made any sense to what was going on. It was stuff! And we loved stuff! The more stuff we could have related to that show the better. NC: But the problem they eventually figured out was stuff fades. (Clips of He-Man, Looney Tunes, Batman the Animated Series, Animaniacs, Gargoyles) NC (VO): He-Man and My Little Pony ran for a while but we eventually grew up and saw it as kids stuff. Kids stuff was only for kids and just lame to adults. But if that were truly the case, why are so many adults wearing Looney Tunes t-shirts? Why do so many adults still go to Disneyworld even if they don't have any kids? Shortly after, producers started to realize Warner Bros and Disney were still making money was because the writing was good and timeless. We appreciated them because we can enjoy them both as kids and adults, which, from a marketing standpoint, could double your audience. So shows started to take a few more chances. Animaniacs, Batman, Gargoyles. These were shows that adults could watch with their kids and enjoy on an entirely different level because they tried harder than most other shows. They went that extra mile and introduced new jokes, styles and themes that had never been done before, at least not with this kind of effort. Don't get me wrong, we went to crap shortly thereafter, and for a while, we hit a bit of a dead zone. NC: Roughly around that same time as that Dark Age of Movies. (Clips of Batman TAS, Legend of Korra, Steven Universe) NC (VO): But the people who watched those other great shows eventually grew up to make their own shows. And guess what? They were influenced by those shows that put in the extra work! Thus, they had a new bar to hold themselves to. Now most kids shows as well as movies are expected to entertain adults as well as kids, at least the ones that are expected to be big hits. And even today, DVDs, toys and other merchandise are being bought not just by adults but FOR adults. Grown people dress up to say thank you for the dedication these creative teams put in their work. NC: But come on! We grew up with great stuff! So why is this stuff apparently better? (Clips of Gargoyles, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman, Animaniacs. Adventure Time, Avatar, Legend of Korra) NC (VO): Part of it is while those other shows are great and changed a lot, it was going through a transitional period. So creators at the time didn't know what they could get away with. The dark writing in Batman was never dabbled with in this much detail, nor were the adult jokes experimented with in Animaniacs. Because there was more focus on these new elements, which still hold up today, they were still bound by certain understandable rules. Batman still had to fight someone, Animaniacs still had to keep their stories to a half-hour. Nowadays, the limits have been stripped more and more. Comedic series dont have to be comedic all the way through, dramatic series don't have to be dramatic all the way through, stories can continue an entire season if need be, and even a show based on comedy and action can contain little to none in some episodes and still get critical praise for it. Tiny Toons is great but you wouldn't see them dive into heavy, drawn-out turmoil like you would in Adventure Time, nor tackle as many potent issues. The con with those shows in the past was they were still experimenting and didn't know how far they could go. The pro is that it gave way to so much more experimentation today, arguably more than what was ever done in the past. NC: But there's a few reasons for that. 1: Technology. (Clips of Gravity Falls and Steven Universe) NC (VO) These shows usually look beautiful and that's because computers have sped up the time to get them done. You'll also notice that the designs of most of these characters are much simpler than the ones of the past. They do this because it gives way to faster animation, while also allowing more time to focus on color, backgrounds and, of course, the story. NC: Second, feedback nowadays is instant. (Clips of Avatar) NC (VO): Even though we still have focus groups, the internet is the most blunt and massive feedback there is. So if something doesn't go over well, they can know right away and make the appropriate changes. Hell, they even use some of the backlash in the show sometimes. Katara actress: We cannot give up hope! (sobbing melodramatically) Katara: Well, that's just silly. I don't sound like that! NC: Thirdly, people finally see the possibilities! (clips of Gravity Falls and Adventure Time) NC (VO): Shows like Lost and X Files showed that a continuing mystery can be a big draw, but if you focused on that and not as much on the characters, it could lead to a bad experience if you don't deliver on the ending. Shows like Gravity Falls and Adventure Time have similar mysteries, but that's not their draw. Their draw is their environment, their characters and the fact that anything is possible. So even if the last episode doesn't give a satisfactory answer to the mystery, people won't feel ripped off because they were in it for more than that. Now that's not to say Lost and X Files had bad characters, but when compared to the likeability and even complexity of these characters, they're just gonna last longer. NC: But how can something as simple as these characters (indicating Adventure Time cast) be more interesting than (indicating Mulder and Scully) these characters? Well, I just said in that sentence: They're simple. (clips of Interstellar, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Avatar, Legend of Korra, Transformers, Animaniacs and Gargoyles) NC (VO): What are you remember more? The complex inner workings of Matt Damon in Interstellar or how badly the coyote wants to catch the Road Runner? Chances are we're gonna be quoting "beep beep" before anything in this film. With kids shows, you have to keep the motivation simple so they can follow it. But what they go through to achieve it is where the complexity comes in. Because these worlds they create are fuelled by imagination rather than logic, more possibilities are available to them, with new ways of tackling and explaining issues that were never in kids shows before. Issues you never thought would be in a kids show like abandonment, anxiety, sexuality, inferiority, depression, control. These shows are exploring these issues in everything but name. You can have characters with goofy identities like the Ice King and the Vampire Queen, but when you put them in a loving situation where one has almost entirely forgotten the other, it's one of the most heartbreaking things you can watch, and it can also help you in real life identify with the pain of having Alzheimer's. Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra educate on the themes and ideas of East Asian philosophy. Yeah! East Asian philosophies and all explained in a way that kids can understand! There's a power in Steven Universe where two people can combine their mind and bodies in one, meaning they have to work together to share both their mental and physical abilities. There's so many levels of identity being addressed here, it would make Kafka blush. Even political issues can be brought up! Both Adventure Time and Korra give some interesting questions about how much control a government should have. They're not just based on cookie cutter villains trying to take over the world, they're legitimately compelling arguments about how much do you sacrifice and how much do you let slide, both walking the tightrope of what's ethically acceptable. Gravity Falls not only has hilarious writing but it also litters its episodes with puzzles and clues, encouraging kids to solve a mystery that even most adults haven't figured out yet. Even sexuality plays a role! While government was taking its time to legalize gay marriage, shows like Adventure Time, Korra, and even shows intended for really younger kids like Postcards from Buster were getting the jump on what they already knew was right, introducing kids to gay and lesbian couples before their minds could be exposed to any prejudice. None of these would be tackled in the toy-centric shows of the past. Even the ones that started the change wouldn't quite touch a lot of these subjects. This doesn't mean I love them any less, but it does mean I should acknowledge when an art form is clearly advancing. NC: TV for kids and adults has gotten so good recently, but it's the TV for kids that's even more important. (Clips of Avatar, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls NC (VO): We know we can show them anything, and for years we took that as an excuse to profit and distract while sometimes educate. Now we're using it not only to entertain and educate, but also enlighten. They're used to expand their mindset and show possibilities. Instead of just introducing information, they're introducing wisdom, and through the best way possible, without them even realising they're learning anything at all. They're fun, exciting and silly, but also smart, artistic and insightful. They play with mood, character and different ways of telling a story than any kids show in the past. A 5 year old can watch Adventure Time and enjoy it, but then grow up years later and enjoy it for entirely different reasons. NC: It's a strange time now where talent and respect for your audience actually equals big bucks. (Clips of Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, Adventure Time, Legend of Korra, Batman and Avatar) NC (VO): Maybe people finally got tired of awarding the same repeat programming, or maybe the means of recognising their frustration have just gotten more obvious, but whatever it is, it's leading to some great work. New classics, new characters, and new stories that only will be remembered years later, but appreciated on levels that were never appreciated on kids programming before. Over the years, pioneers saying our kids should be given our best instead of our leftovers are being heard and explored in brand new ways, discovering, educating, creating, and all while having a great deal of fun. The generation that watches these shows now will then grow up and bring us even greater and newer possibilities, because, hey, we gave them a great starting point to be inspired by. It's a great world of imagination, intelligence and ingenuity that hopefully isn't slowing down any time soon. NC: I'm the Nostalgia Critic, I remember it so you don't have to! (leaves, popping his usual cap on top of his Dipper hat)
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