History Main / AnimationAgeGhetto

* Many have criticized the rating system of the MPAA[[note]]Now known as the MPA[[/note]], which has a history of assigning films mismatched ratings without rhyme or reason. One example would be that the 1982 film ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNimh'' was given a G rating despite its FamilyUnfriendlyViolence and NightmareFuel. The film is darker in comparison to its live-action PG-rated contemporaries, such as ''Film/Annie1982'' and ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial''.[[note]]This was before the creation of the PG-13 rating, so both were trying to AvoidTheDreadedGRating by having gratuitous inappropriate jokes and language, The Secret of Nimh attempted to do that, but it failed.[[/note]] Granted, it's worth noting that a film's rating doesn't always accurately reflect its content and instead indicates the audience best suited for it, but this only leads us back to the ghetto since most audiences would still associate most live-action PG movies as being for adults over animated films. Although it is presumably because film studios would not think that an adult animated PG-rated film would succeed, despite there being live-action PG-rated films aimed at adults such as ''Film/TheSecretLifeOfWalterMitty''.

* Many have criticized the rating system of the MPAA[[note]]Now known as the MPA[[/note]], which has a history of assigning films mismatched ratings without rhyme or reason. One example would be that the 1982 film ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNimh'' was given a G rating despite its FamilyUnfriendlyViolence and NightmareFuel. The film is darker in comparison to its live-action PG-rated competitors, such as ''Film/Annie1982'' and ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial''.[[note]]This was before the creation of the PG-13 rating, so both were trying to AvoidTheDreadedGRating by having gratuitous inappropriate jokes and language, The Secret of Nimh attempted to do that, but it failed.[[/note]] Granted, it's worth noting that a film's rating doesn't always accurately reflect its content and instead indicates the audience best suited for it, but this only leads us back to the ghetto since most audiences would still associate most live-action PG movies as being for adults over animated films. Although it is presumably because film studios would not think that an adult animated PG-rated film would succeed, despite there being live-action PG-rated films aimed at adults such as ''Film/TheSecretLifeOfWalterMitty''.

* Many have criticized the rating system of the MPAA, which has a history of assigning films with mismatched ratings without rhyme or reason. One example being the 1975 animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Coonskin}}'' which received an R rating by the association when the [[Creator/RalphBakshi director's]] [[WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat previous]] [[WesternAnimation/HeavyTraffic titles]] earned an [[SameContentDifferentRating X rating for having much of the same content as the latter]]. Granted it's worth noting that a film's rating doesn't always accurately reflect its content and instead indicates the audience best suited for it, but this only leads us back to the ghetto since most audiences would still associate most live-action PG movies as being for adults over animated films.

* ''WesternAnimation/RockAndRule'' isn't for kids in the slightest; the target audience is teens and young adults. It was, however, rated PG because it was released before (as in, just a year before) the PG-13 rating was created. This was also a major factor in the movie's financial failure. Its distributor, believing that an animated movie directed at an older audience wouldn't be successful, under-promoted it. The results didn't exactly prove them wrong.

* In '' WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}''... just for starters, it's a SpaghettiWestern AffectionateParody, with all the things such a thing needs (FamilyUnfriendlyViolence, mild swearing, and jokes [[ParentalBonus most kids wouldn't understand]]). No wonder lots of [[http://www.amazon.com/Rango-Two-Disc-Blu-ray-Combo-Digital/product-reviews/B003Y5H542/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar negative reviews]] go "this is not a kids' film" or "this isn't a family film".
* ''WesternAnimation/RockAndRule'': This movie isn't for kids in the slightest; the target audience is teens and young adults. It was, however, rated PG because it was released before (as in, just a year before) the PG-13 rating was created. This was also a major factor in the movie's financial failure. Its distributor, believing that an animated movie directed at an older audience wouldn't be successful, under-promoted it. The results didn't exactly prove them wrong.

* ''WesternAnimation/RockAndRule'': Despite being made by Creator/{{Nelvana}} (a company known for more kid-friendly shows such as the ''Franchise/CareBears'' and ''Literature/{{Franklin}}'') and rated PG in the United States,[[note]]The film was released a year before the creation of the PG-13 rating.[[/note]] it isn't a kids' movie as it features scenes of drug use, sexual content, slight profanity, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and implied Satanism]]. The film is aimed at young teens at the most; however, a lot of this is pretty mild.

* This trope is OlderThanSteam. During [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance The Renaissance]], art that was made during TheMiddleAges, which was flat and stylistic, was viewed as “barbarous” and not taken as seriously compared to the [[RealIsBrown realistic]] art of that time period. [[Creator/RaphaelSanzio Raphael]] denounced medieval art in a 1519 letter to [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope Leo X]], referring to it as “gothic.”[[note]]He was referring to a Germanic people known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goths the Goths]], who were blamed for the collapse of [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire The Roman Empire]]. So he blamed the Gothic people for the reason that medieval art existed. The term “Renaissance” meant “rebirth” in [[UsefulNotes/LatinLanguage Latin]], so artists like Raphael wanted to [[GenreThrowback return]] to the realistic art that was made during the [[Usefulnotes/AncientGreece Ancient Greek]] and Roman periods.[[/note]]

** This mindset still exists today because if you want to be taken seriously in art, don't draw heavily stylized art that looks cartoonish ({{Animesque}} or not) because, for some reason, it isn't mature, even if your artwork depicts mature and gritty situations. This is part of the problem that most people assume that [[RatedMForMoney "mature"]] [[TrueArtIsAngsty entertainment is gritty and violent]], and for some, that's ''only'' what they want. Sadly, this mentality has caused a lot of people to feel pigeonholed into drawing ultra-realistic art despite finding stylized stuff more appealing... and how [[UnintentionalUncannyValley weird]] realistic art often looks if it's not done correctly. This is averted by Takashi Murakami and the "superflat" movement.

* This trope is OlderThanSteam. During [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance the Renaissance]], art that was made during the Middle Ages, which was flat and stylistic, was viewed as “barbarous” and not taken as seriously compared to the [[RealIsBrown realistic]] art of that time period. [[Creator/RaphaelSanzio Raphael]] denounced medieval art in a 1519 letter to [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope Leo X]], referring to it as “gothic.”[[note]]He was referring to a Germanic people known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goths the Goths]], who were blamed for the collapse of [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire the Roman Empire]]. So he blamed the Gothic people for the reason that medieval art existed. The term “Renaissance” meant “rebirth” in [[UsefulNotes/LatinLanguage Latin]], so artists like Raphael wanted to [[GenreThrowback return]] to the realistic art that was made during the [[Usefulnotes/AncientGreece Ancient Greek]] and Roman periods.[[/note]]

* If you want to be taken seriously in art, don't draw heavily stylized art that looks cartoonish ({{Animesque}} or not) because for some reason, it isn't mature, even if your artwork depicts mature and gritty situations. This is part of the problem that most people assume that [[RatedMForMoney "mature"]] [[TrueArtIsAngsty entertainment is gritty and violent]], and for some, that's ''only'' what they want. Sadly, this mentality has caused a lot of people to feel pigeon-holed into drawing ultra-realistic art despite finding stylized stuff more appealing... and how [[UnintentionalUncannyValley weird]] realistic art often looks if it's not done correctly.
** Averted by Takashi Murakami and the "superflat" movement.
** Should not be confused with people who encourage realistic art as a stepping stone to stylized art. The "know the rules before you break them" type of people.

* The film adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/WatershipDown'' is the poster child for WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids It's famous for being full of bloody violence and disturbing and surreal themes, despite being an animated movie about bunny rabbits. To this day, the British Board of Film Classification ''still'' receives complaints for giving it an all-ages "U" rating.

* ''WesternAnimation/RockAndRule'', despite being made by Creator/{{Nelvana}} (a company known for more kid-friendly shows such as the ''Franchise/CareBears'' and ''Literature/{{Franklin}}'') and rated PG in the United States,[[note]]The film was released a year before the creation of the PG-13 rating.[[/note]] isn't a kids' movie as it features scenes of drug use, sexual content, slight profanity, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and implied Satanism]]. The film is aimed at young teens at the most; however, a lot of this is pretty mild.

* ''WesternAnimation/RockAndRule'', despite being made by Nelvana (a company known for more kid-friendly shows such as the ''Franchise/CareBears'' and ''Literature/{{Franklin}}'') isn't a kids' movie as it features scenes of drug use, sexual content, slight profanity, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and implied Satanism]]. The film is aimed at young teens at the most, however, as lot of this is pretty mild.

There are many sociological theories as to how and why this stereotype originated, but one of the most common theories is that it's a by-product of the rise of animation on television in the '50s and '60s. As cinemas declined in importance, the big theatrical animations of The30s and The40s transferred to [=TV=] - but [=TV=] demanded faster production in greater bulk done more quickly. [[note]]The decline in quality of big names like ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadRunner'' is directly down to the television companies buying out the rights and forcing lower qualiy production values on the shows[[/note]] With many adults uninterested in the consequent [[LimitedAnimation low quality]] of many of these, and thus only kids being able to tolerate it, as well as television at the time being marketed as a way of keeping kids quiet and the rise of [[MoralGuardians parental groups]] arguing for more government regulation on the content of these programs.

** In recent years, even though the mindset has mostly died down due to more people getting exposed to anime and manga, this has led to an interesting case of this trope where a lot of anime and manga get misclassified as being for teenagers or young adults. For example, Creators/VizMedia has published Manga/OnePunchMan under their Shonen Jump label despite being seinen, and anime based off of shonen manga such as Manga/DragonBall are classified as being for teenagers, despite the anime adaptations usually being perceived as family friendly affair in Japan.
* On a final note, it's worth mentioning that there's a great deal of ValuesDissonance here. For a long time, Japan ''did'' subscribe to the idea of the Animation Age Ghetto, and to some extent it still does today. The reasons anime is perceived as more "mature" than Western animation outside Japan are multi-faceted. The invention of home video during Japan's "bubble economy" in the 1980s led to a boom in OVA production, and many of these were very adult in subject and covered material that would not have been allowed on television or in theatrical films. It was during this time that anime first began to be marketed outside of Japan as an "exotic commodity", as opposed to being heavily censored. The glut of adult OVAs in the 1980s gave rise to the AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles stereotype, and this has shaped Western perception of anime ever since. The heyday of adult OVAs ended in the early 1990s, thanks to a combination of the market collapsing due to Japan's declining economy and protests from Japanese MoralGuardians.

* On MyAnimeList, many anime shorts from the Silent and MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation are mislabed as children's anime despite many of them being aimed at an adult audience. This is due to their similarities to American animation from the same time period.

There are many sociological theories as to how and why this stereotype originated, but one of the most common theories is that it's a by-product of the rise of animation on television in the '50s and '60s. As cinemas declined in importance, the big theatrical animations of TheThirties and TheForties transferred to [=TV=] - but [=TV=] demanded faster production in greater bulk done more quickly. [[note]]The decline in quality of big names like ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadRunner'' is directly down to the television companies buying out the rights and forcing lower qualiy production values on the shows[[/note]] With many adults uninterested in the consequent [[LimitedAnimation low quality]] of many of these, and thus only kids being able to tolerate it, as well as television at the time being marketed as a way of keeping kids quiet and the rise of [[MoralGuardians parental groups]] arguing for more government regulation on the content of these programs.

These days, the ghetto is not as strong as it used to be. It began to break in TheNineties with cartoons beginning to tackle darker themes (''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'') and more mature humor (''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'', ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow''). As Japanese {{anime}} began to gain a foothold in North America, American animation shows such as ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' really started leaning into mature humor, though some of these shows' reliance on VulgarHumor has led to a new misconception, arguably a ghetto of its own, that ''all'' animation made for adults is an AnimatedShockComedy. Similarly, many people assume that AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles.

** The Ghetto in Mexico is so strong that if it's animated, then it's automatically for kids even if it's the first chapter of ''Manga/ElfenLied''! Maybe that was why several shows like ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', squarely and completely for teenagers, were aired on the kids' TV slot during TheNineties.

** This is probably the reason ''Anime/RingingBell'' is rather unknown in the West. It looks like a sweet and cute movie about a [[SweetSheep baby lamb]]... however, it's only like that for the first 7 minutes or so. It's a Japanese precursor to the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy about revenge and lust for power. It doesn't help it was made in TheSeventies as well as the fact that it was based on an equally-dark storybook written by none other than the [[Creator/TakashiYanase creator]] of ''Literature/{{Anpanman}}''.

* Matt Zoller Seitz's [[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/aladdin-2019 negative review]] of ''Film/Aladdin2019'' discusses how this ghetto contributes to why TheNewTens [[Film/DisneyLiveActionRemakes run of live-action remakes/variants]] on Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon films exists, even though many of them are regarded as inferior to their animated counterparts by critics and said originals are still kept in circulation.

* Also as of March 2012, main Italian network ''RAI'' is ''the'' biggest offender of this trope. While animation on RAI used to be far more prominent throughout TheNineties, after the TurnOfTheMillennium animated shows started to appear at a progressively smaller rate, [[ScrewedByTheNetwork until they were completely confined within an early morning timeslot.]] Then, in the mid-2000s, the [=RaiGulp=] channel, aimed at a younger demographic, rose to fame as the "safe place" for animation in general, and most arrows were pointing to a fairly brighter future: ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', ''WesternAnimation/RubyGloom'', ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'', ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen2009'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'', any good show, you name it. ''Then'', however, things went downhill at the beginning of TheNewTens, where "kid [soap] operas" like ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grachi Grachi]]''[[note]](The fact we don't have an article for that here should tell you something.)[[/note]] [[NetworkDecay started overshadowing animation]] at an alarming rate, culminating in live-action series getting the spotlight and ''nearly all animated shows being confined to an after-midnight timeslot.'' With ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' among them.

* Creator/TheCriterionCollection struggled with this trope for years -- owing to Disney and other major animation studios keeping their material to themselves, for many years the only animated feature in the collection was ''Manga/{{Akira}}'', and only on Laserdisc. In TheNewTens the wall finally came down: ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox'', ''Literature/WatershipDown'', and ''Animation/FantasticPlanet'', several films of Creator/KarelZeman, and ''WesternAnimation/WallE'' (the first Pixar ''and'' first Disney-backed title to receive such licensing) have all become part of the collection. The Criterion Channel streaming service features '''many''' more shorts and features, both family-friendly and not. These have included retrospectives of John and Faith Hubley and Creator/BillPlympton, National Film Board of Canada fare, ''WesternAnimation/KirikouAndTheSorceress'' and its second sequel, ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'', ''WesternAnimation/CharlottesWeb'', ''WesternAnimation/TheKingAndTheMockingbird'', ''WesternAnimation/TheIllusionist2010'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'', ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'', and ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven''. In July 2021, a gigantic "Art-House Animation" collection of 32 feature films included some of the above titles plus works by Creator/SatoshiKon, Creator/JanSvankmajer, Creator/MarcellJankovics, and Creator/DonHertzfeldt -- among others.

For associated tropes, see AllAnimationIsDisney, GirlShowGhetto, PublicMediumIgnorance, RRatedOpening, UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfAnimation, WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids, ComedyGhetto and SciFiGhetto. Contrast with AnimatedShockComedy and AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles.

** ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' was a huge TakeThat to this trope even in its Japanese version, but the official English-language dub intentionally takes it further. Most of the art is done in a ThickLineAnimation style reminiscent of several Creator/CartoonNetwork and Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} series from the later half of UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation, but contains enough strong content to get it [[TooHotForTV banned from broadcast in the US]]. Containing over [[ObligatorySwearing 450 swear words]] in only 13 episodes, it also includes very strong sexual references, as well as BlackComedy referencing UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, abortions, rape, terrorism, and the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan. Garterbelt is portrayed as an {{Ephebophile}}, and shown engaging sadomasochistic acts in which he is tortured by pre-teen altar boys. When Panty and Stocking work as [[IdolSinger Idol Singers]], most of their songs are about sex, including [[RapeAsComedy themselves being raped]], while the cover for the anime's soundtrack is extremely provocative to the point of bordering on porn. There's so much of that content, it makes '''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''' look like a kids' show.

* During its infancy, console gaming in general fell victim to the Ghetto. Back when the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem was released, with success, there was a clear distinct line between gamers who played on computers (who were the adults) and people who played on the NES (who were the kids). Perhaps this is one of the reasons for Creator/{{Nintendo}} of America's strict guideline policy before the [[UsefulNotes/EntertainmentSoftwareRatingBoard ESRB]] rating system in 1994. The Japanese version of the NES was even called the ''Family'' Computer, and Famicom games generally typically targeted younger, less literate players than games made for Japanese home computers such as the UsefulNotes/{{MSX}}.
** Creator/{{Sega}} noticed this trend and used it to their advantage when putting the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis on the shelves in America, by way of the infamous "[[UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars Genesis Does What Nintendon't]]" marketing campaign. As a result, Nintendo became labeled as a "kiddy" brand, while Sega would be positioned as the brand for teens and young adults: a stigma that would stick with Nintendo long after Sega left the hardware market, with Sony and Microsoft taking their place as the "adult" consoles.
** Played with in regards to Nintendo. Nintendo themselves happily wears the family-friendly label, having spent years marketing itself as such and having an internal policy to never produce content above a Teen rating. However, this has the side effect of their ''hardware'' being seen as lacking graphic/mature content in general. While this was certainly the case prior to the establishment of the ESRB[[note]]''VideoGame/MortalKombat1992'' was the most infamous example of NOA's strict guidelines, as the SNES version replaced the blood with sweat(?) and severely toned down the fatalities, which ultimately lead to the technically inferior Genesis version selling much better because it kept the series' iconic gore.[[/note]], by the time of the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube, Nintendo not only had no problem with third-party developers putting mature content on their systems, but they would also begin publishing M-rated fare themselves (albeit infrequently). Despite this, general audiences and gamers alike still tend to be shocked whenever Nintendo decides to highlight a new M-rated game during a WebVideo/NintendoDirect, especially when Nintendo is publishing it themselves, or when a title that is censored on other platforms due to sexual content is uncensored on Nintendo's consoles. Part of the reason for this is that the biggest and most popular M-rated franchises, such as ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' and ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', generally skip Nintendo's consoles for reasons unrelated to content (mostly processing power, storage size, or online capabilities).

** When Xbox Avatars (a.k.a. [[UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} Miis]] for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}) were first introduced, there was much complaining from the "won't play anything not rated M" crowd, claiming that their mature gaming machine was ruined by the presence of cartoon people, and that having to look at them before playing a serious, mature deathmatch was too much of a mood killer.

* The initial divisive reaction to ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' was colored by this trope. Since the UsefulNotes/WiiU was Nintendo's first high-definition consoles, fans were eager to see how Creator/RetroStudios would do with a high-definition entry in the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' series, one of Nintendo's first few first-party franchises agreed to be "mature". The announcement that they were working on a colorful 2D platformer game was seen by many as a waste of Retro Studios' talents, particularly since the genre was well-served by [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU other]] [[VideoGame/RaymanLegends games]] on the system. ''Tropical Freeze'' would come to be seen as one of the best 2D platformers ever made, but mostly in retrospect.

* The Commodore {{UsefulNotes/Amiga}} and the UsefulNotes/AtariST were never really taken seriously by mainstream business computer users in the U.S. because of their association with gaming, barring creative people like artists and musicians.

* On MyAnimeList, many anime shorts from the Silent and UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation are mislabed as children's anime despite many of them being aimed at an adult audience. This is due to their similarities to American animation from the same time period.

* [[https://prezi.com/-qfg9scmmlty/donald-duck-in-nutzi-land/ This Prezi slideshow]] holds the assumption that the numerous {{Wartime Cartoon}}s (citing ''WesternAnimation/DerFuehrersFace'' and ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunnyNipsTheNips'' as examples) produced during UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation were aimed at children. These cartoons predate the notion that animation is for children and were in fact created with ''adults'' in mind.

* On the Canadian channel Teletoon, their Detour block (their equivalent to Adult Swim) aired ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'', ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'', and ''WesternAnimation/GrimAndEvil''. and all were slapped with a PG rating. All of these shows were marketed and aired as children's shows in the US and aired during the day. With the massive amounts of disturbing content and adult jokes in these shows, it's possible someone at Teletoon thought they would be more suitable for adults.

** Speaking of Poland, there is a custom there to refer to ''any'' animated movie or series, regardless of its actual content, as "bajka". Which is a Polish equivalent of "fairy tale". No, really. Even works that are ''totally'' inappropriate for kids and/or far too complex and mature to be dismissed as childish tales -- be it ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal'', ''WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Felidae}}'', ''Literature/ThePlagueDogs'', ''WesternAnimation/UnicornWars'' or virtually the ''entiriety of anime'' -- will be named "fairy tale" by a statistical viewer, no matter how utterly absurd such claim would be. Because apparently, in some places in the world, this trope is ''that'' deeply entrenched.

* Back in 2012, the Polish television channel Polsat had an advert that announced the showing of several CGI films. The ad begins with "''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'', ''WesternAnimation/YogiBear'', ''[[WesternAnimation/TheHuckleberryHoundShow Huckleberry Hound]]''. These cartoons have enthralled children through the years. In the twenty-first century, cartoons are both for children and for adults!" Because everything animated made before Creator/{{Pixar}} and ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' is kiddie fare.

** Spin-off series ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch'' had its second season overlapping with the third season of ''Series/TheMandalorian'' on Disney+. What was happening in the live-action show? A gung-ho, nostalgic action-adventure story with cute aliens and enormous, flashy setpieces. Meanwhile the animated series regularly tackles subjects like veterans discovering [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness they have no place in a new Empire]], the rise of a fascist state and rebellion, and the shocking [[spoiler: death of one of the main characters at the end of the season.]] Many fans were quick to point out the animated series was by far the darker and more mature show, whereas the live-action one felt more like kids playing with action figures in a sandbox.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is one of the strangest subversions of this trope in existence. Despite the fact that its primary demographic was grade-school girls, the [[Creator/LaurenFaust original showrunner]] did everything she could to make it enjoyable for the parents of said grade-schoolers. And thanks to a couple of [[http://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/the-end-of-the-creator-driven-era.html blog]] [[http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/12/09/my-little-homophobic-racist-smarts-shaming-pony/ posts]] condemning the show sight unseen, it managed to catch the attention of 4Chan and later snowballed into a sub-cultural phenomenon that has lasted throughout the 2010s.

Video games themselves are an aversion, and perhaps even with an inversion. Once consoles that were able to feature live-action scenes, such as the Philips CD-i and the 3DO, came out, with commercials saying that the consoles could feature live-action video, many called it "the future of gaming", even though the consoles they were on had a high price and few bought them. While the technology was new and exciting at first, it quickly delved into SeinfeldIsUnfunny territory because their gameplay was usually very limited, and the acting was almost always horrible. This, coupled with the huge budget needed to make such a game (''Ground Zero Texas'' and ''VideoGame/SewerShark'', full-motion video games on the Sega CD, both cost 3 million dollars each to make) and generally poor reviews (though ''Sewer Shark'' was more widely praised, ''Ground Zero Texas'' got a score of 20% on [=Sega16=]), led quickly to the death of the genre. Nowadays, admitting to wanting live-action in a video game is like saying that you want your game to be horrible. This doesn't keep prevent the medium from having its own age ghettoes, though...

* BBC Culture runs yearly polls, and the animated pickings tend to be slim. Their list of 100 Greatest American Movies had no animated films. Their list of 100 greatest films of the 21st Century had only ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' and an assortment of Pixar movies (namely, ''Finding Nemo'', ''Ratatouille'', ''Wall-E'', ''Up'', and ''Inside Out''). Their list of 100 greatest comedies only included the adult animated film ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut''. Their list of 100 greatest TV Shows included 4 - ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'', ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', and ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''

** This trope is actually partly responsible for the popularity of anime in the West. Most Western animation companies produce TV shows and movies aimed at kids. Despite the MultipleDemographicAppeal of Creator/{{Pixar}} and later-day Creator/{{Disney}}, their movies are still aimed primarily at children and families. The [[AnimatedShockComedy "adult" shows]] tend to be [[BottomOfTheBarrelJoke rather juvenile]] as well. People who are into animation and want animated shows with the depth and seriousness of quality live-action series and movies often have no other choice but to watch anime, particularly {{Seinen}} anime. Even then, this trope settles in, as most of the anime that tends to get exported are generally made for a teen to adult audience, it colors the perception that ''anime'' is for adults while ''cartoons'' are for kids.

** "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_21690_5-bizarrely-perverted-products-from-family-friendly-brands.html 5 Bizarrely Perverted Products from Family-Friendly Brands]]." Apparently, the concept of "appealing to a different demographics than usual" is completely foreign to them. Not just that, but Cracked considers ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids family-friendly despite the fact that the show is, and always has been, intended for adults]]. But Cracked [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer isn't exactly known for its thorough research]].

** "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_21690_5-bizarrely-perverted-products-from-family-friendly-brands.html 5 Bizarrely Perverted Products from Family-Friendly Brands]]." Apparently, the concept of "appealing to a different demographics than usual" is completely foreign to them. Not just that, but Cracked considers ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' family-friendly despite the fact that the show is, and always has been, intended for adults. But Cracked [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer isn't exactly known for its thorough research]].

** This trope is actually partly responsible for the popularity of anime in the West. Most Western animation companies produce TV shows and movies aimed at kids. Despite the MultipleDemographicAppeal of Creator/{{Pixar}} and later-day Creator/{{Disney}}, their movies are still aimed primarily at children and families. The "adult" shows tend to be [[BottomOfTheBarrelJoke rather juvenile]] as well. People who are into animation and want animated shows with the depth and seriousness of quality live-action series and movies often have no other choice but to watch anime, particularly {{Seinen}} anime. Even then, this trope settles in, as most of the anime that tends to get exported are generally made for a teen to adult audience, it colors the perception that ''anime'' is for adults while ''cartoons'' are for kids.

To a lesser extent, the same goes with animated feature films. Yes, there are pure kiddie flicks made, but if you want to make big money in that field, you ''must'' appeal to adults at some level--though this applies chiefly to AllCGICartoon films, as traditional 2D animation is still not taken seriously, thus 2D is regarded as "dead" by the Western animation industry whereas 3D can serve as a compromise between animation and live action.[[note]]This is a purpose that, historically at least, stop-motion served as well. But due to it's time-consuming and labor-intensive nature, CG animation is generally preferred for animated features.[[/note]] However, animated films have yet to see the same growth of adult-oriented material that animated TV series have, and as such are much more affected by the ghetto, especially with purely 3D CGI Western animation.