Adventure Time Essay

Have you ever gazed upon one of Salvador Dali’s surreal paintings, and it left you in a bewildered state? You’ve pondered what he was trying to display, or perhaps you were left wondering, is there a story behind this? Well, I am here today to tell you of such a story. See, we live in a time where people tend to take things much too seriously, far too often. When the world seems to erase happiness from one’s life, there lays Adventure Time, shimmering in the horizon in all its pastel glory. It is a beacon of happiness, joy, abnormality, and an escape route for all those trapped in a calloused hand of disappointment. The show may appear to disguise itself as a children’s program, but I can tell you confidently, that it provides material for more than one target audience. There’s a reason why high school and college students enjoy watching Pixar films or shows from their youth, and Pendleton Ward, the show’s creator, really hits home with a cartoon that may well be the most creative, and entertaining TV program of it’s kind. This is a fine example of the phrase â€Å"do not judge a book by its cover†, because underneath Adventure Time’s amazing array of bright and colorful characters, lies a subtext that involves a very large portion of dark and rather bizarre moments. This world that you are diving into and sharing with these characters is not as â€Å"sugar coated† as it leads you to believe. Adventure Time is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, where The Great Mushroom War wiped out it’s inhabitants, leaving one human child alive. Which brings us to our stories main protagonist, Finn the Human, who was raised by a family of elasticated, shape-shifting dogs. Jake the dog, Finn’s brother and best pal, joins Finn on his Adventures of saving princesses from the evil Ice King, exposing themselves to constant dangers while they protect the kingdom of living candy from horrifying terrors. Although it sometimes may be weird yet amusing, like when our heroes place themselves inside the stomach of a giant to prevent the bears that are partying within from being digested and melted by lava, Adventure Time can become serious when the characters portray real emotion. A cartoon needs more than just mind-blowing implications to entertain an older audience. In more recent episodes, it was shown that the main antagonist of the show, was once a human antiquarian (someone who studies ancient artifacts), who discovered a cursed crown sometime before the Nuclear fallout. When he placed it on to make his fiancee laugh, he blacked out and started experiencing horrifying visions. When he came to, something happened that drove his fiancee away. This later connects to why he steals princesses, to fill the gap in his heart from when his own princess left him. Also, our hero is in love with a princess made entirely out of bubblegum, but cannot be with her due to the fact that she is 18 and he is 13, causing him emotional stress. He later falls in love with a princess made out of flames, who is highly unstable when she is angry. Finn has a hard time being with her because she burns him whenever he tries to hold her. I’m sure some of you may connect with the feeling of wanting someone, but something prevents you from being with that person or simply, the person has no feelings for you. This show is stacked to the brim with moments like these. Not only is there an emotional intelligence to balance the show’s oddness, but there is a very artistic and poetic vibe behind the story. There are numerous musical numbers, and remember able quotes that make you think. A couple of my personal favorite quotes from the show are: â€Å"In the dark recesses of the mind, a disease known as FEAR feasts upon the souls of those who cannot overcome its power†¦ And so fear forces deep within the soul of a hero. Conquered†¦ at least, for now. † â€Å"I am the true coward. Hiding from sincere expressions like a vampire in the nude who hides from the light. Thank you brave hero. I was freed from bottle jail, but my new prison is shame. † Can we pull back the veil of static and reach in to the source of all being? Behind this curtain of patterns, this random pattern generator. So clever. Right here in every home, watching us from a one-sided mirror. † When a cartoon is able to be demented and touch the heart at the same time, I believe it is a show for everyone to enjoy. So grab your friends, and experience many different lands, with Jake the Dog and Finn the Human, a show where the fun never ends, it’s Adventure Time. Adventure Time Essay Adventure Time (originally titled Adventure Time with Finn & Jake[2]) is an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio), a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. Along the way, they interact with the other main characters of the show: Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Hynden Walch), The Ice King (voiced by Tom Kenny), and Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson). The series is based on a short produced for Frederator’s Nicktoons Network animation incubator series Random! Cartoons. After the short became a viral hit on the internet, Cartoon Network picked it up for a full-length series that previewed on March 11, 2010, and officially premiered on April 5, 2010. The series, which is heavily inspired by the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons as well as video games, is produced via hand-drawn animation. Episodes are created through the process of storyboarding, and a single episode takes roughly nine months to complete. The Adventure Time cast records their lines together in group recordings as opposed to different recording sessions with each voice actor, and the series also regularly employs guest actors and actresses for minor and recurring characters. Each Adventure Time episode is about eleven minutes in length; pairs of episodes are often telecast in order to fill a half-hour program time slot. The series has completed four seasons of twenty-six episodes each, and is currently on its fifth, which debuted on November 12, 2012. Ever since its debut, Adventure Time has been a ratings success for Cartoon Network. As of March 2012, the show is viewed by approximately 2 to 3 million viewers per week. The show has received positive reviews from critics and has developed a cult following among teenagers and adults, many of whom are attracted due to the series’ animation, stories and characters. Adventure Time has also been nominated for five Annie Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Critics’ Choice Television Awards, and a Sundance Film Festival Award, among others. In 2013, the series won a Motion Picture Sound Editors Award for the episode â€Å"Card Wars†. In addition, the series has also produced various clothing and merchandise, video games, comic books, and DVD compilations.