retro to an adult. Children do not require “cutting edge” programming. There is much that
has been done before that will be new to them in content and style. What they require is
creative programming and good programming. And what is “cutting edge” to an adult might
not be appropriate for a child. Children need to go through the stages of childhood. “Cre-
ative,” “fresh,” and “good quality” are wanted at any age. Variety is the key.
Fads will always come and go, but the more the media latches onto a fad, the faster we
all get tired of it, and the sooner it dies. Younger children will always look to older children
in picking up new trends, so fads tend to trickle down. Those that watch trends point out
that because of the Internet, trends today can come and go before TV programming, games,
and toys can catch up.
The Perceptions of Adults
Television is losing viewers at an alarming rate. There are many reasons: the proliferation
of choices in media, the fact that there are more working mothers and more children who
are not available to sit and watch TV, more opportunities for sports and organized activi-
ties, more homework. If girls, specifically, abandon animation at a certain age, it’s because
the animation that’s being developed doesn’t appeal to them. Maybe the likes and dislikes
of girls should be more carefully considered. And if boys buy more toys at a certain age than
girls, perhaps that’s because the toy makers are making more toys that appeal to boys than
to girls. Neither toys nor animation belong to one sex or the other.
Animation is like the Field of Dreams. Build it, promote it, and chances are they will
come...if it’s appealing and if it’s good. But an audience in any media that’s been away
for a while might need some coaxing to come back.
Violence and Other Bad Influences
Do we want our children to retain some innocence? Yes. Do we want them to become too
cynical too soon? Of course not! Too much violence, too much sex, too much of anything
can be harmful to kids. Broadcasters have Standards and Practices departments for those
reasons. In prime time great numbers of kids watch the programming that was developed
for adults. And although children’s viewing habits should be monitored by their parents, we
know that even good parents are not always around. We can’t protect kids from all that’s
bad for them either, or they won’t be able to handle real life. We need to use a little common
sense. There’s not much that will hurt a child in moderation. Watching a couple of violent
programs will not harm a normal child. Watching nothing but violent programming or spend-
ing most of every day playing violent video games where the player is the shooter is not a
good idea for any child.
The Responsibility of Writers, Program Developers, and Media Distributors
Children do learn by example. The world that kids primarily experience in real life and in
their entertainment is the world that we’re likely to have tomorrow. Entertainment is
320 Animation Writing and Development