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(Ben Green) #1

CHAPTER 17


Types of Animation and


Other Animation Media


287


Genres


Different types, or genres, of animation set up different expectations. Animation can be
broken down into generally accepted categories: comedies, action/adventure stories, pre-
school shows, and so on. Children watching cartoons soon learn to expect specific things in
each kind of show that they watch. We learn very early in life what we like and what is more
tempting to watch because it’s what the older kids like.
Some of your audience will be unhappy if they watch a show because they expect it to
fall into a certain category, and it disappoints them by not containing the elements of that
genre. Buyers may be puzzled enough not to buy the shows that you develop! So we’ll cover
some of the elements of certain types of programs. But some of the very best stories will be
unique and contain elements of several types, or slip neatly in between, or refuse to fit into
any category at all. If they’re exceptionally good stories and fresh and rewarding in their
own right, they might be enormously popular on their own terms.


The Typical Children’s TV Animated Cartoon


In this book when we talk about an animated TV script, we’re usually referring to one for
the typical, traditional children’s daytime cartoon show. Most often it’s a comedy. We’re not
referring to a prime-time animation script, which is atypical. The typical kid’s animation
script is very visual. It usually contains a lot of action or many visual gags—sometimes both.
It tends to have less dialogue, but this varies with the current style of popular cartoon, and
it varies from studio to studio and from series to series. Emotion is harder to see on a small
screen, and the action must be broader in order to communicate. Also, in daytime television
budget is a definite factor.

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