Cartoons have always been considered a medium to explore creative themes and fun characters without being tied to the real world's rules. One of the best examples of this is the long-running series Adventure Time. On the surface, the series follows Jake the Dog and Finn the Human on their various quests in the Land of Ooo and relies heavily on fantasy adventure and features the duo aiding their friends, like Princess Bubblegum, against the evil Ice King. Fans have adored the series for over a decade, and there are some great reasons why all age groups are drawn to the adventures of Jake and Finn.
Adventure Time Matures With Finn
Adventure Time is one of the rare cartoons that ages the characters as the show progresses. When it begins, fans are introduced to a 12-year-old Finn, who lives for adventure and actively seeks out danger. In the show's early episodes, his most dangerous enemy is the Ice King, who acts just as childish as Finn and Jake. However, it quickly becomes evident that this juvenile tone will not stay the same as Adventure Time continues. As Finn grows up -- the show ends when he's 17-years-old -- audiences are exposed to more mature themes. One notable example involves his crush, Princess Bubblegum.
Finn's crush on the princess lasts for the majority of the series. However, their relationship never extends beyond friendship due to their age difference and one-sided romantic feelings from Finn. Ultimately, Finn learns to get past his childhood crush and maintain a friendship with Princess Bubblegum, signifying just how much he'd grown from the first episode.
Finn's maturity also developed from the dangers he encountered. When Finn faces his dad in Adventure Time Season 6, Episode 2, "Escape the Citadel," he ends up losing his arm to make sure he didn't get away. Not only does Finn lose his arm, but he fails to stop his father from fleeing. The episode mirrors what so many people experience while suffering a failure -- losing a part of themselves. Although Finn goes on to receive many more scars on his adventures, he represents that everyone has the ability to overcome obstacles.
Adventure Time Tackles Social Topics
As Finn and the cast grow older, more coming-of-age stories get a larger footing and social topics started being tackled as well. One prominent episode was Season 2, Episode 12, "Her Parents." In the episode, Jake worries about meeting the parents of his girlfriend, Lady Rainicorn, because of their species' history in the Rainicorn-Dog wars. The episode lightly touches on the difficulty people can experience when telling families about same-sex or mixed-race relationships. "Her Parents" ends on a hugely positive note with Lady Rainicorn's parents absolutely loving dogs because one of them saved her dad in the war.
Adventure Time became even more inclusive to people of all backgrounds and orientations as the years progressed. Alongside animated shows like Steven Universe and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Adventure Time excelled in realistic LGBTQ representation. By the end of the series, Princess Bubblegum and the vampire rockstar Marceline form a romantic relationship that continued into the HBO Max short films. Adventure Time also introduced a non-binary character named BMO, a sentient game system that lives with Finn and Jake and is consistently referred to with both "He/His" and "She/Her" pronouns.
Adventure Time Fosters A Creative Environment
When it comes to creativity, few animated shows have reached the same level as Adventure Time. Its creators have shown that there is no such thing as a bad creative idea. The show has tackled alternate reality versions of the characters and even new animation styles. A fun version of Adventure Time is in Season 7, Episode 20, "Bad Jubies," which shows the characters animated with claymation rather than standard drawings. Since its first episode, the series has promoted creativity with its writing and animation.
Adventure Time made a massive impact in its eight-year run on viewers of all ages, earning it a film series on HBO Max. While its simple animation and outrageous adventures initially pull audiences in, it's the heart and growth under the surface that keeps them coming back for more.