When Genndy Tartakovsky first pitched Fixed, his new animated comedy feature on Netflix, the adult animation landscape looked very different. It was 2008, and for anyone looking for animation catered towards more mature sensibilities, things were pretty dire. “It was Simpsons, Family Guy, and Adult Swim was just kind of starting,” Tartakovsky recalls in an interview with Inverse.
But in the past few years, adult animation has made major strides. Shows like Bojack Horseman and Big Mouth became commercial and critical hits. And Blue Eye Samurai and Scavengers Reign proved animation could be mature and beautiful. But for Tartakovsky, who is best known for creating beloved animated shows like Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Star Wars: Clone Wars, as well as helming the Hotel Transylvania movies, there’s still a major gap to be filled. Why can’t animated feature films made for adults be as risqué and raunchy as the biggest hit shows?
