Animated shows are in a field of their own. They break boundaries that live action shows rarely dare to do. The comedy, the singing, and the voice acting is what makes animation unique. Many animated shows can be enjoyed by people of all ages like Avatar the Last Airbender, Steven Universe, and Legend of Korra. The versatility of these shows is what makes them truly special.
What is very different with animated shows is the musical aspects. One thing that I have noticed, and probably many of you have noticed too, is the amount of singing. Shows like The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers are quite notorious for this. There are songs in these animated shows spread throughout the series. There is not just one musical episode, but many shows that feature a song or two. When watching animation this seems normal, but when watching live action it seems out of place. People always have mixed feeling about musical episodes in live action shows, but don't think twice about the singing in animated shows. Animation has always been known for creating things that wouldn't be possible in live action because the budget won't allow it and artists have much more freedom with animation because they can create whatever they want. I think this is why music is so accepted I animation. Animation is already "out there" so why not add some music to go along with it?
Another unique thing about animation is the ability o be enjoyed by all ages. With this, I am talking about shows such as Legend of Korra, Avatar the Last Air Bender, Over the Garden Wall, Steven Universe and much more. Whether someone is 5 or 55 if they enjoy animated series then they will likely enjoy the same thing. This does have to exclude the shows specifically made for children or adults. These would be shows with ratings such as TV-Y, and on the other end shows with TV-14 and TV-MA ratings. The shows that do not fall into that category are something special. Very few non-reality TV live action shows really interest people of all ages, yet animated shows have seemed to break the age gap. Avatar the Last Air Bender, for example, has themes and elements that both children and adults enjoy. Children tend to like the action, the animals, and even the friendships between the characters. Not to say that adults do not like these things, they just tend to pick up on some deeper meanings. They pick up more on the different struggles that the characters have gone through and how that has shaped them throughout the series. This goes for themes such as friendship and love as well. There are deeper meanings to love and friendship that children are too young to pick up on.
Animated TV shows are in a field of their own. They break the molds that we so often see in live action shows and can be enjoyed by all ages. There are no limits and no laws that need to be followed. It doesn't take any fancy special effects to make creatures or any other extreme thing. Animation is only confined by those who create it.
