Dan Morris: Animation for the nation
Basking in the glory of the mini heatwave this week, I’ve only been one donut away from going full Homer Simpson and writing from the comfort of the paddling pool and an inflatable ring.
Chilling in the garden on a hot, lazy day is one of man’s greatest pleasures, and it was the world’s favourite Springfieldian that first taught me that lesson, oh so many moons ago.
I can’t believe The Simpsons has now been going strong for an incredible 36 years.
786 episodes in and counting, it remains the animated king of the hill – unlike, ironically, King of the Hill, which ended with 259.
Family Guy currently sits on a respectable 424, with South Park at 328 and Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening’s sci-fi yarn, Futurama, resting at a gentleman’s 140.
Since I was old enough to tune in to the First Family of Evergreen Terrace, Homer Simpson has been something of a spirit animal to me – a purveyor of truly wonderful philosophies including the iconic ‘if something’s hard to do, then it’s not worth doing’.
In the hearts of proud couch potatoes across the land, Homer is our most beloved ambassador; a figure of almost prophet-like status whose teachings set the compass for our delicious daily idleness.
A man constantly in the shadow of a ‘Mr Perfect’ next-door neighbour who never fails to dance upon the moral high ground with a truly abhorrent smugness, Homer is the everyman hero that every bloke has, at some stage, seen something of himself in, whether he wants to admit it or not.
Maybe this is the secret of The Simpsons' long-enduring popularity; perfectly (and hilariously) imperfect, Homer is one of us – in fact he’s the suped-up version we all wish in our laddish hearts we could be, even if just for a day.
As satirical as it is innuendo-laden, The Simpsons has always appealed to older viewers despite its animated form, and thinking about this, these days there is a bountiful plethora of cartoon offerings aimed at us so-called grown-ups.
Even excluding the aforementioned series put together by the likes of Seth Macfarlane, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, streaming providers across the land are now helping connect mainstream audiences with a host of animated delights, from anime (Japanese work like Pokemon) to works of claymation (just think Wallace & Gromit).
Such treats have traditionally been more associated with cult viewing, yet are now being enjoyed more and more by the masses.
I was delighted to recently discover childhood fave and pulp noir masterpiece Batman: The Animated Series on Netflix, and even more delighted to get into modern reiteration, Batman: Caped Crusader, via our good chums at Amazon.
Outside of gothic Gotham, I’ve been broadening my knowledge of one of Japan’s finest exports by cutting my anime teeth on the likes of Spirited Away and Fullmetal Alchemist (famous titles to the initiated), and have also been enjoying a few darker superhero offerings.
Be aware if you dip your toe into the waters of Invincible (Amazon Prime).
With the vocal talents of J.K. Simmons, Steven Yeun and Walton Goggins to name but a few, this one is truly brilliant.
It’s also gory beyond measure, with animators relishing in what their craft allows that in live action would just be too grim. Definitely not one for the little ones.
There’s no doubt about it – my recent dive into the world of cartoons has been an unbridled joy. Some titles have simply serviced the eight-year-old at my core, and others have helped me to appreciate the skill, passion and talent of an exciting industry and its art form.
Now, as the weather inevitably reverts to standard and we say farewell to the dizzy heights of the week just gone, rather than settling down with ITV3 and reruns of Doc Martin, Morse and Midsomer Murders, the brave among the masses could do worse than kick back with a cartoon or five.
As Homer himself said, ‘the answers to life’s problems aren’t at the bottom of a bottle, they’re on TV,’ and if you’re going to expand your telly box horizons, you might just find that animation is your persuasion after all.
To be crystal clear however, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Morse reruns.
The good inspector remains to me as much of a spirit animal as Homer, and joins both he and Johnny Bravo in forming the triumvirate that steer my soul. Happy viewing, all. It’s great being a kid…
