C'mon grab your friends

I'm not quite sure when we 'discovered' Adventure Time; I'd guess I was channel surfing, and caught glimpses of it while landing on Teletoon. There was a great write-up about the show in a recent Entertainment Weekly, and I decided to give it a shot, since my kids (and I) are always on the look out for interesting cartoons to pass a bit of time in that nebulous period before bedtime. 

So, we tried one....

And were hooked. Big time.

The thing is, I can't really explain why. The animation is simple (love those noodle limbs) and the stories brief. But this weird cartoon achieves what most media today simply can't:

I care about the characters.

Finn. Jake. Bubblegum Princess. Even LPS.

I love these guys!

Their cool wit makes me laugh out loud (no abbreviation here), and their antics are fun and often thought-provoking. The relationships between characters feel 'real' to me, which doesn't make a lot of sense considering the fantastic basis of their world (and is a testament to the amazing creative team behind the show). I love that AT is bright and vibrant (both in tone and design), and hopeful.

I guess the main thing I love about the show is that it has heart; it's obvious to me that each episode is a labor of love, painted with bold swatches of color for viewers of any age. Wild creativity prevails, from bears partying within the tummy of a monster, to a lovelorn and quite misunderstood Ice King searching for happiness. 

Cartoons were an oasis for me as a child; they provided an escape from the terror and sadness of day-to-day life, and I will always be grateful for the wonderful gift of imagination they helped foster in me. As an 'old' man, I still haven't outgrown cartoons, although many produced today lack the innocent magic of ones from my youth. 

Adventure Time is an incredibly special show, and one that I am grateful is on the air to share with my girls.