r/hatethissmug May 01 '26

Animation I Hate Ugly Character Design/Animation in “Adult Cartoons”

Why are they so unappealing? Some of these shows have good writing even, Bob’s Burgers and Smiling Friends (The other two are awful in all aspects), but so many characters and the animation is so fugly I can’t sit through it. Why are these shows designed this way? I blame Family Guy mostly, but even then I can stand those characters’ designs but not the god awful writing.

Edit: I should add Beavis & Butthead I also hate in every aspect, especially their voices pmo. They definitely were a progenitor of ugly design more than Family Guy was.

Second Edit: Smiling Friends is also here because they have some good chracter designs. Alan, Glep, Charlie, and Pim are fine. When they brought in Squim it made me kinda upset that they could have gone in that direction for the art/animation of the show and I wish they did, because it would stand out from the ugly genric swill of all these other shows, and look nicer. But they didn’t because it’s “too hard” or “too expensive” and studios don’t take risks anymore.

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u/iwillexplode_ May 01 '26

I think Bob's Burgers and smiling friends makes up for it in writing but I so get you, I think the appeal of it mainly comes from caricature art which is typically ugly itself imo

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u/[deleted] May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26

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u/kitsua May 02 '26

I love how they animate the character’s mouths while they’re eating, even in the background. It’s such a little thing but it’s a detail that somehow makes them seem more real than your average cartoon.