Diving Into Adventure Time
Photo: HBO Max
Back in the (relatively) more innocent time of 2010, Cartoon Network debuted Pendleton Ward’s surreal and game-changing animated adventure series Adventure Time. But as the show progressed, it became obvious that Adventure Time was more than just a kids’ show. Darker, more complex issues bubbled beneath the show’s surface of animated antics, colorful characters, and simplistic style. Episodes tackled larger issues like climate change, war, personal loss, and forgiveness, broadening the show’s appeal to more than the apple juice set.
By the time the show ended in 2018, fans were emotionally invested in the series and its characters — though not willing to let them go, they understood that all good things must come to an end.
Or so we thought…
Adventure Time: Distant Lands is a new HBO Max limited series that explores the continued adventures of Finn and his friends in four hour-long specials. Debuting on June 25, the series looks to continue the adventures of the teen hero and his adoptive canine brother. The first installment will focus on BMO as he follows in the heroic footsteps of his BFFs.
Before Finn and Jake take off on new adventures, Ranker Insights takes a deep dive into who, exactly, makes up the Adventure Time audience. So, come on. Grab your friends. We’ll go to very distant lands and find out who is watching Adventure Time.
WHAT AMERICAN AUDIENCES THINK
Photo: Ranker
The country is split on this surreal animated show, with some parts of the country enjoying the off-the-wall antics of Adventure Time and other parts shrugging off the show as kiddie fare. For the most part, the like-to-dislike ratio is evenly split.
The Northeast section of the US likes Adventure Time the most, with a 59% approval rate. The West Coast comes in second, with 57%. This is followed by the South, where Adventure Time enjoys a 51% approval rating.
The rest of the country skews lower, but not by much. Only 48% of TV audiences in the Midwest enjoy the series, while viewers in the Southwest and Mountain areas show a 45% and 43% approval rate, respectively.
ADVENTURE TIME FANS’ TOP SHOWS
Fans of Adventure Time are most likely to enjoy other surreal animated experiences that appeal to adult audiences as well as kids. For example, they are 9X more likely to watch Regular Show, Steven Universe, and Gravity Falls.
But while many Adventure Time fans enjoy other cartoon offerings on the small screen, a large number of fans also enjoy sci-fi and adventure shows. People who watch Adventure Time are 8X more likely to enjoy other Cartoon Network shows, such as We Bare Bears and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, but are also 4X as likely to tune in to Stranger Things.
Adult fans of Adventure Time who watch the show for its offbeat sense of humor are also 4X more likely to watch the classic NBC sitcoms The Office and Parks and Recreation. Fans of the darker elements are 4X more likely to check out AMC’s Breaking Bad and BBC One’s Peaky Blinders.
However, Adventure Time fans are less likely to watch more traditional sitcoms, shows, and cartoons. For example, folks who bow before the Ice King are less likely to enjoy CBS’ Mike & Molly or The Big Bang Theory, and are less interested in such classic cartoons as Snagglepuss, Mickey Mouse, or The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show.
Photo: HBO Max
ADVENTURE TIME FANS AT THE MOVIES
Photo: HBO Max
In theaters, Adventure Time fans will happily buy a ticket for cartoons that offer clever writing, fully realized characters, and complex themes in their stories. For example, Adventure Time audiences are almost 6X more likely to catch My Neighbor Totoro or Moving Castle, as well as the dark stop-motion film Coraline.
In fact, most animated movies with a strong emotional center tend to score well with Adventure Time audiences. They are almost 4X as likely to watch Pixar’s Wall-E, 1999’s memorable Iron Giant, and the Tim Burton classic Corpse Bride.
In addition to animation, Finn fans also enjoy films that focus on nontraditional storytelling and unique premises. Fans of Adventure Time are 4X more likely to enjoy The Big Lebowski and 3X more likely to love the Christopher Nolan films Interstellar and Inception.
However, fans of the Cartoon Network show are less likely to be forgiving of traditional animated fare for kids, or movies not known for their quality screenwriting. This includes Sony’s critically panned Fantastic Four and X-Men: The Last Stand.
ADVENTURE TIME FANS AND THEIR MUSIC
Adventure Time is well-known for featuring lots of original music that is well-written, clever, and catchy. This is also reflected in most of the music enjoyed by Adventure Time fans.
Fans of the show tend to chill out to David Bowie, Radiohead, and Sia. They are also twice as likely to enjoy The White Stripes, R.E.M., and similar alternative acts.
Photo: HBO Max
ADVENTURE TIME ON RANKER
On Ranker, Adventure Time comes in at #20 on the Best Adult Cartoon Shows in TV History and #26 on the list for The Best Cartoons of All Time. It comes in at #31 as one of the Greatest Animated Series Ever Made.
FINAL FINDINGS
Photo: HBO Max