The Death of Adult Animation

Adult Animation Is Changing, Not Dying

LS Mark argues that adult animation is changing—not dying. That shift comes into focus with Fixed, Sony Animation’s R-rated, traditionally animated comedy about a dog’s last night before being neutered.

Fixed and the Backlash

Mark recounts how the film spent years in production limbo, received little promotion, and eventually landed on Netflix. Its trailer provoked a loud backlash: critics called the art ugly and the jokes crude, while some asked why a beloved cartoonist would make something so raunchy. Mark says many people condemned the movie before seeing it, and some even sent angry messages to the animators who worked on it.

His own verdict is more measured: Fixed is “baseline good,” with impressive animation for most of its runtime, though a few awkward animation shortcuts and flat cinematography stood out. He also sees the gross-out humor as fitting the premise: a story about a dog’s anatomy would be strange if it avoided the subject entirely. Sometimes a crude joke is simply there because it’s funny.

Different Films, Different Genres

Mark pushes back on comparisons between Fixed and K-pop Demon Hunters, arguing that being animated is not enough to make two films meaningfully comparable. The two occupy different genres, and treating animation as a genre while insisting it is only a medium is a contradiction.

He briefly pauses to watch K-pop Demon Hunters himself—and admits that he enjoyed it.

A Broader Range of Adult Animation

The larger point is that adult animation has broadened beyond the familiar Simpsons- and Family Guy-style dysfunctional-family sitcom. Mark points to shows such as Common Side Effects, Smiling Friends, and Hazbin Hotel, alongside more unusual premises like Digman! and Grimsburg.

That variety means more divisive projects, but Mark sees that as a good thing. Even if Fixed isn’t for everyone, he says, it’s a rare cartoonist-driven R-rated animated feature—and one that could help make room for more.

Personalities Mentioned

• LS Mark — Narrator and reviewer.
• Veronica — Mentioned in Mark’s story about driving to the wrong test-screening location.
• Genndy Tartakovsky — The filmmaker behind Fixed, discussed but not identified as appearing in the video.