What’s behind this epic deluge1 of antiquity-themed animation coming out of Hollywood and adjacent studios? Apart from the fact that ancient Greek and Roman stories are all in the public domain, which makes them cheap and easy to adapt for film and TV, one practical explanation is the “animation boom” currently happening in Hollywood as a result of the pandemic. Because live-action productions are still struggling with delays and other coronavirus-related challenges, animation has become an attractive and affordable alternative.
A deeper driver of this phenomenon may be the desire to escape from the uncertainty of the present into the familiar and comforting stories of the ancient past. Proof of this lies in the fact that these animated productions are being marketed not to children — the traditional target audience for mythology-related media since the 1960s — but to adults2. Many of these viewers came of age consuming modern adaptations of Greek mythology, like the Percy Jackson series of young adult novels and films, and therefore have detailed knowledge of the main characters and narratives they will encounter in these new shows. This familiarity makes for easy-to-enjoy viewing and a welcome distraction from the worries of modern life.
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- 1. [B]ig media franchises are also seizing the day when it comes to portraying ancient Greece and Rome in animated form: Director Patty Jenkins has signaled that an animated Wonder Woman-spinoff series centered on the Amazons of Themyscira may be in the works. And both The Simpsons and Animaniacs have gotten in on the act in their most recent seasons, with Homer and family acting out a Gladiator-style imperial drama in the episode “I, Carumbus.” And for the latter show, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot adopt the roles of the Greek gods as they torment Odysseus on his journey home (with a Donald Trump-ified Cyclops, among other things) in “Warners Unbound.”
- 2. … animation’s creative freedom enables creators of adult-oriented productions to push the envelope in their depictions of sex, violence, and other mature themes that are central to Greco-Roman myth and history. Blood of Zeus, for example, sets its hero’s quest in an anime-inspired world of hyper-stylized gore and brutality, while Lore Olympus highlights “the friendships and the lies, the gossip and the wild parties, and of course, forbidden love” in its R-rated rendering of Persphone and Hades’ relationship. And several shows, like the upcoming Krapopolis, Asterix, and Thermae Romae Novae, aim to deliver laughs through time-travel plots and the comic juxtaposition of then and now. Their humor frequently follows in the footsteps of their ancient comic counterparts by relying on lewd sexual allusions, ethnic stereotypes, and other non-kid friendly fare.
