Cartoon capers: Family Guy sets the benchmark for adult animation

When Walt Disney introduced the world to Mickey Mouse in 1928, a new era in entertainment was heralded. Whilst it wasn’t the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, ‘Steamboat Willie’ – released in November 1928 - was the first ever cartoon to feature synchronised sound. From that moment on, the world fell in love not only with Disney, but with animation.



Whilst most people will have grown up with kids’ favourites such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny, recent years have seen a rise in cartoons aimed at a more adult market.



Indeed, The Simpsons revolutionised the cartoon landscape. Sure, it was still a cartoon for kids, with loveable characters and child-friendly storylines, but with social and political themes permeating many of the episodes, and subtle references and jokes that only adults would get, The Simpsons has become a landmark TV show across all ages and demographics, and remains an immensely popular programme across the world - over twenty years since it first aired.

Then came the likes of Beavis and Butthead and South Park which weren’t so much for the family – reflected in their post-watershed broadcasts – but achieved cult status in their own right, for their cutting-edge comedy and jokes that were sometimes a little too close to the bone for comfort.



But it’s Family Guy that perhaps stands out from its cartoon counterparts. Created by Seth MacFarlane and launched initially in 1999, the show was cancelled twice, and eventually it was revived based on strong DVD sales and its syndication to other networks.



Today, Family Guy continues to cause controversy with some of its jokes, but fans of cutting-edge, observational comedy continue to love it.



Family Guy is famed for its teasing references to celebrities with its cutaway gags – completely unrelated but funny takes on a myriad of people and topics. And it’s these scenes which have become a trademark for the show, giving the writers the opportunity to poke fun at just about anything and everything, regardless of its relevance to the main storyline.



No stranger to parodying popular culture, Family Guy has even taken on the might of Star Wars, producing three feature length episodes where the main cast are transposed into famous characters from the original George Lucas space trilogy.



Beginning with a parody of the first Start Wars film in 2007, The Empire Strikes Back was subsequently tackled in late 2009, followed by the Family Guy It’s a Trap episode in 2010, a spoof of Return of the Jedi, the final instalment in the original Star Wars trilogy.



Family Guy is now one of the most popular programmes on TV, particularly among the 18-34 age group, and it looks set to continue to go from strength to strength.