ADVENTURE TIME -TELEVISION SERIES
Adventure Time is an animated series that would upon first glance appear to be just for children; however, it is also a bold and deep take on the shaping and growing up of Finn within a post-apocalyptic world that shouldn’t make sense with its surreal aspects. Adventure Time is unique because the original songs bring out the story. What is interesting is that a song may sound uplifting and cheerful, but actually have sad meaning, as if showing that fantasy just covers up the sadness of growing up. That is how the series starts in the beginning. As it progresses you can identify the sadness in the music as the characters go through serious development with aspects such as trauma and neglect. Most of the villains aren't really evil at all but troubled souls who act out of fear and pain. Often the lyrics of the songs tell these stories. Unlike the music of Spirited Away, it is not so much about the orchestral composition, but the lyrics themselves; they are like poetry that accompany the stories.
The cartoon is often disregarded as a sunday morning mindless treat for the under-ten group. But Adventure Time has been described by NY Times author, James Poniewozik as “one of the visual and artistic wonders of the last decade, a gorgeously lacquered jawbreaker with a bittersweet center.” Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker states, “One of the most philosophically risky and, often, emotionally affecting shows on TV. It’s beautiful and funny and stupid and smart, in about equal parts, as well as willing to explore uneasy existential questions, like what it means to go on when the story you’re in has ended.” These accolades are due in large part to it being a giant musical universe. Each 11 minute episode is replete with chip tunes, background sounds that make the whole show sound like a game boy in combination with several musical numbers per show with poetic lyrics that tell the story.
The concept of the series revolves around video game cliches: It is an adventure, there are dungeons and other dangerous situations, the protagonists have to save a princess, travel in time and complete various obstacles. This is compounded by music that uses chiptunes, a genre of electronic music characterized by sounds from computers, older video game consoles and arcade games. Each episode has at least one, if not three ballads and emotional songs in which the lyrics further the narrative. Many of the individual characters have trademark instruments, almost like a leitmotif. Finn plays the flute, Jake the viola, Ice King plays a drum set and a keyboard and Marceline the bass. As we take the journey with the characters, we see them grow from one dimensional characters to highly delevoped individuals with complicated inner lives and back stories. The ballads and silly songs help the viewer understand their arcs.
The game Element The Chip Tune:
Chion’s audio visual concept of acousmatic sound can be applied to Adventure Time because often times, in this surreal adventure, the source of the sound is not seen and the viewer is aware of events that are occurring off the screen. The character BMO is most emblematic of these sounds. BMO is a robotic gameboy-like character inspired by Raye from a show called Space Planet. BMO lives with Finn and Jake in the treehouse and is often treated like their child. He is capable of making chiptune music, simulating video games, and being able to suck characters into his video game world.
“ The character BMO is the most explicit visual reference, as its appearance is based on the original portable Game Boy console, first released in 1989. BMO’s face is analogous to the Game Boy’s screen and its body features the iconic “D-pad” (directional pad) and several additional buttons parsed out similarly to the Game Boy’s “Start,” “Select,” “A,” and “B” buttons. ….The more we see and hear BMO (especially when it is playing a video game) and its 8-bit soundtrack, the more we begin to associate the acousmatic underscoring with BMOs character. Michel Chion notes that we can associate “a sound with a precise image … [which] can then reappear with greater or lesser distinctness in the spectator’s mind each time the sound is heard acousmatically”(15) .In other words, the chiptune sounds we encounter in AT begin to create a network as we continue to watch the show—a network that represents chiptune culture and aesthetics, and makes a clear connection, through BMO, to video game consoles, video gameplay, and video game sounds. ~Matthew Ferrandino, Chiptunes to Cartoons (165-166)
Season One, episode 6, The Jiggler
In the first season of Adventure Time, Finn started singing in autotune because of a computer he swallowed that got stuck in his stomach. In the episode called The Jiggler, the connection between music and story becomes more prevalent. Finn and Jake discover a lost creature they name The Jiggler, and they bring him home with them. Throughout the episode they try to reunite the sick Jiggler with his mom. It is a point where Finn and Jake learn a lesson that parenting isn't easy and they will do what they must to help the poor creature. Chiptune music is played in the background making the whole episode feel like an old video game. A sense of nostalgia is created for the viewer and the electronic music depicts Finn’s coming of age as an adventure. It represents the start of Finn growing up and finding his own voice. Chiptune noises occur every time The Jiggler moves; one can contemplate whether this a leitmotif or if it is synchresis with the sound standing in to represent the character.
The Ballads and Lyrics:
In many ways, one could consider Adventure Time a musical. The ballads and jingles convey emotion and further the narrative. The songs convey an openness and a relatability. Usually the music demonstrates a vulnerability in the character or a youthful excitement in the atmosphere. The lyrics are at once poetic and also silly. Usually the music is meant to reach the audience and help them understand the world. The songs have become so popular that they also have the added job of encouraging and increasing the shows fandom. In an interview with Casey James Basichis and Tim Keifer the musical masterminds behind Adventure Time, Basichis states, “I wanted an atmosphere gripped with juvenile silliness and unbiased curiosity, recalling the time in life where everything is new. The music isn’t subordinate to the picture, it intentionally injects foreign elements into the space, dragging and shoving the audience into new realities; good-natured roughhousing.” (Vice)
Season 4 episode 25, I Remember You.
This song marks a point in Adventure Time’s maturity. The melody is sweet, sincere, and nostalgic. The lyrics are taken from a letter that Marceline had never received. This episode is when Marceline’s backstory is blown wide open. The episode and lyrics reflect on her pain but also happiness to have had Simon in her life who can't remember anything about his past life. The song significantly deepens both their characterization and helps unpack their complex relationship for the viewer. “Please forgive me for whatever I do, when I don’t remember you”are emotional lyrics that stay ingrained in the mind.
Season 3 episode 10, What Was Missing Song: “My Best Friends In the World”
The ballad in this episode is a fan favorite. The song is an example of empathetic music. The melody evokes a sense of contentment. Finn and his friends are content to be together after fighting and join together to open the door realizing that the real treasure was having each other. There is an honesty and an earnestness that can be found within the lyrics. According to songwriter Rebecca Sugar in the book Exploring the Land of Ooo, “This song is really about how I felt working on the show…I couldn’t tell where work ended and friendship began. I felt like Finn is in a similar position”(208).
According to Matthew Ferrandino, it is interesting to note how in this episode and song,Princess Bubblegum picks up BMO and manipulates him as if he is “a chiptune-generating instrument” (172). We witness her removing his faceplate to strum it, generating sound and further creating a reference to the Game-Boy console and its 8-bit sounds. It is also an example of sychresis, an audio-visual fusion that is free of any logic.
Michel Chion’s audiovisual theories can be best applied to Adventure Time in terms of both empathetic music and synchresis. The synchronization of Adventure Time’s visual action with auditory elements is the key to both the humor and the drama in this series. The musical numbers are both empathetic and anempathetic and drive the narrative of the overall story arc as well as each individual episode. The music enhances the existential feeling and tone of the series. It is also extremely critical to the creation of the “fandom” that surrounds the show. The songs build community and friendship amongst the characters and the ballads play an important role in helping establish their relationships. With the variety of chiptune sounds and unique noises representing different characters, the viewer can hear several examples of synchresis and must employ semantic listening to comprehend them. From catchy tunes about breakfast foods and french fries, to emotional ballads about friendships, family, and loss, the songs in Adventure Time add gravitas, nostalgia, and drama to the narrative while exploring backstories and feelings.
Next: Ocarina of Time