A year previously, there were 50 series in the works. There are 103 or 104 upcoming adult animated series as of February 2021. “We sponsored John Evershed’s research to help make that information widely-available, and to help creators pitch their next groundbreaking projects.”

“Despite the importance of adult animation to SVOD providers, there has been an absence of industry analysis dedicated to this expanding category of productions,” said Stephanie Quinn, Director of Marketing at Toon Boom Animation. The full document can be downloaded for free from the website of Toon Boom, which sponsored the report. It omits Japanese-produced shows - although it does pay close attention to anime’s influence on non-Japanese animation. Like last year, the report looks only at series, both currently on air and in development/production. The report is very much written in his voice, combining solid research with dollops of informed opinion. Evershed knows his way around the subject: as the head of High Concentrate and former CEO of Mondo Media, he is experienced in the production, distribution, and sale of animation for adults and young adults. A sample page from the whitepaper.īut Evershed’s report captures the trend with a broad array of graphs, directories of existing and upcoming shows, and thoughtful analysis.

This year’s Adult Animation White Paper extends last year’s argument, asserting at the start: “The ‘Great Adult Animation Boom’ is in full swing.” This won’t be news to readers of Cartoon Brew: over the past year, we have chronicled the growing importance the major studios place on older audiences.

The author, John Evershed, has followed it up with an even more comprehensive report that looks at how the scene evolved in 2020. A year ago, we covered the release of a white paper that surveyed North America’s fast-growing adult animation production.

Toon boom animation