Cartoons Teaches Children Right From Wrong

Cartoons have been a great source of education and entertainment since my childhood days of watching Thundercats and Rainbow Brite but they’ve gotten a bad rep as frivolous and only for children. After watching hundreds of hours of animation, the biggest concept I’ve learned is the difference between good and evil. Not an easy thing to teach a six year old mind you, but cartoons have served as a way for the littlest members of the human race to understand and develop a moral compass that they’ll need to survive in this world.

While the good guys have gotten most of the good press over the years, I also have to thank the villains who have played their parts superbly. It’s not easy after all to come up with plan after plan only to be foiled by their nemesis at the last second. It takes a lot of courage, risk taking, and boldness to be undaunted by their failures and to continue their quests for power.

In today’s cartoon world, are villains still seeking the same thing? What is their agenda and is it still able to help children learn right from wrong? I attempt to answer this by looking at a few animated evil-doers from some of the most notable cartoon series from my childhood to more contemporary ones airing today.