# Hollywood’s Adult Animation Is Finally Catching Up to the World

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/hollywoods-adult-animation-is-finally-catching-up-to-the-world/
- Published: 2026-10-28T12:00:19+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T12:49:45+00:00
- Original publisher: Polygon
- Original article: https://www.polygon.com/wildwood-ray-gunn-adult-animation-fairy-tales/
- Topics: Art, Culture, Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Wildwood and Ray Gunn put adult themes at the centre of animation.
- Tom Waits has key supporting roles in both films.
- Their long development shows the scale of the commitment involved.

## Summary

Wildwood and Ray Gunn are helping show that animated films can address adult themes and complex stories while still reaching a broad audience. Their success matters because Hollywood has rarely made animation primarily for adults, despite the medium’s potential for mature storytelling.

Both films feature Tom Waits in important supporting roles: he voices a coyote antagonist in Wildwood and an alien sidekick in Ray Gunn. The films explore subjects including grief, trauma, racism and blackmail; Wildwood’s PG-13 rating allows frightening and violent scenes, while Ray Gunn is rated PG. Both took more than a decade to develop, and the article hopes they will encourage studios to invest in more adult-focused animation.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.