Movies - TV
How The Amazing World Of Gumball Finale Predicted The Animated Purges
By CAROLINE CAO
In the aftermath of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger that saw many animated shows removed from HBO Max, one cartoon seemingly foresaw this future: “The Amazing World Of Gumball.” The final episode of the series titled “The Inquisition” sees the arrival of Superintendent Evil (Garrick Hagon) and his plan to turn the cartoon characters into humans.
Evil is revealed to be the cyclopic toon, Rob, a background character who became the series antagonist after he was exiled to the Void of “mistakes.” However, Rob claims his plan isn’t malicious; instead, he is trying to save the residents of Elmore from what appears to be the doom of their reality, as the floor disintegrates into static and the show ends on a cliffhanger.
The humanization of the cartoon characters is most likely a reference to the anxiety of live-action productions consuming the space of animated programming and of adapting cartoons into live-action. Disney’s live-action remakes of their classic animated movies and other live-action re-imaginings are already examples of this trend.
“The Inquisition” is an acknowledgment of industry patterns that existed before, and Rob believes that to save the citizens of Elmore from becoming disposable “mistakes” is through forced assimilation. The finale depicts the existential fear of the vibrant world of cartoons becoming replaced with something real — an event that mirrors HBO Max’s recent purge.