ElephantAdult Swim’s latest animated special, asks what happens when the Avengers of Cartoon Network—the creators who shaped a generation’s sense of humor and friendship—come together. Not to present a sequel or serve as filler in an overlooked broadcaster’s catalog, but to speak directly to that generation and lapsed viewers alike.
The result is a mystery: a concerted effort by Pendleton Ward (Party time), Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe), Patrick McHale (Over the Garden Wall), and Ian Jones-Quartey (OK KO! Let’s be Heroes), proving that they can still surprise and provide life lessons that reach into adulthood as sharply as they did in childhood.
The special, which clocks in at just over 20 minutes, sees viewers join the creators in not knowing how their project will come together. After all, just because you have a favorite food doesn’t mean it will pair well as a meal unless your gut is full of emotions. Accordingly, Elephant in fact, Western cartoon legends are playing Telestrations on the main stage.
On paper, the risk of failure sounds harmless—indeed, the weight of its creators is not insignificant. However, if their ideas didn’t come together effectively, the result could be a clash rather than a visual peanut butter and jelly sandwich for viewers (and, obviously, corporate executives) to bite into. Hence, why this kind of exploration often appears in tentpole franchise anthology projects, where artists don’t have to do each other’s work.
The special features not only the above creators but also sees three animation studios in Rudo, Dinamita, and Titmouse Vancouver flexing their creative muscles in an experimental story full of action. On a practical level, Elephant follows an unknown character who escapes from a mysterious factory in a freak accident and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and agency. At that point, the setting of said trip changes kaleidoscopically from a sci-fi video game backdrop to a soft, painterly landscape. The Little Golden Book‑Stylish graphics and beyond—each triple-digit change is made on a dime as part of its plucky hero’s inner-corner odyssey.
Besides being a clever play on the parable of “The Blind and the Elephant,” where three blind men who have never met a gentle beast try to figure out what it is by touch, Elephant it carries all the charming trappings of its creators’ past works, sprinkled with a few humorous episodes that drop insults that don’t feel out of place—after all, the generation that grew up with these words are adults now. At the same time, the special finds a way to guide its nameless protagonist—the elephant—with lessons that speak directly to creativity and agency.
Here, the old sayings ring true: picking up a pencil and letting one’s imagination run wild, rather than unleashing creativity on AI to hallucinate to play for you; finding your worth beyond the pigeonholes placed by others; and having the courage to question life. It’s heady, yet the collective message of the talented creators is a clever, poignant approach to moral storytelling—short, playful, yet never preachy, while instructive.
What does Elephant what is remarkable, however, is that it works. It is also remarkable that there is any at all. In an era where animation is treated less like the museum tapestry of a streaming catalog and more like appendages bisected and published by companies in a shell game of rights, a project this unabashedly playful feels downright odd. ElephantIt’s mere presence as an uninhibited art is especially evident given the recent developments regarding the parent company of Senior Swimming and its historic gambling chain, and the shows that are building under its banner that are cut from the list.
Elephant it stands out as a rare act of trust and metatextually encouraging freedom of play as its linear behavior about agency is strong, even when presented in three acts, not knowing how they can all fit into one, complete work. A good puzzle that emphasizes animation is best when it’s an experimental collaboration built on trust, its existence fueled by being a tried and true business of soul-stirring storytelling, not a list of companies.
Elephant begins ad-free with Adult Swim on December 19 and airs the next day on HBO Max.
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