12 Chiptunes to CartoonsVideo Game Aesthetics in the Plot and Sound World of Adventure Time!
Matthew Ferrandino
Adventure Time!'s (AT henceforth) premise revolves around typical video game tropes: Finn the hero and his companion Jake the dog explore dungeons, collect items, undertake quests, and save princesses. The video game connection is reinforced by the musical soundtrack, which makes use of stylistic elements of chiptune music for narrative and dramatic effect. Although promoted as a children’s cartoon, sonic elements consistently evoke early Atari and Nintendo soundtracks, creating a nostalgic appeal to a much older audience. In this chapter, I investigate how the sound world of AT utilizes chiptune sounds ...
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