Today you have animation for grown-ups, but it seems to me that pre-90s most animation was child-focused, and animation had a reputation as something for kids (it still does to a certain extent).
However, I also assume that making animated movies must have been much more expensive than just shooting a movie. The highest grossing movies have not been purely child oriented - so why weren't more animated movies made for this wider demographic, with the potential for greater earnings.
Hey there, here's a thread to get you started:
When did the perception that animations (cartoons) are mostly intended for children came about? When animation was in its infancy, did its early pioneers (i.e Walt Disney) intended their work mostly for children or to other people as well? by /u/BeardedCartoon and /u/lord_mayor_of_reddit