Best Animated Shows (IMO)
These are in Tier lists because there are way too many good shows out there for this to be a simple list.
I'll add more to the list as time goes on.
I'll add more to the list as time goes on.
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13 titles
- CreatorPendleton WardStarsJohn DiMaggioJeremy ShadaTom KennyA 12-year-old boy and his best friend, a wise 28-year-old dog with magical powers, go on a series of surreal adventures in a remote future.Tier 1:
Those who hate Adventure Time are most likely the people who only watched the first season or two, or the people who walk in on random episodes.
It is hard to say this, but Adventure Time (for the most part) is a show that needs every episode to be watched to fully understand it. There is a lot going on in the show that breaks the barriers of what animated shows can do. What makes Adventure Time unique is that it almost NEVER gives information directly. Information about the show is picked up in background dialogue or handled casually, because in their universe it is casual dialogue.
What also makes Adventure Time so good is that it has the freedom to experiment. Not every episode is story oriented. Not every episode is funny. This gives Adventure Time a unique feel where there are entire episodes dedicated to... sitting and watching a field with animals in it.
Adventure Time broke a lot of the traditional animation rules and story-telling rules of how a show must be run. Its influence can be clearly seen in other animated shows such as Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Over the Garden Wall, and many others.
It is a show that is truly unique, but cannot be appreciated on a single viewing. - CreatorMichael Dante DiMartinoBryan KonietzkoStarsDee Bradley BakerZach Tyler EisenMae WhitmanIn a war-torn world of elemental powers, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.Tier 1:
The Last Airbender is the equivalent of Adventure Time as far as cleverness and creativity goes. Avatar brought about a new story-oriented animated series that could be both funny, dark, serious, and cheerful all at the same time.
The characters were smartly written, the action was well crafted, and the story was strong as well. If there are any complaints about the show it is because Season 1 is definitely the weakest. That is probably the hardest thing for people to go through because Season 1 does have a lot of cliches and isn't incredibly unique. However, Seasons 2 and 3 are very good.
Avatar: The Last Airbender showed how an animated TV-Show could be carefully crafted. A lot of shows beforehand might have good characters, good action, or a lot of dark elements, but rarely could a show balance that out with lighthearted elements. Avatar knows when to be funny (for the most part) and knows when to be serious. Other shows (Batman) might have some good serious drama, but never do they get the world-building and cheerfulness that Avatar has. - CreatorKatie KrentzPatrick McHaleStarsElijah WoodCollin DeanMelanie LynskeyTwo brothers find themselves lost in a mysterious land and try to find their way home.Tier 1:
Created by a lot of the same people who made Adventure Time, Over the Garden Wall is Cartoon Networks first mini-series... and dang, is it awesome.
If the animation were a little better, Over the Garden Wall could've been a movie and I still would've been happy with what I got. The show is very creative in its set-up where everything has a mellow yet cheerful New England autumn feel from the middle of the 1800s. The backgrounds are beautiful and the animation is very impressive for this only being a mini-series.
What makes Over the Garden Wall truly amazing is its story and its character. Upon the first viewing a lot of the secrets of the show flew right over my head. However, everything was even better on the second viewing. This series has a lot of heart, drama, humor, and creativity to make it one of easiest things to love on TV.
I have to say that the creators made some really good characters. I can't spoil their character development, but there are a lot of deep themes in OtGW that are placed with care throughout the series.
It is only 100 minutes to watch the entire series, so for those of you who haven't watched it, watch it NOW. - CreatorTom RueggerStarsRob PaulsenJess HarnellTress MacNeilleThe zany adventures of a trio of 1930s animated characters in the modern world.Tier 1:
Animaniacs may not be incredibly emotional or incredibly profound, but it is incredibly hilarious. Animaniacs feels like a show that was made by people who watch Merry Melodies as a kid and wanted to make a modern version of it... and they pretty much did.
Just like Merry Melodies/Looney Tunes, Animaniacs is entirely obsessed with the Warner Brothers License... actually the main characters are LITERALLY THE WARNER BROTHERS--and the Warner sister.
Because it is a "skit" based show (kind of unique for animation) it has multiple different segments in one episode. Since there is a large cast of characters, it is hard to get bored with this show.
The animation in the show is REALLY good. However, sometimes it does dip in quality depending on what foreign animation company animated it.
What makes Animaniacs great is that it is essentially Looney Tunes 2.0. It has a lot of obtuse references to some classics like "Believe me, if all those endearing young charms" and it manages to throw some punches at Disney...
While it may not have a lot of heart or huge character development, it managed to have A LOT of music, a lot of songs, great characters, and a lot of humor. - DirectorChuck JonesStarsMel BlancArthur Q. BryanElmer Fudd is again hunting rabbits - only this time it's an opera. Wagner's Siegfried with Elmer as the titular hero and Bugs as Brunnhilde. They sing, they dance, they eat the scenery.Tier 1:
This is essentially my "Looney Tunes/Merry Melodies" section.
Looney Tunes/Merry Melodies was never really a "show" but there are enough shorts and shows that spun off of it that it might as well be one. I don't need to be too descriptive here because most of us have watched a Looney Tunes short at sometime or another.
The series of shorts were great in humor and in animation. What started out as a show about screwball characters acting insane, it slowly evolved into much subtler and cleverer humor that is virtually timeless.
Even 70-80 years after their initial release and I still watch a few from my Golden Collection every now and then. - CreatorShin'ichirô WatanabeHajime YatateStarsKôichi YamaderaUnshô IshizukaMegumi HayashibaraThe futuristic misadventures and tragedies of an easygoing bounty hunter and his partners.Tier 1:
What is easily one of the greatest shows in existence, Cowboy Bebop is very well done in every aspect. It has a lot of action, a lot of humor, a lot of style, and it has a story to go along with it.
What makes Cowboy Bebop so unique is that it crosses so many genres without feeling out of character. Sometimes it is a horror, sometimes it is a western, and other times it is a comedy. Each episode is dedicated to its own genre which makes it very clever and entertaining.
If there is one issue I have with the show it is that Spike's story arc (while interesting) could be stronger. It sometimes gets a little... too dramatic. This isn't saying that Spike isn't an interesting character--because he is an amazing character--but his story arc could've been altered a little bit.
All of the characters in Cowboy Bebop are interesting and well developed. To make things better, this is one of the rare animes that can be enjoyed in English. It makes more sense to watch this show in English because this anime is pretty much dedicated to western audiences.
It is dark. It is happy. It is funny. It is serious. It is scary. It is just about everything you could want. - CreatorAlex HirschStarsJason RitterAlex HirschKristen SchaalTwin siblings Dipper and Mabel Pines spend the summer at their great-uncle's tourist trap in the enigmatic Gravity Falls, Oregon.Tier 2:
Gravity Falls is the child of Adventure Time and The Regular Show... but made by Disney. What seemed like what was going to be a cheap knock-off of Cartoon Networks "oddball/surreal" humour, turned out to be a very well written show with strong characters, great animation, and hilarity throughout.
While a lot of people would say "Gravity Falls is superior to Adventure Time in terms of animation and writing" I would disagree. Gravity Falls has much more "straight-forward" dialogue and witty dialogue that is clever and funny, but it still feels very... Disney.
Gravity Falls is a very very well made show, but it never truly pushes the envelope (so far) with what animation can do. A lot of the episodes follow very standard morals/themes from a lot of shows, its just the execution is much more entertaining.
Gravity Falls is a great show that deserves to be watched, but it never (so far) becomes something truly unique. It feels very much like a very large studio production and less like a very personal production.
Also, there are a couple of plot points in the show that are directly from Adventure Time... I'm looking at you McGucket/Ice King. - CreatorDavid SlackBob HaneyBruno PremianiStarsHynden WalchGreg CipesScott MenvilleA team of five teenaged superheroes save the world from many villains around their city while experiencing things normal teens face today.Tier 2:
Teens Titans was good. Really good. Maybe even VERY good. However, I haven't watched it in about 5 or 6 years so I'm going off of memories.
Teen Titans was a delightful mix of both Eastern and Western animation. To make this even more obvious, the theme song is sometimes played in English and sometimes in Japanese.
What made Teen Titans enjoyable was that the characters were all funny, interesting, and not "epic". Most superhero animated shows like "The Batman", "Justice League" or "Young Justice" or any other in that tone are "serious" animated shows. There might be some humor, but ultimately they are just action shows with fairly one-dimensional characters. Teen Titans focused on the characters and less on the action... while there was still action going on. This meant that most of the action was directly related to some conflict the character was going through which made the conflict all the more personal.
Teen Titans also has an episode I will never forget: "Things Change". Things Change was such a mellow and depressing episode to leave the show on, but it was deep and interesting as well. The show literally has its "HUGE FINALE" and yet... it doesn't end on the finale... it ends with the Teen Titans returning back to their old HQ and Beast Boy encountering a person that looks identical to his old crush... but he doesn't know if it is her or not. The show basically ends with Beast Boy becoming depressed because he finds his old love, but his love doesn't remember him and DOESN'T WANT TO REMEMBER HIM.
Dang... what a way to end the show. It was a final episode that was cleverly written and very powerful.
All in all, a great show. Maybe it will come back... not as Teen Titans Go... - CreatorJeff 'Swampy' MarshDan PovenmireStarsVincent MartellaDan PovenmireAshley TisdalePhineas and Ferb invent, scheme, and stay one step ahead of their bratty sister. Meanwhile, their pet platypus plots against evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz.Tier 2:
Phineas and Ferb is a very clever show that... is too clever for its own good.
The show follows a very predictable pattern: Plot A is about the boys making some wacky invention that their sister tries to reveal to their parents and Plot B is about secret agent Perry thwarting the plans of an evil scientist that always ends with Phineas and Ferb losing their invention right before their parents come home... making their sister look insane.
When Phineas and Ferb works, it really works. A lot of its jokes come from either: Phineas and Ferb are incredibly intelligent yet still immature kids or throwing a wrench in cartoon norms. Because the show is so "systematic" a lot of jokes come from putting a wrench in that system... so maybe an audio queue won't show up once... or maybe a transition scene fails.
This makes Phineas and Ferb a very clever show... but clever because it is tearing its own system apart. The show still is packed with a lot of jokes and gags, but usually the funniest ones are the fourth wall jokes.
I will admit that Phineas and Ferb can get emotional (their TV movie) and it can have some depth to it, but it is essentially a really well made and clever comedy for kids.
When it works, it is a blast. When it doesn't work, it is completely formula. - CreatorDavid X. CohenMatt GroeningStarsBilly WestJohn DiMaggioKatey SagalPhilip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy, is accidentally frozen in 1999 and thawed out on New Year's Eve 2999.Tier 2:
This was a tough one because it is so close to being a Tier 1 show.
Futurama is smart. It is really smart. It is so smart that even a sci-fi geek as myself probably doesn't even get half of its hidden references. There are math jokes, physics jokes, sci-fi jokes, and jokes for just about anyone. This shows that a lot of effort is put into this shows' writing.
The characters... I don't need to dive into this one for too long, but they are good. Some of them are stronger and much more fleshed out than others, but they are all mostly good.
What makes Futurama nice is that it has potential for endless possibilities and scenarios. A lot of the scenarios are crazy or strange, but at other times... they aren't. For a show that is so clever in its writing and set-up, it seems to have issues with making overly interesting plot-lines and interesting episodes. The jokes may be funny, the characters may be interesting, but the plot is rarely a strong point for the show. The set-up is still a sitcom, and it works, but it could be a little bit more.
Now, that isn't to say that there aren't some really clever plots in the show. There are a lot of touching episodes as well. However, for every really good episode with a great plot, there was an episode or two with a mediocre plot.
I'm not going to say that the show was "worse" when it rebooted, but there was a noticeable change in humor and in style. - CreatorJames L. BrooksMatt GroeningSam SimonStarsDan CastellanetaNancy CartwrightHarry ShearerThe satiric half-hour adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.Tier 2:
I'm not going to say much on this one because everyone knows The Simpsons. The Simpsons did a lot of very clever and very smart things. However, it has also been going on for over 24 years... and it certainly isn't a terrible or bad show today... it just isn't breaking barriers like it used to.
So... was it a revolutionary show? Yes. The Simpsons was an incredibly revolutionary show when first released; however, 10 good years doesn't quite make up for the other 14 mediocre years... the entire show must be taken into account. - StarsMaurice LaMarcheRob PaulsenTress MacNeillePinky and Brain are genetically enhanced laboratory mice who reside in the research facility. Brain is self-centered and scheming; Pinky is good-natured but feeble-minded. In each episode, Brain devises a new plan to take over the world.Tier 2:
The Spin-off series of Animaniacs... and still well made.
Some would argue Pinky and the Brain was BETTER than Animaniacs or on par with it... and I can agree in some areas. Sometimes Pinky and the Brain is really clever, but there are also a lot of time wasting episodes as well.
I love the show for its unique premise and its very clever writing. For the time, I remember it being a lot more clever and funny, but when I rewatch them I start to realize there are some pacing issues throughout the show... mostly with the plot-oriented episodes... those episodes could really use some work. - CreatorJhonen VasquezStarsAndy BermanRichard Steven HorvitzRikki SimonsAn alien named Zim from the planet Irk is sent on a secret mission to conquer Earth, not realising that his leaders were just trying to get rid of him and hoped that he would die. Once there, Zim manages to disguise himself as a human child, but one boy named Dib sees through his disguise.Tier 2:
Invader Zim is the show that could've been a tier 1 animated show if the show wasn't cheated by a very shady Nickelodeon.
Invader Zim was a little too dark for its age group, but its fast paced and witty humour allowed it to stand above any animated kids' show at the time. There are moments in this show that should go down in history for ingenious writing.
Unfortunately, Nickelodeon broke their contract with the maker of the show and only released 1 and a half seasons... that's right... not one season... not two seasons... but one and a half. Ironically, the show became immensely popular after it was canceled and is regarded as a classic.
While the premise of the show is hilarious and a lot of the animation in the show is fantastic, the one issue I have with the show is that it sometimes gets obsessively dark to an almost annoying degree and it there is A LOT of screaming in this show. The show has a consistent theme of EVERYTHING is gross, strange, old, and sickening. This gives it a very cool style, but it can get tiresome after awhile when it goes over the top gross.
All in all, Invader Zim always seems to leave the impression that it was building up to greatness and that it was slowly coming to a big massive story involving rebels, arch-nemisi, and the actual Irken empire doing something. Sadly, it never got the time to finish its story. Still a great show.