Entertainment
10 Great Animated Shows You’ll Wish You Watched Sooner
In the early days of animation, it was limited to theater shorts with the odd animated film during the early years of the 20th century, until the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 made it a staple of cinema. It took a while for animation to jump to television, but thanks to revolutionary cost-saving techniques developed by Hanna-Barbera, the door was opened. Today, animated TV shows are available on numerous streaming platforms, and are as varied and creative as there are animation studios.
This list is more of an excuse to shine a spotlight on a few animated shows. Some are well known by the general public, while others are more overlooked. Regardless, they’re a fun time, and if you haven’t seen them yet, they might be worth a look.
10
‘Green Eggs and Ham’ (2019–2022)
Guy-Am-I (Michael Douglas) is a struggling inventor who, after one failed invention too many, decides to give up on his dreams and move to Meepville to get a job watching paint dry. He crosses paths with the optimistic Sam-I-Am (Adam DeVine), who has sprung a rare Chickeraffe (Dee Bradly Baker) from the local zoo, with intentions of releasing it into the wild. However, a selfish businessman named Mr. Snerz (Eddie Izzard) also wants the Chickeraffe, and Sam and Guy find themselves pursued by agents from an organization called The Bad Guys.
Green Eggs and Ham might be the best adaptation of the works of Dr. Seuss since the iconic How the Grinch Stole Christmas cartoon featuring Boris Karloff. While it does expand the story into a road trip comedy, the jokes are hilarious and chock-full of references to other Seuss stories, the animation is vibrant and expressive, and the characters are fully realized. Plus, it’s got Keegan-Michael Key as the voice of the fourth-wall-breaking narrator who says all of his dialogue in rhymes, and yes, it’s as funny as it sounds.
9
‘Shadow Raiders’ (1998–1999)
After the destruction of her homeworld by the Beast Planet, Princess Tekla (Donna Yamamoto) arrives in the Cluster system, made up of the planets of Rock, Ice, Fire, and Bone, who raid one another for resources. During one such raid by Rock on Ice, Tekla meets a miner named Graveheart (Paul Dobson) and the leader of Ice, King Cryos (Mark Oliver), and warns them that the Beast Planet is coming to destroy their worlds as well. Thus, they ally and work to convince the other members of the Cluster to join them, while also fighting agents of the Beast Planet acting as its vanguard.
Shadow Raiders only lasted two seasons, but it stands out as one of the best and most underrated early CGI shows, even if time hasn’t been the kindest to the animation. The writing is stellar, focusing on the difficulties that come with maintaining such a large alliance between former enemies and well-realized characters who each get moments of growth and fantastic relationships with one another. Then there is the Beast Planet itself—a cosmic horror that consumes anything in its path, serving as an inevitable doom that our heroes can only seem to delay, but never defeat.
8
‘Inside Job’ (2021–2022)
Unknown to humanity at large, every major conspiracy theory is true, and a cabal of shadow governments, including The Illuminati and Reptile People, control the world. One of these organizations, Cognito, Inc., is based in the United States of America, and is tasked with ensuring that the public doesn’t become aware of the shadow governments’ affairs. Their main team is led by the brilliant but socially awkward Dr. Reagan Ridley (Lizzy Caplan), daughter of Cognito’s co-founder and former CEO, Randall (Christian Slater), and Brett Hand (Clark Duke), a friendly but overall average guy.
Inside Job became one of many shows canceled before its time, but what we got is honestly some of the funniest writing to come out of recent animated shows. Its style of humor is based on dysfunctional office comedies spliced with fast-paced slapstick and clever jokes and situations based around various different kinds of conspiracies. It also helps that the characters stand out so well, especially Reagan, thanks to her genius intellect, awkwardness outside of her lab, and the complicated relationship she has with her parents.
7
‘The Legend of Vox Machina’ (2022–Present)
In the fantasy world of Exandria, the kingdom of Tal’Dore finds itself beset by an unknown threat that killed off most of its greatest heroes. Thus, the kingdom must turn to Vox Machina, consisting of the strong but simple half-giant Grog Strongjaw (Travis Willingham), the exiled human noble Percival de Rolo (Taliesin Jaffe), survivalist half-elf twins Vex’alia (Laura Bailey) and Vax’ildan (Liam O’Brien), half-elf druid-in-training Keyleth (Marisha Ray), gnome cleric of the Everlight Pike Trickfoot (Ashley Johnson), and horny gnome bard Scanlan Shorthalt (Sam Reigel). Sure, they might be a handful of emotional screw-ups who barely function as a team, but when the chips are down, they rise to the occasion and discover that they have the makings of heroes after all.
The Legend of Vox Machina is an adaptation of the popular Dungeons & Dragons live-play by Critical Role, with a few liberties taken to make it flow better as a TV show. It combines all the epic set pieces of high fantasy quest stories with raunchy jokes, gruesome violence, and strong character dynamics and developments. Plus, it also has some of the best-looking dragon designs in television, with the best example being Thordak (Lance Reddick), a red dragon who looks like the Devil himself has come to burn the world in Hellfire.
6
‘The Mighty Nein’ (2025–Present)
On the continent of Wildmount to the East of Tal’Dore, the human-dominant Dwendalian Empire and the dark elf-dominant Kryn Dynasty stand on the precipice of war when the Kryn’s holy Luxon beacon is stolen. Beauregard Lionett (Marisha Ray), a human member of detective monks called the Cobalt Soul, investigates the theft of the Luxon and learns that it is connected to Trent Ikithon (Mark Strong), the Archmage of Civil Influence to King Dwendal (Graham McTavish). In time, she crosses paths with unlikely individuals: disheveled human wizard Caleb Willowgast (Liam O’Brien); cleptomaniac and alcoholic goblin Not the Brave (Sam Reigel); half-orc sailor turned warlock Fjord Stone (Travis Willingham); hyperactive tiefling Cleric Jester Lavorre (Laura Bailey); theatrical fortune-telling tiefling Mollymauk Tealeaf (Taliesin Jaffe); and feared aasimar barbarian Yasha Nydoorin (Ashleey Johnson).
The Mighty Nein benefits from having hour-long episodes compared to the half-hour ones for The Legend of Vox Machina, allowing more time to be dedicated towards the story and characters. As a result, there’s a lot more development in its first season in comparison to the predecessor series, while the story is more akin to Game of Thrones, with complex politics and greater flaws for its protagonists compared to Vox Machina. Trent Ikithon also comes out strong as the primary antagonist thanks to Strong’s chilling performance and his brutal but effective methods of getting what he wants.
5
‘The Venture Bros’ (2003–2018)
In his youth, Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture (James Urbaniak) was a boy adventurer forced to travel the world with his super scientist father, Dr. Jonas Venture (Paul Boocock), which left him emotionally stunted and desperate for recognition. After Jonas died, Rusty took over his company, Venture Industries, and had twin boys named Hank (Chris McCulloch) and Dean (Michael Sinterniklaas). Rusty and his family still go on adventures and frequently clash with a butterfly villain named The Monarch (Chris McCulloch), but fortunately, they are protected by their hyper-competent and violent bodyguard, Brock Sampson (Patrick Warburton).
The Venture Bros was known for large gaps between seasons, which the writers used to produce the best product they could. The result is a beautiful love letter and hilarious satire of classic superhero and adventure stories, especially Johnny Quest. Between its jokes that explore things like the bureaucracy of a guild of supervillains, there’s a long, continuous storyline that explores Rusty dealing with the trauma left by his father, trying to do better for his sons despite his failings, and numerous mysteries revolving around The Monarch’s backstory and Jonas’ shady past.
4
‘Over the Garden Wall’ (2014)
Half-brothers Wirt (Elijah Wood) and Greg (Collin Dean) find themselves lost in a mysterious forest called the Unknown, which is full of strange magic and mysterious locations that feel lost in time. Alongside Greg’s pet frog (Jack Jones) and a talking bluebird named Beatrice (Melanie Lynskey), the boys try to find their way back home and encounter a wide cast of colorful characters. They frequently cross paths with a cryptic Woodsman (Christopher Lloyd), who warns them about The Beast (Samuel Ramey), a dark force in the woods that pursues lost souls.
Over the Garden Wall packs a ton of content into its ten 11-minute episodes, and creates one of the most immersive worlds of any Cartoon Network show. The Unknown is an amalgamation of fairy tale and folkloric tropes with an aesthetic that pays homage to the Golden Age of Animation, creating a world that feels both familiar and alien, with magic that ranges from whimsical to nightmarish. It’s also a fantastic show to rewatch once you know the story, as every character and local is brimming with symbolism and foreshadowing regarding the overall themes and the progression of each character.
3
‘Adventure Time’ (2010–2018)
Finn the Human (Jeremy Shada) is a young boy living in the magical land of Ooo with his adoptive brother, Jake (John DiMaggio), a shapeshifting dog. Together, they go on various quests to fight monsters, loot treasure, and protect the numerous princesses from villains like the Ice King (Tom Kenny). Some of their other friends include their robot roommate BMO (Niki Yang), Jake’s girlfriend Lady Rainicorn (Niki Yang), Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch) of the Candy Kingdom, and the Vampire Queen, Marceline (Olivia Olson).
Adventure Time is one of those beautiful shows that grew up with its audience. Its early seasons feel like Dungeons & Dragons sessions, with plenty of adventure, action, and fun, but things gradually shift towards more emotional stories with lots of existential themes regarding the meaning of life, losing the people we love the most, and the difficulties of growing up. It even got spinoffs that continued to age alongside its fans, but there is a magic to the original, one-of-a-kind animated show that just can’t be replicated.
2
‘Gargoyles’ (1994–1997)
In the year 994 AC, a clan of gargoyles led by Goliath (Keith David) defends a Scottish castle from Viking invaders, only to be betrayed and have most of their members killed. A magic spell traps Goliath, four other gargoyles, and a gargoyle beast in a stone sleep until the castle rises above the clouds, which is broken is fulfilled in 1994 when a billionaire named David Xanatos (Jonathan Frakes) transports their castle atop his New York City skyscraper. He soon proves to be untrustworthy, so Goliath and his clan instead ally with NYPD Detective Elisa Maza (Salli Richardson) to protect the city from threats both mundane and magical in nature.
Gargoyles is, bar none, the best animated television show to come from Disney. It balanced action and adventure with rich worldbuilding with thousands of years’ worth of magical history and complex character arcs ripe with melodrama and introspection. Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation will also get a kick out of just how many actors are in both shows, such as Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, and Marina Sirtis.
1
‘BoJack Horseman’ (2014–2020)
BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett) is a washed-up, depressed, alcoholic actor who peaked in the 1990s and is desperate to get back into the public eye. He decides to publish a biography, but when he can’t make progress, he is assigned Diane Nguyen (Alison Brie) as a ghostwriter. In between chapters, BoJack also gets into frequent adventures fueled by recklessness and depression, which tend to involve his roommate Todd (Aaron Paul), his agent and former girlfriend Princess Carolin (Amy Sedaris), and his optimistic former rival, Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Tompkins).
BoJack Horseman had a rocky first season, but once it found its footing, it quickly became one of the greatest animated shows ever made. The show contrasts a world full of colorful anthropomorphic animals living alongside humans with a dark, unapologetic look at the corruption in Hollywood and the lingering effects of trauma, and that’s only scratching the surface of how dark the show can get. Tying it all together is BoJack himself, who struggles constantly with trying to be a good person despite his hard life, but finds that moving on from trauma and fixing one’s life is much harder than it looks in movies.
BoJack Horseman
- Release Date
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2014 – 2020-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Raphael Bob-Waksberg
- Directors
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Amy Winfrey, JC Gonzalez, Adam Parton, Joel Moser, Martin Cendreda, Peter Merryman, Matt Mariska, Mike Roberts, Mollie Helms, Tim Rauch
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BoJack Horseman / BoBo the Angsty Zebra (voice)
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Todd Chavez / Emperor Fingerface (voice)
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