Entertainment
10 Obscure Animated Shows That Became Cult Classics
Making an animated show is hard. Not only do you have to go through the usual rigamarole of pitching an idea to a network and assembling the cast and crew, but animation is a costly, time-consuming process that doesn’t allow much room for reshoots and script alterations, since you literally have to re-draw the scene. Thus, it can be very devastating when a show doesn’t do very well on release or is cancelled early.
Fortunately, the internet has made it a lot easier to watch old shows and give them a second chance. Some of these shows are also helped by their small but dedicated fanbases.
‘The Pirates of Dark Water’ (1991–1992)
Prince Ren (George Newbern) is the heir to the ruined kingdom of Octopon on the oceanic planet of Mer. He sails the seas with an ecomancer named Tula (Jodi Benson), and a pirate named Ioz (Héctor Elizondo), searching for the Thirteen Treasures of Ruel that can restore Octopon to its former glory, and stop the Dark Water, a mysterious liquid that destroys anything it touches. Unfortunately, Ren has to compete with a wicked pirate named Bloth (Brock Peters), who wants to use the treasures to control the Dark Water, and the Dark Dweller (Frank Welker), who created the water in the first place.
It can be surprising to learn that The Pirates of Dark Water was produced by Hanna-Barbera, since it’s quite different from their expected lineup. Though it only had 21 episodes before being cancelled due to high production costs, the show earned praise for its mature storytelling, complex characters, and unique premise. That high production cost also didn’t go to waste, as the show looks very good for an early 1990s cartoon, with fun character designs and detailed water animation.
‘Megas XLR’ (2004–2005)
As humanity fights a losing war against the Glorft, they plan to send pilot Kiva Andru (Wendee Lee) back in time with an experimental robot called Megas to save humanity from extinction. A Glorft attack causes Megas to be sent too far back, and in 2004, it is found and modified by slacker Harold Cooplowski (David DeLuise). When Kiva comes back to retrieve Megas, she is distraught to learn that only Coop can pilot it now, so she has to teach him how to use the mech as the Glorft send their own agents back in time to claim it.
Megas XLR ended due to low ratings, but it received high praise thanks to its concept and unique style of humor. It combines the grand action sequences of mech anime with a tongue-in-cheek style of humor utilizing billboard gags and pot-shots at MTV. Really, all you need to know can be summed up in the theme song, the aptly named “Chicks Dig Giant Robots.”
‘Invader Zim’ (2001–2006)
The extraterrestrial Irken Empire has made it its mission to conquer the galaxy, and sends agents to infiltrate planets to make them easier to subdue. The Irken leaders, the Almighty Tallest (Wally Wingert and Kevin McDonald), assign their most hated agent, Zim (Richard Steven Horvitz), to the planet Earth to keep him out of their way, and assign him a malfunctioning robot named GIR (Rosearik Rikki Simons). Zim makes headway thanks to the humans of Earth being easily duped, except for a paranoid boy named Dib (Andy Berman), who makes it his mission to expose and defeat Zim.
Invader Zim is one of the most unique shows to come from Nickelodeon, and far more mature and unhinged than their usual lineup. The show pushed the limits of what is considered acceptable in kids’ media, with plenty of gross-out shots and disturbing concepts for episodes. Yet it’s all balanced out by its aggressive sense of humor that can go from 1 to 100 in a minute.
‘Dave the Barbarian’ (2004–2005)
When King Throktar (Kevin Michael Richardson) and Queen Glimia (Erica Luttrell) of Udragoth leave to battle evil, their teenage daughter, Princess Candy (Erica Luttrell), is left in charge, and their eldest son, Dave (Danny Cooksey), is tasked with protecting it. They are aided by their sorcerer uncle, Ozlo (Kevin Michael Richardson), their aggressive younger sister, Fang (Tress MacNeille), Dave’s talking sword, Lula (Estelle Harris), and Faffy (Frank Welker), the family’s pet dragon. Unfortunately, the group is a lot less competent than they sound, and Dave in particular would rather run from a fight than throw a single punch.
Dave the Barbarian feels like a more modern take on The Flintstones, combining modernity with antiquity to create some hilarious juxtapositions. A typical episode is filled to the brim with fourth wall breaks, absurdist humor like Dave making a homemade megaphone with a squirrel, string, and a megaphone, and the primary antagonist is an evil pig named The Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy (Paul Rugg). Though it only lasted one season, the show won an Annie Award for Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production, and was nominated for Writing in an Animated Television Production.
‘Shadow Raiders’ (1998–1999)
Princess Tekla (Donna Yamamoto) is left the only survivor of Planet Tek after it is consumed by the Beast Planet, and flees to the Cluster, a collection of four habitable planets named Rock, Ice, Fire, and Bone, who constantly raid one another for resources. The Beast Planet follows her and begins invading the Cluster, attacking the planets with armies of drones led by three generals: the aggressive Blokk (Scott McNeil), the deceptive Lamprey (Tasha Simms), and the silent Voyd. Tekla meets a miner from Rock named Graveheart (Paul Dobson) and King Cryos (Mark Oliver) of Ice, and together they work to unite the four planets into an army strong enough to repel the Beast Planet before it kills them all.
Shadow Raiders came from the same creators as ReBoot and Beast Wars: Transformers, and though it didn’t last as long, it made a powerful impression in its short lifespan. The show balanced its action and comedic moments with diplomatic talks that emphasized the difficulty of bringing these planets together, with plenty of strong scenes of characters debating with one another while the threat grows ever closer. The Beast Planet and its forces also make for effective antagonists: the generals provide a face and something tangental for the heroes to face, while the Beast Planet itself is a literal cosmic horror that feels like it cannot be defeated, merely avoided.
‘Freakazoid!’ (1995–1997)
A computer accident merges Dexter Douglas (David Kaufman) with the 1990s internet, transforming him into a superhero named Freakazoid (Paul Rugg). The transformation proves to be a double-edged sword, as while Freakazoid has access to cartoon logic and enhanced speed and durability, he also loses his mind and attention span, as seen whenever he gets sidetracked by his good friend Sgt. Mike Cosgrove (Ed Asner). Nevertheless, when villains rear their wicked heads and threaten the innocent, Freakazoid will be there to save the day in his own unique and incomprehensible way.
Freakazoid! is one of several animated shows produced by Steven Spielberg during the 1990s, and remains fondly remembered thanks to its comedic writing and impeccable voice acting. The jokes feel like precursors to internet memes with their nonsensical combination of timing, ad-libbed rants, and cutaway gags, which have helped the show feel evergreen even 30 years later. As for the voice acting, Rugg easily steals the show, but Asner is also hilarious in his deadpanned delivery, and other voice actors included talent like Jeff Bennett, Tim Curry, and Ricardo Montelban.
‘The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack’ (2008–2010)
Flapjack (Thurop Van Orman) is a young boy raised by a whale named Bubbie (Roz Ryan) who lives among the wacky inhabitants of the floating city of Stormhold Harbor. One day, Bubbie rescues a washed-up pirate named Captain K’nuckles (Brian Doyle-Murray), who tells Flapjack stories about Candied Island, a mysterious place full of candy. Now Flapjack accompanies K’nuckles on numerous adventures to acquire candy or sail to Candied Island, which often leads them into trouble.
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack is one of the best examples of a show that didn’t do well on release, yet still shaped the look and tone of future projects. Many of the people who worked on the show went to work on some of Cartoon Network’s best shows of the 2010s, such as Adventure Time and Over the Garden Wall. As for the show itself, time has been pretty kind to it, as those who watch it tend to fall in love with Flapjack’s adorable optimism, its surrealist humor that seems to always be trying to one-up itself, and its use of high-seas hijinx to explore its unique world and the numerous islands that make it up.
‘Sym-Bionic Titan’ (2010–2011)
When the world of Galaluna falls to General Modula (Don Leslie), only three people escape: Princess Ilana (Tara Strong), a warrior named Lance (Kevin Thoms), and a robot named Octus (Brian Posehn). They flee to Earth and disguise themselves as human teenagers, but Modula’s forces pursue them. Fortunately, they can merge together into a being called the Sym-Bionic Titan to defeat their attackers.
Sym-Bionic Titan is another feather in the cap of famed animator Genndy Tartakovsky, known for hit TV shows like Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Primal. It has all the trademarks of his best work, such as using animation to express emotion more than dialogue, stylistic action sequences, and immersive worldbuilding. The characters also stand out thanks to their simple but effective personalities, especially Octus, who grows the most of the main cast through his relationship with popular girl Kimberly (Kari Wahlgren).
‘The Tick’ (1994–1997)
A crime-ridden city can sleep easily knowing that they are protected by the Tick (Townsend Coleman), a mysterious blue superhero with a boisterous personality and a love for upholding law and justice. He meets an accountant named Arthur (Micky Dolenz and Rob Paulsen), whom the Tick takes on as a moth-themed sidekick. When not trying to pay rent on their apartment, the duo protects the City from all sorts of eccentric criminals.
The Tick was released during a boom of superhero cartoons, but managed to carve out its own identity thanks to how hilarious it is. The show delights in spoofing classic superhero tropes and archetypes, best seen through The Tick’s over-the-top love of justice and crime fighting, which include longwinded monologs and strange catchphrases like “Spoon!” It’s been followed by two live-action series in 2001 and 2016, but they, too, ended prematurely, leaving The Tick with an unfortunate legacy of hilarious parody and tragic ending.
‘Cybersix’ (1999)
The town of Meridiana is watched over by Cybersix (Cathy Weseluck), a leather-clad gynoid and runaway creation of the twisted scientist Dr. Von Reichter (Terry Klassen). By night, she battles against Von Reichter’s other creations and thwarts the schemes of his son, José (Alex Doduk), with the help of an orphaned kid named Julain (Andrew Francis), and her brother, Data 7 (Scott McNeil), reborn in the body of a panther. By day, Cybersix disguses herself as a male teacher named Adrian, and maintains a friendship with her love interest, a biology teacher named Lucas (Michael Dobson).
It is criminal that Cybersix was ignored on release. While some of the darkest aspects of the original comic strip had to be toned down, the show still went to some dark places as it explored the difficulties of Cybersix’s dual life and the dangers of science gone too far. It’s also gorgeously animated by the legendary TMS Entertainment, leading to fluid action sequences and striking cinematic moments, especially when Cybersix’s cape blows in the wind.
Cybersix
- Release Date
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1999 – 1999-00-00
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Michael Dobson
Lucas Amato
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Terry Klassen
Doctor Von Reichter
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