OF ART + MIND: My Top 5 Animated Shows of ALL TIME!
AKA Five animated shows that I’ve enjoyed watching over the years!
One of the biggest influences on my career has always been animation. Besides some of the comic books my oldest brother and I read when we were younger, we were also heavily into our Saturday morning escapism. Our fondest memories involve us sitting in front of our classic Zenith tube television with the wooden frame, watching all the classics. My second older brother, Daniel, and I used to play the roles of Siskel and Ebert, funny as it sounds. We used to have this old toy truck that we’d flip upside down and place on the chair next to our television. That was our makeshift/make-believe video camera and tripod! Haha! We would watch an episode of Muppet Babies or The New Archies, shut the TV off, and then discuss our likes and dislikes as if we were film critics. Such good times!
As the years went by, our tastes changed in television programming. Charles and Daniel leaned more toward teen shows like Saved By The Bell, Beverly Hills 90210, and Family Matters, to name a few. I would watch those shows with them. However, I still love cartoons and still watch them to this day. In my 40+ years on this planet, I have experienced some fantastic offerings in animation on the small screen. From glorified toy commercials with a bit of a storyline to complete masterpieces, animated shows continue to inspire my artistic journey.
I have put together the top five animated shows I consider the best. Note that this list might look different from yours, and that’s okay! Everyone has their lists! Without any further ado, here are my top five greatest animated shows:
Avatar: The Last Airbender
The Premise
When siblings Sokka and Katara discover an ancient Air Nomad known as Aang, they learn that their new friend is the destined Avatar. The Avatar can master all four elements—Earth, Water, Fire, and Air—giving them the power to bring peace to the world. With the help of Sokka and Katara, Aang must travel far and wide to learn all four elements while fending off Prince Zuko and the evil Fire Nation.
What Makes It the Greatest?
During the mid to late 2000s, Avatar: The Last Airbender was the brightest star at Nickelodeon, giving viewers an animated series that is vibrant, youthful, and joyous while delivering heart-stopping moments and brilliantly executed fight scenes! To this day, Aang maintains his popularity, with Avatar fans still singing his praises at anime conventions and on social media!
She-Ra: Princess Of Power
The Premise
Meet Adora! Princess of Eternia and twin sister of the famed hero He-Man (aka Prince Adam). Once a force captain in the army of the evil Hordak, Adora broke free of her former leader’s control once He-Man bestowed her with the magic Sword Of Protection. With the sword, Adora transforms into the warrior princess She-Ra! Residing on planet Etheria, She-Ra and the Great Rebellion continue to fight Hordak and his Horde army!
What Makes It the Greatest?
What makes She-Ra: Princess Of Power one of the greatest, in my eyes, is the overarching story of fighting oppression. Besides being a glorified toy commercial and Masters Of The Universe extension, She-Ra and her allies fought for the disenfranchised and marginalized people of Etheria.
Justice League/Justice League Unlimited
The Premise
Batman! Superman! Wonder Woman! The Flash! Green Lantern! Hawkgirl! Brought together by J’on J’onzz, The Martian Manhunter, to fight an alien invasion, the heroes continue to fight together as a peacekeeping squad called The Justice League. As a unit, the Justice League squared off against the likes of Lex Luthor, The Joker, and Darkseid, to name a few. As years passed, the Justice League expanded their forces. With a larger team, The League faced new challenges that sought to harm the planet!
What Makes It the Greatest?
What made this series of shows so special was the themes, the team dynamics, and top-tier storytelling! Whether it was the ongoing love affair between Hawkgirl and John Stewart, The Justice League trying to fend off Cadmus and the US Government, or Flash’s epic moment against the Brainiac/Lex Luthor fusion, the Justice League brought the goods every week!
X-Men ‘97
The Premise
With Xavier gone, it’s up to Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Jean Grey, and the rest of the X-Men to protect a world that continues to fear and hate them. However, with a new threat on the horizon, the X-Men will need the help of a few old friends and an unexpected ally in the fight for the fate of mutant-kind and their lives!
What Makes It the Greatest?
Continuing off its ground-breaking predecessor, X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ‘97 carries the baton and soars with it to great heights! With storytelling from the head writer and showrunner, Beau DeMayo, stunning animation from Studio Mir, a stellar voice cast, and cameos and awe-striking moments galore, X-Men ‘97 delivers immensely! There was not one off-kilter episode. This sequel series served as the perfect continuation for Marvel Animation!
Batman: The Animated Series
The Premise
By day, Bruce Wayne is a billionaire playboy, philanthropist, and CEO of Wayne Enterprises. When night falls, Bruce Wayne fights crime as the Dark Knight of Gotham City, Batman, striking fear into the hearts of criminals who are a cowardly and superstitious lot. With the help of his sidekick Robin, his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, and Gotham Police Commissioner Jim Gordon, Batman defends Gotham City from The Joker, The Penguin, Poison Ivy, and other threats!
What Makes It the Greatest?
Unlike previous animated offerings of the Caped Crusader, what made this show one of the best-animated shows in history involves many aspects. Batman: TAS was the first animated show to bring that cinematic experience to the small screen. Every episode felt like a movie. Secondly, it pulled from all aspects of the Batman character, from comics to the live-action Tim Burton films. Thirdly, it featured clean and sleek animation and character designs with an Art Deco-like background and retro-futuristic setting inspired by the 1940s. Add on classic voice acting from legends like Mark Hamill (The Joker) and the late Kevin Conroy (Batman), and you have one of the greatest animated shows of all time!
There we have it! My top 5 animated shows of all time! I do, however, have some honorable mentions!
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman and character designer Sean “Cheeks” Galloway gave us a Spidey cartoon that was a perfectly woven web, pun intended. The story arcs, the action, and the animation were on point! It’s a Spider-Man show that rivals the 90s animated show. It’s a shame it got sidelined for the ridiculously juvenile Ultimate Spider-Man.
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Continuing the Spider-Man trend, who can forget about Fox Kids’ offering of the web slinger’s adventures? With storylines ripped from the pages of the comics to some classic moments and cameos, Spider-Man: TAS is a forever classic. Given the resolution of a long-standing cliffhanger, let’s hope the good folks at Marvel Studios plan to give it the ‘X-Men 97’ treatment.
Young Justice
Like he did with The Spectacular Spider-Man and Gargoyles, Greg Weisman’s penmanship blesses our young heroes in the DC Universe! Young Justice gave us everything and then some! The characters are relatable, and the storytelling made watching YA heroes compelling, albeit waiting for several years between seasons.
What are your TOP 5 Greatest Cartoons of all time?! Comment below!
What about Teen Titans as an honorary mention?