Best non-anime cartoon

[Armand]

I say regular show and adventure time hold the title now, Spongebob still has it's moments, don't judge me lol.

[Arohk]

It's weird, but I was actually contemplating this the other night!

Here's a list in no particular order;

Spongebob Squarepants
Animaniacs
Rugrats
Daria
Futurama
Batman: The Animated Series
Ah! Real Monsters
Tiny Toon Adventures
Sonic the Hedgehog
Dexter's Laboratory

Of course there are more, but I'll have to blab about those later. If anyone is wondering about my choices, just poke me and I can definitely explain them. XD But I am sure most can agree.

I love cartoons that do not treat children like idiots. There are scarcely anything that fit the category these days. There is hardly even a 'Saturday Morning' any more. Challenging kids with content shouldn't be frowned upon.

[Oneiros]

I always loved Freakazoid. It's hilariously dated now. Lately I love Futurama.

[Arohk]

Freakazoid was awesome! I almost put it on that list, but as you just said- it didn't age well. Although I am sure most of us can laugh at the jokes because we remember it so well. But newcomers wouldn't find it as funny, haha.

Futurama is my all-time favorite adult-orientated animated show. It has a ton of heart to it, especially in recent seasons and I absolutely adore it. I think that is what sets it apart from all the rest. It's funny, but it always makes me 'awww' in the end!

[Silverfyre]

Gargoyles, hands down.

[Shjade]

Batman: The Animated Series

[rick957]

Alright, what the hell, let's talk some toons.  :)  I can't resist.

First off, let's just put everything out there, right up front, okay?  I'm at least 275,460 years older than anybody who's posted here yet.  I ain't lyin', I ain't foolin', I ain't hiding it.  Cartoons meant something totally different to me than they meant to people ten years younger than me, or ten years older than me, although, in all honesty, it's much easier for me to go backwards rather than forwards in terms of finding other generation's stuff that I can enjoy too.  Mainly.

I say regular show and adventure time hold the title now, Spongebob still has it's moments, don't judge me lol.

Not that I'm saying you necessarily need to take any trouble to clarify, but I just want to say that I didn't understand your meaning here in terms of grammar.  Did you maybe leave a word out or something?  Maybe I'm just being dense.

Spongebob Squarepants
Animaniacs
Rugrats
Daria
Futurama
Batman: The Animated Series
Ah! Real Monsters
Tiny Toon Adventures
Sonic the Hedgehog
Dexter's Laboratory

First I want to say, one of my best friends swears by many of these shows, so I wouldn't dare decry your taste.  However, I have tried to watch several of these shows and felt underwhelmed.  Not that I tried more than once, mind you.  I'm sure that if I saw the better or best of each of these shows, I would become an instant convert.  But from what I flipped past once with the remote, I never saw a reason to flip back to that channel.  Probably me being even more dense.  ;)

My buddy that I mentioned would kick my ass if he heard me say one critical word about any of those shows.  He knows his toons, too, I gotta say.

Alright, two final points. 

One.  Futurama.  My buddy loves it.  I love Groening; genius.  If anyone can explain to me why this show doesn't thrill me, while the Simpsons thrilled me for at least 15 or 20 straight seasons, you would be doing me a big favor.  :)

Two.  I don't keep up, alright?  Also, I'm an old fuck.  I wouldn't have the time or motivation to watch more than one or two shows, no matter how good they were, cuz I'm just old like that.  But, all that said, look, the last toon that blew my fucking mind and made me laugh until my sides ached, not just once, but time and again and again? 

Ren and Stimpy. 

I'm just saying.  I know it sounds old and dumb.  But really?  Nothin' has mattered to me since.  Not even the last season or two of that show, after Kricfalusi left.  You just can't touch it.  (Then again, prior to that show, if you want great fuckin' toons, not counting movies, you gotta go jump all the way to the sixties or before ... Bullwinkle; Warner Brothers.  On the other hand, once you get to the fifties, going backwards, you have an embarrassment of riches:  Disney, Warners, Fleischer, not in that order.  .........)

EDIT, long after the fact.  Didn't mean to put down anybody for being older or younger or anything like that -- that was just me being silly!  Thanks.

[Arohk]

It's all good. I can't blame anyone for their own tastes. I'm not a Ren and Stimpy person myself. It has always just been too weird for me.

I would gladly talk Futurama all night and day long, though! I could probably explain it, given the time. XD

[Silverfyre]

Powdered Toast Man is still my favorite super hero.

[Saerrael]

Alright, what the hell, let's talk some toons.  :)  I can't resist.

First off, let's just put everything out there, right up front, okay?  I'm at least 275,460 years older than anybody who's posted here yet.  I ain't lyin', I ain't foolin', I ain't hiding it.  Cartoons meant something totally different to me than they meant to people ten years younger than me, or ten years older than me, although, in all honesty, it's much easier for me to go backwards rather than forwards in terms of finding other generation's stuff that I can enjoy too.  Mainly.

Bit hard to tell with no age mentioned in your profile. You also, to me, came across as quite negative towards others in this thread.

On topic: Tom and Jerry, for me. Dexter's laboratory had something, too.

[Silverfyre]

On topic: Tom and Jerry, for me. Dexter's laboratory had something, too.

Omelet du fromage?

[Saerrael]

Omelet du fromage?

I knew I loved you for a reason ♥

'That's all you can saahaay! That's all you can saahaay!'

[Silverfyre]

Heh, likewise!

Dexter remains one of my favorite cartoon characters, if not for the accent alone.  I remember the line up of Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo and the Powderpuff Girls back on the glory days of Cartoon Network.  Good times.

[Saerrael]

Hmmm, I did enjoy Cartoon Network quite a bit. It was new and refreshing back then. Though my heart does still lie in the 80s and older cartoons. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner were just.. beyond epic.

[Starlequin]

PowerPuff Girls
Megas XR
Courage the Cowardly Dog
MLP:FiM
Phineas and Ferb
Justice League & Unlimited
Invader Zim

Pure. Animated. Win.

[Silverfyre]

Hmmm, I did enjoy Cartoon Network quite a bit. It was new and refreshing back then. Though my heart does still lie in the 80s and older cartoons. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner were just.. beyond epic.

Nowadays, it just isn't the same.  Adult Swim has some funny stuff but most of it is just... random and really messed up.  Not in a good way either. 

[Arohk]

I definitely agree with the new MLP cartoon. I had been so skeptical at first because of the previous incarnations... And by no means did I jump on the bandwagon. But I legitimately think that it deserves a spot. It has good elements of storytelling that a lot of children shows these days lack completely.

[Saerrael]

Nowadays, it just isn't the same.  Adult Swim has some funny stuff but most of it is just... random and really messed up.  Not in a good way either. 

I wouldn't know, to be honest. I lack any interest in TV and my cartoons did come from that source. This household has been TV free since it was set up. We're more gamers, really.

[Mr Self Destruct]

I like the lists I've seen, but I didn't see the mention of Samurai Jack.  Loved that show.

[rick957]

Bit hard to tell with no age mentioned in your profile. You also, to me, came across as quite negative towards others in this thread.

Hi Saerra, I've seen a few of your posts in other threads and enjoyed reading them very very much.  I'm 37 (recent birthday), but I chose not to announce that fact in my profile for personal reasons, which I could gladly explain, but I don't want to do that here because I assume nobody reading this thread wants that info. 

Did I really come across as negative towards others in this thread?  If so, I apologize.  Frankly, I made a deliberate effort not to come across that way, because I knew that my views were not likely to be in line with the majority here.  Nonetheless I may have failed in my effort, and if so, I am sorry.  Also I am glad that you brought this fact to my attention, Saerra; it will make me give the whole matter some serious thought.  It's very important to me to express myself clearly and not give others impressions that I did not mean to give; and yet, I often do just that.  I endeavor to learn from such mistakes so that I won't repeat them.

Most of you like cartoons that I don't like, and most of the cartoons I like haven't been mentioned here yet.  I don't view that as a serious problem -- not by a very long stretch.  In fact, I'm glad that cartoons are so fun and so trivial that we don't need to necessarily love or hate the same ones.  Hell, it's fine with me if you hate all cartoons, for some reason; or, conversely, if you love them all, for whatever reason.

Being slightly older than the average Elliquian, I expect that my tastes in most pop culture stuff will differ from the tastes of the majority of Elliquians, and that's okay with me.  To each his own; it takes all kinds; etc. etc. etc. 

Each and every one of you who are younger than me will have the pleasure of feeling alienated and abandoned by mainstream pop culture as soon as you reach your thirties, either early or mid or late.  Pop culture is a giant juggernaut that fills the mental space of all people under a certain age, until they get too old, and then they have to adjust to being outside of that mental space, but that's okay too.  All IMO.  Sorry for anybody bothered by my opinions.

[ofDelusions]

Moomins. Dunno how popular this is with foreigners, but I doupt there is a single person in Finland who saw this as a kid and didn't love it. Also, the groke is still creepy as hell.

Wakfu. If you can ignore the filler, this is the best fantasy cartoon ever. It just is. Nox is also the best villain in all of media I have seen.

[Jag]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. *nods* Not just the old series either. The 2002 series was very good. The old one was fun and silly, while the 2002 series was more serious and dark (more like the comics)....but the Fast Forward series sucked horribly, as did Back to the Sewers.

[Chris Brady]

I'm looking at this list of everything you guys are loving and I despair.  This is the best we have to show for ourselves?

The equivalent to politically correct fart jokes and potty humour?  Is that all that's left?

I apologize, but I am really disappointed that Spongebob is considered 'good'.  This is a kids show about underachieving morons, it treats it audience as such, never tackling any topics deeper than that.  Ren and Stimpy same deal, but at least it tried to parody itself.

The 80s were definitely not some 'Golden Age' with it's overly moralized and forced ideals, but there seemed to have been a slightly higher standard then.

The 90's were much better you had shows like pre-Nelvana Gargoyles, the various Justice X DC cartoons, the Batman series.  All shows that didn't talk down to its audience.  Mainframe Entertainment which defined the computer animated medium, especially after they split with Disney after Season 2 of ReBoot.

Even the first seven or so seasons of the Simpsons, where the characters 'learned' something about themselves and came together as the slightly dysfunctional family they was better than the idiotic fallback to the standard cartoon sitcom episodic formula after Groenig left.

(The sitcom formula sort of works like this:  each episode is it's own self-contained universe, which nothing from a previous episode or season is ever referred to, allowing for any number of contrived incidents to occur for humour value, despite any contradictions to previous material.  This also allows a secondary benefit of not allowing any characters to grow or evolve, because learning from the mistakes is not funny.  Full Stop.)

The only modern cartoon left that doesn't treat you all as preadolescent idiots that I can think of is the new My Little Pony show, of which I was able to stand half the first season off.  And maybe the new Tron: Uprising cartoon, it seems pretty mature so far, but I've only been able to catch the first 5 episodes of it, it could go downhill from there, quite easily.

I am 38 years and I still watch cartoons.

[Jag]

I think there have been several shows listed that don't resort to potty humor to amuse it's audience. And just because one person considers Spongebob good doesn't mean we all do. I think it's a terrible show and I don't let my daughter watch it.

Samurai Jack didn't talk down to it's audience. TMNT (the original series), while very silly, did have long running storylines within the short ones. Phineas and Ferb is fantastic. X-Men Evolution was a wonderful series and I wish it hadn't been cancelled. Batman Beyond is another that was cancelled long before it should have been. While Codename Kids Next Door did have some potty humor and the like, it was a creative show. I also enjoyed Ben 10.

While most of the shows I listed are not showing new episodes, Phineas and Ferb still is and it doesn't treat kids like morons. Dragons: Riders of Berk shows promise. I also thought that Generator Rex was decent (though it appears to be on hiatus).

So no, I don't think the only modern show that doesn't treat it's audience like idiots is My Little Pony.

*shrugs* Then again, everyone likes different things out of their cartoons.

[Silverfyre]

I am perplexed why it is a bad thing I like cartoons that are comedic in nature, even if they are just glorified fart jokes. Some of them were incredibly well done and rather hilarious. Not everything has to be some serious, meaningful thing; sometimes, it's nice just to laugh.

So yeah, to each their own I suppose.

[Oneiros]

Freakazoid was awesome! I almost put it on that list, but as you just said- it didn't age well. Although I am sure most of us can laugh at the jokes because we remember it so well. But newcomers wouldn't find it as funny, haha.

Exactly, haha. Freakazoid was all about the random pop-culture stuff (and hilarious inaccuracies when it came to portraying computers and the internet), so anyone who didn't grow up in the 90s really doesn't get why it's funny. Tiny Toons had a bit of the same problem, but it wasn't nearly as prevalent there as it was in Freakazoid.

There are two Adult Swim shows that I absolutely love: Venture Bros, and Metalocalypse. Both have engaging stories, a lot of action, fun and interesting characters, and surprise you with random bits of hilarity. Brock and Hunter Gathers playing the cow-counting game while on their way to an important mission on Venture Bros?

"Aha, cemetery, you lose all your cows!"

I also loved Dexter's lab when I was younger, but it's one of the shows that got worse the longer it went on (like Johnny Bravo).

[Lilias]

I still love Disney's Fables collection. They came out on DVD in Greece recently, and my mum perceptively got them for the Spawn (saving me hunting them down on YouTube).

Also (list time!):

- Daria
- Tiny Toons
- Smurfs
- Bolek & Lolek
- Woody Woodpecker
- Pink Panther
- Lilo & Stitch
- Kim Possible
- Phineas & Ferb
- Small Potatoes

Yes, we watch a lot of CBeebies and Disney Channel in this house. >_>

[Arohk]

Glad someone other than myself mentioned Daria! :D

Also, not to fend for the deepness of Spongebob, but there's a lot more to it than just a 'moron'. I don't think that Spongebob is a moron. I think people see him that way because he had a lust for life. He's the most positive cartoon character (in attitude) ever, and I think some people don't like that.

I personally enjoy his innocence and over the top optimism.

[TentacleFan]

While my tastes generally run far more towards anime I do have a few cartoons not from Japan that I do enjoy.

Batman : The Animated Series - Haven't met too many who don't like this one really. It has some stinker episodes (The one where Bruce gets amnesia was particularly atrocious.) But it also has some episodes that are among my favorite of all time. In particular the one where the villains are gathered around a table each telling their how they got Batman but he got away stories. It also gave us Harley as a character. And made characters like Mr Freeze interesting in a way they never had been before.

Justice League - My favorite DC Animated series after Batman : TAS. A great team show both when it focused on the Big 7 and after when it went big time.

Teen Titans - Loved this show. I know it got Five seasons (And a movie) but I really wish it had gone on even longer. The versions of the characters from this show are the versions I default to now.

Avengers : Earth's Mightiest Heroes - I haven't seen the second season yet but the first was my favorite Marvel Comics based show I've seen. Great mix of action and character with an epic story running through the season.

Futurama - For me the Simpsons rarely entertained. I watched a few of the earlier seasons but never really cared for it. So much so I didn't give Futurama a chance when it first came on. Catching a few episodes on the Cartoon Network Repeats I eventually bought up all the seasons. What makes it work for me is the nerdy science humor and the way it plays with or turns on their head numerous sci-fi tropes.

X-Men Evolution - I don't think it's the greatest show ever but I really enjoyed the put everyone in a high school setting thing. It's a real shame the show ended when it was ramping up to obviously tell more of a story and that cliffhanger ending kind of ruins rewatching it somewhat.

I consider cartoons as hand drawn or at least ones that look like they're hand drawn so I'm not going into 3D-animated works here. Even though there are some of those I enjoy as well.

[NotoriusBEN]

Nobody mentioned the "Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy". I'll admit that Billy is... Billy. But there were some absolute gems in this series and they completely riffed on other popular fiction like Cthulu, the Thing, and Harry Potter. I just like how a lot of horrible dire situations they get in are distracted by Billy long enough for Mandy to assume full control.

Just a few of my favorite episodes:
Brown Evil Part 1 and 2
Skarred for Life
Here Thar Be Dwarves!
A Kick in the Asgard
Wishbones (my favorite with a Donnie Darko reference)
Prank Call of Cthulu
Billy and Mandy Save Christmas


As for other cartoons I like... man there are a bunch of them and in no particular order.
Batman: The Animated Series
The Batman
Justice League Big 7 and More
Young Justice
Static Shock
Teen Titans
Futurama
Metalocalypse
American Dad
Family Guy
All the Ben 10s
Samurai Jack
Simbionic Titan

The list goes on...

[Moraline]

Looney Tunes from 1930 up.

This is the only cartoon series that I can say with 100% certainty that I have watched over and over and over since I was a child.

Every other cartoon show and even regular shows for that matter pale in comparison.

This show had it all. You could have whole university degrees based on studying this series. It's comedy, history, culture, and everything all in one.


That's All Folks!

[Chris Brady]

I am perplexed why it is a bad thing I like cartoons that are comedic in nature, even if they are just glorified fart jokes. Some of them were incredibly well done and rather hilarious. Not everything has to be some serious, meaningful thing; sometimes, it's nice just to laugh.

So yeah, to each their own I suppose.

There's nothing wrong with comedy.  There's everything wrong in how it's done nowadays, with the constant lowering the bar to get everyone, especially the lowest common denominator.  But this is what the networks do.  And it has nothing to do with the shows, and everything to do with the Internet, and their attempt to keep their customers on cable rather than their computers.

But that's a completely different topic all together.

Glad someone other than myself mentioned Daria! :D

Also, not to fend for the deepness of Spongebob, but there's a lot more to it than just a 'moron'. I don't think that Spongebob is a moron. I think people see him that way because he had a lust for life. He's the most positive cartoon character (in attitude) ever, and I think some people don't like that.

I personally enjoy his innocence and over the top optimism.

There's over the top optimism, then there's blatant marketing to a belief that the average TV watcher, especially under 15, has the literal attention span of a gold fish.  Nickelodeon markets to the latter with Spongbob.  Not to mention actively tries to squelch any other cartoon that might end up more popular than their 'flagship' (which Spongebob is.)

There's a reason everyone who liked Avatar: The Last Airbender was afraid it wouldn't have a 3rd season.

However, because of the incredible success of Spongebob's catering to the 'ADD' crowd, other networks immediately assume that their young audience is that easily distracted and try to make their stuff the same.

[Beguile's Mistress]

The Flintstones

[Oniya]

I like cartoons that have a story line that goes from episode to episode.  I've liked the new Transformers (liked the old ones, too), the new G.I. Joe (ditto), and one that cropped up on the Kids WB without much fanfare called Huntik.

[Gadifriald]

So many great non-anime cartoons I don't think I could ever pick just one! But for a not complete list of top contenders I'd have to say in no particular order...

Looney Tunes
Duck Tales
Flintstones
Classic Disney cartoons
Tale Spin
Simpsons
Futurama
Venture Brothers
Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers
Archer
Smurfs
The original Scooby Dook Where Are You!
The various Peanuts/Charlie Brown and Snoopy specials and cartoons

Honestly the list keeps going and going and going like that Energizer Bunny that doesn't make the list!
;D

[Silverfyre]

There's nothing wrong with comedy.  There's everything wrong in how it's done nowadays, with the constant lowering the bar to get everyone, especially the lowest common denominator.  But this is what the networks do.  And it has nothing to do with the shows, and everything to do with the Internet, and their attempt to keep their customers on cable rather than their computers.

I find comedy comes in all veins as it's purpose is to entertain and make people laugh.  I get that there are some forms of comedy (i.e. Daniel Tosh's bullshit rape humor) just isn't funny at all but most of it, even if it is completely ridiculous and nothing more than bodily function humor, still makes people take a break from their lives and laugh a bit.  I could care less if some people find more humor in fart jokes over something "high brow".  They are laughing and getting a bright spot in their days. That's the important part.  I hardly see it as the end of programming or some network conspiracy.   ::)

[Armand]

Powdered Toast Man is still my favorite super hero.

LMAO YES!

[Armand]

Well let me get my list out.

1.SPongebob
2.Chowder
3.Billy and Mandy
4.Super Milk Chan ^_^!!!!!!!!
5.Gargoyles yes.
6.Adventure Time
7.Regular Show
8.Teen Titans
9.AAAAAH! Real Monsters
10.Rockos modern life.
my all time favorite after careful consideration.

*INVADER ZIM*

-Sings doom song-

[Gadifriald]

I totally spaced and left two total classics off my list!
Duckman and Duck Dodgers!
OH THE GLORIES OF CARTOON DUCKS!!!!! ;D

[Moraline]

Oh, I just remembered a couple more. I love the really retro stuff.

(the original versions)

The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show


Woody Woodpecker

[Mobius]

OK I am a huge sucker for cartoons... still watch the ones I grew up with to this day, with the occasional new one that comes out that catches my interest. Although the cartoons don't seem to be the same as they use to be! Anywho here is my list of favorites in no particular order:

Inspector Gadget (The first season.... the second season was crap)
Ducktales (again up to the last season with Bubba and Gizmoduck, ugh)
Talespin
Rescue Rangers
Darkwing Duck
Sonic the Hedgehog (AOSTH and SATAM)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (from the 80s version up to the most recent)
Tiny Toon Adventures
Animaniacs
Batman: The Animated Series
The Adventures of TinTin
David and the Gnomes
Scooby Doo (the original 69-70 run and even Mystery Incorporated version)
Classic Disney and WB cartoon shorts, of course
Daria
Beavis and Butthead
Avatar: TLA
Simpsons (the first several seasons were the best)
Doug (again first seasons were good)

Also does Space Ghost count since it is animated.... with real people in it?

[Arohk]

Also awesome to see someone else agree with Sonic SATAM. :D

Of course Spongebob is marketing. I don't think that makes it bad. MLP markets too. There's a long list of heavily marketed shows. Transformers, TMNT, but again. Doesn't make them bad. I also think Spongebob has a lot of intelligent jokes. I definitely think that it's aimed towards certain tastes, but I certainly wouldn't push it into 'goldfish' category. :P

Also, happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

[Saerrael]

Hi Saerra, I've seen a few of your posts in other threads and enjoyed reading them very very much.  I'm 37 (recent birthday), but I chose not to announce that fact in my profile for personal reasons, which I could gladly explain, but I don't want to do that here because I assume nobody reading this thread wants that info. 

Did I really come across as negative towards others in this thread?  If so, I apologize.  Frankly, I made a deliberate effort not to come across that way, because I knew that my views were not likely to be in line with the majority here.  Nonetheless I may have failed in my effort, and if so, I am sorry.  Also I am glad that you brought this fact to my attention, Saerra; it will make me give the whole matter some serious thought.  It's very important to me to express myself clearly and not give others impressions that I did not mean to give; and yet, I often do just that.  I endeavor to learn from such mistakes so that I won't repeat them.

Most of you like cartoons that I don't like, and most of the cartoons I like haven't been mentioned here yet.  I don't view that as a serious problem -- not by a very long stretch.  In fact, I'm glad that cartoons are so fun and so trivial that we don't need to necessarily love or hate the same ones.  Hell, it's fine with me if you hate all cartoons, for some reason; or, conversely, if you love them all, for whatever reason.

Being slightly older than the average Elliquian, I expect that my tastes in most pop culture stuff will differ from the tastes of the majority of Elliquians, and that's okay with me.  To each his own; it takes all kinds; etc. etc. etc. 

Each and every one of you who are younger than me will have the pleasure of feeling alienated and abandoned by mainstream pop culture as soon as you reach your thirties, either early or mid or late.  Pop culture is a giant juggernaut that fills the mental space of all people under a certain age, until they get too old, and then they have to adjust to being outside of that mental space, but that's okay too.  All IMO.  Sorry for anybody bothered by my opinions.

You did come across as negative, indeed. No hard feelings, though. It is also good to see you're intending to come across clearer. Good luck on that, by the way, that is a mission I am on, too.

And I will turn 34 this year, so I am not that much younger than you are. I also know there are people on Elli that are older than I am. And younger, of course. I tend to not assume, nor project, or at least try my hardest to not do so.

Anyway!
[/thread hijack]



Though I now can't help but wonder what the average age of Elliquiyans would be. I wonder if Veks would know that...

[Silverfyre]

You know, I seen those numbers somewhere before I think.  Damned if I remember where... Poke him; I'm sure he'd be happy to share.

[ReijiTabibito]

I find it shocking that no one's mentioned the Marvel shows of the mid-90s.  Well, at least a couple of them.  The original Spider-Man (1994 to 1998) and the X-Men series were great, and I've even liked the newer incarnations of Spider-Man, IE Spectacular Spider-Man.

Hell, the Spider-Man series has always managed to pull in some big-name actors. See below.


In the 1994 series.
Ed Asner: JJJ
Jennifer Hale: Black Cat
Hank Azaria: Venom
Mark Hamill: Hobgoblin (Macendale's Hobby)
Jim Cummings: Shocker
Martin Landau: Scorpion (early seasons)
Rob Paulsen: Hydro-Man
and Efreem Zimbalist Jr as Doc Ock - and he was also Alfred in Batman TAS!

In Spectacular Spider-Man
Ed Asner: Uncle Ben!
Keith David: Tombstone (for a couple of times)
Clancy Brown - George Stacy (this is the Kurgan!)
John DiMaggio - Hammerhead & Sandman
Robert Englund - Vulture
Crispin Freeman - Electro
Peter MacNicol - Doc Ock

In Ultimate Spider-Man
JK Simmons - He wants PICTURES!  PICTURES OF SPIDER-MAN!
Chi McBride - Nick Fury
Clancy Brown - Taskmaster
Mark Hamill - Shao Lao/Nightmare
Adrian Pasdar - Iron Man
Phil LaMarr - JARVIS

And BTW, love that they put Iron Fist into Ultimate.

Most of the above, you can tell the average person at least one role they've played and get a reaction of "Oh, yeah!" from them.

[Mobius]

Also awesome to see someone else agree with Sonic SATAM. :D

OMG another Sonic SATAM fan? Sweeeeeet. Hard to find fans of the show, especially because Sally has become such a polarizing character over time.

[Saerrael]

You know, I seen those numbers somewhere before I think.  Damned if I remember where... Poke him; I'm sure he'd be happy to share.

Now that you mention it, I do recall something like that, too, and that it was somewhere around 29 or something (at that time). But I am not certain.

[Arohk]

Are you kidding? SatAM is amazing! Even watching it as an adult it makes me happy. Of course some of the jokes are outdated, but the darker undertones always was great. I remember watching it when it came out and was SO sad when they canceled it!

I've always been a fan! :D

[Chris Brady]

I find it shocking that no one's mentioned the Marvel shows of the mid-90s.  Well, at least a couple of them.  The original Spider-Man (1994 to 1998) and the X-Men series were great, and I've even liked the newer incarnations of Spider-Man, IE Spectacular Spider-Man.

Hell, the Spider-Man series has always managed to pull in some big-name actors. See below.


In the 1994 series.
Ed Asner: JJJ
Jennifer Hale: Black Cat
Hank Azaria: Venom
Mark Hamill: Hobgoblin (Macendale's Hobby)
Jim Cummings: Shocker
Martin Landau: Scorpion (early seasons)
Rob Paulsen: Hydro-Man
and Efreem Zimbalist Jr as Doc Ock - and he was also Alfred in Batman TAS!

In Spectacular Spider-Man
Ed Asner: Uncle Ben!
Keith David: Tombstone (for a couple of times)
Clancy Brown - George Stacy (this is the Kurgan!)
John DiMaggio - Hammerhead & Sandman
Robert Englund - Vulture
Crispin Freeman - Electro
Peter MacNicol - Doc Ock

In Ultimate Spider-Man
JK Simmons - He wants PICTURES!  PICTURES OF SPIDER-MAN!
Chi McBride - Nick Fury
Clancy Brown - Taskmaster
Mark Hamill - Shao Lao/Nightmare
Adrian Pasdar - Iron Man
Phil LaMarr - JARVIS

And BTW, love that they put Iron Fist into Ultimate.

Most of the above, you can tell the average person at least one role they've played and get a reaction of "Oh, yeah!" from them.

No one mentions them because the quality of the DC cartoons often overshown the Marvel ones.  And let's face it, with Warner Bros. Studio's in house animation team, a LOT (not ALL, but a good chunk) of the Marvel cartoons just didn't have the kick they needed to stay afloat.

Technically, still don't, sadly.

[TentacleFan]

No one mentions them because the quality of the DC cartoons often overshown the Marvel ones.  And let's face it, with Warner Bros. Studio's in house animation team, a LOT (not ALL, but a good chunk) of the Marvel cartoons just didn't have the kick they needed to stay afloat.

Technically, still don't, sadly.

I feel the Spider-Man cartoons were often overshadowed by the Timm-verse animations of the time but not that they weren't deserving of attention themselves. I haven't really been as big a fan of the DC animation since they got away from the Bruce Timm designed work myself. (Not counting the Teen Titans, I did enjoy that show) I also feel that the Avengers : Earth's Mightiest Heroes holds up with any of those shows as far as quality and storytelling myself.

[Mobius]

Are you kidding? SatAM is amazing! Even watching it as an adult it makes me happy. Of course some of the jokes are outdated, but the darker undertones always was great. I remember watching it when it came out and was SO sad when they canceled it!

I've always been a fan! :D

I know! They ended the show on such a cliffhanger too! But given some of what Ben Hurst (RIP) shared with his ideas for season 3, I am wondering if it might have been better off ending it where it did before things went too out in left field.

Do you read the SATAM s3 comic? They do a pretty decent job picking up where the show left off.

[Chris Brady]

I feel the Spider-Man cartoons were often overshadowed by the Timm-verse animations of the time but not that they weren't deserving of attention themselves. I haven't really been as big a fan of the DC animation since they got away from the Bruce Timm designed work myself. (Not counting the Teen Titans, I did enjoy that show) I also feel that the Avengers : Earth's Mightiest Heroes holds up with any of those shows as far as quality and storytelling myself.

Bear in mind, I am not saying the Marvel Cartoons sucked, in fact, quite a few were awesome.  But the DC stuff had traction, and brand recognition, which meant when someone mentions a Batman, or Justice League cartoon, there's a certain type of quality to expect.  Not so with the Marvel ones.  Although I've heard that the Avenger's cartoon is getting cancelled.  I hope not, cuz I LIKED it.  Of course, it was aiming for a demographic not usually touched by Disney:  The 14 to 24 crowd.

[ReijiTabibito]

Oh, I agree.  If you sat me down and asked me to watch an average episode of Spider-Man, X-Men, or Batman TAS, I'd be prone to choose the Batman episode.  IMO, the general writing quality of the series was better than that of its Marvel counterparts.  So much so that, more than Michael Keaton or Christian Bale, I consider Kevin Conroy the real Batman.  Accept no substitutes.

Unless you want camp, then Adam West is king.

[Shjade]

Batman : The Animated Series - Haven't met too many who don't like this one really. It has some stinker episodes (The one where Bruce gets amnesia was particularly atrocious.) But it also has some episodes that are among my favorite of all time. In particular the one where the villains are gathered around a table each telling their how they got Batman but he got away stories. It also gave us Harley as a character. And made characters like Mr Freeze interesting in a way they never had been before.

On that note, and for folks like Rick who perhaps haven't seen much of the series to get a taste for it, here are The Nostalgia Critic's choices for top 11 Batman:TAS episodes. I don't know that I necessarily agree with his choices, but there are a lot of good ones on the list.

He also has a commentary episode, but eh, it's not exactly informative about the show.

[Oniya]

Unless you want camp, then Adam West is king.

Word.

[Mr Self Destruct]

Batman Beyond was pretty nifty, especially when they linked the future Bruce Wayne in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon for an episode or two that involved a futuristic Justice League.  Fanboy awesomeness.  ;D

[ReijiTabibito]

I actually took a look at that NC episode.  I agree with some of the choices: Gray Ghost, Trial, Almost Got 'Im.  Some of the others I haven't seen, so I don't know.

I will say that I disagree with the NC's best episode choice, however.  Heart of Ice will always be the best TAS ep.  Took Mr Freeze, a villain with a simple gimmick, and turned him into a highly sympathetic and tragic figure.

[Mr Self Destruct]

Agreed.  The writers did a terrific job with making Mr. Freeze a very believable villain, especially considering he's got one of those glass clock covers for a helmet lol

[ReijiTabibito]

I would actually argue, DC, that Freeze is a more believable villain now than he was when the episode was penned and shown in 1992.  Evil corporate exec that doesn't give a damn about anything but money?  Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis that the sound of the 2008 financial crisis I hear?

[Mr Self Destruct]

They did the same thing with the original rendition of Clayface, as well.  That's another classic episode of TES that introduces the Dagget Corporation and their miracle face cream.  I thought that was pretty well done, too, if a little on the cheesy side with some of the melodrama.

[TentacleFan]

I actually took a look at that NC episode.  I agree with some of the choices: Gray Ghost, Trial, Almost Got 'Im.  Some of the others I haven't seen, so I don't know.

I will say that I disagree with the NC's best episode choice, however.  Heart of Ice will always be the best TAS ep.  Took Mr Freeze, a villain with a simple gimmick, and turned him into a highly sympathetic and tragic figure.

I checked it out as well. Some good choices. I wouldn't put Baby Doll so high myself even if it was a good episode. I do think what they did with Mr Freeze, along with the creation of Harley, was one of the great legacies of the show. I found the Two-Face story, woven through several episodes before he even becomes Two-Face was very emotional and well done as well.

[Shjade]

I'm trying to remember what my favorite was back in the day, but all I can recall is it was centered around the Joker...hm...maybe some Google-fu will jog my memory...

I think it was Joker's Favor.

[Sel Nar]

If we're talking good animation that isn't anime, check out Cybersix. Only had 13 episodes made (at a rather hefty pricetag of 1 million per, which is why only 13 episodes were made), but definitely worth it. Lots of mature themes and character development going on in that time, and the comic book it's based off of (argentinian origin) has been going on for a somewhat hefty amount of time. Definitely needs more Love though, even if the show tried to kiddifiy the show with more 'monster of the week' stuff.

Still, when the main character's creator is a nazi mad scientist who considers things like '6000 rebellious supersoldiers' to be 'worth exterminating' without so much as a blink of the eye? Yeah. Show was on in 1999 on Teletoon canada, went into reruns until 2003 or so. You can prolly find full rips online somewhere.

[Chris Brady]

Cyber Six!  Man, another good one.

[Gadifriald]

Waiting for the AC to cool down the upstairs so I can sleep and I remembered another one of my all time favorites! The Tick!

Spoon!

SSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!
;D

[Sasquatch421]

The newest stuff I liked would have to be Wolverine and the X-Men along with Avatar: The Last Airbender. I was watching the Thundercats remake for a bit as well, before CN shuffled it off to a new time slot.... Otherwise....

Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
Gargoyles
The Original Transformers
M.A.S.K
Thundercats
Wild C.A.T.S(not as good as the comics, but oh well)
X-Men
The Original Ghostbusters
He-Man
She-Ra
C.O.W.boys of Moo Mesa
Pro-Stars
Darkwing Duck
The Mighty Ducks
G.I. Joe
Beetlejuice
Dungeons and Dragons
Jem
Pound Puppies
Superfriends
The sometimes Captain N: The Game Master

[VonDoom]

Gargoyles
Batman: TAS
Batman Beyond
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Spectacular Spider-Man
Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated
TMNT (the 2003-2009 one)
Pinky and the Brain
Freakazoid!

... does Transformers Prime count? Only Transformers series I've ever seen, but utterly brilliant.

[Mr Self Destruct]

Transformers: Beast Wars was another favorite.

beast wars season 1 opening

And I'll always be a fan of Eek the Cat lol

eekintro

[Sasquatch421]

I never could get into Beast Wars for some reason.... I do still have the game for the PS1 though. Though saying Eek does remind me off Felix and Heathcliff now. Always was a Garfield fan as well...

[Arohk]

Ohmaigawd, Mobius. I did read it! I have never met anyone else who has. :O I do like where they took it. I just wish it could have seen the light of day in animation.

Beast Wars! I loved Beast Wars! It was my favorite of the whole Transformers series. Which also leads me to remember ReBoot. I loved ReBoot too! Doesn't hold up well today, but I loved the humor in the entire thing. The winks. The plot. It was a great show.

[VonDoom]

Not to mention Tony Jay's excellent performance as Megabyte.

[Chris Brady]

Not to mention Tony Jay's excellent performance as Megabyte.

May he rest in peace.

[Lilias]

Glad someone other than myself mentioned Daria! :D

But of course! There is some heartache for what MTV used to be involved in the equation, but it's mostly a case of me being in the second half of my 20s while it aired, and working my high school hangups out of my system with its help. ;D

[Armand]

Thanks everyone for turning 10 years old again on my post lol glad you enjoyed re living classic childhood moments.

[Sasquatch421]

Thanks everyone for turning 10 years old again on my post lol glad you enjoyed re living classic childhood moments.

Turning 10? According to my mom I'm a 10 year old living in a 33 year old body....

And while on the topic of MTV animation..... Aeon Flux and The Maxx..... 'nuff said.

[Mr Bigglesworth]

Felix the Cat

[Arohk]

Aww, I always enjoy a good discussion about things I used to love. XD Happy to engage.

[Moraline]

Felix the Cat

Didn't someone make an "adult" version of Felix one time?



Of course I already said how much I am a fan of looney tunes but I just had to give special mention to my favorite pairing.

Sam(the sheepdog) and Ralph(the coyote)

[Oniya]

Didn't someone make an "adult" version of Felix one time?

You're thinking of Ralph Bakshi's Fritz the Cat

[Moraline]

haha.. your right. I almost forgot about that. But I knew it was the same guy that did the old spider-man and rocket robin-hood cartoons.

[Chris Brady]

Aww, I always enjoy a good discussion about things I used to love. XD Happy to engage.

I has a sad.  You don't love them anymore?  I love cartoons.  Nearly 40 and I still adore them all.

[Arohk]

I still love a lot of them. The past tense was mostly for the fact that 90% of them don't actually air any more. :)

[Mobius]

@Arohk ... wow it is SO rare to find another SATAM fan that ALSO happens to follow the sea3on fan comic too.

Have a favorite character?

[Arohk]

Mobius-

I know! I can't even believe there is another person out there who does. XD Well. I can. It wouldn't be going if it didn't have viewers.

I really do love what they did with Snively. And when they had the hooded figure, that was also awesome. But I think Sonic will always be my favorite anyways. XP

[Mobius]

@Arohk

True, true. hehe.

Yeah Snively has been handled pretty well.... and Naugus as well. (Although I either missed it or they have not revealed yet how he is able to survive being outside of the Void without turning to crystal)

And thank goodness they haven't made Antoine extremely annoying.

I am a bit surprised that they haven't used more of Uncle Chuck yet though. (And Dulcy should never have existed so she can remain MIA... ugh)

OK I am going to quit fangirling here now, lol.

[Arohk]

Ohhhh man, Dulcy. You know, I could have been fine with her if it wasn't for her constant annoying voice or clumsiness. I love dragons, after all.

I'll join you in stopping the fangirlism, but it was fun. 8D I admit that I had seen your name around the forums before and wondered if your name came from that universe. I guess I have my answer.

[NotoriusBEN]

Turning 10? According to my mom I'm a 10 year old living in a 33 year old body....

And while on the topic of MTV animation..... Aeon Flux and The Maxx..... 'nuff said.

Oh how could I forget these (even the alien one, The Head?), back when MTV was cool and visionary and still had a slot for playing music videos...
I'll let you all in on a little secret. When The Maxx came out with episodes of girls looking like this:



The young dude I was realized that he *really* liked ladies.

[Shjade]

Man, that was such a fucking weird show.

Good, but so weird.

[Chris Brady]

Man, that was such a fucking weird show.

Good, but so weird.

The ending of the show was...  A let down, I remember it right.

[Shjade]

All I remember about the ending is the Maxx on the farm. None of the context.

[Vanity Evolved]

Hmm, for me...

Adventurer Time. Megas XLR. The recent Thundercats (though, it has a rather anime-ish style to it). I've been meaning to look into Avatar: The Last Airbender, too.

[Mr Self Destruct]

Cartoon Network's Saturday morning DC Nation hour is pretty decent.  They show the Green Lantern CGI cartoon and the Young Justice show, both of which are quite good.  I've also been enjoying the new Avengers cartoon on one of the Disney channels.  The animation style is reminiscent of Jack Kirby's artistic style, and it tends to avoid getting campy or silly, staying true to the narrative style of the comics.

Does anyone know if Gargoyles in being shown on any network currently?  I loved that show. :)

[rick957]

The ending of the show was...  A let down, I remember it right.

Interesting response to it.  All I can remember about it is that I was happy with the ending and concluded that the whole show was a smashing success.  And I'm the type of person who is perfectly comfortable with recognizing that a show I adore has turned to shit -- most shows decline at some point, some much worse than others.

Anyway, I thought the Maxx ruled and would recommend it to anyone, including people who don't like cartoons or comic books; I knew people who were like that and still enjoyed it.

[Jag]

I still watch this one on DVD.

[Oneiros]

Randomly started watching The Critic last night. It's so dated, but it was a hilarious show in its day.

[Katrina]

Original Looney Tunes
Scooby Doo
Flintstones 
Jetsons ( I can remember thinking as a kid, it'd be cool to see who you're talking to. And now...you can)

Just to name a few.

[Ascia]

No Tick?

Spoon, baby. =)

[Mathim]

Hands down, Spider-Man The Animated Series (1994).

Ducktales was badass too.

[Chris Brady]

Jetsons ( I can remember thinking as a kid, it'd be cool to see who you're talking to. And now...you can)

Give the amount of cool tech that's being worked out there?  Forget flying cars, the Future is Now.

There are contact lenses that are powered by solar energy that can give accurate readings of your health condition, real time.  http://gajitz.com/bionic-vision-cybernetic-lenses-with-heads-up-display/

We've landed on Mars, not once but three times!

The Future is Now.

[Mr Self Destruct]

No Tick?

Spoon, baby. =)

The Tick was one of my Saturday morning favorites. :)

[Kuroneko]

Arthur, that belt is an accessory of evil, and evil is never in fashion!

I don't understand, I threw BOTH my shoes at it.

The Tick
Samurai Jack
Archer
Futurama
American Dad
Family Guy
Sea Lab 2020
Johnny Quest (the original)
Alf Animated Adventures (don't judge me if you haven't see it :P )
The Real Ghostbusters
Fractured Fairytales

[Mitsu]

I'll start with some older cartoons, and then work my way towards newer cartoons. I will only include cartoons that are no longer in production. I don't feel an accurate assessment can be made on the cartoon as a whole, unless it is a finished work.

The Ren & Stimpy Show (1991 - 1996)

The brain child of John Kricfalusi, and the very first cartoon by the now defunct animation studio, Spümcø, Inc. Ren & Stimpy was unique for it's time in that it was an adult's cartoon, featured on Nickelodeon, under the guise of a children's cartoon. The humor was rife with violence, sexual innuendos, mental insanity, and just plain disturbing content. I cannot express the magnitude of "What the fuck?" this show had going on. Just watch the episode "Stimpy's Fanclub".

While it is VERY easy to talk about the off-the-wall humor, I feel the fantastic art direction and animation is often overlooked. This is a cartoon I cite when I mention how modern "adult cartoons" are uninspired and needlessly squander the talent of their artists. Good art and animation only lend to the cartoon, and can never subtract from it. The Ren & Stimpy Show had very good art and animation. This is a direct result of John Kricfalusi's stringent standards, and iron-fist direction of Spumco. There was NO laziness in the halls of Spumco. It was practically policy that no two faces would be exactly the same in a single cartoon. A difficult task when animating a character talking.

The Ren and Stimpy show was eventually handed over to Games Animation studio (Hey Arnold, Rocko's Modern Life) in 1992, due to a falling out between John Kricfalusi and Nickelodeon.

Batman: The Animated Series (1992 - 1995)

Developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, BtAS was a cartoon produced during Warner Brother's strong animation surge during the early and mid-90's. Unlike other cartoons produced by WB at the time, BtAS was different. It wasn't a comedy show. It wasn't bright and cheery. It was Batman, and it was dark and mature. While the series was placed in time-slots that featured other children's shows, BtAS was never written with children in mind. It featured story-lines with thinly veiled references to death, characters that fired real guns at other human beings, and themes of loss and sorrow. There were very few, if any, American produced cartoons that touched these areas at the time. What is more important is that BtAS managed to do all of this well. It wasn't for shock value.

One of the most striking features of the series is the art deco-inspired style. Gotham's buildings are tall, dark, and often silhouetted against an eerie red sky. Around them is a time-stuck world seemingly of the fifties or forties. It's a world were it's denizens watched television in black and white. Where they drove the streets in classic cars too old for many of the young, real-world viewer to recognize. It was a world where they sky above Gotham was patrolled not by helicopter, but instead by blimps. When the series took advantage of this setting, when the stories felt reminiscent of film noir, it was at it's best.

Fun fact: The series was drawn and painted on black paper, which is what gives it such a dark, gritty look.

Well... this list is far shorter than I wanted it to be. I've run out of time, so this is all I will post. Below are some honorable mentions.

Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs

Samurai Jack

Rugrats

[rick957]

Rock on, Mitsu.  That was an incredibly informative and knowledgeable post.  :)  Just sayin'.

[Mitsu]

 I had to leave to get a shower, so I couldn't finish it. I thought I was going to have company, but it turns out I won't.

[LunarSage]

Has anyone mentioned Exosquad? 

That show was a pioneer of it's time for actually having a far reaching story where the events of one episode directly affected the subsequent episodes... and people actually died!

[bubby]

Family Guy
American dad
The Tick
Archer
Frisky Dingo
The Brak Show
Harvey Bird-Man
Home Movies
Sea-lab 2021
Angry Beavers

[LunarSage]

Family Guy
American dad
The Tick
Archer
Frisky Dingo
The Brak Show
Harvey Bird-Man
Home Movies
Sea-lab 2021
Angry Beavers

<3

[Mitsu]

Has anyone mentioned Exosquad? 

That show was a pioneer of it's time for actually having a far reaching story where the events of one episode directly affected the subsequent episodes... and people actually died!

I've never heard of Exosquad, or if I have, I forgot about it. This is a pretty interesting one, in that it has a great deal of potential, but it's squandered in the art design. I've watched a few episodes, and there is obviously some thought here in the writing. It isn't a high-mark for science fiction writing, but it isn't bad either. The animation isn't too shabby, it's pretty typical of the time. It isn't where I'd like it to be, but it isn't hard on the eyes. The biggest issue here, as I mentioned before, is the art design.

The mechanical designs are pretty typical of the decade: bulkiness, odd color pallets, and random do-dads sticking out here and there. The character designs are about of the same quality, but there's at least a charm to them. I don't particularly mind any of them, and actually enjoy the more realistic proportions and style. It almost looks like a DiC production (Captain Planet) in some ways.

I've found the voice acting to be passable. It isn't special, sometimes it's painful, and rarely is it really good, but it fits. The actors and actresses get the job done, and while merely listening to the show, I found that I was interested in it.

Overall, I think this is a series I might just look into more. It would be great if anyone with some knowledge of the series could tell me a bit more about it, before I start to watch. I'd just like to know what the high points of the two seasons were, where in the season the animation gets kinda shoddy (budget concerns), and I think it might be nice to talk to someone about it as I'm watching.

[Chris Brady]

Actually, people died in SWAT Cats...  Well, anthropomorphic characters, but still, they died ON SCREEN too.

But Exosquad deserve mention because it was one of the first serial rather than episodic cartoons.

[Silver]

In no particular order at all:

The Boondocks
Regular Show
Batman
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Courage The Cowardly Dog
Daria

[AllieCat]

Jem, Animaniacs..

[Silver]

Jem, Animaniacs..

omg I forgot...

Me and friends are Jem girls's Jem, Jem is my name... *hums the tune* That was on Hub but now it's on Netflix .... My daughter loves that show..

Another I forgot was Dilbert...

[Chris Brady]

I used to watch, and enjoy, Gem growing up.  Man...  The memories.

[Mister Grimm]

I don't know what I can define as the best, but a few of my favorites in no particular order:

Garfield and Friends
Freakazoid (I liked Cosgrove the most)
Dexter's Lab
Danny Phantom
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Avatar The Last Airbender / Legend of Korra
Angry Beavers
The Fairly OddParents (Cosmo, Crocker and Jorgen Von Strangle, haha. And the dad. "DINKLEBERG!!! *shouts at sky*")

[LunarSage]

"Hey Freakazoid!  Wanna go to Spackle World?"

[Mister Grimm]

"Do I?!?!?"


//hit

I think my favorite was "Hey Freakaziod, wanna go see a bear ride a motorcycle?"
Oh Cosgrove.

[Oneiros]

"Hey Freakazoid!  Wanna go to Spackle World?"

It was actually Spumoni World. They went to the Great Hall of Spackle.

[LunarSage]

Huh, I could have sworn... ah well.

[ForAlbion]

Airbender? Airbender.

[Spynmaster]

I have quite a few. Here's what I remember right off:


SatAM Sonic the Hedgehog
Bots Master
Skysurfer Strike Force
Princess Gwenivere & the Jewel Riders
King Arthur & the Knights of Justice

[Skynet]

Fellow Freakazoid! fan here as well.  I loved this show growing up, and it still brings a chuckle out of me today.

I also like the 90's Batman Animated Series; same for the Justice League.

[ulthakptah]

Two great shows that I haven't seen mentioned here are Gravity Falls and Dan Vs.

[Chris Brady]

Two great shows that I haven't seen mentioned here are Gravity Falls and Dan Vs.

Never heard of those...  Will have to go check them out.

[Faust]

Megas XLR (probably my all-time favourite)
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (had a crush on Grim, lol)
Freakazoid
Animaniacs

I used to watch all of the Cartoon Network cartoons that were on, but I used to love these the most.

[Lux12]

Overall, I'm not sure.Right now I'd say The Boondocks.

[NotoriusBEN]

Gravity Falls is a new cartoon on Disney Channel. It's about two kids, Dipper and Mable, who go to their Gruncle Stan's place for the summer.
Dipper is a bit straight laced, and the critical thinker. He is usually trying to get Mable to focus on whatever thing it is they are doing.
Mable is a little spastic, and definitely an asymmetric thinker. Where Dipper is stumped in their problems, usually an idle comment by her gets them going again.
Gruncle Stan is a man of world experience, a bit of ill repute, and a shyster, but he means well. He's usually the comedic relief when he is around.

Gideon's Dad: Oh Stan, Come on in, we have coffee all the way from Columbia.
Stan: Wow Columbia? I went to prison there once.

It's got some spastic humor because it is a kid's cartoon show, but the humor is pretty clever a lot of the time as well. There's few other cartoon shows that could compete for your time at the moment.

[Oniya]

Wow - Disney's got a show involving kids left alone with an ex-felon?  Almost makes me want cable back!

[LunarSage]

Hey, Dora's neglectful parents let her hang around with wild animals and traverse dangerous terrains like Crocodile Lake. 

[Chris Brady]

Wow - Disney's got a show involving kids left alone with an ex-felon?  Almost makes me want cable back!

I don't know, people have been doing that with for generations.  Usually because they're family.

[Oniya]

I don't know, people have been doing that with for generations.  Usually because they're family.

Just riffing on the 'Disney = so-wholesome-it's-sickening' theme.  Carry on.

[Chris Brady]

Just riffing on the 'Disney = so-wholesome-it's-sickening' theme.  Carry on.

Sorry...  Is blind today.  ;D

[Talon Sky]

I absolutely love Avatar: The Last Airbender, but Adventure Time is slowly stealing my heart as my favorite cartoon.

Seriously man, it's mathematical!

[ulthakptah]

Never heard of those...  Will have to go check them out.

Have you watched Dan Vs yet? I guess not a lot of people watch it because it's on the hub and does not have the following that My Little Pony does.

[Lux12]

Just riffing on the 'Disney = so-wholesome-it's-sickening' theme.  Carry on.

As it should be.That and I think most of their so called "princesses" reinforce sexist stereotypes.

[ulthakptah]

As it should be.That and I think most of their so called "princesses" reinforce sexist stereotypes.

Disney gets such a bad rep. I'm guessing the ones you think are bad stereotypes are Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Whose movies came out in 1937, 1950, and 1959 respectfully. Not to mention that these characters are from even older fairytales. You know back in a time when people were, by todays standards, racist and sexist. Since then, there have been Seven more Disney princesses, and while I can't account for Tiana and Rapunzel as I haven't seen their movies, I would say that the other five are well rounded individuals.

[Lux12]

One of my main problems is that so many of them are damsels in distress.About the only one I can think of that is not is Mulan which is based on a Chinese poem and legend about a warrior woman of the same name.

[ulthakptah]

If you want to get technical they are all damsels in distress. They are all ladies, and they all have some problem or another. I don't see a problem with that as conflict is key to any story. What you probably have a problem with is some of them being helpless and needing saving. For one thing there is nothing wrong with needing help. Another is not all of them were helpless and needed saving. Pocahontas is the one who stopped the execution and prevented the war. In The Little Mermaid it was Eric who needed to be saved from Ursula's spell, who then had to save King Triton. In Beauty and the Beast the beast is the one who is dying from a curse which Belle breaks. In Aladdin Jasmin did need saving but so did everyone else, and even though she was held prisoner she did fightback when Aladdin went after Jafar.

Besides the person you should have a problem with isn't Disney. They didn't write the stories, thats just how the fairytales go for the most part.

[Spynmaster]

If you want to get technical they are all damsels in distress. They are all ladies, and they all have some problem or another. I don't see a problem with that as conflict is key to any story. What you probably have a problem with is some of them being helpless and needing saving. For one thing there is nothing wrong with needing help. Another is not all of them were helpless and needed saving. Pocahontas is the one who stopped the execution and prevented the war. In The Little Mermaid it was Eric who needed to be saved from Ursula's spell, who then had to save King Triton. In Beauty and the Beast the beast is the one who is dying from a curse which Belle breaks. In Aladdin Jasmin did need saving but so did everyone else, and even though she was held prisoner she did fightback when Aladdin went after Jafar.

Besides the person you should have a problem with isn't Disney. They didn't write the stories, thats just how the fairytales go for the most part.

Adding to that, in Cinderella's third movie, Twist in Time, Cinderella clawed her way back to the palace after being forced out by that wicked stepmother using Fairy Godmother's stolen wand, and all that was after said wand was used to time-hax her past to take the "happily" out of her "ever after".
And in Enchanted Stories, Jasmine went to retrieve a strongly-willful horse named Sahara, riding & taming her after no one else could. Where was Aladdin? Nowhere. What was her motivation? She was sick and tired of being treated like a "posey princess". Who could blame her? Not I. Oh, and let's not forget the numerous times Jasmine's helped Aladdin & co in the animated series. That's why she's my favorite Disney Princess.

Stereotypes are ever-present due to human nature, but there's a huge difference between allowing it to happen and taking action against it, and I say that damsels these days are become less helpless and more heroic. That's why they're called "heroines".