What’s good about being a kid is that you simply don’t have the notion that you’re too young or too old to watch something. You just want to see everything there is as fast as possible! Growing up we often lose that sense of adventurousness and love for all things weird, yucky, and quirky, but that’s where cartoons come in! They have it all – humor, action, weird worlds inhabited by even weirder creatures, heroes, villains, dragons and trolls…What’s not to like? Modern animated shows are so entertaining they’re capable of keeping not only kids, but also their parents glued to the screens. Amazing screenwriting, great special effects and life-like characters make some animated series more popular than non-animated ones. In fact, many screenwriters like to tap into animation as it has unlimited potential and no boundaries whatsoever! Well, almost. We present you 10 animated shows that will make you want to become a kid again and rush outdoors to solve all the mysteries in the world.
Troll-hunters
The eerie genius of Guillermo del Toro is amazing at creating all kinds of creepy and thrilling stories, but this is definitely not the case with Troll-hunters Well, there are trolls in this animated show, but they won’t leave you sleepless at night. In fact, the whole story is quite uplifting. James Lake Jr, a 15-year-old boy, finds a special amulet that bestows on him the amazing powers of the Troll-hunter This is when he and his friend Toby find out that there are actually two worlds – the one they live in their home city Arcadia, and another one beneath it, where you can find trolls and all kinds of mysteries. Trolls might look a tad bit scary, but even these creatures have enemies of their own – the mighty Gumm-Gumms. Now Jim has to lead a double life and work as a Chosen One part-time in the troll realm. This show is pure entertainment!
Invader Zim
Back in the day when it wasn’t trendy to make shows with a villain at the very heart of the series, Invader Zim popped out of nowhere with a pretty innovative concept. Meet Invader Zim, an alien that comes to Earth to prepare everything for the future alien takeover of not only our planet, but the whole Galaxy as well. The only thing is, Zim is a bit of a loser and his own people send him to Earth just to get rid of the guy. Well, it doesn’t mean he can’t at least try taking over Earth! And if Zim’s ‘genius’ ideas are all over the place, his robot-helper Gir is in much more trouble. Needless to say, when these two combine their powers the most unpredictable and hilarious situations start happening one after another. The animation style is also superb!
DreamWorks Dragons: Race to the Edge
If you’ve enjoyed watching How To Train Your Dragon then we have good news for you – there’s a whole animated show out there waiting to be watched! What started as a spin-off of the movies quickly became a masterpiece of its own – even the voice actors are mostly the same! Follow the adventures of Hiccup and his cute dragon Toothless as they defend their land from all sorts of creatures and dangerous villains. The show digs deep into Norse mythology and uses various tropes to keep the story interesting for viewers of all ages. It’s packed with dragons, what’s there not to like?
Dexter’s Laboratory
Genndy Tartakovsky’s name became legendary after he introduced Dexter’s Laboratory to the viewers. The series revolves around the boy-genius Dexter who managed to build a huge laboratory right under his room. There he experiments with all kinds of weird and crazy stuff, including lasers and gadgets that can turn you into a rabbit. There’s also Dexter’s big sister Dee Dee who just loves to sneak into her brother’s lab and cause chaos and mass destruction wherever she goes. Nevertheless, Dexter still manages to do his outstanding work on creating killer robots and fighting Mandark, his equally smart arch-nemesis.
DuckTales 2017
Not all of you may remember the original DuckTales series that aired in the late 80s, but you’ve probably heard its catchy opening music as it’s one of the best opening songs ever made. The new DuckTales comes back with spectacular graphics, a bunch of familiar faces including that of Scrooge McDuck, his three nephews, and Launchpad, as well as a number of new ones, including a feisty girl named Webby and all kinds of villains, ghosts, spirits, and possessed mummies. It’s a family comedy that’s filled with humor and adventures like you’ve never seen before. Not many people know that the original DuckTales comics inspired the famous Indiana Jones movies! Which means you are in for a treat.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Yet another masterpiece by Genndy Tartakovsky, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is often referred to as the only Star Wars ‘movie’ no one ever talks about. What makes the series so beautiful is the amount of work put into storytelling and the history behind each character that slowly unfolds before our eyes. We admit, it crosses the borders of Star Wars canon, but this is exactly what makes the show so special – we get to see something new! It is now part of the Extended Universe of Star Wars that helps expand the story line further than any movie could ever dream about. Definitely a must-see!
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Deemed as one of the best animated shows of all time, Avatar the Last Airbender has everything you might want from a show – amazing plot lines, deep characters, lots of action, fun, and an equal amount of drama. How serious can a show about power-bearing nations get, you might ask? Well, you’ll just have to see it with your own eyes. Avatar, who’s just a young boy when we meet him, finds himself in a world tormented by war. Everyone believes he is the Chosen One who disappeared sometime in the past, but he has no recollection of previous events. He needs to find out, once again, who he is and what is it that he needs to do. Bear in mind that despite having all sorts of powers, he’s just a boy who wants to make friends and not enemies. This ‘odyssey of Aang, the Airbender’ is often compared to The Lord of the Rings because of its complexity and amazing range of the show. It masterfully mixes Japanese, Hindu, and Greek philosophies along with traditions from various martial arts and Tibetan Buddhism. This is definitely a show like no other!
Legend of Korra
We can’t talk about Avatar and not mention its sequel Legend of Korra. If you think the first series sounded pretty amazing, wait till you see this slightly more mature version of Avatar (who is a girl now, BTW). Korra needs to deal with pretty much the same, but on a different level. Just like Aang, she also needs to master her powers, but in this case she has all of them – water, earth, air, and fire, so even more work to do! Korra’s story is about that hard transition to adulthood that’s never easy for anyone, let alone a person that is meant to solve problems on a global scale. It’s a story about breakdowns, overcoming difficulties, a story about change and how one person can affect the fate of the whole country. It’s a story about spirit worlds, inner strength, responsibility, and bravery to stand up and fight for what you think is right. It is also a story about friendship and compassion. A story like you’ve never seen before!
Rick and Morty
If you need a pure 100% sci-fi action-packed animated show, then you need to search no longer because Rick and Morty can offer you just that, and some more. The show crosses boundaries, breaks all possible rules (including those of time and space continuum) and dives deep into the darkest and weirdest parts of the human mind. Not to mention the brilliantly mean humor, incredibly intricate plots for each episode, and creatures that will literally make your jaw drop. At a first glance Rick is no more than a crazy professor dragging his grandson Morty into all kinds of trouble that heavily reminds us of Back to the Future, but fear not! Soon you’ll realize that the scale of the series is much, much bigger, and we aren’t talking about one Universe, we’re talking about all of them! Here you’ll find time travel, bounty hunters, inter-dimensional TV shows, sentient dogs that turn on humans, and so much more.
Gravity Falls
Nothing is what it seems in Gravity Falls. If you ever miss those summer days you used to spend with your friends exploring the most dangerous and mysterious nooks you could find – then this show is for you! Dipper and Maple are twins that come to Gravity Falls for summer holidays. They stay with their uncle Stan in a Mystery Shack packed with fake beasts and ‘world’s greatest wonders’, but the real wonders find them soon enough. As well as gnomes, candy monsters, zombies, vampires, evil kid-geniuses and even inter-dimensional beings! This exciting animated show is a masterful mix of Lost’s plot twists, X-Files’ inexplicable creatures, and the eerie atmosphere of Twin Peaks. Each episode is fun, bold, and strikingly well-made!
