The idea of a “Saturday morning cartoon” has long been defunct, with DVR and streaming meaning that people are rarely bound to watch the latest episode of a favored TV show at any particular time. Yet some of thebest animated TV shows of all time, decidedly from the post-Saturday morning cartoon era, capture the aura of these cartoons of old. They are classically animated in 2D, mostly feel-good, very episodic, and primarily made for younger audiences.
There are options from thebest animated Disney TV showsto thebest animated fantasy showsthat selectively nailed the feeling of a classic cartoon, on par with the greats of theLooney TunesandScooby-Doo.For those missing the best Saturday morning cartoons of all time, possibly enjoying them now on streaming,various networks and services have fresh new offerings. These selections put their own spin on the formula with more modern elements of humor and commentary and ever-evolving animation.
Regular Show
Cast
Regular Show is an animated television series that follows the surreal adventures of Mordecai, a blue jay, and Rigby, a raccoon, who work as groundskeepers at a park. Created by J.G. Quintel, the series showcases their attempts to avoid work and find entertainment, often leading to bizarre and unexpected situations. The show also features a cast of quirky characters, including their boss Benson, a living gumball machine, and Skips, a yeti.
Cartoon Network overall feels like it is nostalgic for the days of true Saturday morning cartoons when several of its most well-known shows demonstrate the same aura.Regular Showcalled itself “anything but,” with a mishmash of talking animals and other characters with the wackiest, somewhat uncool designs embarking on a series of weird adventures. The first episode also establishes that Mordecai and Rigby are in their 20s, a somewhat unusual detail for this type of show.
Regular Show’s Ending Explained & How It Sets Up The Revival
Regular Show ended with Pops fighting Anti-Pops for the fate of the universe, but are there any Mordecai and Rigby stories left to tell?
Regular Showthen settles into a routine of what is essentially the two dumbest college students possible setting out to achieve regular things like promotions and concert tickets — with disastrous results. At some point in each episode, something completely outlandish intrudes upon their reality, from a trip to the moon to zombies to a coffee-producing being.Regular Showdoesn’t have much thematic weight and feels simply strange down to its core,making for an oddly appealing series of mishaps.
The Amazing World of Gumball
The Amazing World of Gumball is an animated satirical comedy series by creator Ben Bocquelet. The series follows anthropomorphic brothers Gumball and Darwin Watterson as they engage in chaotic misadventures at home, school, and throughout Elmore, California.
A mishmash of characters and plots is also the way to describeThe Amazing World of Gumball,which follows a family led by a married cat and rabbit (the wife even has a joke about how cats and dogs are not meant to get together), in a world inhabited by powerful shapeshifters, talking hot dogs, and overworked stick figures. Each episode is a burst of randomness, truly capturing the episodic nature of a cartoon that can be watched whenever one’s schedule matches up with its airing.
YetThe Amazing World of Gumballoccasionally demonstrates some shockingly smart humor, usually delivered at rapid speed and commenting upon everything from the difficulties of parenting to the niches of gamer culture. The show is bizarre, bordering on uncomfortable, but enjoyable and hilarious in a way that allowed it to carry on for seven seasons, with the lingering possibility of anThe Amazing World of Gumballmovie.
Invader Zim
Invader Zim is an animated Sci-Fi television series created by Jhonen Vasquez. Spanning two seasons, the premise followed a bumbling alien sent to conquer the Earth and featured voices from Richard Steven Horvitz and Andy Berman.
Invader ZIMstands as one of thebest shows to watch while waiting forHazbin Hotelseason 2as it is one of the main shows that inspired the Prime series. Both Richard Steven Horvitz and Andy Berman make the show deeply funny, with over-the-top deliveries of their ingrained missions every episode as they are stuck in a roundabout game of not-at-all-cunning cat and mouse. The basic premise hits some of the same beats asPhineas and Ferb, if the A and B plots were combined into one, but it is far more underappreciated than the show that came after.
Like most similar shows,Invader ZIM’s repetitive format means it can largely be watched out of order, but its darker form of comedy — arguably arriving too soon for this subgenre — means it was less successful in its time. Today it has achieved a loving cult status, resonating with modern animation fromHazbin HoteltoScott Pilgrim Takes Off. Shifts in genre taste also possibly helped the classic show get its fun follow-up movie on Netflix.Invader ZIMstands out from other would-be Saturday morning cartoons in style and tone,but is entertaining for similar reasons.
DuckTales
A reboot of the 1987 series of the same name, DuckTales follows the adventures of brothers Huey (Danny Pudi), Dewey (Ben Schwartz), and Louie (Bobby Moynihan) as they live in the care of their rich Uncle Scrooge McDuck (David Tennant). Scrooge’s immense wealth occasionally makes him a target for some of Duckburg’s unscrupulous characters, but it also facilitates grand adventures for the three triplets all around the world.
DuckTaleswas a Saturday morning cartoon, one of the most classic ones coming from Disney. It’s something that inherently should never be allowed to be surpassed, yet the 2017 reboot is shockingly good for fans of the Disney staple. Above all,David Tennant voicing Scrooge McDuck is something that no one knew we needed or expected that he would do.The newDuckTalescame in the modern era of Disney Channel with witty, hilarious beats among Scrooge, Donald, the triplets, and more.
DuckTales’weakest moments are actually when it tries to build an overall plot, likely trying to follow the lead of some of the most successful and praised cartoons of the 2010s. Yet the show is at its best in the standalone episodes, where the Duck family’s individual idiosyncrasies lead to the best, goofiest adventures with moments of wonderful witty humor.DuckTalesincorporates some delightful elements of the classic Disney canon, like the theme song or Donald meeting Daisy, for a show that rivals the original.
Amphibia
Amphibia is an animated television series created by Matt Braly. The show follows Anne Boonchuy, a 13-year-old girl who is magically transported to a world of sentient frogs, toads, and newts. Stranded in Amphibia, Anne embarks on various adventures while trying to find her way back home. The series features themes of friendship, self-discovery, and courage.
Amphibiais the less-acclaimed cousin ofGravity FallsandThe Owl House, but so much fun for those who deign to watch it. BothThe Owl HouseandAmphibiawere created by formerGravity Fallsstoryboarders, bringing with them a similar animation style, sense of humor, and approach to fantasy world-building.Amphibiahas some overarching plot points that are shockingly dark, with many, many monster-of-the-week-type stories packed in between the more climactic installments.
Amphibialaunches viewers into the strangest otherworld yet (in the unofficialGravity Falls-led universe): one of talking, humanoid amphibian creatures, with a family that takes in a displaced human teenager. However, fans of the show will say thatthe dynamic that springs up between 13-year-old human Anne and frog child Sprig is a friendship for the ages.Amphibiaadvertises a story that is hard to buy into, but once one does, there is no turning away from the jokes, the friendship, and the moments that genuinely prompt tears.
SpongeBob SquarePants
Spongebob Squarepants is an animated comedy created by Stephen Hillenburg and starring voices from Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke, and Rodger Bumpass. The series revolves around a sea sponge that goes on many misadventures with his friends Patrick, Squidward, and Sandy Cheeks in the lands of Bikini Bottom and the surrounding sea.
SpongeBob SquarePantsmay have technically started out as aSaturday morning cartoon in the late 1990sbut has adapted to each new development in media and is now perfect for audiences looking for this kind of nostalgia — all the while still producing new episodes. The at-times mean-spirited humor of the series is balanced with the shamelessly, weirdly whimsical world, which is the perfect setting for a famous pirate and a collection of beloved sea creatures to call thousands of kids watching to action every episode.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The 30 Best Episodes Of All Time
SpongeBob SquarePants is a gem of a television show, and these episodes are the best of the animated comedy series.
Every episode is its own adventure for the characters and viewers alike, where SpongeBob and his friends learn one lesson or another that maybe brings them closer. Ultimately,SpongeBob SquarePantshas lasted for so long because fans simply can’t get enough of the crazy world. Each character has their own brand of exaggerated humor which clashes and comes together in fun, still episodic ways, meaning it can be watched in virtually any order.
Kim Possible
Kim Possible follows the high school student Kim Possible, who leads a double life as a global crime-fighting hero, thwarting evil plots with the help of her best friend Ron Stoppable, his pet mole rat Rufus, and tech genius Wade. The animated series combines action, humor, and teenage drama, showcasing Kim’s ability to balance her ordinary and extraordinary responsibilities.
Buffy the Vampire Slayermay have arrived first with a series of monster epidemics fought off by an adventure-savvy high school student, butKim Possiblechanged some genre elements and uniquely fit this premise into a feel-good cartoon.The titular heroine leads a double life as an average student and crime-fighting agent far more complicated than her live-action Disney Channel counterpart of Hannah Montana.Kim Possibleremains one of thebest Disney Channel sitcoms everbecause of its somewhat surprising blend of genres.
At least surprising at the time, beforeGravity Falls,The Owl House,and other selections of the best fantasy TV shows ever made so expertly combined the tone of an episodic kids' show with a weightier action-adventure storyline. Fans are still indulging in the standalone adventures of each episode, with sharp humor, brilliant action, and Kim dealing with the same things as every other high school student.
Gravity Falls
When Dipper and Mabel Pines are dropped off to spend the summer with their uncle in Gravity Falls, they discover that all is not as it seems in this small town. When Dipper discovers a strange journal in the forest, the twins team up to solve the town’s mysteries.
Gravity Falls, in many ways, veers away from the structure of a Saturday morning cartoon when its hook is the building overall mystery, with thebest episodes ofGravity Fallsbeing the ones that constitute major moments in these storylines. However, the show accomplishes something unique where the “downtime” between big reveals may contain very small moments that will pay off later but can still be enjoyed on their own. Meanwhile,Gravity Fallsis truly one of the best animated TV shows of all time,with its stellar combination of punchy fantasy and heartrending storylines.
20 Shows To Watch If You Like Gravity Falls
Disney’s Gravity Falls ended in 2016, and fans with a Mystery Shack sized hole in their hearts can check out these other shows.
Gravity Fallsdelivers a powerful narrative about the things that can destroy a relationship between siblings, both with Dipper and Mabel and their “grunkles” Stan and Ford. There are some true adventure-of-the-week narratives that manage to rival a few of the bigger reveal episodes, demonstrating the show’s very imaginative worldbuilding and humor.Gravity Fallsis an amazingly singular blend of something that feels like it came out of the mind of a child with intelligent, well-crafted stories adults will also be drawn to.
Adventure Time
Adventure Time is a science fiction/fantasy animation from Cartoon Network. Adventure Time follows Finn (Jeremy Shada) and his dog Jake (John DiMaggio) as they go on adventures in the near future. The series was created by Pendleton Ward and ran for a total of 10 seasons on the network. Adventure Time was critically acclaimed while it was on the air and managed to pull in younger audiences, as well as adults.
Adventure Timestands out as the best of the classically animated and storied Cartoon Network shows,comprising a long string of individual adventures with a rotating cast of delightful characters. The world is bright and silly but tinged with a sadness, with some traumas that have shaped the sweet and friendly characters. However, Finn and Jake undertake one mission after another that can all be enjoyed as singular, short bursts of fantasy.
Adventure Time’s later plot twists and character reveals lend the world more storytelling weight, but what makes it beloved is the myriad of imaginative concepts forming the corpus of its stories. The humor is also different from many of its contemporary shows, with a soft outlandishness rather than razor-sharp which will still make viewers laugh out loud.Adventure Timeis bittersweet, a unique would-be Saturday morning cartoon that also, in its own way, will endure for years to come.
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb follows the adventures of stepbrothers Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher as they embark on various creative and often unreal projects during their summer vacation, while their sister Candace tries to reveal their escapades to their mother. Concurrently, the family’s pet platypus Perry leads a double life as a secret agent battling the evil scientist Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
IfAdventure Timeis Cartoon Network’s crowning achievement to carry on the legacy of the classic Saturday morning cartoons, then Disney’s isPhineas and Ferb. The entire series essentially plays on a loop of the same scenario, wherein Candace tries to reveal her brothers' impossible invention to their mother and fails, and the family pet Perry the Platypus does battle with the evil Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and triumphs. The sum of its parts would mean a somewhat redundant show, butPhineas and Ferbnever ceases to amaze with its brilliance.
There is a very intelligent humor behind the whole thing, with countless meta-jokes that are iconic to the show’s fans. The show plays with its own formula while never straying too far away from it, also gradually, subtly building the relationships among the family and friends in the viewers' minds.Phineas and Ferbis an immensely fun, feel-good cartoon with hundreds of episodes that can be watched with no context, providing a modern-day Saturday morning cartoon experience.
