They are doing something like this in the Anime forum with characters, so I assume that this will be ok. If not, a mod may close it. A lot of times we see lists of the best Animated Series that we disagree with. So I think it would be interesting what Toon Zone's opinion is. So just post or PM me your Top 10 or Top 20 favorite cartoons. Also, no general Short Films, like Mickey Mouse Shorts or Donald Duck Shorts.
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Toon Zone's Top 50 Animated Shows
- Thread starter Xtal
- Start date
Anna. Baby due 1/8/10
New member
I did this recently over in my blog. So, I'll post my Top Twenty here...
20. Freakazoid
This series was just fun. While it may not have had the shelf life of other Warner Bros cartoons of that era, I still enjoyed it and wish that it lasted longer. Freakazoid was a lot like the Tick, except more of a... freakazoid. Still, how can a series where preventing the bombing of Pearl Harbor would result in Sharon Stone being a good actress not be gold.
19. The Real Ghostbusters
A relic of the 80s, but probably the best written cartoon of that era. It had J. Michael Straczynski (who would go on to create and write "Babylon 5") at the helm. The ghosts and demons were very imaginative, and it even featured one of the best "Christmas episodes" I have ever seen.
18. Looney Tunes
Yes, this should be much higher, but this is my list. These characters have entertained how many generations? Our parents, and even grandparents, grew up with these characters. They still hold up well today, and have inspired countless spin-offs and sequels.
17. Transformers: Animated
I did not expect to like this show. I didn't. Yes, it probably shouldn't be here, but I enjoy the series. It harkens back to the old series, but takes inspiration from the much more recent, and superior, "Beast Wars". Also, Corey Burton portrays the second greatest incarnation of Megatron yet.
16. Batman Beyond
This must have been the easiest pitch ever. Kids WB wanted a younger, teenage Batman. Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett pulled this up out of thin air at that meeting, and were told to go make that show. It turned out well, really well. It's not perfect, but, until a year ago, it was the best Spider-Man cartoon ever.
15. The Tick
If you don't like this show, you have no soul. Why didn't it do well? It appealed more to adults than kids. But hey, that's why I liked it. It deserved to last longer than it did. I think I miss Speak the most. While the later live action series is not as bad as many say, it was no where near as good as this.
14. Superman: The Animated Series
I'll admit, before this series, I was not a fan of Superman. After this series... well, I'm still not. This show was the only time and place (well, this and Justice League) where Superman worked for me. Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor was dream casting, and Darkseid and the legions of Apokolips brought us some of the best episodes. The Superman in this show was truly the most human incarnation. I know the show gets criticized for that, but I liked it.
13. Pinky and the Brain
Narf. Poit. Egad. "One is a genius, the other is insane." Although, re-watching it, it's harder to tell which is which. Gotta love Pinky, and Brain was Charles Foster Kane meets a benevolent Dr. Doom.
12. Darkwing Duck
Superhero parodies seem to be a theme so far, don't they? I love the genre, but recognize just how absurd it really is. Still, I'm surprised how long Disney kept this one on, and even then, it was still canceled too soon. A fun, and flawed antagonist. Some great villains. It was like Batman, if Batman were conceited.
11. South Park
Ah, yes. My weekly dose of Libertarianism. Keep it coming. I tend to find that most of the time, I agree with this show's messages and politics. It aims to piss off everyone, and if it hasn't pissed you off yet, give them time. Also, major kudos to Matt Stone and Trey Parker for exposing Scientology.
10. Justice League
A show with a cast this big should not have worked, but they managed to pull it off. It had a rocky start, but from season two onwards, it was almost the perfect superhero team-up show. Not without it's flaws, they overused Lex Luthor, and I thought that final season with the Legion of Doom was unneeded and unnecessary. But, it was a nice cap to a universe that began in 1992. Quite an achievement, especially in the American animation market.
9. The Venture Bros
Ah, Johnny Quest. That kid was put into all sorts of dangerous situations by his super-scientist father. Now, imagine if Johnny Quest grew up to be a bitter failure constantly living in Dr. Quest's shadow. Meet "Dr." Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture (he's not really a doctor, he dropped out), his two sheltered and stupid sons, Hank and Dean, and their badass, one man army of a bodyguard, Brock Samson. Throw in an arch-enemy, the Monarch, just as pathetic as Rusty, and a Guild of Calamitous Intent led by a shape-shifting David Bowie, and the smartest use of pop culture references in years, and well, you have this show. It's a show about failure. Beautiful, sublime (I love using that word) failure.
8. Beast Wars
Transformers written by writers who gave a damn about plot arcs and character development. A distant sequel set hundreds of years after the Great War between the Autobots and the Decepticons ended. A Megatron who is actually a competent and credible enemy (a master of the Xanatos Gambit) and wants to wipe millions of years of history clean and start over. The CGI is dated, but if you're interested in checking out the Transformers universe. I recommend you start here, and honestly, stop here as well.
7. Berserk
This series is not for everybody. I love it to death, but I always hesitate to recommend this one. It does not sugarcoat the Dark Ages. At all. Torture, torment, suffering, mutilation. It's all there. But, it defies a lot of stereotypes, especially in the character of Griffith. Griffith is intelligent, beautiful, pure, cunning, charismatic, inspirational, and loved by all who follow him. Kind of like an animated Sir Galahad. Oh, and did I mention that in addition to all those things, Griffith is pure evil? The realization that he is hits you like a truck. In contrast, our protagonist, Guts, is dark, dirty, vicious, poorly educated, and is basically a vengeful thug. If you have a high constitution, I recommend this one.
6. Avatar: The Last Airbender
I just got done watching this entire series. I literally saw it over the course of a five day weekend, and it was phenomenal. Like a novel. Epic fantasy at its finest. As "The Lord of the Rings" took iconic aspects of European folklore and created it's own world and mythology, "Avatar" took iconic aspects of Asian folklore and did the same. The character arc for Prince Zuko had to be one of the finest in American animation. But all the characters were well done.
5. Exo-Squad
One of the greatest TV shows that no one remembers. I watch this and can only conclude that no S&P executives knew this show existed. It had balls. This was a World War II allegory, and they didn't dumb it down. Genocide took place, and on screen. And it wasn't aliens or some other fantasy race being exterminated, it was human beings. The antagonist, Phaeton, well, to call him Hitler would not be invoking Godwin's Law. It's finally coming to DVD, and I for one can't wait.
4. The Spectacular Spider-Man
Okay, now with two seasons out of the way, we have probably the second greatest comic book cartoon ever. The animation is stunning. The characters iconic, with well done face lifts for the 21st century. The voice casting has been perfect, and the character arcs great. Every character arc is great, whether it's Peter embracing his destiny as Spider-Man; the mystery of the Green Goblin; to the growth of Flash Thompson. More than any incarnation in decades, this is Spider-Man. Should it last long enough, I expect it to rival "Batman: the Animated Series".
3. Cowboy Bebop
I cannot describe in words the affection I have for this series. I can relate, in some way, to each of the characters. It's like that great, classic album, but animated. The soundtrack is beautiful. The animation is stunning. Spike's battle with Vicious in the cathedral alone is enough to make this a classic, but really, this is just gold. And one of the few exceptions where the English dub is superior to the original Japanese. Spike Spiegal, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed, and Ein... yes I just want to hang out and waste my life with them.
2. Batman: The Animated Series
For me, this will always be my Batman. More so than the movies, more so than the comics. People still talk about this series today, it truly is definitive. Kevin Conroy is Batman, and no one argues about it. While Mark Hamill does have some competition from Heath Ledger, they are both so good, that debate will never be settled. The style of animation was ground breaking. It wasn't hyper detailed like many other previous action shows, but instead, we got actual animation. A classic for the ages.
1. Gargoyles
20. Freakazoid
This series was just fun. While it may not have had the shelf life of other Warner Bros cartoons of that era, I still enjoyed it and wish that it lasted longer. Freakazoid was a lot like the Tick, except more of a... freakazoid. Still, how can a series where preventing the bombing of Pearl Harbor would result in Sharon Stone being a good actress not be gold.
19. The Real Ghostbusters
A relic of the 80s, but probably the best written cartoon of that era. It had J. Michael Straczynski (who would go on to create and write "Babylon 5") at the helm. The ghosts and demons were very imaginative, and it even featured one of the best "Christmas episodes" I have ever seen.
18. Looney Tunes
Yes, this should be much higher, but this is my list. These characters have entertained how many generations? Our parents, and even grandparents, grew up with these characters. They still hold up well today, and have inspired countless spin-offs and sequels.
17. Transformers: Animated
I did not expect to like this show. I didn't. Yes, it probably shouldn't be here, but I enjoy the series. It harkens back to the old series, but takes inspiration from the much more recent, and superior, "Beast Wars". Also, Corey Burton portrays the second greatest incarnation of Megatron yet.
16. Batman Beyond
This must have been the easiest pitch ever. Kids WB wanted a younger, teenage Batman. Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett pulled this up out of thin air at that meeting, and were told to go make that show. It turned out well, really well. It's not perfect, but, until a year ago, it was the best Spider-Man cartoon ever.
15. The Tick
If you don't like this show, you have no soul. Why didn't it do well? It appealed more to adults than kids. But hey, that's why I liked it. It deserved to last longer than it did. I think I miss Speak the most. While the later live action series is not as bad as many say, it was no where near as good as this.
14. Superman: The Animated Series
I'll admit, before this series, I was not a fan of Superman. After this series... well, I'm still not. This show was the only time and place (well, this and Justice League) where Superman worked for me. Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor was dream casting, and Darkseid and the legions of Apokolips brought us some of the best episodes. The Superman in this show was truly the most human incarnation. I know the show gets criticized for that, but I liked it.
13. Pinky and the Brain
Narf. Poit. Egad. "One is a genius, the other is insane." Although, re-watching it, it's harder to tell which is which. Gotta love Pinky, and Brain was Charles Foster Kane meets a benevolent Dr. Doom.
12. Darkwing Duck
Superhero parodies seem to be a theme so far, don't they? I love the genre, but recognize just how absurd it really is. Still, I'm surprised how long Disney kept this one on, and even then, it was still canceled too soon. A fun, and flawed antagonist. Some great villains. It was like Batman, if Batman were conceited.
11. South Park
Ah, yes. My weekly dose of Libertarianism. Keep it coming. I tend to find that most of the time, I agree with this show's messages and politics. It aims to piss off everyone, and if it hasn't pissed you off yet, give them time. Also, major kudos to Matt Stone and Trey Parker for exposing Scientology.
10. Justice League
A show with a cast this big should not have worked, but they managed to pull it off. It had a rocky start, but from season two onwards, it was almost the perfect superhero team-up show. Not without it's flaws, they overused Lex Luthor, and I thought that final season with the Legion of Doom was unneeded and unnecessary. But, it was a nice cap to a universe that began in 1992. Quite an achievement, especially in the American animation market.
9. The Venture Bros
Ah, Johnny Quest. That kid was put into all sorts of dangerous situations by his super-scientist father. Now, imagine if Johnny Quest grew up to be a bitter failure constantly living in Dr. Quest's shadow. Meet "Dr." Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture (he's not really a doctor, he dropped out), his two sheltered and stupid sons, Hank and Dean, and their badass, one man army of a bodyguard, Brock Samson. Throw in an arch-enemy, the Monarch, just as pathetic as Rusty, and a Guild of Calamitous Intent led by a shape-shifting David Bowie, and the smartest use of pop culture references in years, and well, you have this show. It's a show about failure. Beautiful, sublime (I love using that word) failure.
8. Beast Wars
Transformers written by writers who gave a damn about plot arcs and character development. A distant sequel set hundreds of years after the Great War between the Autobots and the Decepticons ended. A Megatron who is actually a competent and credible enemy (a master of the Xanatos Gambit) and wants to wipe millions of years of history clean and start over. The CGI is dated, but if you're interested in checking out the Transformers universe. I recommend you start here, and honestly, stop here as well.
7. Berserk
This series is not for everybody. I love it to death, but I always hesitate to recommend this one. It does not sugarcoat the Dark Ages. At all. Torture, torment, suffering, mutilation. It's all there. But, it defies a lot of stereotypes, especially in the character of Griffith. Griffith is intelligent, beautiful, pure, cunning, charismatic, inspirational, and loved by all who follow him. Kind of like an animated Sir Galahad. Oh, and did I mention that in addition to all those things, Griffith is pure evil? The realization that he is hits you like a truck. In contrast, our protagonist, Guts, is dark, dirty, vicious, poorly educated, and is basically a vengeful thug. If you have a high constitution, I recommend this one.
6. Avatar: The Last Airbender
I just got done watching this entire series. I literally saw it over the course of a five day weekend, and it was phenomenal. Like a novel. Epic fantasy at its finest. As "The Lord of the Rings" took iconic aspects of European folklore and created it's own world and mythology, "Avatar" took iconic aspects of Asian folklore and did the same. The character arc for Prince Zuko had to be one of the finest in American animation. But all the characters were well done.
5. Exo-Squad
One of the greatest TV shows that no one remembers. I watch this and can only conclude that no S&P executives knew this show existed. It had balls. This was a World War II allegory, and they didn't dumb it down. Genocide took place, and on screen. And it wasn't aliens or some other fantasy race being exterminated, it was human beings. The antagonist, Phaeton, well, to call him Hitler would not be invoking Godwin's Law. It's finally coming to DVD, and I for one can't wait.
4. The Spectacular Spider-Man
Okay, now with two seasons out of the way, we have probably the second greatest comic book cartoon ever. The animation is stunning. The characters iconic, with well done face lifts for the 21st century. The voice casting has been perfect, and the character arcs great. Every character arc is great, whether it's Peter embracing his destiny as Spider-Man; the mystery of the Green Goblin; to the growth of Flash Thompson. More than any incarnation in decades, this is Spider-Man. Should it last long enough, I expect it to rival "Batman: the Animated Series".
3. Cowboy Bebop
I cannot describe in words the affection I have for this series. I can relate, in some way, to each of the characters. It's like that great, classic album, but animated. The soundtrack is beautiful. The animation is stunning. Spike's battle with Vicious in the cathedral alone is enough to make this a classic, but really, this is just gold. And one of the few exceptions where the English dub is superior to the original Japanese. Spike Spiegal, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ed, and Ein... yes I just want to hang out and waste my life with them.
2. Batman: The Animated Series
For me, this will always be my Batman. More so than the movies, more so than the comics. People still talk about this series today, it truly is definitive. Kevin Conroy is Batman, and no one argues about it. While Mark Hamill does have some competition from Heath Ledger, they are both so good, that debate will never be settled. The style of animation was ground breaking. It wasn't hyper detailed like many other previous action shows, but instead, we got actual animation. A classic for the ages.
1. Gargoyles
Words cannot describe the love I have for this series. Yes, I am biased. Very biased. But it just hit all the right notes. Beautiful animation, great characters, storytelling on a level not seen before or since in American animation. It didn't just create some great adventure stories with fun characters, an entire mythology was weaved into a beautiful tapestry here. It was a technical and a creative achievement, and I don't think we're ever going to get another series quite like it. A shame that, although it was popular, it remains an underrated masterpiece.
South Jersey
New member
I've done something like this before on another forum (For something completely different) but it ended up working great. And I've thought about the Top 20 rule, I've decided that the points won't change, but you can still send up to 20 if you want to give support to more than 10 shows.
Mary Rashelle
New member
- Simpsons
- Mupppet Babies
- Family Guy
- American Dad
- ATHF
- Home Movies
- Venture Brothers
- Frisky Dingo
- Harvey Birdman
- The Critic
- Daria
- SeaLab 2021
- Dr Katz
- King of the Hill
- Futurama
- Anamanaics / Pinky and the Brain
- Boondocks
- Morel Orel
- Inspector Gadget
- Scooby Doo
- Garfield / US Acres
- South Park
- Flintstones
- Transformers
- G I Joe
- Jetsons
- Smurfs
- Rocko's Modern life
- Hey Arnold
- Ren and Stimpy
- Garfield / US Acres
- TMNT
- Super Friends
- The Tick
- Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers
- Goof Troop
- Looney Toons
- Merri Melodies
- Tail Spin
- He Man
- Shirt Tails
- Spongebob
Nicki :] ox
New member
Yeah, it was hard to PM my favorite shows.
Either way though, I did get it done and it is PMed. But do I also have to post them too?
Either way though, I did get it done and it is PMed. But do I also have to post them too?
jimmyjac59
New member
Believe me it was hard to choose. (might be edited later on)
1. Animaniacs
2. Tiny toon Adventures
3. The Simpsons
4. Sponebob Sqaurepants
5. The Ren and Stimpy show
6. Yogi bear
7. Lucky star
8. The Flintstones
9. The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
10. Darkwing Duck
1. Animaniacs
2. Tiny toon Adventures
3. The Simpsons
4. Sponebob Sqaurepants
5. The Ren and Stimpy show
6. Yogi bear
7. Lucky star
8. The Flintstones
9. The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
10. Darkwing Duck
Here I come
New member
10. King of the Hill
9. Sailor Moon
8. Simpsons
7. Lucky Star
6. InuYasha
5. Death Note
4. Elfen Lied
3. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
2. Avatar
1. Code Geass
I'll explain my reasoning later.
9. Sailor Moon
8. Simpsons
7. Lucky Star
6. InuYasha
5. Death Note
4. Elfen Lied
3. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
2. Avatar
1. Code Geass
I'll explain my reasoning later.
29 below 7
New member
this has potential to turn into a list thread.
I'm afraid I can't do that, it would be kind of unfair to just double someone's nominations.
Sorry, no short films since they don't technically count as a show. They'd be at the top of my list though.
Yeah, I'm aware but it was a list thread in the Anime forum and it was fine so I imagine that this will be ok. Still, I'd prefer that people who want to explain their picks post and the ones who don't send a PM.
Sorry, no short films since they don't technically count as a show. They'd be at the top of my list though.
Yeah, I'm aware but it was a list thread in the Anime forum and it was fine so I imagine that this will be ok. Still, I'd prefer that people who want to explain their picks post and the ones who don't send a PM.
Josh Timmons
New member
When are the top fifty going to be released?
Gavins Mommy
New member
What does "narf" mean?
You are being watched!
New member
It's like a "POIT!" Or sort of a "ZORT!"
kid u dont kno
New member
When I get enough votes to where someone could have put a show in first place and still not have it make the Top 50. (If that makes sense) If that happens soon, then I'll let it go for a while to get more accurate results.
Mary Rashelle
New member
Troz!