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My Top 10 Favorite (Western) Cartoons

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I thought about this list for awhile. I think I'll do a cartoon list, then an anime list, and then a Best TV Shows in general list. 

#1: Avatar: The Last Airbender 

Yeah, yeah. Everyone and their grandmother has told you about how great this show was. So I'm just gonna be THAT guy and put it at #1. But seriously, why not? 

This show has a little something for everyone. It has a sprawling storyline across the entire universe, timeless themes like PTSD and anti-violence, and great cast chemistry. The element bending was a great concept. The fact that it uses actual martial arts was even better. 

Sozin's Comet is still my favorite series finale. It was grandiose and sets everything as it should go. I didn't have a problem with the Lion-Turtle. There was buildup and logic. I knew Aang would never kill anyone. 

Korra was fine, but not quite this good. Avatar is still my favorite cartoon of all-time.

#2: Star Wars Clone Wars (2003) 

OK this might be pushing the rules a bit. The episodes in the first season were six minutes long, I know. But since there were multiple seasons and the last one got the full thirty-minute timeslot, I'm counting it. 

I consider this to be Tartakovsky's magnum opus. These were better than all three much reviled prequels combined, and emphasized all of Genndy's trademarks in the Star Wars world. Most episodes contain little or no dialogue, giving attention to the great animation and soundtrack. 

This also provided a fluid transition into Episode III. I was the only one in the theater who knew what was happening at the beginning because it starts right where Clone Wars ends. This is a fair treatment of General Grievous also. He gets more than thirty minutes of screentime and we see why he has asthma. I remember jumping out of my computer chair seeing this guy for the first time.  

I didn't think much of the '08 Clone Wars. The art style was iffy and the stories were boring. Except Cad Bane; he was cool! Nonetheless, this is my Clone Wars and will remain my favorite Star Wars Expanded Universe work. 

#3: Rocky and Bullwinkle 

I'm going old school here. My parents were Cold War kids, so they had all the VHS tapes and the first season on DVD. You bet I grew up with it! Some of the satire is a little dated, but there is just a certain wit that still holds up. Bullwinkle is dumb without being too much of a jerk, the villains are funny, and the lame puns at the end always gets a laugh.

And of course where would this show be without the side characters? Fractured Fairy Tales is like HISHE before it existed; taking fairy tale plotholes and running with them. Aesop and Son is basically the same thing but with Aesop Fables. Dudley Do-Right is a great homage to silent films. But the best one is Peabody and Sherman! These two are so funny in their desecration of history and bouncing off one-another. Again, it always ends in a terrible pun, but it's so funny! 

What I really love is how Rocky and Bullwinkle are talking animals and nobody has a problem with it. Regular show makes a bit more sense since animals and people live side by side, but here they are the ONLY talking animals and nobody screams "OMG a talking moose in my store!" That's cartoon logic for ya.  

#4: Samurai Jack

Samurai Jack is a Lovecraftian horror story put to cartoon form. 

What I mean by that is it has an abstract villain, themes of nihilism (the futility of man's effort), and hopelessness all in one show. Jack and the viewer know he can never win, but the show must go on as Jack struggles to get by. 

What I really like is how there is a story, but the episodes are mostly self-contained. You could watch Demongo and Jack Remembers the Past out of order and not miss a thing. This is one of the few shows I think has no duds and each episode introduces a great new fantasy concept as a challenge for Jack. 

#5: Invader Zim 

Y'know how Doug Walker said he was jealous of Spirited Away for its ingenuity and how he wished he could've made it. That's kind of how I feel about Invader Zim. 

This is so dark and so absurd, but it tells a different take and is so different from most cartoons. There is no one villain. Zim is a protagonist, but he isn't really a good guy. And Dib wants to bust him but he's far from a villain himself. They both are losers and the world hates them. That was so original. I feel kinda bad this had to be toned down for kids. Imagine what it would have been like if it were an adult cartoon as Jhonen planned. 

It is pretty funny! GIR is an idiot sidekick done very well. He never outstays his welcome and his stupidity is actually pretty charming at times. Also, try encorporating more Zim-isms into your everyday dialogue. Try making words longer than they should be and making specific denials. 

This is the glory of the show! A satire of alien invasion that makes fools of us all. 

#6: Animaniacs

Looney Tunes for the current generation? Yes, but so much more too! 

It redefined classic cartoons and modernized the concept. Looney Tunes are outdated; the torch had to be passed to the Warners. The Warners have the same laid back attitude and approach as their forefathers, but also satirize '90s celebrity culture and less-than-notable trends in media with a timeless touch. And of the ten on the list, I think this has the best soundtrack. 

It may seem sacreligious to say this, but I kinda want to see a reboot. The old stuff is fine, but it has started to show age. We came a long way in twenty years, and I think the Warners should come back and comment on how far we came. Or maybe they should create new characters and put them in the same scenarios. 

This one was held back only because it never was knock-my-socks-off brilliant! The Top Five all had a larger "Holy Crud!" Rating. 

#7: Teen Titans

Teen Titans was a fun show from start to finish. 

You probably sensed a theme on the list of cast chemistry. My goodness is this a shining example. They are all funny, memorable, and distinct. My favorite, though, was never on the team. Terra is possibly the best cartoon character ever written. She has emotional depth, weight on her actions, and is a surprisingly believeable teen character. Way to go writers! 

Though it was silly, this show knew how to take itself seriously and when to quiet down. The most tense episodes are among the best in all of cartoons! My only gripe is the Judas Contract. I think they should've gone further to show the full consequences. They probably weren't allowed to go that far, but it really negates the emotional impact of the Terra story. 

So what puts this show above its cousin justice League? Mostly the characters, but i also love me some old-school Looney Tunes humor, which this was rife with. Do NOT get me started on Teen Titans Go. Just...Don't! 

#8: Justice League

Maybe i was too young to get into it when it was new, but Justice League is one of those shows that gets better with age. It was an epic war story with high stakes and faithful portrayals of heroes. 

The one I remember best was the one where they go back in time to win WWII. Time travel holds a place in my heart. I even sat through that fustercluck Terminator 3 because of the Time Travel. 

That's the kind of show this is. A show that doesn't tone anything down and builds an epic story around familiar characters. Its influence can be seen on other projects and is still respected today for good reason. 

DC Animated DVDS are technically not related, but I like Crisis on Two Earths and consider it the Justice League movie. Forget Nolan and Snyder, this show is the best DC project for now. 

#9: Gravity Falls 

I think this is my favorite TV show currently airing, animated or otherwise. It has TWO seasons as of this writing, so I put it on the list. 

A big part of what made the show work is all the attention to detail. This is one of those interactive shows that asks you solve the mystery yourself. I try to play along and follow the story, but all the little hints fly by so fast I cannot keep up. The characters are all fantastic. Mabel is like looking in a mirror.

Props to Disney of all networks giving this a chance. The black comedy and adult stuff might have gotten WatchMojo hate, but that's part of what makes the show good that Disney let it all slide. A show with such twists and turns demands repeat viewings and can be enjoyed by any detail seekers.

#10: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic 

You all saw this one coming. My profile pic is even a pony. Pony just does a lot right when it comes to making a good show. It's like Powerpuff Girls and all the other Faust shows built up to having this. The team dynamic is great. The Flash is some of the best I've seen on television. The stories are well-made and never talk down to the audience. This is a textbook example of taking something that sounded stupid on paper and making it something beautiful! 

So why isn't it higher? Two years ago it might have been, but I started to experience a bit of burnout. I liked the last season, but I'm like, "okay, it's good. Let's be done here".  I was also never a rabbid fanboy like some Bronies. I was just a guy who watched the show and may have dabbled in fanart. 


Honorable Mentions:

Simpsons is a show I respect more than I like, though I do enjoy it.

Futurama, Adventure Time, and Regular Show just barely missed the cut.

Spongebob was too hit-or-miss, though I considered including it.

I like Wakfu, South Park, and Aqua Teen a lot, but not quite enough to make this list.

Metalocalypse is fine, but didn't really hit "greatness" until about the last season.

Over the Garden Wall is a miniseries, therefore ineligible (If it were, it would be about #8).

I don't consider anthologies of shorts like Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry actual shows.  They'd easily win if I did include them. 

MarcosLucky96 made this template. 
 
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ChuckKopsho's avatar
I would add two to this list. "Star vs. the Forces of Evil," and "Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero." Both shows have their different sense of comedy. Star is a princess from another dimension who lives with an Earth family to better train to use of a magic wand which was bequeathed to her from her mother the queen of Mewni, Star's home dimension. The humor is over-the-top but bearable.

As for Penn, he's your average high school guy, but has a second life as a part-time-hero. He has two other schoolmates who join him on his adventures. One is Sashi Kobayashi, an asian girl whose Penn's sidekick. The second is Boone Wiseman who advises him on his trips to many dimensions. There are two others.  One is named Rippen, he's Penn's art teacher who's a Part-Time-Villain who's Penn's adversary. The second is Principal Larry who's Rippens Part-Time-Minion. Larry's the principal of Penn's school. He's loyal to Rippen, but isn't evil, he just follows along. Overall, it's a rather well-done production with lots-of-heart.