Cartoons in the 2010s decade was a wild ride. This was a return of a large cast of characters and inventiveness. Never before has there been a decade where cartoons appealed to all audiences. Adults were paying attention to the new shows as much as the children were making ‘target demographic’ just a phase than a necessity. Writers of these shows know that they can no longer afford to make self-contained stories in each episode but instead maintain consistency. Sure it puts in a lot of effort on the studios’ resources but it benefits most to an audience that prefers continuity. Expectations for an animated show has never been this demanding but yet it brings artistic integrity among animators to meet longevity. Cartoons have always remained cartoons and predictions from last decade have subverted. What we used to believe is the death of 2D animation, everything is turning into 3D, adult animated programs are the only ones that live the longest turned into a wrong opinion. Cartoons have never been this exciting to watch where everything is a new material, not an extension of old franchises that we’ve seen before. This is proof that audiences are willing to get out of their comfort zone and try new things. The old ways of the 1980s toy commercialism have now transformed into wonderful storytelling to those who demand escapism from reality. And these are the ten animated programs that did just that!
Number 10. – Star vs. The Forces of Evil
Star Vs The Forces of Evil is different from most other cartoons aimed at girls. At first, you might not see why—the main protagonist is called Star Butterfly, a super enthusiastic teen who loves rainbows, unicorns, pink and kicking butt. StarVsFoE is only the second Disney TV Animation to be created by a woman in seventeen years, Daron Nefcy. The show has stylised and distinctive artwork, it’s like Japanese and Western animation went to the same party, hit it off and ended up in a wardrobe together. After fumbling around for half an hour of fun times, the resulting tryst included a lost bra, a watch that no longer works, and nine months later StarVsFoE. It never lets go of it’s girl-focused cuteness and the show is filled with puppies (firing lasers from their eyes), butterflies, bunnies, rainbows and hearts. Even the colour palette leans towards the pastel side; it’s everything that makes up the traditional pink-fluffy-princess trope crossed with Sailor Moon. The real difference is that Star Butterfly is never helpless, she runs headlong into danger to protect her friends or her wand. She’s both brave and flawed, as she has no clue what she’s doing and her impulsive enthusiasm seems to create nearly as many problems as it solves. It’s really cool to see a girl who is into cuteness and rainbows also kick-ass and enjoy it. StarVsFoE isn’t as complex as Adventure Time or Steven Universe, and I don’t think it will be, either. I hope it adds more depth by delving more into the characters and their emotions more, as well as the backstory of Mewni and Olga’s reform school. If you like Wander Over Yonder (which also involved Daron Nefcy), Sailor Moon, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe or the high energy randomness of Zim, then you really should try out StarVsFoE. It also has perhaps the best opening theme ever.
Number 9. – Ducktales
The New DuckTales Is A Perfect Example Of How Today’s Cartoons Are The Best They Have Ever Been. Comparing the TV movie that serves as the pilot for the new DuckTales to the first few episodes in the 1987 run is an interesting exercise, since the new show lifts the essentials from that story, while still being different enough in the details to be engaging. Scrooge still takes on the role of watching Huey, Dewey and Louie very reluctantly. They still take to adventuring with gusto. Even a number of the same old villains from the first arc pop up again. What has changed a lot is the characterisation. The new show has synthesised the original show with some bits of the comics, while still coming up with its own version of the characters. Mrs Beakley has gone from her more standard matronly character to a deadpan badarse, for example. Webby has gone from just being “the girl” to someone who is such a fan of Scrooge’s that she’s memorised all his adventures and has spent a fair bit of her life preparing to go on adventures. She’s still very upbeat, but it comes from a place rooted in knowledge. (Launchpad McQuack has regressed to being even weirder than his original incarnation, and he’s so out there it’s kind of amazing.) The biggest changes, however, come in the form of Scrooge McDuck and the nephews. Is the 2017 DuckTales as transcendent a piece of animation as, say, Steven Universe or Avatar? No. It’s aimed a very young audience with an added number of references and Easter eggs for the parents who watched the original show to enjoy. But it’s an extremely smart update that knows exactly what to keep and what to change. And most of all, the new DuckTales is emblematic of the larger trend of children’s animation getting more serialised and more emotionally honest. It’s mostly still made up of jokes and good, fun action, but adopting some of the newer animation trends have made this DuckTales even better than it was before.
Number 8. – BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman has been proof that the best shows take time to grow, even in a streaming-dominated era where the sheer volume of content released from week to week has led to an obsession with the new. When it launched in 2014, Netflix was still relatively new to the original programming game, and its initial successes – House of Cards, Orange is the New Black – were the kind of dense, addictive dramas familiar from prestige cable channels like HBO (Mad Men, Girls) or AMC (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead). On paper, a crudely illustrated cartoon set in Hollywood about an alcoholic, depressed horse actor (voiced by Will Arnett), with a supporting cast of anthropomorphic animals, however, seemed like something is thrown together in the eleventh hour of a brainstorm. But over time, it has grown in confidence and scope, while getting the knives out, particularly, for Hollywood – known in the show as ‘Hollywood’ – and the broken systems supporting the world of celebrity. Come its second season, BoJack Horseman was hailed as ambitious and audacious – and since then its creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg has used it to delve into hot-button subjects from gun legislation to women’s reproductive rights and dementia. The star of the show is an alcoholic and depressive horse, voiced by Arrested Development’s Will Arnett, whose character is struggling to come to terms with the fact that his fame as the star of a ‘90s sitcom is over. With its repertoire of black comedy that delves into topics such as addiction, self-destruction, and abuse, BoJack Horseman has been called one of the most “emotionally ambitious” shows on television.
Number 7. – Archer
Sterling Archer, as a sex-addicted and alcoholic parody of James Bond in a vaguely Cold War era. Since then, the spy series has experimented with different styles of animation and fictional universes altogether, with the 10th season set to take place in space. The series is known for its obscure cultural references, which span literary devices to world history. The main reason that Archer is so impressive and captivates audiences is its humor, each of their characters has a different sense of humor, Sterling Archer is the satirical-esque humor, Cheryl has more of an insane type of humor and both Malory and Cyril are the ‘straight man/woman’ in the cast. The different types of humor creates an hilarious dynamic where each cast member’s humor jumps off each other which leads to an great sense of chemistry between the cast, which leads to more laughs for the viewers as well as more investment in the viewers for each character, as even if you do not like one character, you don’t want them to leave to break up that great dynamic between the team. Archer also benefits from having actual continuity, whereas in shows such as Family Guy where you’ll only see select events from 1 in 10 episodes be added to actual continuity, almost every episode in ‘ARCHER’ adds a piece to their continuity which leads to fans being invested in the ongoing story and wanting to see what the outcome will be. Having a continuity in an animated series is rare to see sometimes so it is a breath of fresh air to see it in ‘ARCHER’ alongside how it helps to benefit the character growth in the show.
Number 6. – Bob’s Burgers
Between the two shows that starred H. Jon Benjamin’s voice acting, it’s a tough call but I think his role as Bob is a better performance than heard from Archer. While The Simpsons lost its way by garnering towards to commercialization, celebrity guests, and all the awfulness that sitcoms fall into, Bob’s Burgers contained itself since day one. After all the nonsensical referencing and poor writing we’ve seen from the adult animation, Bob’s Burgers didn’t allow itself to let go for the sake of comedic integrity. Unlike many adult cartoons, Bob’s Burgers doesn’t rely on shock comedy or crude humor to entertain its audience. In fact, the show has never used a word that needed to be censured by the network. Don’t get me wrong though, this show is just as funny as its animated counterparts. The difference? Bob’s Burgers humor comes from its well-developed characters and its perfect blend of family and workplace comedy. Whether it’s Bob and his love of cheesy puns, Tina and her pubescent awkwardness and obsession with butts, Gene’s youthful wisdom and passion for everything, or Louise and her perfectly timed one-liners, this show definitely knows how to produce a laugh. Between the lovable but unquestionably “off” Belcher family, it’s quirky recurring characters, and the relatable problems everyone puts themselves into, Bob’s Burgers has proven to be a refreshing take on what’s seen as a stereotypical genre. Adult cartoons are some of my favorite shows on TV, specifically because they have no qualms with crossing any lines and offending people. Bob’s Burgers, however, is expanding the genre and showing they can attract a wide range of fans. Parents should have no problem watching this with their kids. As long as the writing stays crisp this show can continue its long and successful run.
Number 5. – Adventure Time
Far more than ‘a cartoon for adults’, Pendleton Ward’s series somehow made a simple story about a child and a dog relentlessly compelling. Adventure Time is the very cartoon that could possibly be the identity of 2010s cartoons for all the right reasons. Cartoon Network was at its all time worst when starting to air ‘live-action’ shows and cartoon programming that are so annoying that it was this close to ear-bleed. Adventure Time was a show that Cartoon Network needed to give the network back its ‘real’ cartoon identity. Adventure Time was very good at subversion and allowed it to perform its greatest trick: Revealing that this magical land of Ooo isn’t an alternate dimension that Finn fell into or some far-off distant place, but, rather, it’s Earth. Our Earth. The entire time we never realized that really we were watching a kid’s version of a post-apocalypse, one filled with candy people and Arthurian tropes. It was a brilliant move that totally re-contextualized the series into something entirely more interesting and convoluted. It was never hard to watch, but the show’s emotional complexity never made it particularly easy. To watch it back as an adult is to dredge up all the weird feelings of inarticulate alienation and confusion that you have long put behind you, so God knows how it must have felt to actually grow up alongside Finn. I suspect we will find out quickly enough; I wouldn’t be surprised if, as with Harry Potter, an entire generation of young adults will soon unfurl their devotion to Adventure Time, swearing their loyalty to the characters that helped them through a difficult time.
Number 4. – Steven Universe
If there’s anyone out there who still thinks cartoons are only for children, they simply haven’t been paying attention. Even discounting adult-oriented shows like Rick & Morty and Bojack Horseman, the animated spectrum of television has never been more appealing to older audiences than it is now. Smart, appealing animated shows must toe the line between creating a world that children can understand while still remaining interesting to people who expect more substance in their entertainment, and shows like Star Wars Rebels, We Bare Bears, and Adventure Time all do this wonderfully.Steven Universe tells the story of Steven, a half-human, half-alien boy whose extraterrestrial lineage comes through his mother, a warrior named Rose Quartz who fought thousands of years in the past to free Earth from her own planet’s rule. In the absence of his mother (she gave up her corporeal form in order to give birth to Steven…it’s a whole thing), he is raised by both his human father Greg and a trio of aliens called the Crystal Gems, who themselves fought alongside Rose to free the earth. The most impressive thing about Steven Universe, however, is also what makes it a remarkable watch for older audiences: its dedication to worldbuilding. While the show begins on a seemingly small scale with stories of Steven’s everyday life in Beach City, throwaway lines, songs, and minor plot points snowball into stunning, macro-level reveals about the world of the Gems that as much fun to sleuth out as they are to be surprised with.
Number 3. – Gravity Falls
Just when you thought that Disney’s animation department is creatively bankrupt, this show managed to reinvent the wheel for cartoon programming. Centres on twins Dipper and Mabel Pines’ summer vacation with their Great Uncle Stan in a remote woodland town where bizarre events routinely take place. The Pines twins encounter all these mysteries while chasing a journal that seems to hold the key to understanding the town. In the process, they learn several life-lessons (like: Be Yourself, Forgive and Forget and Don’t Sell Your Soul to Tyrannical Triangles Hellbent on Armageddon). Gravity Falls is a nice blend of Adventure Time, The Simpsons and Twin Peaks. However, what makes Gravity Falls stand out is autobiographical it is (which seems weird to say about a show that features fictitious creatures and defying laws of physics). But its true — Gravity Falls draws heavily upon creator Alex Hirsch’s childhood summers spent in Oregon. As a result, its themes feel relatable, and not always in a jolly way. Don’t let the show’s sunny exterior fool you — some episodes end brutally, with betrayals, misunderstandings and characters not getting what they want. With its odd blend of fantasy, comedy and coming-of-age drama, it’s unsurprising that Gravity Falls has developed a cult following. The biggest sign of Gravity Falls’ impact might be its influence on the next generation of cartoons. You can see its imprint all over the current slew of brightly-coloured cartoons featuring fantastic adventures and believable drama. Gravity Falls lives on in Steven Universe, Star vs the Forces of Evil, and even in some ways Rick and Morty. The show might be over, but the closing lines of the final episode suggest that its magic might not be quite gone: “It’s out there, somewhere in the woods. Waiting.”
Number 2. – Rick and Morty
This is without a doubt the most exciting programming on television. Rick and Morty‘s biggest accomplishment will have to be its never-ending amount of creativity. This is one of those rare shows where each and every episode is a must-watch for its sheer creativity and outrageous outcomes. Just when you thought that a setting where all the Ricks and Mortys from different universes lived among together (“The Ricklantis Mixup”) couldn’t get any better, there come a bunch more episodes of unseen territories that only South Park wishes to achieve. Unlike so many other adult animated shows, Rick and Morty broke so many trends that we want out from your typical Simpsons’ influence. I think science fiction writers of today forget that the sci-fi genre is supposed to have endless possibilities and for this show to bring back that exciting feeling is what we needed most after all the franchise rehash as of late. And despite how crude, violent, and dark Rick and Morty sometimes get, what makes this show so alien to watch is for just simply being ‘human’ oddly enough. Instead of starring a character who’s a fat, loath of a father that has a heart of gold, the show stars Rick, a physicist that knows everything ends up being the most flawed character ever seen on television. Knowledge is power but it brings out the worst attitude towards those they see as beneath them. Then there’s his grandson Morty who has a mental disability, burdened by his dysfunctional family and school life that prefers to join Rick on his adventures as his best friend. This ‘Back to the Future’ dynamic is what keeps us coming back to this show, despite how many times we’ve already seen these episodes. A hallmark of any good animated series is the expansive, anything-can-happen universe of infinite possibilities. Rick and Morty take that concept and kicks it into twelfth gear. The show takes a cue from Futurama being obsessively reverent to science and science fiction while working through all sorts of different genres. Predicting where the show will go next feels almost impossible. Rick and Morty is an amazing series that feels like it has raised the bar on what is possible in an animated series becoming the ultimate trailblazer of cartoon inventiveness.
Number 1. – Over the Garden Wall
A short-lived show that draws so many influences all at once yet become escapism like no other. How does something this artistic and serious ever get released on Cartoon Network or any dead-brained television network is a rarity. Though characters like Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice being lovable and memorable characters, the real character is the setting itself; “The Land of the Unknown.” Not since Gotham City has there been a setting that has so much uniqueness that it is a character of its own. With the mixture of fall colors and old-fashioned Americana, never has there been a show that has such raw aesthetics. Within 10 episodes nothing animated felt so chilling with atmosphere and warm at heart. With all the bizarre situations popping out in nearly every episode, it somehow becomes the best televised Halloween special of all time. Over the Garden Wall is very much classic storytelling tradition that once was lost but now found and reinvented. What makes Over the Garden Wall still talked about to this very day is how much it used its imagination and left a lot of imagining (the “show don’t tell” approach). Still to this day I get into conversations debating about the show’s ending and what was real and what wasn’t. But at the end, what really matters is how creepy this the adventure is from the anti-whispers to the costumed skeletons of Pottersfield are only seen as the tip of the iceberg. Despite being kid-friendly it is actually horror. People forget that many children like being scared and watching this show bring me the feeling that I haven’t felt since watching children movies of the 1980s. Over the Garden Wall very much follows the original fairytales where the material and references are just as disturbing from Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. And not only that, every one of those 10 episodes of Over the Garden Wall has its own identity. This is something that I can’t say for many shows out there but it certainly does make experiencing the show refreshing and worth going back to. It also making analyzing the show become awe-inspiring. Just like how we see this story change so does the style on each episode. So many shows on television try so hard to be over-the-top and loud as possible, but Over the Garden Wall shows nothing but respect towards its audience; one that’s both melancholy and thoughtful.
The Top Lister 