Klasky Csupo Robot Nickelodeon 2004 Again
From "The Flintstones" to "BoJack Horseman," animation serves up an incredible assortment of excellent, wide-ranging stories.
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[Editor'southward Note: The below piece was originally published on November twenty, 2018. Information technology has been expanded from the 50 greatest animated series of all time to the 65 greatest as of March 3, 2022.]
Evaluating animated TV can be tricky. Not just is animation a medium that crosses a broad range of genres, only and then many of our earliest memories in front end of a screen are tied to an animated series, short, or special, and that impermeable nostalgia can be difficult to penetrate with typical critical tools like reason, logic, and other objective criteria. Some shows merely click. They striking at the right fourth dimension and capture a blossoming imagination. When it comes to ranking animated series, you're not simply analyzing TV shows. You're critiquing childhoods.
Of class, animation is besides one of the more expansive TV subsets, with dozens of different tones and styles that brand comparisons often feel similar apples and oranges. At that place are cartoons, anime, short films, brusque series, curt films turned into short series, web series, adult-oriented animation, and that'southward earlier excavation into all the individual genres, like old school slapstick comedies (a la "The Flintstones") all the way up to the ever-more than-popular dramatic animated serial (including "BoJack Horseman").
With all that in mind, animation needs a little extra commemoration. Animated series can exist dismissed just because and then many viewers see the medium equally less substantial than anything washed in live-activity, thus eliminating even the all-time of the bunch from discussions of TV's elite programs. That'due south a damn shame, so to assist remind everyone of the genre's extensive impact and utmost significance, the IndieWire staff has put together a list of the Pinnacle fifty animated serial of all-fourth dimension.
Honed from a listing of more than than 100 programs, the below ranking still but illustrates a sliver of the storytelling multifariousness animation has captured over the final century. Seek out what you haven't seen and remember fondly those you have. Animation is a genre for all ages and all stories, no matter when you're able to first watching.
Steve Greene, Kristen Lopez, Liz Shannon Miller, Michael Schneider, Jeff Stone, and Christian Zilko contributed to this list.
Courtesy Everett Collection
65. "Regular Show"
By the time "Regular Show" fabricated its debut on Cartoon Network in 2010, the animated slacker comedy was already well-worn territory. Information technology was no longer enough to place characters in increasingly weird situations while they avoided work at all costs—y'all had to do something exceptional to stand out. Fortunately, "Regular Show" did just that, constantly finding ways to cram more laughs into its xi-minute episodes than many competitors could fit into 22. Mordecai and Rigby are lazy, to be sure, but rather than the callous cynicism of "Beavis and Butthead" or the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," there was a sincerity to them that lent a caste of sympathy to their bizarre misadventures. Combine that with a superb cast of supporting characters, including the charmingly delusional Pops and the brilliantly inane How-do-you-do Five Ghost, and you lot get an innuendo-packed show that simply got funnier as its 8-yr run went on. —CZ
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64. "Robot Chicken"
"Robot Chicken," Seth Greene and Matthew Senreich's twisted piece of pop culture pastiche, is undeniably the best piece of art ever adapted from a magazine nearly collecting activity figures. The stop-motility sketch show constantly mines the depths of almost-forgotten childhood media to create an absurdist collage that mixes the sacred (at to the lowest degree, sacred to viewers who grew upward with these characters) with the utterly profane, providing an countless stream of rewards to the television receiver addicts who stay up late plenty to watch information technology on Adult Swim. Fueled by a unique visual style that uses recognizable toys as puppets for stop-motion antics, "Robot Craven" has been able to rising in a higher place the multitude of other adult cartoons that lampoon pop civilization and grow into a unique voice that'south all its ain. —CZ
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63. "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist"
Ane of the greatest things about adult blitheness is the genre'southward ability to constantly find new means to repurpose preexisting footage to create something new. In the case of "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist," that meant turning stand up-upwardly comedy bits into therapy sessions. The prove follows a laid-back therapist who frequently treats glory clients, often just sitting back and listening while each patient vents. Those lengthy, cathartic rants, of grade, are often real stand-up routines performed by the celebrity guests, and each episode invites viewers to appreciate the healing power of comedy. The sessions are interspersed between scenes from Dr. Katz's charmingly mundane life, and the serial that was intended every bit no-budget content for cable nonetheless holds up to this mean solar day. —CZ
Courtesy Everett Drove / Everett Collection
62. "Tuca & Bertie"
Expectations were understandably high when Lisa Hanawalt — the artist, producer, and production designer y'all can give thanks for the world of "BoJack Horseman" — branched out and created her own prove. The result, "Tuca & Bertie," keeps much of the distinct await that made the animal world of "BoJack" then memorable but succeeds by pushing its boundaries into brilliant new directions and finding a narrative phonation uniquely its own. The show stars Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong as Tuca and Birdie, a toucan and a songbird who live in the same apartment building while they try to navigate challenges of adulthood together. While non equally dark as "BoJack," Hanawalt'southward deft touch allows the Adult Swim serial to bounciness between zany B-plots (like Steven Yeun'south character, Speckle, sleepwalking his way to 10,000 steps) and moving revelations nigh each of the two best bird friends. The consequence is an unforgettable cartoon that has no problem stepping out of the shadows of its predecessor to tell a compelling story well-nigh developed friendships. —CZ
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61. "The Legend of Korra"
Making a follow upward to "Avatar: The Last Airbender" was no like shooting fish in a barrel task, but "The Legend of Korra" has just grown in esteem since its 2012 debut. Continuing to exist in a world where sure people tin can "bend" the elements, "The Legend of Korra" follows a reincarnation of Aang, the eponymous terminal Airbender from the original series. The sequel maintains the fantastical elements of the original series that fans dearest then much, while introducing complex themes and real social commentary. While much of its audience was inevitably going to be adults who grew up watching the original series, the prove keeps them interested with added depth without e'er straying from its mandate to create a compelling show for children. "The Legend of Korra" remained accessible to everyone throughout its iv-year run, and moments similar its delineation of a aforementioned-sex romance proved that even animation aimed at children yet had vital, untapped capacity in the 21st century. —CZ
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threescore. "Aqua Teen Hunger Force"
"Aqua Teen Hunger Force" may not be the best evidence Developed Swim has ever produced, merely no series offers a amend illustration of the network's aesthetic. While Adult Swim's earliest offerings repurposed old cartoon footage to create new stories, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" took the idea of washed-upwards pop civilisation figures living in television purgatory to its logical conclusion. Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad are anthropomorphic fast-food mascots who literally and figuratively bladder through life without a purpose, hovering above the ground equally they fill their endless days with meaningless surreal antics. From its grungy animation style to its empty globe where nothing always changes, the nihilistic stoner comedy is an unapologetic beloved letter of the alphabet to half-assing it through life. The perfect show for a network that made its proper name by putting in less endeavor than anyone else. Or, at least, by appearing that way. —CZ
Lucasfilm
59. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"
After the success of "Samurai Jack" and "Dexter's Laboratory," Genndy Tartakovsky had zippo left to prove in blitheness. Just that didn't stop him from taking on his most daunting claiming withal: creating a "Star Wars" cartoon for Lucasfilm. A show like "Clone Wars" was ever going to have high expectations, which were not helped by the fact that its original run coincided with the rollout of the divisive prequel trilogy. But Tartakovsky rose to the occasion, and the consequence is a visually stunning bear witness that can go toe-to-toe with the most stunning sequences from his by classics. To this twenty-four hours, information technology remains one of the virtually respected entries in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. —CZ
Adult Swim
58. "Primal"
Genndy Tartakovsky consistently pushes the boundaries of what is possible in blitheness, never content to residual on his laurels, and this dialogue-free relate of an unlikely human-dinosaur partnership proves to be a feat of elemental storytelling. Depicting the ruthlessness of nature, "Central" is encarmine, unsparing, and frequently quite terrifying. Spear and Fang are just trying to survive, but Tartakovsky'southward tale makes fourth dimension to build an authentic human relationship betwixt the odd couple, all while adhering to their wordless bond. The 10-episode serial marries its story to its craft; only as the people and creatures trying to stay alive in this globe must make do with what's available, Tartakovsky must utilize his vast understanding of blitheness to tell a articulate, compulsive, and moving story through visual linguistic communication and stirring sound. "Fundamental" may take place in prehistoric times, merely it speaks with an instinctual urgency sure to resonate for years to come up. —SG
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57. "The Venture Bros."
At commencement glance, "The Venture Bros." is clearly a parody of "Johnny Quest," with many characters inspired by the Hanna-Barbera adventure series. Only to last equally long as "The Venture Bros." did, you clearly demand a lot more than jokes most a 40-twelvemonth-old cartoon. While many adult blithe series revel in the fact that their characters don't really do annihilation, "The Venture Bros." embraces serialized sense of humor and proactive protagonists as it tells the story of an adventurous family who fails at missions far more often than they succeed. The show consistently engages with comic book and gamble movie tropes while still plotting its ain course, making it i of the smartest and most compelling animated programs in contempo memory. —CZ
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56. "Futurama"
Never bet against "Futurama," the cartoon that merely won't die. Matt Groening's other blithe series was originally developed as a companion to "The Simpsons" on Fox, just an abrupt cancellation led to its revival as a serial of TV movies on Comedy Primal, which led to several more seasons on the cable network, which soon proceeded to cancel it again. Simply now at that place's another revival in the works, this time on Hulu. What makes "Futurama" so resilient? A cult fanbase that keeps coming dorsum thanks to some of the about consistently smart comedy writing on television. The evidence's science-fiction premise and roots in animation allow writers to unleash their creativity on a canvass limited only by their imaginations. Fry, Leela, and Bough'south trips to strange planets are a sandbox for an endless stream of puns, visual gags, and straight upwardly weirdness, and the attention to particular rewards multiple viewings. Just while the show earns plenty of way points for its outside-the-box settings, the heart of "Futurama" has ever been the relationships between its leads. The combination of the dim-witted Fry, the crass robot Bough, and the cyclops Leela, as the e'er-frustrated straight woman, produces self-sustaining comedy, and the show has never been afraid to lean into sincerity and or let its characters grow. Any show with the range to produce the infamously lamentable "Jurassic Bark" episode equally well as extracting hundreds of laughs from a robot proverb "I'm boned" deserves a spot on this list. —CZ
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55. "Popeye the Crewman" (Jack Kinney, 1960-1963)
Odds are y'all know who Popeye the Sailor is. He's a sailor man, who lives in a garbage tin, and through the supernatural power of spinach he's able to all-time any man regardless of size. "Popeye" initially started out equally a comic strip in newspapers, but when the theatrical curt features started airing on television receiver in the 1950s, Male monarch Features Syndicate TV thought there might be something to taking the character and turning him into a television star. A series of made-for-television set short features were hastily assembled, bringing Popeye into people's homes. A whopping 220 cartoons were created in just ii years, resulting in a prolific goggle box show, albeit with rather rudimentary animation, particularly when compared to the feature shorts. But information technology certainly kept the character in the public consciousness long after his initial popularity had waned. Popeye the Sailor remains a character people know, even if they never watched the goggle box show. In 1980 director Robert Altman attempted to accommodate the character for a feature film, starring Robin Williams, but it was an unmitigated disaster though it's been reassessed and has become a cult moving picture.
Stream or purchase on Amazon.
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54. "Pokémon" (Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, 1997-Nowadays)
Do we call back a fourth dimension earlier we had to "catch 'em all?" Pokémon initially outburst onto the scene as a series of games for the Nintendo Gameboy and from there it became nix short of a juggernaut. Children learned to eat, breathe, and eat nearly everything associated with the Japanese pocket monsters, particularly the cute Pikachu. Later becoming the peak selling toy brand worldwide the visitor turned to media and premiered the animated television series of the same name. The anime saw game hero Ash Ketchum and his companion Pikachu get on a quest to go a Pokémon master. Forth the way he'd barrel heads with other Pokémon teams and the various creatures themselves. The Pokémon franchise wasn't just limited to the television show, which is still ongoing. A series of films would be released over the years with Ash continuing his quest. The series revitalized the Fox network back in the 1990s and now remains i of the well-nigh beloved franchises in animation history.
Stream on Hulu; stream or buy on Amazon.
©Cartoon Network/Courtesy Everett Collection
53. "Dexter's Laboratory" (Genndy Tartakovsky, 1996-2003)
In 1996 Cartoon Network audiences were introduced to Dexter (voiced past "Rugrats" alumni Christine Cavanaugh), a male child genius with a massive subconscious laboratory nether his house. Every episode would see Dexter plan a wonderful experiment, only to see information technology foiled by his abrasive sister Dee Dee (voiced by Allison Moore and Kat Cressida). The series would become 1 of the highest rating serial on the Cartoon Network with it garnering a Primetime Emmy Award in 1996. The series would brand Tartakovsky 1 of the premiere voices of animation and he would end up leaving the in 1999 to begin work on his next project, "Samurai Jack." "Dexter's Laboratory" would come across a revival in 2001 before concluding for good in 2003. Though it's been off the air for over 15 years audiences are nonetheless fatigued to its enigmatic animation style and quotable pb character. There weren't many shows that could pull out an entire episode from its lead graphic symbol simply being able to say "cheese omelet" in French.
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52. "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman, 1983-1990)
The loveable threesome known as Alvin and the Chipmunks have been around since the 1960s, when their vocal "Witch Doctor" raced up the charts. In fact, the Chipmunks were so ubiquitous that in right after the success of "Witch Doc" creator Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. created a television receiver show, entitled "The Alvin Testify." It wasn't a success, lasting little more than than a year. Simply in the early-1980s the endeavor to revive the series concept finally found an audition. "Alvin and the Chipmunks" on NBC in 1983, starring the rascally Alvin, the bookish Simon, and the loveable Theodore (the offset two voiced past Bagdasarian, Jr. and the latter by Karman) every bit they got into all manner of hijinks. The serial would garner a large following, particularly once the Flake-ettes, daughter versions of the Chipmunks, were introduced as rivals. In 1987, off the success of the evidence, the Chipmunks would become their starting time characteristic flick, "The Chipmunk Hazard." And they oasis't gone abroad, even though the serial was canceled in 1990. Another series would premiere on Nickelodeon in 2015 and is nevertheless going potent, even though Alvin has transitioned from 2D blitheness to CGI.
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Klasky-Csupo/courtesy Everett Collection
51. "Rugrats" (Gabor Csupo and Arlene Klasky and Paul Germain, 1991-2004)
One of Nickelodeon'southward first major successes, "Rugrats" combined sense of humor for both children and adults in a bright '90s animated package. Brave baby Tommy Pickles (voiced by E.K. Daily) went on all manner of exploits with his best friends, showing that "a baby'southward gotta do what a baby's gotta do." The serial was a massive success upon debut in 1991, becoming a franchise behemoth for Nickelodeon. A series of feature films and merchandising opportunities would abound, with the Rugrats themselves slapped on everything aimed at children. Merely outside of that the series has aged surprisingly well. Yous might hear stray references to the likes of Clarence Thomas and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" on top of the babies realizing the horrors of clown dolls and what dwells in the basement. The series saw a brusk-lived spin-off, with the characters growing into teenagers, 2003 to 2008 and there are plans for a reboot arriving in 2021.
Stream on Hulu; stream on CBS All Access; stream on Amazon via CBS All Access; purchase on Amazon.
l. "Reboot" (Gavin Blair and Ian Pearson and Phil Mitchell and John Grace, 1994-2001)
This '90s serial, originally from Canada, was the very kickoff completely computer-animated series, and the medium became a function of the message thanks to the premise. On some level, "Reboot" was basically a cop drama post-obit the adventures of a "Guardian" who lives inside of a computer mainframe keeping things operating safely despite evil viruses trying to destroy the system. The metaphor is relatively bonkers, but the quality of the animation is pretty impressive for the time menses, anchored past some really engaging character design and meta jokes about coding and gaming which have kept the franchise active in other forms to this 24-hour interval. –LSM
Stream on Amazon via Shout Manufacturing plant; buy on Amazon.
49. "Scooby Doo, Where Are You lot?" (Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, 1969-1970)
Moviestore/Male monarch/Shutterstock
Zoinks! Although this particular Hanna-Barbera title simply lasted two seasons, information technology launched an animated franchise that continues to this day. The cowardly Nifty Dane with a speech communication impediment who solved crimes with his, like, totally nifty teen friends captured imaginations with the light horror elements, hilarious catchphrases, bonkers mysteries, elaborate Rube Goldberg-like traps, and goofy characterizations. This serial launched many reboots — one that included pop civilisation greats such every bit the Harlem Globetrotters and Sonny & Cher, as blithe versions of themselves — bizarre spinoffs similar "Scooby's All-Star Laff-a-Lympics," and multiple imitations. Ranging from comics and films to pop culture references in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and a recent crossover on "Supernatural," Scooby and his pals accept go embedded in the American consciousness. And it would've gotten abroad with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling kids! – HN
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48. "Teen Titans Go!" (Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath, 2013-present)
Go on your phone silent while watching "Teen Titans Get!" or you're certain to miss a joke. The fast-paced animated series packs in more laughs per infinitesimal than just about any other show on Boob tube, filled to the brim with pop-culture references, sly jabs at the DC universe, and enough of cocky-deprecating gags. Born from the ashes of "Teen Titans," the show kept the original series' vocalization actors but changed upward nigh everything else. The show features comedically heightened versions of Robin (Scott Menville), Cyborg (Khary Payton), Raven (Tara Stiff), Starfire (Hynden Walch), and Animate being Boy (Greg Cipes), who are unremarkably also decorated discussing 1980s engineering science, political philosophies, dancing, and so much more than. Perchance the subtle joys of "Teen Titans Go!" can all-time be summed up by this logline from a Flavor 1 episode: "Robin and the Titans go annoyed when Creature Boy and Cyborg will only say the word 'waffles.'" – MS
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47. "The Flintstones" (William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, 1960-1966)
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Inspired past "The Honeymooners," "The Flintstones" became the beginning animated series released in primetime, and remained the most successful of its kind until "The Simpsons" came along xxx years after. The secret of its charms was its satirical take on modern suburban culture using absurd, anachronistic elements in a Stone Age setting. Fred Flintstone's bluster and his pal Barney Rubble's easygoing nature delivered a familiar sitcom magic, whilst dinosaurs and sabertooth tigers added prehistoric exoticism. It also inspired the futuristic counterpart, "The Jetsons," which likewise took a '60s sitcom flair to the space age. "The Flintstones" is the first primetime animated series to earn an Emmy nomination, and it's yet considered a archetype more than than one-half a century after. And that's something to "Yabba Dabba Doo" well-nigh. – HN
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46. "Superman: The Animated Series" (Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, 1996 – 2000)
Superman ever sprung to life on the page, but repeatedly proved to be a challenge onscreen. How practise you lot provoke an indestructible, goodie-2-shoes hero? Villains have to be particularly engineered to pose any threat whatsoever (they tin't all have kryptonite), and Clark Kent tin't be the only identity offer the audience a human connection. Alan Burnett and Paul Dini's WB accommodation, the first of Warner Bros. Animation's follow-ups to "Batman: The Animated Series," made wise choices from the kickoff. Kickoff, they introduced a Superman who was extremely durable rather than totally impervious. He felt pain when he was crushed by a toppling building, even if it wouldn't kill him, and watching him strain to save the 24-hour interval made his efforts that much more than engaging, calendar week afterward week. Making Lois Lane an active hero herself helped too, and the realistic animation fit these updates, along with the bright tone and driving score. – BT
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45. "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" (Lauren Faust, 2010-nowadays)
Discovery Media
The plastic equine toys from the '80s have had a remarkable endurance among collectors, but the Hasbro franchise really hit the big time when Faust's cartoon deepened the mythology of the ponies and created a media and merchandising phenomenon. In Ponyville, the unicorn pony Twilight Sparkle and her dragon pal Spike befriend v other ponies as function of a chore given to her by mentor Princess Celestia. The prove's themes well-nigh friendship and kindness counterbalanced with clever pop culture references appealed to a wide audience, including a rabid developed fanbase — nearly notoriously immature and middle-aged men who style themselves as "bronies." It's now embedded in remix culture and has inspired countless memes, imaginative cosplay, and, of class, imitators. – HN
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44. "Sealab 2021" (Adam Reed and Matt Thompson, 2000-2005)
1 of Adult Swim'south initial launch of cartoons, "Sealab 2021" took a forgotten '70s gamble cartoon and, well, crapped all over it, turning the environmentally-friendly take chances 'toon into a profane hotbed of workplace resentments and absurd humor, which creators Adam Reed and Matt Thompson would hone in their hereafter series. Still, "Sealab" had plenty to offer, similar a bottle episode where the insane Helm Murphy gets trapped nether a fallen vending machine and befriends a scorpion. Or the one where the crew was visited by their Bizarro counterparts. Or all the ones where Sealab blew up at the end, only to be perfectly fine in the next episode. It'due south okay, though. Pod 6 was jerks. –JS
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43. "Rocko'south Modern Life" (Joe Murray, 1993 – 1996)
Nickelodeon
A wallaby, a cow, and a turtle walk into a television set ready, and the jokes just kept rolling from at that place. Joe Murray's satirical adventures of an Australian immigrant, Rocko, his friends Heffer and Philbert, and the various deranged characters populating the fictional American "O-Town" fabricated for wildly creative kids' tales. Whether warning against the dangers of megacorporation Conglom-O, visiting Heck for some existential lessons from satanic overlord Pinky, or taking a poke at celebrity civilisation in Holl-o-Wood, the cult favorite was self-aware, sharp, and introduced the globe to impeccable talents similar Tom Kenny and Carlos Alazraqui. Plus, even for '90s Nickelodeon, "Rocko's Modern Life" was never afraid to go super weird — a respite for children whose imaginations should, and commonly do, surprise y'all. – BT
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42. "Gargoyles" (Frank Paur and Greg Weisman and Dennis Woodyard, 1994-1997)
Magic, science fiction, and Shakespeare came together in the mid-1990s for 1 of the well-nigh bonkers animated serial ever. The premise might take seemed relatively complicated: Mythical creatures known every bit gargoyles spend their days hanging out on the corners of buildings, frozen in rock, and at dark, they come alive. But really it was a tale of family and romance set against a fantastical backdrop, which delivered no shortage of crazy plot elements (peculiarly in its second season). "Gargoyes" never became equally iconic as some of the other shows on this list, merely the imagination information technology put on screen each week was hard to top. –LSM
Stream on Disney+; buy on Amazon.
41. "Duck Tales" (Jymn Magon, 1987-1990)
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock
Much is made of the theme vocal with its signature "Woo-oo!" chorus — and for practiced reason. Not only is Mark Mueller's ditty tricky as hell, but it also encapsulates the fun and adventure nowadays from the series' early days as a comic book to its onscreen adaptation that continued the vibrant and dynamic visual style. The wealthy Scrooge McDuck is a curmudgeonly nonetheless charming foil for his rapscallion grand nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and along with the pilot Launchpad, they savour all manner of global and historical escapades worthy of Indiana Jones himself. This is zippy escapism shared betwixt two seemingly disparate generations, something not seen in children's cartoons that usually continue potency figures in the groundwork. The series was so pop that it lives again in a 2017 reboot on Disney XD. – HN
Stream on Disney+; buy on Amazon.
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