Now, many of you may not have watched cartoons for a few years, but below are six animated shows that are totally worth your time, even though you may not think you are of a cartoon-watching age anymore. The list ranges from cartoons meant for kids, but are absolutely genius for all audiences, to very adult-appropriate shows in animated forms. Feed your inner-child with these awesome animated works!
1. "Gravity Falls".
This cartoon on Disney XD, follows twins, Dipper and Mabel, who are spending the summer with their great uncle, Grunkle Stan. He lives in Gravity Falls and owns the Mystery Shack.
Dipper happens upon a journal that details the weird and unusual secrets of the town and he is adamant about solving the mysteries of Gravity Falls. Creator Alex Hirsch has certainly outdone himself. Although this show just ended with its second season, you can catch reruns on the Disney XD channel or wait for Netflix to pick up the show for streaming.
2. "Bravest Warriors".
If you have ever enjoyed "Adventure Time," then creator Pendleton Ward has more to give! Chris, Danny, Wallow and Beth are Mars' bravest warriors. By keeping with his fantastical style of writing, Ward brings to us this group of teenagers who kick alien butt. With the witty humor and hilarious antics of the ever-adorable Catbug (and several other of the warriors' sidekicks), Ward has crafted a beautiful universe of adventure and mystery.
This show easily became a favorite with the discovery of the Cartoon Hangover Youtube Channel. Between the mystery of the Emotion Lord's true identity and Impossibear's sassiness and gas-powered stick, you are bound to always be entertained. Start watching "Bravest Warriors" here, which is due for its third season to air this year.
3. "Bee and Puppy Cat".
Yet another product of Ward's genius, "Bee and Puppy Cat" is a small, but amazing part of the Cartoon Hangover Channel. While there aren't sufficient plot points due to there only being four episodes (seemingly forgotten by the Cartoon Hangover writing staff), the show's random style is aided by the lack of background.
Who is Bee? Is she a kid or an adult? Who is Puppycat and why can only Bee understand his language? Why is a puppy, a cat or a puppycat talking in the first place? If you are even slightly interested by any of those questions, tune in to see Bee's quirkiness and Puppycat's dictator-like behavior here. (More episodes please.)
4. "Rick and Morty".
While this is most certainly one of the least kid-friendly cartoons, it stands out for its absolute brilliance. Originally, the mind of Justin Roiland brought us an animated short for a film festival. "The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti" is a spoof of "Back to the Future." By taking a dark path into the relationship between Doc Brown and Marty McFly, crazy, alcoholic, scientist-grandfather Rick Sanchez takes along his soft-spoken and twitchy grandson, Marty Sanchez, on parallel universe adventures. From throwing a giant, intergalactic-guest rager in their house while Morty's parents are gone, to demonstrating existentialist philosophies or the origins of economic philosophies in the most unsuspecting plot lines. The adlibbing voice talents of Justin Roiland, for both Rick and Morty, get even better with other stars such as "SNL" star Chris Parnell, Tom Kenny from "SpongeBob," Dana Carvey, Stephen Colbert, and Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key of "Key and Peele" just to name a few. Working on its third season, due to be out by the end of the year, you can catch "Rick and Morty" on Adult Swim or start from the pilot episode on the Adult Swim website or Hulu (if you have a subscription).
5. "Over the Garden Wall".
Now, this is a new favorite of mine. I happened upon it on Hulu looking for a cartoon short to watch. It did not disappoint with its fairy-tale whimsy and mysterious plot of two boys trying to get home, but just continue getting lost. There is Wirt, his little brother, the adorable and quirky Greg, Greg's frog named George Washington, and Beatrice, the bluebird helping to find Adelaide and get the boys home. This is yet another cartoon with ties to "Back to the Future," with the mysterious Woodsman voiced by Christopher Lloyd (a.k.a Doc Brown). Overall, it is adorable, but still incredibly suspenseful with the mystery of the Woodsman and the lost boys. I am excited to see if it gets picked up for another season, but until then everyone should definitely be watching the first season, which is on Hulu or here.
6. "Lucas Bros Moving Company".
As you might recognize them from "22 Jump Street," the animated versions of Kenny and Keith Lucas are a riot to watch in their almost entirely improvised cartoon short. So, there is not much plot to explain here, but trust me when I say it is hilarious. There are road races between food trucks that have to do with famous rappers. You can watch the entire show on Hulu or on Fox's website with all the other shorts in the "Animation Domination" show.
