New Cartoons That Are Actually Pretty Great
Start writing a post
Entertainment

New Cartoons That Are Actually Pretty Great

A new generation of cartoons has begun and while some are better than others, these rise above them all.

70
New Cartoons That Are Actually Pretty Great

I am probably one of the biggest cartoon lovers you'll meet, and I'm pretty sure at this point in reading some of the things I've written that a lot of you can agree with me. A lot of cartoon shows these days though, such as Teen Titans Go! or Uncle Grandpa, aren't what I would call quality entertainment for anyone. So, as a cartoon connoisseur myself, I have taken it as my duty to inform everyone of the cartoon shows I find have some merit to them. I will also put a hashtag (#) on shows that I'm 95% sure are good for kids 7 and up. Now are you ready to go on a trip to TV Land with me, yet again?

10. Clarence #

As someone who worked as a nanny for two boys between the ages of 10 and 6 this summer, I have been made aware of two very important things in regards to the cartoon network cartoons. First, Be Cool Scooby Doo has made the younger millennials not as interested in the original and second, Clarence isn't actually as bad as I thought it would be. First off Clarence's mom is a working mom while Chad, who I am still not sure if he is Clarence's father, step-father, or just Clarence's father figure and mom's boyfriend, is mostly unemployed. In a specific episode, Clarence even describes how much he admires his mom for her work ethic and how amazing she is at her job. Another thing I like about this show is that one of Clarence's friends named Jeff, is the adopted son of two lesbians, and the show never once makes fun of Jeff or his moms for it. The moms, while admittedly one is a much more "butch" looking woman while the other is more feminine in a hippie, earth child sort of way, are incredibly good parents to their adopted son and are very supportive of him in almost every endeavor he tries (I say almost because I haven't seen all of the series and I can not honestly believe that these women don't think a boy at his age should really have his own cleaning supplies that he'll bring in from home to clean a classroom for detention, It's one thing for him to like cleaning, but even I think maybe he should leave his cleaning supplies at home and separate from a school's just in case). Also, Clarence is friends with almost everyone in his class regardless of gender, race, or class status. Sumo, who is considered Clarence's best friend alongside Jeff, lives in a trailer park with his big family while Belson Noles (who only Clarence actually likes while Belson does not return those feelings) is incredibly well off to the point of thinking that his family's wealth will solve all his problems. The show gives me hope that kids will be friends with people based on their personality and shared interests rather than if they're of the same gender, race, or economic background, and the cartoon shows kids with very little in common at first, getting along, having fun, and being friends, which is what the show is all about.


9. Gravity Falls

I can not tell you how much I love this show. I watched Gravity Falls at the beginning and was devastated when the series came to an end, but you can still watch it on Disney XD. The cartoon follows twins Dipper and Mabel Pines as they live with their Great Uncle, or Grunkle as they say in the show, Stan Pines for the summer at his tourist trap called The Mystery Shack in, where else, Gravity Falls, Oregon. The Pines Twins get caught up in the mysteries of the town along with other colorful characters such as Soos, Wendy, Candy, Grenda, and the many other citizens of the small town after Dipper finds a strange journal with a six-fingered hand on it, labeled with the number 3. Dipper is definitely the smarter or more brainy of the twins as he enjoys trying to solve the mysteries and even solves cases, figuring things out before the town's police and at one point, outsmarting agents from a shadowy covert government agency. Meanwhile, Mabel is the social butterfly with a creative streak who is also in the phase of puberty where she is completely and totally boy crazy! In the pilot of the show as well as other episodes, this leads to a lot of shenanigans. Also when you look at the differences between the Pines Twins Dipper is smarter when it comes to books, but Mabel is better with people and is more street smart, Dipper is much more introverted which can help in some situations, but Mabel is extroverted allowing her to better connect with the people of the town. Together though with Dipper's brain and Mabel's creativity, and their mutual ability to get into trouble, they make an unstoppable team. I highly recommend this series and the only reason I can't put it higher on this list, in good conscience, is because the series has actually ended and while there is speculation on a sequel or spin-off there has been no confirmation from the creators.


8. Star Vs. The Forces of Evil #

This Disney XD cartoon gives a whole new spin to the Princess character. The main and title character is Princess Star Butterfly of a planet called Mewni that is given a magical wand on her fourteenth birthday that has been in her family for generations and generations. Due to the fact that Star is a regular bull in a china shop when it comes to magic, her parents move her to another place where she can learn to use her magic without causing too much damage. Of course, the planet is Earth and she meets the other main character as well as her housemate and best friend, Marco Diaz, a rule-abiding karate kid who seems a bit too organized and the winner of possibly the most realistic reaction to meeting someone like Star Butterfly.


Of course the show can only lead to these two getting into all kinds of shenanigans. What could the show possibly be missing? Monsters, a funny female best friend that shows up every once in a while, family dynamics in multiple different situations? Well, King Ludo is Star's arch nemesis and he's the king of all the monsters, oh and he's after Star's wand. Female BFF, well Princess Flying Pony Head (or is Flying Princess Pony Head?) is Star's best gal pal from Mewni and literally the first line we hear from her is "Hey Girl, are you ready to make some bad choices?" and of course she's been in two episodes and mentioned in others, but she's still considered one of Star's BFFs. As for the family dynamics anyone can tell that Star and Marco have incredibly different parents with two very different parenting styles and while we get to see Star's mother, a relatively stoic queen with a much more fun-loving extroverted husband, Star's dad, and Mr. and Mrs. Diaz who let Marco live his life very independently while still being supportive and overall quirky as the audience get to know them. At the end of the day though the show is about a very curious out there princess with a magic wand dragging her best friend into thousands of different adventures and fighting monsters. Pretty awesome right?


7. Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir #

I am not kidding when I say I love this show. I really really love this show. I'm a huge fan of superhero shows and fashion and stupidly cute romances and this show just have it all! The theme song itself just tells you everything you need to know to begin watching the show, but I'm still going to put it in here anyway.


If that's not enough for you then let's talk about the characters. We've got our main two Marinette Dupin-Cheng and Adrien Agreste, their respective Kwamis (which give them their powers and are just generally there for the teens), their best friends Nino and Alya, and we've got the villains of the show Hawkmoth and Chloe Bourgeois. If you have ever seen the show then you know that Chloe is generally a bully, mean girl, and that terrible girl type that seemed to show up in every high school. I personally enjoy the fact that the show has both Chloe and Hawkmoth. Hawkmoth can only make a villain when someone is really upset, and with Chloe being a school mean girl and terrible to basically everyone that makes things so much easier for Hawkmoth. Another thing I love about the series is the fact that the Marinette and Adrien are never portrayed to be perfect. Marinette gets super tongue-tied around her crush, is generally clumsy, has made her fair share of mistakes (different episodes show this more than others), and is even the direct cause for the creation of villains, but at the end of the day the difference between Marinette and Chloe is that Marinette feels genuinely bad when she's hurt someone while Chloe has only ever shown regret for making someone feel so horrible is when that person was her own best friend. While Adrien is a model, he's always sneaking away from his dad, bodyguard, and his father's assistant to try and be like a normal kid. Adrien has never been responsible for a person becoming a villain (at least not directly or entirely), he has his really weird moments especially concerning his crush on someone. Overall the show is upbeat, enjoyable, and teaches good lessons in one way shape or form, and makes people remember that feeling negatively is normal, but when you let that negativity get the better of you that's when bad things happen.

6.The Amazing World of Gumball #

This show isn't exactly quality entertainment, but the reason I put it on here (and higher than the previous four) is simple, this show is all about fun! Our main character is a blue cat who is nicknamed Gumball with his best friend being a talking fish with legs named Darwin, who used to be just a pet goldfish. The pair get into all kinds of mischief, shenanigans, and trouble with their little sister, Anais (who is a genius pink bunny), their control freak, stressed out mom, Nicole Waterson (who is also a blue cat), their lazy bones and gluttonous father, Richard Waterson (a very big pink bunny rabbit), and all their friends and classmates at Elmore Junior High. Mostly the show follows the Waterson family as they go about their lives in Elmore where the entire police force is made up of different types of food, their teacher is a Chimpanzee, one guy who seems to be made partially out of cardboard and is named Larry does almost every job in town, and all the random objects you see are actually alive and sentient beings. We can't forget that one of Gumball and Darwin's classmates Hector, is a giant with no discernible face and tie-dye colored hair whose Mom is a legit witch with a flying broomstick and everything.

5. Adventure Time #

Another one of my favorite shows, and for good reason. The cartoon mostly follows our protagonists Finn the human, and Jake the magic talking dog who can morph his body into really weird shapes and so much other stuff, as they live in their treehouse home and go on crazy adventures throughout the land of Ooo. I am not kidding the place is legit called Ooo. Along the way you'll see friends of the duo such as BMO the video game console that talks, walks, and seems to have emotions, Princess Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom, Jake's wife or girlfriend, but definitely the mother of his puppies Lady Rainicorn who is a rainbow and unicorn that speaks I think it's Korean, Marceline the vampire queen (and last vampire), Ice King, Lumpy Space Princess, and so many more. When I say that this show is incredible, I'm not lying. The storylines are fun, but can also make you think and as fans of the show have recently learned, Ooo is actually Earth after some kind of apocalypse level event. If you want to know more about Ooo, its inhabitants, or about what goesA on in Ooo then you just need to watch the show, because I alone cannot describe it and give it justice.

4.We Bare Bears #

A trio of brothers going through life, dealing with a lack of parents, trying to make friends, keep their house, trying not to drive each other crazy, that just sounds like a regular old show right? Well what if I told you that this trio of brothers were all actually bears?! Also that they live in a cave still pretty close to town, go into town a lot, their best friends are bigfoot and a kid genius who currently is attending college, and each are a different species of bear! Grizz is a Grizzly Bear who loves action movies, playing video games, and playing sports, is the most social, but is also socially inept, and also the big brother of the group. Meanwhile Panda is a Panda Bear who enjoys being online, drawing in an anime/manga style, and just being creative, he is a lot less self-confident than his two brothers and finds relationships to be difficult though he still tries to get dates through online dating sites. Last, but not least is Ice Bear who is a Polar Bear. Ice is the mother hen of the group, but is also generally cool, calm, and collected. Ice rarely speaks and when he does he usually refers to himself in the third person. Ice cooks and cleans which can go under appreciated by his brothers, but he still loves them. The show is comedic and sweet with just enough background in different episodes to give the audience the knowledge that while things haven't always been easy for the three bears, they still love each other.


3. Avatar the Last Airbender #

Any Avatar: the Last Airbender fan that is currently reading this article would view my decision to putting Avatar at number three on this list as nothing less than sacrilegious. If I'm being honest though I can't put it any higher, in good conscience, since they aren't making new episodes and not many kids that I've spoken to lately have even seen the show. I can tell you this though, I can not describe it in any way other than magnificent. The characters were lovable, the stories were thought-provoking, the imagery was stunning, and I think there was only one episode that I hated and that was simply because it freaked me out too much. Seriously I cannot recommend this more. Go watch it, I swear you won't be disappointed.

2. Ultimate Spider-Man #

How many of you watched the Nick show Drake and Josh starring Drake Bell and Josh Peck? Well this Spider-Man is voiced by none other than Drake Bell as Spidey not only goes through the usual baddies he deals with in Midtown, but now he's going up against some of SHIELD's most wanted after being recruited by Nick Fury himself to join SHIELD. Alongside heroes such as Nova, Iron Fist, Power Man (aka Luke Cage), and White Tiger, Spidey learns to go from Amazing and Spectacular to the Ultimate Spider Man (hence the title). I love that the show has a diverse group of characters (in every season) from Power Man, Cloak, Miles Morales, Amadeus Cho, Nova, White Tiger, and so many other characters of different backgrounds there really is representation for almost every kid to know that he or she could grow up to be a hero. If that's not enough for you, in the first season of the show Clark Gregg (Known for his role as Phil Coulson in the Marvel movies and on Agents of SHIELD) actually voiced the character of Phil Coulson for the show as well. Not to mention several appearances are made by the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and even Blade! I'm not kidding Blade showed up to help Spidey fight Dracula. THAT WAS AN ACUAL EPISODE!!!!! Seriously though, it's an amazing show, with great stories, great characters, and one Amazing Spiderman (did you get my joke :))


1. Steven Universe #

If you haven't seen Steven Universe than I am legitimately telling you to exit this article go to dailymotion.com and search Steve Universe full episodes and watch this show! With the lovable Steven as our main character living with his friends (basically family at this point) Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst as they teach him about the powers he inherited from his mother, their former leader and friend, Rose Quartz. We learn about Steven, the Crystal Gems and their lives as well as their history on Earth, Beach City, the citizens of Beach City, and so many other awesome things that I just can't even think of a way to tell you guys about them! There is also music and it's really good and Oh man I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! The characters are complicated, but loved, the storylines are intricate, detailed, and entertaining, the imagery is unique and beautiful (or unique and kinda terrifying depending on the episode), and the songs just make you want to sing along. I'm not kidding when I say that everyone should have something in the show that they would like. Seriously just go and watch it!!!!


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

51025
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

32658
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

955821
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

180830
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments