Best Cartoons of All Time for Kids and Adults
Animated cartoons have come a long way since the 60s. From the times when a cartoonist would draw every single frame on a separate sheet of paper to the present-day digitally animated cartoons that utilize advanced software and graphics processors, cartoons have always amazed and entertained global audiences. How can one find details about the best cartoons of all time out there?
In this blogpost, we’ve compiled information about the best cartoons from all decades including the best cartoons of the 90s. The nineties were an amazing time not just for cartoon shows but for music videos and movies as well. Whether you’re searching for something that is appropriate for your kids to view or intend to relive your own childhood memories, our collection will help you choose the right cartoon for your mood!
Contents:
60s Cartoons
Tom & Jerry, 1940-1966
Tom & Jerry
Initially, the Hanna-Barbera duo produced 114 Tom and Jerry short films. They created all these episodes at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. MGM studios renewed the series with director Gene Deitch who created 13 more short films between 1961 and 62. Finally, Chuck Jones produced and added another 34 new short films during the time between 1963 and 1967.
The Tom and Jerry cartoon series later spawned numerous spin-offs and television series that were released throughout the 90s and 2000s.
Age: 5+
IMDB Rating: 9.1
The Flintstones, 1960-1966
The Flintstones
Everything takes place in the Stone Age, but the society in the cartoons is portrayed exactly the same as that of the United States in the second half of the 20th century. It’s a whimsical take on a pre-historic era where dinosaurs, pterodactyls, saber-toothed tigers, and mammoths co-exist with cavemen. The cavemen of the cartoon series employ technology, using various animals as tools and driving around in cars made of stone and wood.
Age: 5+
IMDB Rating: 7.5
The Jetsons, 1962
The Jetsons
This was one of Hanna-Barbera’s first and greatest success. The Flintstones series which followed two families, the Jetsons focused only on one family and their adventures in the distant future.
Yet the Jetsons cartoons weren’t as popular as The Flintstones. This leading to its cancellation after just one season in the ’60s but this same show enjoyed a well-deserved revival in the ’80s.
Age: 5+
IMDb Rating: 7
Pink Panther, 1963
Pink Panther
The Pink Panther Show is an American animated television series produced by the Mirisch Company and based on the character from the credits of the homonymous film by Blake Edwards released in 1963.
Its jazzy opening theme music has since become an iconic piece of music, not to mention one of the most easily recognized tunes out there. It was composed by Henry Mancini and was subsequently nominated for the Academy-Award for “Best Original Score” in 1964.
Age: 5+
IMDB Rating: 7.6
The Wacky Racers, 1968
The Wacky Racers
Eleven cars take part in crazy races. Despite the competitors’ repeated attempts to win dishonestly, by playing dirty tricks on the opponents, “Dick Dastardly” and his dog “Muttley”, the main characters, are systematically caught in their own game and always lose the race.
Age: 6+
IMDB Rating: 7.5
70s Cartoons
The Robonic Stooges, 1977
“The Robonic Stooges” was an animated series that featured the characters of The Three Stooges who took on new roles as bumbling bionic crime fighters. Developed by “Norman E. Maurer” and was aired by CBS, this show ran from Sep, 10th 1977 to Mar, 18th 1978 with 2 mini-shows: “The Robonicles” (which consisted mostly of original songs) and “Woofer and Wimper” and “The Dog Detectives”.
The junkyard superheroes of Moe, Larry and Curly are always ready to save the day with their often-malfunctioning bionic powers. They get assignments from Agent 000 who runs Superhero Employment Agency but sometimes these tasks aren’t as easy for them since they have different abilities which makes it hard on both parties involved in getting work done efficiently without any supervillain attacks happening along the way.
Age: Suitable for all ages
IMDB Rating: 6.5
Scooby’s Laffa-A Lympics, 1977
Scooby’s Laffa-A Lympics
In the 70s if you were looking to spice up your Saturday evening, then this show was just what the doctor ordered. The characters are as follows: there’s Scooby Doobies with their heads turned around because they always solve mysteries; Yogi Yahooeys who love yoga and meditate before each mission so that they can focus better on pursuing criminals.
The show was a huge hit with audiences and introduced many people to their favorite characters. It also prompted network ABC to create another series just one year later, “Battle of the Network Stars.”
Age: Suitable for all ages
IMDB Rating: 7.4
80s Cartoons
The Smurfs, 1981
The Smurfs
Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, this American-Belgian show follows the daily life of the Smurfs and their many exciting adventures, fighting with the evil wizard “Gargamel”. The Smurfs have been featured in several other cartoons, shows, and feature films because they are popular and loveable characters.
The show focuses on over 100 Smurf characters who inhabit Smurf Village and is a classic cartoon that has remained timeless for young viewers due to its simple, easy-going storylines.
Age: Appropriate for children of all ages
IMDB Rating: 7.2
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, 1983
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Prince Adam is part of a royal family that rules the planet Eternia and is bestowed with great magical power when he wields the Sword of Power and shouts “By the power of Greyskull!” Adam battles the main villain of the series, the evil Skeletor (and his various henchmen) alongside a group of heroes.
He-Man has had many adaptations in comic book, film, and television form. The show later released a spin-off series, “SheRa” and the Princesses of Power, which narrated the story of “He.Man” sister, “Queen Adora”, and her band of heroic friends.
Age: 7+
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Transformers, 1984
Transformers
The Transformer cartoon show was the first in a long line of television shows, comic books, and feature films featuring an alien race that can transform into vehicles such as cars, trucks, and planes. There were two teams namely the Autobots and the Decepticons. The heroic Autobots, led by Optimus Prime would battle the evil Decepticons, who were led by Megatron.
There exist many movies that are based on toys, whose primary purpose is to market and sell the same. This show was also no exception, but the Transformers cartoon is an absolute classic show that launched a beloved franchise that sees rekindled remakes and reboots to this day. The divide between good and evil is made clear in this show, making it easy for audiences to root for the heroes and secretly think the villains are actually pretty cool.
Age: 7+
IMDB Rating: 8.0
Thundercats, 1986
Thundercats
The Thundercats are cat-like humanoid aliens who are forced to flee their homeworld. The Omen Sword has Thundera’s Eye embedded in the hilt, which is the Thundercats’ source of power. All these heroes battle mutants and the wizard “MummRa” when they land on “3rd Earth” as their home planet.
The franchise includes comic books, action figures and TV shows featuring colorful and easily recognizable actors, but plans to make a live-action feature have failed many times over the years. The strange concept is fun and very different from the usual human scenarios presented in many other cartoon shows.
Age: 7+
IMDB Rating: 7.9
Ducktales, 1987
Ducktales
“Scrooge Mc Duck”, an old businessman with lots of money, goes on an adventure with his naughty grandnephews, “Lowie”, “Dewiey” and “Huiey”. Their adventures take them across the world in search of treasure and battling villains who wish to steal Scrooge’s gold.
Video games, comics, and feature films have been made from this franchise thanks to the show’s success, and Disney recently released a reboot of the show starring David Tennant from Doctor Who.
Age: Suitable for all ages
IMDB Rating: 8.1
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1987
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Mike, Ralph, Leo, and Dona are mutant turtles who grew up in the sewers with their master Splinter. Along with their teammates Casey and April, they battle the evil ninja Shredder and a highly intelligent mastermind in a jar named Krang.
The sheer number of fun villains in this series is one of the many reasons it’s so beloved, but the family dynamics of the turtles themselves appeal to kids and adults alike. The series had 10 seasons and 193 episodes.
It spawned a massive collection of fan merchandise that are available globally. 3 live-action Hollywood movies were also released in the 90s based on these characters.
Age: 7+
IMDB Rating: 7.9
The Simpsons, 1989
The Simpsons
The Simpson family lives in Springfield, a satire of American life, and the series follows the family’s adventures in their hometown and occasionally around the rest of the world. These characters are instantly recognizable and iconic.
From their beginnings as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, The Simpsons have grown into a huge franchise and become the longest-running animated series of all time. There are so many moments in the series, both heartfelt and hilarious, that make this cartoon one of the best shows of its time.
Age: 14+
IMDB Rating: 8.7
90s Cartoons
In 1992, Cartoon-Network in no time established itself as the channel to view cartoons from all eras, from Looney Tunes episodes of the 1940s to the world’s best Hannah-Barbera shows of the 1960s, and Chasing Waterfalls-Spears shows from the 80s. It’s impossible to have watched Cartoon Network from the 90s and not have some beautiful recollections for some classic cartoons that received official re-runs on this channel.
Dexter’s Laboratory, 1996
Dexter’s Laboratory
Dexter’s Lab began with a series of shorts on What a Cartoon! and received the full series treatment in 1996.
The series featured a child prodigy, genius, and scientist “Dèxter” and his irritating sister DD, who for some reason was always just smart enough to ruin everything he had done. But that wasn’t all the show had to offer – it also featured a riff on the Avengers in Justice Fear the Walking Dead, and the clever Dial M for the monkey shorts. All combined to make one of the most popular half-hour shows of the 90s. There were a total of 4 seasons and 78 episodes for this show. A television movie entitled “Ego Trip” was also released and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the original creator of the series.
Age: Suitable for all ages
IMDB Rating: 7.9
SpongeBob Squarepants, 1999
SpongeBob Squarepants
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the eventful adventures of SpongeBob and his fish and shellfish friends take place and hilarity ensues for the audience. The characters live in the aptly titled “Bikini Bottom” which is a small underwater town where life is good…
Age: 7+
IMDB Rating: 8.2
Early 2000s Cartoons
Whether you are a child or teenager who was born in the 2000s, or whether you were born too late to enjoy the memorable cartoons of that era, the following proud mentions will give you some ideas for cartoon series to binge on, for a funny and cozy evening with family or friends.
Samurai Jack, 2001
Samurai Jack
A Japanese samurai is thrown thousands of years into the future. He finds himself in a world where “Aku” now enjoys complete power over every living thing and dubs himself ‘Jack’. On his new quest to defeat this evil wizard Jack, a brave and daring swordsman from the future sets out on an adventure to right wrongs done by his enemy.
Along this journey, he meets many interesting people who help him along the way but ultimately it is up to each person whether or not they wish academia would never exist in their lives because now there are two versions of every event occurring at once which makes life much more complicated than before.
Age: Mature audience only
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Avatar: The Last Airbender, 2005
Avatar: The Last Airbender
The Last Airbender is about a young man named Aang who carries the legacy of an avatar. He can control all 4 elements: water, earth fire and air which are kept at peace by him being able to utilize these skills in tandem with one another for good or bad depending on how you choose your side throughout this story.
It was written by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko tells of how a young man had been chosen for tasks beyond any other alive today which included keeping balance between these forces so they don’t destroy each other during times when there are not enough Avatars present to take care of everything.
Age: 7+ (Includes Fantasy Violence)
IMDB Rating: 9.3
Ben 10, 2005
Ben 10
When Ben Tennyson discovered the “Omnitrix”, a device with powers to transform him into ten different aliens; it became his responsibility as well as an adventure. With these newfound abilities he faced off against supernatural enemies all while trying not only be prepared for what comes next but also help those in need of saving. With newfound abilities and skills in battle against supernatural enemies as well alien ones; this story became incredibly popular at the beginning of the 21st century.
Age: 7+ (Includes Fantasy Violence)
2010s Cartoons
The Amazing World of Gumball, 2011
The Amazing World of Gumball
Gumball, a 12-year-old cat with help from his best friend Darwin and the goldfish that joined their family goes on all sorts of adventures. He’s got an adorable little sister Anais who is four years old but has heightened intelligence so she can keep up. Gumballs’ mom Richard cares for him as well while his dad Nicoles provides support wherever he needs it most. Even if sometimes her interference gets in between things like dinner rolls or TV time, we’ll let them off since they’re really good at shooting baskets. The series follows what happens each day as he gets into all sorts of adventures alongside her sister – also known as “the rabbit.” Her parents give their support too; you can’t have any better backup than this team.
Age: 7+ (Includes Fantasy Violence)
IMDB Rating: 8.3
Infinity Train, 2019
Infinity Train
«Infinity Train»
Meet a young thirteen-year-old Tulip Owens, who aspires to become a game nerd but felt suddenly stuck on a train. Fortunately, she becomes friends with a robot called “One One” – consisting of two spherical robots with contrasting personalities! The show follows their adventures in searching for freedom while being pursued by delinquents looking only at what they can get from them. The protagonist is accompanied throughout most episodes when the main character, Tulip encounters this robot on her commute home from work one day she quickly becomes obsessed with finding out what it’s all about. Join them as they explore different trains and meet interesting characters along the way who may hold clues to help her find her way back safely.
Age: Parental guidance is recommended
IMDB Rating: 8.4
The 1960s and 1970s saw a surge in the popularity of animated comedy and cartoon television. Famous production companies like United Productions of America, Hanna-Barbera Productions, and others are to thank for this.
These innovative companies opened the way for an extensive and varied history of honorable cartoon shows across all genres.
Let us know in the comments which of the cartoon shows mentioned in our list would you love to discover or watch all over again. Would you like to view them with friends or your kids? Keep visiting our website for more in-depth compilations and reviews.
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