My Top 10 Favorite Cartoons of 2019
2019 was a fantastic year for animated television in general. There were a ton of new shows that premiered, tons that ended their run, and tons that are still going. Now going into the new year I wanted to share my opinions on what were the best cartoons that aired this year.
10.Young Justice Outsiders (S3)
With the rise of streaming services comes new exclusive content and DC Universes capitalizes on this with the return of the hit animated series Young Justice. Taking place two years after the end of Young Justice Season 2, Outsiders follows a team of heroes as they struggle to take down a metahuman trafficking ring. One of the shows best qualities is how it keeps to the theme of younger heroes trying to live up to their mentors. Now in this season features the original team the show started with are now adults mentoring a new group of heroes and helping them go through what they did.
There are many good things in this season as introduces many different heroes and characters from the comics, while also creating unique story that’s exclusive to the show. The villains and heroes feel very organized and efficient. Both the superheroes and villains of the show feel like they have a global community that can create some interesting internal conflicts. These conflicts do a great job at driving the plot and encouraging character growth.
Moving to the new streaming service gave Young Justice much more freedom when it came to mature content. There’s nothing really to scandalous on screen but the show now has more room too show more adult relationships and behavior. Young Justice has always carried mature themes with a sense of seriousness and respect proving that even though the main characters are considered to be kids by the main antagonists they are still smart enough to be a major threat.
9.Carmen Sandiego
Netflix was on fire when it came to animation this year. One such series that was fond of was Netflix’s Carmen Candiego which reinvents the character for a new generation. In the show Carmen is the stylish rogue thief traveling the world and foiling the plans of the villainous organization VILE, while also trying to find out the secrets of her own past.
The show has some top notch writing, fantastic animation, and an interesting protagonist. I enjoyed every minute of watching Carmen’s journey and seeing the world grow with each new episode. The real hook of the show though would have to be the mystery surrounding the protagonist’s origin and how it affects her growth in various ways.
8.Ducktales(2017)
Ducktales is the perfect example of a reboot done right, taking the original concept of a trio of trouble-making triplets going on adventures around the world with their uncle scrooge, and adapting it to the modern day. The series not only recreates the charm of the original but improves upon it, giving each triplet their own unique personality, character traits, and ambition. Huey is cautious and a top notch wood scout, Dewey is a thrill seeking adventurer, and lewey is a greedy schemer who comes up with plans on how to build his own fortune.
They also improve upon the side characters like Webby, making her a sheltered girl with a love of danger and adventure while also giving her own group of friends as recurring characters in the show. The writing on the show has also been modernized to reflect the shift to more linear storytelling as each season builds up one of scrooge’s villains and have it end with scrooge uniting together with his family and allies to stop the villain. Overall Ducktales is a really enjoyable show that does right by the fans and treat it’s audience with respect.
7.Amphibia
Amphibia is a relatively new cartoon that aired on Disney Channel over the summer. Created by Matt Braly, who also worked on Gravity Falls, the show’s centered around Anne Boonchuy, played by Brenda Song, who gets lost in a world filled with sentient frogs, toads and other amphibious creatures. She gets taken in by the Plantar family as she struggles to adapt to the world around her, while looking for a way back home.
While the show does have a sense of continuity and there is somewhat of a linear story throughout the first season, most of the episodes do feel self contained so fans can watch any episode in whatever order they want. The series has some incredible voice acting as well that really makes the characters come alive and feel fleshed out. The writing is phenomenal as well as the episodes usually explore the crazy adventures Anne and the Plantars get into as they face the world around them.
6. Infinity Train
Originally set to be a miniseries before being greenlit for a second season, Infinity train aired it’s ten episode run in early August of 2019 for five days in a row. The show’s pilot was uploaded to youtube in 2016 and quickly earned a devoted following who quickly petitioned to have the show greenlit.
The first season follows the twelve year old girl, tulip who on her way to game design camp finds herself on a bizarre train where each train car contains its own world and challenges. On her mission to get off the train and return home Tulip befriends Atticus king of corgi’s and the mysterious One-One, a spherical robot with a dual personality. The show is filled with drama and suspense as mysterious forces on the train seem to be trying to hunt the group down. This show is great and I particularly like how each train car feels unique. There's a car with an entire civilization of corgi’s while other cars could contain a world filled with mirrors or ducks. The concept allows for a lot of ideas to be made with it and plenty of possibilities to work with.
Created by Ian Jones-Quarterly, OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes is an action packed cartoon that is heavily influenced by older action cartoons and anime. The show is about K.O.’s journey to become a hero by working at Gar’s Bodega along with his friends Radiculues and Enid. There is a lot to love about the show from it’s heavy pop culture influence, gorgeous animation, well written characters, and overall themes of friendship and perseverance.
K.O. has plenty of things in common with protagonists from popular anime like Naruto and Pokemon, in that he tries hard to grow and reach his goal of becoming a hero. He also has an optimistic nature and is very kind-hearted which has become a common trait in cartoons during the past decade with shows like Wander Over Yonder and Steven Universe also having these traits in their protagonists. The entire cast is filled with likable characters with fun personalities that help play into the show’s overall narrative.
The storytelling is also a major positive on the show. There is a lot of creative arcs that really highlights the characters, from season 2’s Hero school to the final season’s confrontation with the big villain. Each arc reveals more about the world the characters live in and the value’s their society has. OK K.O. creates a world filled with heroes, villains, and sorts of different kinds of characters that is very reminiscent of my Hero Academia.
4. Star Vs. The Forces of Evil
Another popular character who got their happy ending in 2019 was Star Butterfly as the hit Disney series aired its final season earlier this year. Star Vs. The Forces of Evil earned quite the audience pretty quickly when it debuted in 2015 with its initial premise of a magical princess from another dimension fighting evil monsters who want to steal her magic wand. However over it’s four year run the show seemed to grow along the side the characters within it.
In the later season star begins to tackle larger issues like government conspiracies and racism as she struggles to what she thinks is best for people, even if they don’t always agree with her. This series has some really fantastic visuals and amazing animation. The monsters and magic spells in especially have some really creative designs that makes the show stand out. I also like how the writing in the show allowed for some creative surprises as the viewer doesn’t always know what a character would actually do sometimes.
However, not everything about the show is perfect, like I felt the romance was really dragged out and got on my nerves at times. I also think that some of the other characters could have had better closures or could have been better written, but that doesn’t make me enjoy the show any less. There were just so many things to love about the show like the creative dimensions and unique creatures that Star Vs. the Forces of Evil had to offer I could help but love watching every second of it these past four years.
3. Miraculous ladybug
The hit french superhero show returned this year with a third season. As Ladybug and Cat Noir gained more allies and access to new power their enemies also grow in power. I really enjoyed how they improved the villains on the show this year as they managed to show what length Hawk Moth would go to achieve his goals as well as show how conniving he can be.
However, this season was a mess when it came to scheduling it premiere making the entire season feel like it was out of order. Thomas Astruc, has stated he’d wanted the episodes to be watchable in any order per season, but ironically I think this is the only season which needs to really be seen chronologically. However, this doesn’t really affect much of the quality behind and the show and It still has plenty of things to love if your a fan of the superhero genre
One reason I’m a huge fan of this show are the characters and just how much they embody different aspects of the superhero genre. The female characters are especially well written and can really make a person become invested in the plot. Marinette showcases many virtues of what a hero should be and helps inspire these virtues her friends. Alya is a supportive friend and her desire to spread truth to people is very admirable. Even Chloe has become an interesting character as the show expanded on her depth past the typical mean girl and revealed that she has some heroic qualities as well. I can’t wait to see the direction these characters take next.
2. The Dragon Prince
Netflix’s newest animated hit from Wonderstorm Productions follows two princes and their elf friend Rayla as they try to unite the titular Dragon Prince with his mother and prevent war between elves and humans. There really hasn’t been any show like this since Avatar: the Last Airbender. Wonderstorm does an incredible job at creating a magical fantasy world that is absolutely beautiful. Every setting we’re introduced to contains so much detail and is visually breathtaking.
The characters are a lot of fun as well. They strike a great balance between humor and seriousness that really makes them come alive and have you feel for them. Characters like Soren and Claudia, whose dad is the main antagonist especially are enjoyable as their arcs put them against people they consider friends for the longest time and how they react to that. Season 3 is especially where the show peaks in quality as many character arcs collide. The third season currently serves as the overall climax and conclusion the first major story and gives a sense that this is just the beginning to the broader world their setting up.
1. Steven Universe/Steven Universe Future
Steven Universe may not have had the biggest presence in 2019, but it definitely was the biggest for the show Overall. Right at the start back in January, Steven Universe concluded the show’s largest conflict with their “Change Your Mind” special which saw Steven finally confront the diamonds and get them to change their ways. Later in the year, the series had a big feature length film aired on TV that took place two years after the finale to season 5 where Steven and the Crystal Gems once again had to save their home.
Now this past month saw the premiere of the show’s final season under the new name Steven Universe Future. The name carries a sense of meaning and finality to it as it explores the shows characters free to pursue their own passions now that the major conflict has been resolved. This let’s the show explore all sorts of new directions for characters and try new things as well.
While previously Steven Universe would have arc villains that would take up the spotlight for several episodes and are mainly motivated by the plot, the villains in Steven Universe Future are more character driven. I found this to be really refreshing as the series has a wide array of characters and these new villains added variety to the show. It’s amazing how Steven Universe continues to explore new directions and characters even after being on the air for nearly seven years and I certainly can’t wait to see more of Steven’s Universe in 2020.
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