5 Favorite Animated TV Shows from the 90’s
I think that the 1990’s was the golden age of animated TV series. It’s rare that we see anything these days that lives up to the production quality that we saw all throughout the 90’s when it comes to animated series. The cartoons these days have very little value when it comes to animation, it’s rare that we see anything decent. This list of 90‘s animated series only includes shows that are now no longer on the air. For example The Simpsons is an all time classic, but it is currently still being produced so it’s not on this list. Here are my top five favorite animated shows from the 90’s.
The Tick
Production Period: 1994-1996
The Tick is hands down one of the funniest damn animated series ever produced. For some reason it only lasted a couple of years, but it quickly reached cult status. The Tick focused on a super hero who was well known for his "Spooooooon!" battle cry and his awesome skin-tight blue suit. This satirical take on the super hero craze is considered one of the best animated series of all time.
Animaniacs
Production Period: 1993-1998
This show was the Looney Tunes being reborn in the form of whatever the hell they were. Animaniacs was presented by Steven Spielberg and it was hilarious. I loved the witty and wacky dialogue and stories. The series followed The Warners; Yakko, Wakko, and Dot -- three cartoon stars from the 1930s that were locked away in the Warner Bros. water tower until the 1990s. Upon their escape, they often interacted with some of the human characters working at the studio, including caricatures of some of our favorite actors and directors. They also included several other great characters, most notably Pinky & The Brain.
Batman: The Animated Series
Production Period: 1992-1995
Who didn’t love this show!? It was one of the best and highest quality animated TV shows to ever grace our TV’s. Batman was a freakin bad-ass and there were a ton of great story lines that included all of our favorite villains. It was much more adult oriented for many of the other shows, which is one of the reasons why it was so great. I loved the 1940‘s noir style of it, with the vintage gothic dark tones. What made this show stand above the rest was its sophisticated, cinematic tone and psychological stories. An interesting note for you this was the first cartoon in years to depict firearms being fired instead of laser guns. Only one person has ever been actually depicted as shot; Commissioner Gordon in the episode "I Am the Night" was seen to have a gunshot wound after the firefight was finished.
Gargoyles
Production Period: 1994-1997
This epic animated TV series that was created is by far one of the best and most ambitious animated shows ever produced by Disney. This is yet another animated series that was created for an older type audience. What made Gargoyles great was its complex story arcs, melodrama and the animation was absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed all of the character arcs that were created throughout the series. The show was deeply influenced by medieval Scottish history, Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream. This world and its characters fit right in with the world of Marvel, and now that Marvel is part of Disney how cool would it be to see them combined?
Spawn
Production Period: 1997-1999
This was a hardcore series created for HBO audiences. This series delivered the goods it is definitely the best adaptation of Todd McFarlane’s comic book. The show was so good that it won an Emmy award in 1999 for Outstanding Animated Program. This is definitely one of the darkest animated series ever created in the United States, and it had a great story line and fantastic animation. There has been talk recently about bringing the series back, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
What are you favorite 1990's animated shows!?