Animated Series to help fill that ATLA void

Editor’s note: We asked Kinfolklore contributor Chamar Griffith to recommend his favorite animated series to help our fans cope with finishing ATLA and Korra. Below are Chamar’s recommendations for best in animated series . This is part one of a two-part series.

My name is Chamar Griffith, your neighborhood Blerd, and I am here to share with you a list of my favorite animated series of all time! I am just a kid from Brooklyn who has always loved comics, art, and animation. Given that cartoons have all three, I Scrooge McDuck-ed dived into this colorful world. Growing up most people would always say that cartoons would rot your brain. It was the opposite for me as they gave me a front row seat to spaces I wouldn’t be in at that time. I was able to hear the Barber of Seville and the William Tell Overture when I was five years old. In less than 20 minutes, I saw performances of the Count of Monte Cristo, Waiting for Godot, and Cyrano. That’s why I love cartoons, not only do they provide us with joy, they connect us to creatives from the past and inspire the new creatives of the future. 

Now, onto the list!

First, I will not be listing on here some of the more commonly discussed or award-winning cartoons such as Spongebob, Rick and Morty, Family Guy, The Simpsons and the G.O.A.T. series Avatar: The Last Airbender - Kinfolklore has graciously dedicated an entire season of its podcast to ATLA so make sure to listen, subscribe, and share! I will be talking about animated series that are warm and dear to my heart, have an amazing theme song, and some which I thought were a fever dream. 

Secondly, these will be serialized shows with an ongoing season plot or have the occasional call back to a previous episode. These shows all have in some capacity world building and/or character development. Most of these shows have concluded their run, so if like me, you like a good wrap up, these are the shows for you!

Finally, I want to mention that most of the Japanese anime series might also be available in their subbed and dubbed versions on streaming sites/services such as Crunchyroll. I am not too familiar with Japanese anime streaming services so feel free to look in your preferred platform for any that I listed below. All right, here we go!

DuckTales - Disney+

Whoo-hoo! The House of Mouse gave us several shows throughout the years but the one I am talking about is the adventures of the most popular ducks of all time.This reboot adds in just as much adventure as the original series but now really shows each character as their own duck. 

The thing I love about this show is the voice acting talent behind it.: David Tennant, Danny Puddi, and even recurring and guest appearances by Lin Manuel-Miranda as Gizmoduck and Don Cheadle as Donald Duck! One of the best additions to the show is the inclusion of the strong amazing girl Webby (voiced by Kate Miucci) who is a much needed and wonderful addition to this new Quack Pack.

This show is very much a love note to its original series fanbase as it has the same formula and ties in a lot of interest we might have had growing up (i.e. latest episode focused all on Norse mythology told through professional wrestling)

Right now, this reboot is helping to reopen many doors as well. There are many nostalgic characters including Launchpad McQuack who is a regular and is helping to bring in a possible return of Darkwing Duck!

Keep an eye out on October 19 on the Disney Channel as Drake Mallard will be donning the cape once again with Jim Cummings reprising his roles *wink wink nudge nudge* from the original series for an hour long special.

Static Shock - DC Universe

When it comes to superhero television shows, it’s common to go with your heavy hitters like Superman or Batman to gain interest, which DC did leading to the Golden Age of superhero animation in the 2000s. The DC Animated Universe (affectionately called the Timmverse or the Diniverse because of the series creators Bruce Timm and Paul Dini) consisted of shows featuring Batman, Superman, and the rest of the Justice League. Their work opened the door to not only new characters i.e. Batman Beyond and Harley Quinn being introduced into mainstream comics, but they also brought back a hero from an entirely lost comic book universe. That hero was Static.

Virgil Hawkings is your typical Black teenager growing up in Dakota. He lived with his father and sister, excelled at school, and spent most of his days hanging with his best friend, Richie. However, his neighborhood was afflicted by gang violence and during a battle between rival gangs that he was drawn into, an explosion of chemical gases went off giving Virgil the ability to manipulate static electricity. Which is great until he learns that everyone else that was in the area also received some kind of superpower. Now with the help of his friend Richie, who soon joins him in the frontline of the fight, Virgil as Static helps to clean up his neighborhood by taking down villains of the week using not only his shocking abilities but his mind as well.

The best thing about Static is that it gave Black people (especially boys and men) an animated hero separate from anyone else to finally look up to on their television screen. There was no other show during this time that portrayed a Black hero living in a world like our own. Virgil played basketball and video games, listened to rap music (which is played as the score for many scenes) , attended school with a diverse student body with the majority depicted as Black. The show tackled racism, gun violence, bullying, trauma, and loss. 

Also, Static was funny and in a way the DC answer to Spiderman. Not only did Static Shock already have an all-star voice acting cast, the voice actors from the other DC shows joined in and even the show included special appearances from Shaq, other famous NBA players, and Lil Romeo who produced the theme song for the show used in the later seasons. 

Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes / Avengers Assemble - Disney+

Marvel is a powerhouse, no doubt about it. As far as I can remember, they have always produced several animated series since the dawn of color television. However, in 2010, following the newfound success of a cinematic blockbuster and a recent acquisition by the House of Mouse, Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes was created. This series introduced the original comic book Avengers lineup to a younger generation asking for more. Then more heroes and villains were shown, with origin stories that were pretty close to the comic storylines! There were crossovers with other Marvel cartoons at the time and even a spinoff Hulk series. Unfortunately, with the crowd response to the 2012 Avengers film, the series was forced to wrap up in favor of a more Cinematic Universe look and team. Enter Avengers Assemble. Another great series, which has taken some creative liberties given the fact that major storylines like Ultron and Civil War were released before the movies. So far there have been five seasons of the show and no news of a sixth so it is safe to say that the series has wrapped.

Honorable Mention

The Superhero Squad Show

This 2009 series was connected to the Hasbro/Marvel toy line; they were never referred to as Avengers and the target audience was definitely the younger kid crowd. However, I have learned to never sleep on a series based on mainstream superheroes aimed towards kids because the writers know it’s the parents who are going to be watching this and because of that I will honestly say, this show has an amazingly accurate adaptation of the comic book Infinity saga story. Not only that but each episode title screen is a call back to a famous comic or storyline. Any comic fan is guaranteed a chuckle from either these or the childish humor of the squad.

Fullmetal Alchemist: (Brotherhood) - Netflix

This amazing anime follows the story of two brothers, Alphonse and Edward Elric, in a world where alchemy is a common practice. At a young age, they lost their mom and tried to resurrect her. However, alchemy is quite the exact science and not in the way we want it to be. Not only did Edward manage to bring to life a monstrous version of their mother, Alphonse dies in the process and Edward loses his right arm and left leg. Thanks to being quite skilled as a young alchemist, Edward manages to save his brother’s soul but due to his body being destroyed, Alphonse is trapped in a large suit of armor. Following these events, they join the State Alchemist, a government organized police force, who offer them an opportunity to find the Philosopher’s Stone, an item that amplifies an Alchemist’s abilities, in an attempt to return their bodies to normal. Along the way, they become masters in alchemy as they now know the truth and are able to do things that most alchemist can’t.

Many shows adapted from their original source materials tend to not get it 100% right because it isn’t complete or the show needed to go in a different direction. Fullmetal Alchemist was one of those shows during its 2003-2004 run. Fortunately, they knew they messed up and once the manga was complete, they reanimated the entire series and kept it as close as possible to the manga, shot for shot with the new Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood anime. The best thing about this series is the focus on the brotherly bond, both who grow individually and together to become the best alchemists in their world. Also, throughout the series, there are several characters, none of whom are throwaways and almost all of whom end up holding a special place in your heart.

Chamar Griffith

Kinfolklore Contributor