My Cartoon List (WIP)

THE Classic. The definition of toon-ness. 10/10. Enough said.

Another classic, some of the most genius slapstick to have been put on screen. Great directing, great art and animation, great soundtrack and effects.

I have to deduct half a star for something that always bothered me – the mean way Tom is treated in some of the cartoons. Sure, sometimes he acts like a jerk, but sometimes he's just doing his job yet his efforts go unappreciated, yet Jerry gets portrayed like a good guy. Thankfully not all episodes are like that.

Looney Tunes' rightful heir in the 90's – Tiny Toons not only managed to keep the slapstick and the absurdity of the classics, but shaped it into a solid concept and portrayed it as an actual science. The science of what it means to be a TOON serves as the basis for the plot and setting of the show and sets the atmosphere. The show then takes to a new level by build upon this plenty with characters, plots and dialogue. The highlighting the toon tradition, however, is unique, and I think, ignites the imagination in a special way & makes this show historically important.
Not to mention how well it does in simply being a great show.

I would deduct half a star for Elmyra episodes, Kennedy Cartoons episodes, and the way they made Furrball. However, the aforementioned meta-toon business won me over so much I have to put it back if only for that.

A lot of what I can say about Tiny Toons can be said about Animaniacs. It's a show that really respected the toon tradition and was very fun and clever, a 90's staple.

However, the lesser appeal of the Warners as characters and the lack of a central theme makes me rate it slightly less than Tiny Toons.

It's fair to say there was quite a lot of cynical, acidly satiric tone in Eek! The Cat – however, curiously, that didn't leave the cartoon without heart. That heart is Eek himself – a goody-two-shoes stuck in the brutal world of reality, still never changing his sincere good approach even if it gets him in trouble. What's good is that ultimately after said trouble he usually manages to resolve the situation in a good way, and those who don't follow get their comeuppance.

Tone discussion aside, Eek is a barrel of laughs and is very well-made. It has great slapstick, great verbal humor, great animation and music. I'm not sure why it is so unappreciated. The Terrible Thunderlizards spin-off is as good as the main cartoon! (Unfortunately the same can't be said about Klutter).

Bobby's World was all about the power of imagination, and I appreciate that a whole lot. I think this cartoon taught me a thing or two about coping with boredom of reality by augmenting it with your own fantasy. There isn't really much else to this show – save for Uncle Ted, who was awesome :D But it's OK.

The soon-not-to-be-newest My Little Pony show took the world by storm, and deservedly so. It took me almost 9 years to start appreciating it – ironically, the final year of the show and the current generation of the MLP franchise – but when I did, I was amazed at what I've been missing. It's a very heartfelt show that really manages to encapsulate the spirit of friendship and the magic that results from being kind, loyal, truthful, generous, and fun to others.

Bonus points for Pinkie Pie having many charactersistics of a classic toon.

Without exaggeration, I will say Gumball is one of the best things to have happened to animation this decade. Not only is the mashup of styles a feast for the eyes, the show is filled with great humor of all kinds. Slapstick, visual gags, witty dialogue, plot twists, 4th wall breaking, you name it. I loved this show.

Note: I don't really like where the show went after the first season, so much that I barely acknowledge anything after it, save for some specific episodes and parts. Thus, the the following comment and rating applies to Season 1 and not much else.

As a hyper-impressionable and sensitive person, I don't take black comedy lightly. You'd think that Metalocalypse is the last show on Earth that I'd watch, but in fact it gave me a lot of great impressions. There was a lot more to the series than just gore and death – and even those were presented in a hilarious way most of the time. Not to mention I love metal, which is quite a harsh genre in itself, so it was appropriate.

The visual style alone makes Samurai Jack stand out as something unique, as well as its excellent direction. If that's not enough, there's thematic variety and a truly respectable lead character. Legendary.