Netflix is no longer the only streaming service in town, and its animation library is facing steep competition from giants like Disney+ and HBO Max. However, its focus on smart and original animated shows has helped Netflix stand out in a crowded market. They still have more outstanding animated content than most fans could comfortably watch in a lifetime.
One of Netflix's strengths is its diversity. It has a plethora of original kids' cartoons that are as good or better than anything else on TV or streaming. They've also had several hits in adult animation, with shows like Big Mouth and Bojack Horseman drawing in adult viewers with their raunchy humor and strangely sincere characters. From sci-fi adventure to YA comedy, Netflix consistently highlights animation's adaptability and raw power.
Updated on 4/1/2023 by Matthew Z. Wood: Netflix has expanded its animation catalog immensely in the last couple of years, and almost every new series on the service deserves fans' attention. CBR is always striving to keep its content current, both by expanding existing articles and by acknowledging changes in public opinion.
20 Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
The Jurassic World films haven't been received as well as their predecessors, but the animated leg of the franchise is surprisingly solid. Camp Cretaceous takes place in JW's timeline but is considerably more harrowing. It follows a group of teens trapped on Isla Nubar during the events of the first film and spends its first season following their attempt to escape on the last boat off the island.
Across the course of its five seasons, its diverse cast grows and changes, as nerds become self-sufficient, jocks learn to care, and the survivors become a family. With truly wicked corporate villains and imaginatively awful dinosaur hybrids like the Scorpius Rex, this YA version of Jurassic World exceeds all expectations.
19 Castlevania
Video game adaptions often disappoint fans, as they aren't known for their quality or loyalty to their source material. Castlevania, on the other hand, manages to not only be a great animated series in its own right but manages to elevate certain aspects of the game series' story, highlighting character development and horror in what could be a bland adaptation.
Castlevania takes many elements from the popular game franchise but borrowed heavily from Dracula's Curse and Curse of Darkness. Its true achievement is the way it elevates Dracula into a sympathetic villain, pitting him against a corrupt and violent world. However, the show never loses sight of the fact that Dracula's war is enveloping innocent lives, and there's no doubt that Belmont and Alucard need to protect the world from both sides in this struggle.
18 Blood Of Zeus
Blood of Zeus seems to have modeled itself on the success of Netflix's darker shows like Castlevania rather successfully and is one of the better-animated series on the platform right now. The series follows Heron, the demi-god son of Zeus created for the show, as he learns about his true heritage and destiny, as he was born to save both Olympus and Earth from a demonic army.
Like Castlevania, there is a lot of blood and violence in this series, as might be expected in a show centered around ancient Greece. While intended for older viewers, the series isn't self-indulgent, and it avoids gratuitous sex and bloodshed.
17 BoJack Horseman
Bojack Horseman has been praised to the moon and back for its take on the lives of celebrities, as well as the impact of addiction, depression, and mental and emotional disorders on their everyday lives. Despite its portrayal of a world of anthropomorphized animals and people living side-by-side, it's surprisingly grounded and never forgets about the impact of the self-absorbed choices of the wealthy on ordinary people.
Most viewers have found it hard to not relate to at least one of Bojack Horseman's main characters. They aren't good people but, horse-headed or not, they're all distressingly human. This goes a long way toward conveying the show's message about the importance of people seeking help when they need it, no matter what their lifestyles are.
16 She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power
A reboot of He-Man's spin-off series, She-Ra follows Adora, a warrior for the evil Horde army who joins the heroes when she realizes she's lived her life fighting for the wrong side. Finding a sword whose ancient technology can transform her into the powerful giant She-Ra, she tries to unite Etheria's divided kingdoms against the threat she helped create.
For a show based on a line of toys, She-Ra is shockingly well-made. It focuses on characters and relationships and is surprisingly inclusive for a high-concept science fiction series. Even the villains are complicated and the show's depth and breadth will surprise fans of all ages.
15 Big Mouth
The product of a collaboration between talented comedians like Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, and Ali Wong, Big Mouth is a weird combination of fantasy, humor, and adolescent body horror. Now six seasons in, the series focuses on the inner and outer lives of growing teens, whose minds are populated by everything from hormone monsters and shame wizards to perverse musical ghosts.
Known for its raunchy humor, Big Mouth is definitely intended for mature viewers. Sometimes Big Mouth goes too far for some audiences, featuring partial nudity and gross-out humor that turns off potential fans. Still, it shines when it focuses on its flawed characters and allows them to become more than just the embarrassing sum of their numerous mistakes.
14 Maya & The Three
Though the series' connection to Mesoamerican myths is a bit haphazard, Maya & The Three still delivers an inclusive, action-packed story about corrupt gods and a child destined to save her world. The tropes flow freely here but Maya's quest to assemble a team of heroes and find her own inner strength is still as compelling as it is familiar.
Maya & The Three is also nicely subversive, illuminating a corrupt Heaven populated by once-great gods who want sacrifices they've never earned. Even though the villains are fallen gods, they still feel potent enough to offer an insurmountable challenge for the heroes.
13 The Dragon Prince
It's hard not to compare The Dragon Prince to Avatar: The Last Airbender, as Aaron Ehasz, the series creator, was also the lead writer for Avatar. The two shows also share some prominent cast members and have other similarities but The Dragon Prince is more than capable of standing on its own merits and is well worth watching for fans of every stripe.
Dragon Prince is smart, adventurous, and funny but it also loves to subvert the high fantasy tropes it swims in. Now in its fourth season, it's an ensemble piece replete with queer characters, it paints a complicated picture of a fantasy world where good and evil exist on all sides of every conflict. With its outstanding heroes and surprisingly human and funny villains, it's a show about war, heroism, and family that doesn't shy away from difficult moral quandaries.
12 Centaurworld
Centaurworld is unique from its cold open, where a nameless warhorse is Isekai'd into a cartoon reality. Surrounded by what she regards as annoying magic, Horse stumbles into the core of an interdimensional conflict, eventually facing not just an army of evil Minotaurs but the unstoppable Nowhere King.
Centaurworld deserves credit for introducing one of the most frightening villains ever to grace the animated screen. However, the series never loses its sense of humor. It manages to be epic, silly, and horrific all at once and slowly turns its frivolous cast of perpetually singing Centaurs into believable champions of right.
11 Dead End: Paranormal Park
When Dead End's Barney and Norma start new jobs in a haunted theme park, they have no idea where their lives will lead them. It's an episodic show about teen romance and possessed pugs, but it also has an engaging horror-adjacent plot, detailing how local celebrity Pauline Phoenix has used the regional attraction to fuel her horrific afterlife.
Dead End deserves credit for being unusually inclusive. With trans and POC characters in the lead roles, the show feels different than many of its less imaginative peers. The demon Courtney, who badly wants her human friends' approval but doesn't want to change, also deserves a shout-out as one of the most believably conflicted characters in animation.
10 Hilda
Luke Pearson's Hildafolk series is an outstanding kids' graphic novel series that never talks down to children. With roots in Scandinavian mythology, it combines gorgeous art and world-building with flawed but genuinely admirable characters. No chosen ones here, but by focusing on heroic children living in a magical-realist city, Hilda undermines audience expectations at every turn.
Hilda isn't afraid to be scary or subversive. While it focuses on young people exploring a confusingly dangerous world, it retains its sense of innocence. More importantly, the series understands the difference between right and wrong, that children should be listened to, and that misguided people aren't always evil. The show conveys the comics' sense of wonder beautifully and shouldn't be missed.
9 My Dad The Bounty Hunter
A family comedy reskinned as a sci-fi adventure story, My Dad The Bounty Hunter focuses on galactic bounty hunter Sabo Brok, a tough guy who'd thrive in a world like The Mandalorian's. However, as a dad who's keeping his dangerous career on the down low, Brok is facing the challenge of bringing up two nerdy kids in a chaotic galaxy.
My Dad The Bounty Hunter is one of Netflix's smartest new additions. In addition to its excellent computer animation and adventurous premise, it's also a positive depiction of a Black family dealing with contradictions and genuine disaffection. Brok isn't perfect, and he makes a lot of mistakes, but he loves his kids and will do anything to keep them in his life.
8 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Based on the controversial Cyberpunk 2077 game created by CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk Edgerunners is a gorgeous animated series about cybernetically enhanced youth living in the dystopic Night City. Following in William Gibson's footsteps, it's a dark and weirdly glamorous story of crime in an undefined future.
Despite rave reviews from critics, Cyberpunk Edgerunners didn't spawn the fanbase its creators were hoping for and it was relegated to a single season. However, this anime series is full of dazzling action and wild characters. Mature viewers who haven't checked it out yet need to give CE a try.
7 Oni: Thunder God's Tale
Based on Japanese myth and folklore in ways that many Anime only wish they could be, Oni: Thunder God's Tale focuses on a small child named Onari's journey to heroism. In four short episodes, the series chronicles the threats she and her village Mount Kamigami face, as well as the lessons she can learn from traditional Japanese magical creatures like Tengu, Oni, and Kappa.
Based on the poetic children's book Onari's Lullaby, by Emi Tsutsumi, Oni has a unique visual style that reflects its origins in children's literature. Never too scary, the story is still a surprisingly deep exploration of the ways fear can distort people, driving them into unnecessary conflict.
6 Kipo & The Age Of Wonderbeasts
Kipo is yet another young hero who gathers together a team who can save the world. However, this is a more nuanced take on the trope-filled subgenre. In Kipo, it's hard to find any good guys beyond the core group of heroes. It's a world divided against itself, as warring factions of mutated animals and scattered groups of humans compete viciously for limited food and resources.
Set in a carefully constructed alternate reality, Kipo herself becomes incredibly powerful. However, her true strength lies in her ability to help others find the good in themselves and to see that their true self-interest lies in cooperation and not war. The series features multiple insidious villains but ruthless humans are by far the worst of the lot. Like Avatar, it's a smart, funny, and wise series for viewers of all ages.
5 The Hollow
Running for two seasons, The Hollow is a surprisingly effective YA mystery. Heroes Adam, Mira, and Kai wake up in a strange world with no memories, surrounded by inexplicable dangers. However, they slowly learn to navigate this world's rules, discovering their own unexpected abilities in the process. In time, they uncover the outlines of their quest and realize they're not alone in The Hollow.
The Hollow's characters are truly delightful and unexpected. Adam, Mira, and Kai form a dysfunctional family, slowly learning to trust each other. The series thinks about their powers inventively, and the characters themselves subvert viewers' expectations of teen romance and right and wrong. The show also knows how to introduce queer and POC heroes as people first and not just as 'representation.' It's a sincere and smart action-mystery hybrid, well worth exploring.
4 Tear Along The Dotted Line
Tear Along The Dotted Line is an unusual Italian animated series. Crafted for an adult audience, this is a serious-but-funny road trip story that slowly lets gives its audience a deeper understanding of Zero, his friends Sarah and Secco, and Valerio, the imaginary armadillo who acts as Zero's conscience.
Unlike a lot of Netflix's adult animated series, Tear Along The Dotted Line is genuinely mature. its character arcs are modest and it truly engages with difficult themes like underachieving and suicide. Tear is clearly inspired by real life. Not for kids, it's about loss and disappointment, but also about people learning imperfect lessons from their mistakes. It hasn't been widely celebrated but Tear is a hidden gem on Netflix's catalog.
3 City Of Ghosts
City Of Ghosts may be Netflix's oddest foray into animated television. A hybrid animation mockumentary, this French-American series follows the Ghost Club, a group of children who wander their town, interviewing ghosts. This lets them confront Boyle Heights' mysteries but also teaches them about their local history and gives them a unique perspective on their own lives.
City Of Ghosts is a surprisingly warm series. Its main characters are believably young and diverse, and while it's fine for younger viewers, adults will be surprised at how adroitly the series grapples with identity and history. It's kind, smart, and not to be missed.
2 Arcane: League Of Legends
League of Legends has always been long on lore and gameplay but short on plot and character development. However, its Netflix adaptation Arcane provides the perfect remedy for this problem.
Arcane takes popular characters from the LoL franchise and develops them into three-dimensional people with feelings and goals. Focused on fan favorites Jinx and Vi, this series builds a complicated world and develops its sense of magic and foreboding beautifully. Where most video game adaptations are risible, this series genuinely moves its fans to tears.
1 Avatar: The Last Airbender
Premiering on Nickelodeon in 2005, Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most popular animated series of all time. With its outstanding characters, unforgettable world-building, cohesive stories, and intense martial arts action, it deserves all its accolades. The fact that it's currently on Netflix provides a great opportunity for fans new and old to enjoy Aang's, Kitara's, and Sokka's journey through the four nations.
Plots about unlikely heroes who save the world are old hat for many fans but Avatar's execution sets it apart. It's smart and funny, but its emotional stakes are genuine and real. Like The Dragon Prince, it also has a unique take on villains, letting some wallow in their evil while giving others wise mentors and multiple shots at redemption. From Toph to Zuko, this series never wastes a character's potential, making it one of the greatest animated series ever made.