KissCartoon

The head and tabs

The KissCartoon logo spreads across the left of the dark head, Kiss in gold and Cartoon in white, resting on a thin orange line. On the right, a white search box with an orange magnifier button looks up any cartoon by name, and a small gold Advanced Search link opens the filters page.

Under the head, a dark strip carries the tabs: Home, Cartoon list, Movies, Ongoing, Genres, Top rated and My List. Each tab is a silver button with dark lettering; the tab for the current page turns bright orange with white lettering, exactly as on the archived site.

Beneath the tabs, an orange sub-bar offers quick links: New cartoons, Completed, Classics and Help. On a phone, an orange Menu button takes the tabs' place.

The random cartoon banner

The main column opens with a banner in a dark frame. On the left sits a cover; on the right, the words Random cartoon in small capitals, the title in large gold type, the genres, the status and number of episodes, a few lines of story and an orange Watch now button.

At the moment the banner shows Avatar: The Last Airbender, the story of a young monk who must master the four elements to end a hundred-year war.

The banner is a small invitation to try something you might have missed.

The Latest update row

Beneath the banner, a box with a golden title bar reads Latest update, with Page 1 at the far end of the bar. Inside, a row of covers runs sideways, each with the cartoon's name in gold and its latest episode number in grey.

The row follows the series still airing, led at the moment by The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad!, Rick and Morty and South Park, some of the longest-running shows in television history.

On a phone, the row slides sideways with a swipe, and the rest of the page stays neatly within the screen.

The tabbed listing

Next comes a box whose golden title bar holds three tabs: Most popular, New cartoon and Top rated. The chosen tab turns dark with gold lettering, and switching tabs changes the table below at once.

The table lists each cartoon's title in gold, its latest episode in grey and its year, with alternate rows shaded and each row lighting up as you point at it.

Most popular is led at the moment by The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad!, Rick and Morty and South Park; Top rated by Avatar: The Last Airbender and Arcane.

Animated movies

After the listing, a box titled Animated movies shows ten film covers with their titles in gold and their year and runtime in grey, and a More link to the full movies list.

The box is led by recent favourites such as Zootopia 2, Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot.

Animated films make a perfect family evening, and many run well under two hours.

The boxes on the right

On a computer, a wide column of boxes runs down the right of the page, each under its own golden title bar. Welcome explains, in bold type, that every cartoon opens on the official services in your country.

Ongoing series lists the cartoons still airing, each with an orange bullet and its latest episode number, and Top rated lists the ten highest-rated cartoons and films. A final box lists the help pages.

The right column is wider than KissAnime's, as it was on the archived KissCartoon, leaving room for long titles such as Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated on a single line.

The cartoon page

Every cartoon and film has its own page. At the top, the cover sits beside the title and a row of tags for HD, the type, the year, the status, the number of dated episodes and the genres, followed by the story, a gold Watch now button and an Add to My List button.

Below, a panel titled Where to watch explains the viewing options, and a grid of facts lists the original title, the first air date, the original language, the countries of production, the studio and the audience score.

Series pages add a list of seasons, each opening to its episodes with titles and air dates, which helps with shows such as The Simpsons, with more than eight hundred episodes.

The Watch now button

The Watch now button is how a KissCartoon page turns into an episode on your screen. Press it, choose your country in the panel that opens, and press it again.

KissCartoon then opens the title on JustWatch, the independent guide to streaming services around the world, where every subscription, rental, purchase and free option for your country is listed.

Pick a service and the cartoon opens in its app or website, ready to play from the first episode or the one you reached last time.

Choosing your country

Cartoons move between services from country to country: The Simpsons lives on Disney+ in many countries, while South Park, Family Guy and Adult Swim shows are spread across several services. KissCartoon asks for your viewing country once and remembers it.

The United States comes first, followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the Philippines, India, Singapore, South Africa and several European and Latin American countries.

Change it from the viewing panel at any time, and every Watch now button follows the new choice.

The cartoon list

The cartoon list gathers around ninety series and sixty films, chosen by how many people watch them and how highly they rate them. It runs from the Saturday-morning cartoons of the 1990s to the newest animated series and films.

Every series page lists its seasons and episodes with air dates, and the Ongoing and Completed shelves show at a glance whether a cartoon is still airing.

The collections page gathers every shelf, from Classics to Star Wars.

The Simpsons and the long-runners

The Simpsons is the longest-running American animated series, with more than eight hundred episodes following Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie in Springfield since 1989.

Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show come from Seth MacFarlane, South Park from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and King of the Hill and Bob's Burgers find comedy in ordinary family life.

Futurama, from the creator of The Simpsons, sends a pizza delivery boy a thousand years into the future.

Adult animation

Animation for grown-ups has become one of television's richest forms. BoJack Horseman follows a washed-up sitcom star in a Hollywood of humans and animals, with real emotional depth under the jokes.

Rick and Morty sends a scientist and his grandson across infinite universes, Archer follows a self-absorbed spy, and The Boondocks and Daria offer sharp satire.

Solar Opposites, Close Enough, Disenchantment, Common Side Effects and Beavis and Butt-Head complete the adult animation shelf.

The Saturday-morning classics

The classics shelf holds the cartoons that filled mornings and afternoons in the 1990s and early 2000s. Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo and Samurai Jack came from Cartoon Network, and SpongeBob SquarePants, Hey Arnold!, Invader ZIM and Danny Phantom from Nickelodeon.

Gargoyles and Darkwing Duck were Disney afternoon favourites, Jackie Chan Adventures mixed martial arts with magic, and The Mask: Animated Series brought the Jim Carrey film to cartoons.

The classic cartoons guide picks highlights.

The DC animated universe

Batman: The Animated Series is often called the finest superhero series ever made, with its art-deco Gotham, its orchestral score and its unforgettable villains.

It led to The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, set in a future Gotham, and Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, which gathered DC's heroes together.

Teen Titans and Young Justice follow the younger heroes, and Teen Titans Go! turns them into a comedy.

Marvel in animation

X-Men '97 picks up where the beloved 1990s series left off, and quickly became one of the highest-rated Marvel projects of any kind.

Spider-Man of 1994 and Spider-Man: The New Animated Series follow the web-slinger, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man tells a new origin story. The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Marvel's Avengers and What If...? gather the team.

INVINCIBLE offers a darker, grown-up take on superheroes, and the superhero guide has more.

Star Wars in animation

Some of the best Star Wars stories are animated. Star Wars: The Clone Wars follows Anakin Skywalker and his apprentice Ahsoka through the war that shaped the saga, and Star Wars: Clone Wars is the earlier, stylised series by Genndy Tartakovsky.

Star Wars Rebels follows a band of rebels before A New Hope, Star Wars: The Bad Batch a squad of unusual clones, and Star Wars: Visions invites studios from around the world to tell their own stories.

The Star Wars shelf gathers them all.

Avatar and Korra

Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most loved animated series ever made, the story of Aang, the last airbender, and his friends on a journey to end a war.

The Legend of Korra follows the next Avatar in a world of early industry and new ideas, a generation later.

Both are ideal for families and for viewers of any age discovering them for the first time.

Modern adventure cartoons

The last fifteen years have produced a golden age of adventure cartoons. Gravity Falls follows twins spending a summer in a town full of mysteries, and Adventure Time follows a boy and his dog through the magical Land of Ooo.

Steven Universe, The Owl House, Amphibia, Star vs. the Forces of Evil and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power mix comedy, fantasy and heartfelt storytelling.

Over the Garden Wall and Infinity Train are short, haunting series that reward a single weekend.

Arcane and new animation

Arcane set a new standard for animated series, with painterly images and a story of two sisters in a divided city.

Primal tells a wordless story of a caveman and a dinosaur, DOTA: Dragon's Blood and Devil May Cry adapt video games, and Ninja Kamui brings anime-style action to a Western series.

These series show how far animation for older audiences has come.

Cartoon comedy

Regular Show follows two park workers whose slacking leads to surreal adventures, and The Amazing World of Gumball mixes animation styles in a single frame.

Phineas and Ferb follows two brothers building something impossible every summer day, Animaniacs brings back the Warner siblings, and Clarence finds wonder in ordinary days.

DuckTales returns Scrooge McDuck and his nephews to adventure, and Robot Chicken parodies pop culture in stop motion for grown-ups.

Pixar

Pixar made the first computer-animated feature, and its films fill the top of the animated movies shelf. Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 follow Woody and Buzz from their first meeting to a final farewell.

A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL·E and Up made Pixar's name, and Inside Out, Coco, Turning Red and Inside Out 2 kept it shining.

Cars, Cars 2, Cars 3 and The Good Dinosaur are favourites with younger viewers. The Pixar shelf gathers them all.

DreamWorks

DreamWorks Animation answered Pixar with humour and attitude. Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After follow the ogre who became a family hero, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish gave his feline sidekick a film of his own.

Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 4 follow Po, the unlikely Dragon Warrior, Over the Hedge and The Croods are family comedies, and The Prince of Egypt is a musical epic.

The Wild Robot, the story of a robot raising a gosling, became one of the studio's most admired films.

Disney animation

Disney's hand-drawn renaissance of the late 1980s and 1990s gave the world The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan and Tarzan.

Lilo & Stitch, The Emperor's New Groove and Treasure Planet followed, and the computer-animated era brought Tangled, Frozen, Frozen II, Zootopia, Zootopia 2 and Moana 2.

Big Hero 6 mixed Disney with Marvel. The Disney shelf gathers them all.

More studios

Illumination's Despicable Me and Despicable Me 4 introduced the Minions, and The Lorax and The Super Mario Bros. Movie brought Dr. Seuss and Nintendo to the screen.

Blue Sky's Ice Age, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Ice Age: Continental Drift follow a mammoth, a sloth and a sabre-toothed tiger, and Laika's Coraline is a stop-motion fairy tale.

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride are gothic favourites, and Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse changed what animated films could look like.

New animated films

Recent years have been rich for animation. KPop Demon Hunters became a surprise global hit with its pop soundtrack, and Zootopia 2 returned to the city of animals.

Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Despicable Me 4 and Kung Fu Panda 4 were among the biggest films of 2024, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie arrives in 2026.

The New cartoons shelf gathers series and films from 2023 onward.

Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network's studio produced some of the most inventive cartoons of any era. Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo and Samurai Jack were the first wave; Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Steven Universe and Clarence the second.

Over the Garden Wall and Infinity Train are short masterpieces, and Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake revisits the Land of Ooo for grown-up fans.

The Cartoon Network shelf gathers them.

Scooby-Doo and mysteries

Scooby-Doo has solved mysteries for more than half a century. What's New, Scooby-Doo? brought the gang into the 2000s, and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated gave them a darker, serialised story in a haunted town.

Gravity Falls owes much to the Scooby-Doo spirit, with twins uncovering the secrets of a strange Oregon town.

These series suit family evenings, with scares that stay friendly.

Dragons and fantasy

Fantasy cartoons build worlds as rich as any novel. Dragons: Race to the Edge continues the How to Train Your Dragon story, The Dragon Prince follows two princes and an elf on a journey to bring peace, and Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia follows a teenager chosen to protect a hidden world of trolls.

The Owl House follows a girl who stumbles into a world of witches, and Amphibia a girl transported to a land of frogs.

These series are ideal for older children and the grown-ups who watch with them.

Action for younger viewers

Action cartoons for younger viewers have a shelf of their own. Ben 10: Alien Force follows a teenager with a watch that turns him into aliens, and Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man follow a young Peter Parker.

Teen Titans and Young Justice mix action with friendship, and SAINT SEIYA: Knights of the Zodiac retells a classic anime story.

Services' kids' profiles keep younger viewers to the shows chosen for them.

Where cartoons stream

Cartoons are spread across many services. Disney+ carries Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars animation and, in many countries, The Simpsons; Max carries many Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Warner Bros. series; Paramount+ carries Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, including South Park.

Netflix carries originals such as Arcane, The Dragon Prince and BoJack Horseman, Hulu carries Family Guy and Bob's Burgers in the United States, and Prime Video carries INVINCIBLE.

The guide to services compares them, and the Watch now button lists every option for your country.

Kids' profiles

Many families share one streaming account, and most services offer kids' profiles that show only titles suited to a chosen age. KissCartoon's catalogue holds both family cartoons and adult animation, so profiles are worth setting up.

The family cartoons guide suggests titles for younger viewers, and the adult animation guide shows which series are made for grown-ups.

Title pages list each series' genres, which helps you judge whether it suits the whole household.

Picture quality

Most cartoons stream in HD, and many recent series and films in 4K with HDR. Remastered classics such as Batman: The Animated Series look sharper today than on their first broadcast.

Richly painted series such as Arcane and films such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse reward the best screen in the house.

A connection of about 5 megabits a second suits HD, and about 25 suits 4K.

Phones and televisions

KissCartoon works in any browser. On a phone, the tabs fold into an orange Menu button, the Latest update row slides sideways and the boxes stack beneath the main column.

To watch on a television, open the cartoon in the same service's app on the television, or cast it with Chromecast or AirPlay. Many apps let you download episodes on Wi-Fi to watch later on the move, which is handy for long car journeys with children.

The apps and devices guide has more.

Free and legal cartoons

Plenty of cartoons can be watched free and legally. Tubi, Pluto TV and The Roku Channel carry many series with adverts, including classics, and several studios publish full episodes on their official YouTube channels.

Many subscription services offer a free first week or month, a good way to catch a short series such as Over the Garden Wall in full.

The Watch now button marks free options for your country. The free and legal guide gathers more.

My List

My List keeps track of the cartoons you are watching. Press Add to My List on any cartoon page, and it joins the My List page.

Many families keep separate lists on separate devices: one for the children's favourites, one for the grown-ups' shows.

The list lives in your browser and works right away. Export My List saves a small file; Import a saved copy merges it on another device. The My List guide has more.

More ways to find cartoons

The Cartoon list, the A-Z page and the Genres page cover the catalogue, and the Top rated page ranks the hundred highest-rated titles.

The finding a cartoon guide explains search and advanced search, the animated films guide tours the studios, and the how to watch guide walks through each step.

The classic cartoons guide is the place to start for nostalgia.

The official KissCartoon

KissCartoon has one fixed address, shown in your browser, and its own writing and cartoon pages: the grey textured page, the gold and white logo, the silver tabs with an orange current tab and the golden box bars.

Bookmark it or add it to your home screen, and it opens with your country and My List in place. Every Watch now button leads to JustWatch and official services.

The official site and site status guides explain what to check.

Staying safe

KissCartoon shows covers, stories, episode lists and links to JustWatch and official services, and every button goes exactly where its label says.

Official services keep your devices safe and offer kids' profiles and parental controls. Keep your browser and devices updated for security fixes and better playback.

Elsewhere, leave pages that open windows on their own, ask you to install a player or ask for card details to watch something free. The safety guide has a short checklist.

How cartoons are chosen

The KissCartoon list is built from the cartoons and animated films audiences watch and rate most, from the 1990s to today, in English.

Series are sorted into Ongoing and Completed by their broadcast status, and into shelves by studio and theme.

KissCartoon holds both family cartoons and animation for grown-ups. Adult animation built on sexual content is left out, and the rest is labelled by genre so households can choose.

Where the information comes from

Covers, titles, stories, genres, seasons, episodes, studios and audience scores come from TMDB, the community film and television database used around the world.

Where to watch comes from JustWatch, updated daily for every country. The help pages and this guide are written for KissCartoon.

The list is refreshed regularly, so new episodes and new cartoons appear as they air.

Where to start

If you are returning to cartoons after years away, start with a series that works for grown-ups and children alike. Avatar: The Last Airbender and Gravity Falls are loved by every generation, and both tell a complete story.

For comedy, Phineas and Ferb or The Amazing World of Gumball are quick, clever and endlessly rewatchable; for something grown-up, BoJack Horseman or Arcane.

For a film night, Toy Story, Shrek or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse are always a delight.

A nostalgia tour

For many viewers, KissCartoon is a way back to childhood. A nostalgia tour might start with Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles, move through Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo and Hey Arnold!, and end with Samurai Jack and Danny Phantom.

Many of these series have been remastered in HD, so they look better than they did on the family television.

Sharing a childhood favourite with your own children is one of the joys of a good cartoon list.

Creators to follow

Some creators have shaped animation for decades. Matt Groening created The Simpsons and Futurama, Seth MacFarlane created Family Guy and American Dad!, and Genndy Tartakovsky created Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars and Primal.

Alex Hirsch created Gravity Falls, Dana Terrace The Owl House, Rebecca Sugar Steven Universe and Pendleton Ward Adventure Time.

Bruce Timm's work on Batman: The Animated Series and the DC shows that followed defined superhero animation.

Songs and scores

Cartoon music is often unforgettable. The theme tunes of The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants and Phineas and Ferb are known around the world, and Steven Universe is full of original songs.

Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King brought Broadway-style songs back to animation, and Frozen and KPop Demon Hunters produced hits for a new generation.

Arcane's soundtrack, with its original songs, became a hit of its own.

Marathon planning

Some cartoons are made for a marathon. Avatar: The Last Airbender tells its story in sixty-one episodes, perfect for a few weeks of evenings, and Gravity Falls in forty.

The long-runners, from The Simpsons to Family Guy, are better dipped into than watched in order, and the episode lists make it easy to jump to a favourite season.

Film sagas such as Toy Story and Shrek fit a weekend.

Family movie night

For a family movie night, the animated films shelf has something for every age. Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc. and Frozen suit the youngest, while The Incredibles, Big Hero 6 and The Wild Robot suit children a little older.

Coco and Inside Out often move grown-ups as much as children, and The Prince of Egypt is a musical epic for the whole family.

Services add age ratings and parental controls you can set in each profile.

Reading the scores

Every cartoon page shows a TMDB audience score out of ten. Scores above eight mark the cartoons audiences love most, and the Top rated box and page are made almost entirely of them.

The number of votes matters too. A long-running show rated by thousands of viewers has a settled score, while a new series may move as more people watch.

Scores are a helpful guide rather than a final word, and some of the most delightful cartoons sit just below the top.

Worth rewatching

Many cartoons reward a second viewing. Gravity Falls hides codes and clues in almost every episode, and Avatar: The Last Airbender foreshadows its ending from the first season.

BoJack Horseman and Rick and Morty pack jokes into the background that you only catch the second time.

Keep a small shelf of favourites in My List for the next rewatch.

Short series

Some of the finest cartoons are short. Over the Garden Wall tells a complete autumn fairy tale in ten short episodes, and Infinity Train a series of journeys on a mysterious train.

X-Men '97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man each tell a story in one or two seasons, and Arcane tells its whole story in eighteen episodes.

Short series are ideal for a weekend, with an ending in sight.

Enjoy KissCartoon

KissCartoon exists to help you find your next cartoon, from a Saturday-morning classic to a new animated film, and to make each one easy to watch legally wherever you live.

From the random cartoon banner to the Latest update row, the tabbed listing and the Ongoing series box, every part of the page is there to get you to a great cartoon quickly.

Bookmark KissCartoon, build your list, and enjoy the show.

BoJack Horseman

BoJack Horseman follows a horse who starred in a hit 1990s sitcom and now struggles to find meaning in Hollywood. It is funny, full of animal puns and visual jokes, and also one of the most honest portraits of loneliness on television.

Its six seasons reward watching in order, as the story builds towards a moving ending.

It sits on the adult animation shelf beside Rick and Morty and Archer.

Rick and Morty

Rick and Morty follows a brilliant, reckless scientist and his anxious grandson across infinite universes. Each episode is a science fiction idea taken to its funniest extreme.

The series has become one of the most quoted cartoons of its era, and new seasons arrive regularly on Adult Swim and its partners.

It is made for grown-ups, with language and violence to match.

South Park

South Park follows four boys in a small Colorado town, and has satirised the news of the day for more than a quarter of a century, often making episodes within a week of broadcast.

Its paper-cutout look is deliberately simple, and its humour is sharp, crude and often surprising.

It is firmly for grown-ups; the title page lists its seasons so you can jump to any era.

Futurama

Futurama sends a pizza delivery boy into the year 3000, where he joins a delivery company with a robot, a one-eyed captain and a professor who is his distant descendant.

The series mixes science fiction ideas with warm, silly comedy and several genuinely moving episodes.

It has returned several times after cancellation, and fans have followed it through each revival.

SpongeBob SquarePants

SpongeBob SquarePants follows a cheerful sea sponge who works as a fry cook in the undersea town of Bikini Bottom. It has run since 1999 and remains one of the most watched cartoons in the world.

Its jokes work on two levels, which is why children and parents enjoy it together.

It sits on the classics shelf beside Hey Arnold! and Invader ZIM.

The Owl House and Amphibia

Disney's recent adventure series are among the best-loved cartoons of their decade. The Owl House follows a teenager who stumbles into a realm of witches and demons and apprentices herself to a rebellious witch.

Amphibia follows a girl transported to a land of frogs, and both series build to dramatic finales.

They are ideal for older children and teenagers, and many grown-ups love them too.

Steven Universe

Steven Universe follows a boy raised by three magical alien guardians, and grows from a gentle comedy into a story about family, identity and forgiveness.

Its original songs, many written by its creator Rebecca Sugar, are a highlight.

The series suits families, with a message of kindness at its heart.

Young Justice

Young Justice follows the teenage sidekicks of the Justice League as they form their own covert team.

It is known for its long, carefully planned storylines and its large cast of DC characters.

It pairs naturally with Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited on the superhero shelf.

Gargoyles

Gargoyles follows a clan of stone creatures who awaken in modern New York after a thousand-year sleep, and it remains one of Disney's most ambitious television series.

Its mix of Shakespearean drama, Celtic myth and city adventure made it a cult favourite.

It sits on the classics shelf beside Batman: The Animated Series.

Star Trek in animation

Star Trek: Lower Decks follows the junior officers of a Starfleet ship who handle the everyday jobs far from the bridge.

It is a comedy full of affection for the whole Star Trek franchise, with references that fans enjoy spotting.

It suits grown-up fans of science fiction and comedy alike.

The Boondocks

The Boondocks follows two brothers who move from Chicago to the suburbs with their grandfather, and offers sharp satire of American culture and politics.

Its anime-influenced action scenes and bold humour made it a landmark of adult animation.

It is firmly for grown-ups.

Invincible

INVINCIBLE follows the teenage son of the world's most powerful superhero as he discovers his own powers and a terrible secret.

It is violent and intense, made for grown-ups, and has become one of the most talked-about animated series of recent years.

New seasons arrive on Prime Video, and the series page lists every episode.

Daria and Beavis

MTV's animation had a sharp edge. Beavis and Butt-Head follows two slacker teenagers who comment on music videos, and its spin-off Daria follows their dry, clever classmate as she survives high school.

Both series capture 1990s culture with wit, and Daria in particular has found a new generation of fans.

They sit on the adult animation shelf.

Ren and Stimpy and friends

The Ren & Stimpy Show changed what cartoons could look like in the early 1990s, with its exaggerated expressions and gross-out humour.

Invader ZIM followed a decade later with a tiny alien trying to conquer Earth from a suburban house, and Happy Tree Friends offered cute animals and very dark comedy online.

These series are cult favourites for grown-up fans of offbeat animation.

Spawn and grown-up action

HBO's Spawn adapted Todd McFarlane's comic as dark, adult animation in the late 1990s, and Robotech brought Japanese mecha to American television in the 1980s.

Celebrity Deathmatch staged clay-animation wrestling matches between famous people, and I Am Not an Animal offered offbeat British comedy.

These titles show how varied animation for grown-ups has always been.

DuckTales and Disney afternoons

Disney's afternoon cartoons were a daily ritual for many children. DuckTales relaunched Scrooge McDuck's adventures for a new generation, and Darkwing Duck parodied superhero stories with a masked duck.

Monsters at Work continues the world of Monsters, Inc., and Gargoyles brought drama to the afternoon line-up.

These series are ideal for a nostalgic family evening.

Games on screen

Games have inspired several recent animated series. DOTA: Dragon's Blood adapts the famous online battle game, Devil May Cry the stylish action series, and Arcane the world of League of Legends.

These series have won over a wide audience beyond the players, thanks to strong stories and striking animation, whatever their gaming habits.

They are made for older viewers.

The Spider-Verse films

Sony's Spider-Verse films changed animation. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduced Miles Morales and a whole multiverse of Spider-People, each drawn in a different style, and won the Oscar for best animated feature.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse went even further, with dozens of art styles and a story that ends on a cliffhanger.

Both films reward the largest screen in the house and a good sound system.

Frozen

Frozen became one of the most successful animated films ever, the story of two royal sisters and the power of love, with songs that children around the world learned by heart.

Frozen II took Elsa and Anna into an enchanted forest to discover the source of Elsa's powers.

Both suit a family evening and a sing-along.

Toy Story in order

The Toy Story films are best watched in order. Toy Story introduced Woody and Buzz in 1995, Toy Story 2 took them to a toy collector's flat, Toy Story 3 said goodbye to Andy, and Toy Story 4 sent Woody on the road.

Each film is under two hours, so the whole saga fits a weekend.

Keep them together in My List for a family marathon.

Shrek in order

The Shrek films follow the ogre from his swamp to fatherhood. Shrek and Shrek 2 are among the funniest animated films ever made, and Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After complete the story.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish gives the saga's famous cat an adventure about his final life.

The films are full of jokes for grown-ups and children alike.

Disney classics in order

Disney's renaissance films are a wonderful set to watch together: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King were released one after another between 1989 and 1994.

Each has songs that became standards, and each is under ninety minutes.

They make a perfect week of family evenings.

Ice Age and Blue Sky

Blue Sky Studios' Ice Age films follow Manny the mammoth, Sid the sloth and Diego the sabre-toothed tiger, with Scrat the squirrel chasing his acorn through every era.

Ice Age, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Ice Age: Continental Drift are light family adventures, each well under two hours.

They suit younger viewers especially well.

Minions and Illumination

Illumination's films are bright and fast. Despicable Me introduced Gru and his yellow Minions, and Despicable Me 4 continued the story in 2024.

The Lorax adapts Dr. Seuss's tale about protecting trees, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie became one of the biggest animated films ever.

These films are ideal for a family evening with younger children.

Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda follows Po, a noodle-loving panda chosen as the legendary Dragon Warrior, and Kung Fu Panda 4 returns to his adventures with a new villain.

The films mix slapstick with beautifully animated martial arts, and suit every age.

They pair well with the DreamWorks series Dragons: Race to the Edge.

Adventure films

Adventure fills several animated films. Treasure Planet sets Treasure Island in space, Tarzan swings through the jungle to Phil Collins songs, and The Croods follows a prehistoric family into a new world.

Over the Hedge follows forest animals discovering the suburbs, and Mulan follows a young woman who takes her father's place in the army.

These films are ideal for adventurous young viewers.

The Avatar world

The world of Avatar continues beyond the original series. The Legend of Korra follows Aang's successor in a city of radio, cars and new political ideas, and grows darker and more ambitious over its four seasons.

Fans who finish Avatar: The Last Airbender often go straight on to Korra, and the two together make one of the richest stories in animation.

Both series are listed on the Completed shelf.

The Clone Wars in depth

Star Wars: The Clone Wars ran for seven seasons, telling stories of Jedi, clones, bounty hunters and politicians across the galaxy.

It introduced Ahsoka Tano, who became one of the most loved characters in Star Wars, and its final season connects directly to Revenge of the Sith.

Watching it before Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Bad Batch gives the best view of the saga's animated side.

King of the Hill and Bob's Burgers

Some adult cartoons are gentle at heart. King of the Hill follows Hank Hill, a propane salesman in small-town Texas, with a warm, observant humour that has made it a lasting favourite.

Bob's Burgers follows a family running a struggling burger restaurant, with musical numbers, puns and a great deal of love between its characters.

Both suit viewers who enjoy comedy with kindness, and both have run for many seasons.

Jackie Chan Adventures

Jackie Chan Adventures turned the martial-arts star into a cartoon archaeologist hunting magical talismans with his niece Jade and wise old Uncle, and it remains a favourite of early-2000s childhoods.

Each episode mixes kung fu, comedy and a little magic, and ends with a short live-action segment in the original broadcast spirit.

In short

Search by name, pick from the random cartoon banner, the Latest update row or the tabbed listing, and open any cartoon to reach its Watch now button.

Set up kids' profiles for younger viewers, keep cartoons in My List, and choose your country once.

The help pages cover every step, from classic cartoons and adult animation to the official address and staying safe.

Questions