If you’re looking for classic cartoons, world-famous anime series, or the latest in computer-generated animation, then you’ve come to the right place! Here your part 2.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020-2022)
Creator: Zack Stentz
Cast: Paul-Mikél Williams, Jenna Ortega, Sean Giambrone, Raini Rodriguez, Kausar Mohammed
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is an action-packed animated series inspired by the hit dinosaur franchise. Developed for television by Zack Stentz, Camp Cretaceous follows a group of teenagers given an opportunity to attend an exclusive adventure at Camp Cretaceous on Isla Nublar. Featuring the voices of Jenna Ortega (Wednesday), Sean Giambrone (The Goldbergs), and Paul-Mikél Williams (Westworld), Camp Cretaceous unfolds when these six teens unite to survive as dinosaurs break free from their habitats, wreaking havoc on the island. With surprisingly high stakes for a series intended for younger audiences, Camp Cretaceous carefully embraces the Jurassic Park threats with youthful spirit and heart. – Yael Tygiel
Kotaro Lives Alone (2022-present)
Cast: Rie Kugimiya, Kayleigh McKee, Jennifer Losi, Heather Gonzalez
Based on the Manga, Kotaro Lives Alone is a cute series about a Manga artist named Shin Karino and his 5-year-old neighbor boy, Kotaro, who lives all by himself in a dilapidated apartment building. Not only does Kotaro’s mysterious circumstances find him without parents, but the series doesn’t dwell on the intrigue. An adorably shrewd animated show, Kotaro Lives Alone can lean a tad dark at times but seems more interested in introducing a slew of distinct characters who are neighbors in Kotaro’s building. Kotaro Lives Alone is strange, entertaining, and unexpectedly wholesome. – Yael Tygiel
The Fairly OddParents (2001-2017)
Created by: Butch Hartman
Cast: Tara Strong, Susanne Blakeslee, Daran Norris
Timmy is an average kid that no one understands. If you were a frequenter of Nickelodeon in the early 2000s, odds (pun intended) are good that you remember this show. The series follows Timmy Turner (Tara Strong), a 10-year-old boy who gets by with a little help from his fairy godparents: Cosmo (Daran Norris) and Wanda (Susanne Blakeslee). The two of them can grant any of Timmy’s wishes, often to help him deal with his evil babysitter Vicky (Grey DeLisle) or crazy teacher Mr. Crocker (Carlos Alazraqui). These wishes usually backfire – to comedic effect. Quirky and hilarious, check out The Fairly OddParents for a trip down memory lane, or introduce younger kids, nieces, or nephews to it. – Taylor Gates
Q-Force (2021-present)
Created by: Gabe Liedman
Cast: Sean Hayes, Matt Rogers, Wanda Sykes, Patti Harrison
Q-Force centers around a group of unappreciated LGBTQ+ super spies headed by Steve Maryweather (Hayes). Though he was a rising star at the American Intelligence Agency before coming out, after revealing his sexuality, he found himself discriminated against. When he decides to prove himself to the AIA, however, he must work not only with his team but also accept a straight man into the fold. Q-Force is not only hilarious but also surprisingly heartwarming. – Taylor Gates
Pacific Rim: The Black (2021-2022)
Created by: Guillermo del Toro and Travis Beacham
Cast: Calum Worthy, Gideon Adlon, Erica Lindbeck, Ben Diskin
There are some worlds that you encounter in the realm of genre fiction that just feel ripe for expansion beyond their initial forms — Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim being among them. From the very first glimpse of the war between kaiju and humans, the latter of whom are forced to pilot large armed robots known as Jaegers in order to fight back, it’s clear that this long-spanning conflict has plenty of mileage to fuel stories beyond what initially premiered on the big screen. Enter Pacific Rim: The Black, which was released a year ago today and which follows two siblings whose parents have left them behind to fight the kaiju war but never return. Determined and driven, they uncover an abandoned Jaeger and decide to enter the battle themselves while searching for their parents at the same time. And if that sparks your interest, you should know that there’s already a Season 2 in the works. – Carly Lane
Love, Death & Robots (2019-present)
Developed by: Tim Miller
Underground gladiator fights, three robots wandering through an abandoned city after a post-apocalyptic event, a tiny civilization growing inside an antique fridge, farmers who pilot mecha suits to defend their land from giant insect creatures — these stories only scratch the surface of what can be found within the anthology series Love, Death & Robots, with each episode hailing from a different set of creators and animation teams across the globe to absolutely staggering effect. The success of said stories might vary depending on the viewer, but some installments will leave you thinking as hard as marveling, and another volume of episodes is slated for release sometime this year. – Carly Lane
Maya and the Three (2021)
Created by: Jorge R. Gutiérrez
Cast: Zoe Saldaña, Diego Luna, Allen Maldonado, Stephanie Beatriz
There are some shows that come around that frankly feel cinematic in scale in a way that almost defies the medium itself; Maya and the Three, a limited series that debuted on Netflix last year, is among them, and if the visuals don’t lure you in from the jump, maybe the excellent voice cast listed above (with even those names barely scratching the surface of the talent involved) will do the rest? Maya and the Three tells the story of the titular Teca warrior princess as she sets out on a journey across a world inspired by Mesoamerican cultures with the aim of finding three warriors of prophecy who are meant to help her defeat the God of War. Not only is it an epic story, it’s a feat of animation infused with cultures and sensibilities that don’t often get placed front and center in this realm. – Carly Lane
Aggretsuko (2018-present)
Created by: Rarecho
Cast: Erica Mendez, Josh Petersdorf, Katelyn Gault, Ben Diskin
There’s something incredibly charming yet equally cathartic about Aggretsuko, which first started out as a series of animated shorts before becoming an anime for Netflix. It might revolve around an anthropomorphic red panda, but said panda (Retsuko) is also stuck in a dead-end job dealing with so many relatable problems that face people of a certain generation. In order to cope with her stress, Retsuko heads to her local karaoke bar every night and leaves it all on the stage as she screams through some epic death metal tunes. Who hasn’t wanted to do exactly that before, am I right? But the show isn’t just about the benefits of releasing stress; it’s about getting in touch with your emotions and evolving how you face certain problems instead of instinctively running away from them — which, in the end, helps Retsuko find even more of her inner voice. – Carly Lane
Arcane (2021-present)
Created by: Christian Linke and Alex Yee
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, Kevin Alejandro, Katie Leung
There might be no bigger surprise on the list in recent memory than Arcane, which premiered almost quietly in contrast to how it concluded — with an almost-immediate renewal for Season 2. It’s technically set in the realm of League of Legends, but for any newbies who are worried about whether the series will be too difficult to follow without lots of preceding lore in their back pocket, fear not: this is an example of a show that you can dive into without really even needing to know much of a backstory. The series thrives on characters over lore, and as Vi, lead Hailee Steinfeld solidifies her rule over the most honored season of television known as Hailee Steinfall (which consists of this, Dickinson, and Hawkeye). Treat yourself to some stunning visuals, an engrossing story, and the promise of more to come. – Carly Lane
Inside Job (2021-present)
inside-jobImage via Netflix
Created by: Shion Takeuchi
Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Christian Slater, Clark Duke, Tisha Campbell
Delightfully demented, this animated series from Gravity Falls writer Shion Takeuchi takes its wild premise and keeps the energy escalating. Centered around Cognito, Inc, the nefarious corporation behind all of the conspiracy theories that you thought were fake but are actually far too real, the hilarious plotlines (including a riff on what really happened with the original moon landing that will totally change the way you think about Neil and Buzz) come with a fascinating rumination on whether it’s possible to fix a broken system from within. Plus, the voice cast is extraordinary, with Lizzy Caplan standing out as a nascent mad scientist whose heart is somewhere close to the right place. After only 10 episodes, Inside Job is a cult classic in the making. – Liz Shannon Miller
Neo Yokio (2017-2018)
Created by: Ezra Koenig
Cast: Jaden Smith, Jude Law, Tavi Gevinson, Susan Sarandon
A strange but lovely little series, Neo Yokio comes from unexpected television creator Ezra Koenig and features a wild voice cast, including Jaden Smith as a disaffected but wealthy demon fighter and Jude Law as his loyal robot butler. While it’s a short run (one season, plus a Christmas special), the series is a pop of wild imagination set in a very different world, with a very different vibe from more traditional anime. Yet nonetheless just as entertaining. – Liz Shannon Miller
Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021-present)
Created by: Kevin Smith
Cast: Chris Wood, Mark Hamill, Liam Cunningham, Sarah Michelle Gellar
This animated series from, yes, nerd auteur Kevin Smith might have pissed off some fanboys when it premiered this summer, but that’s because they weren’t ready for this fresh, surprising, funny, and heart-wrenching take on the world of He-Man and Eternia. The series begins with a shocking twist, followed by serious apocalypse vibes as Teela (perfectly voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) is the one tasked to save the literal universe from ending. The voice cast is packed with both legends as well as unexpectedly great choices, with a special shout-out owed to Griffin Newman, whose voice work as Orko totally transforms the character from a one-time punchline to the heart of the series. – Liz Shannon Miller