The 2000s was an exciting time for cartoons. Coming off of the second golden age of the 90s, the 2000s saw a boom in creative premises. Cartoon Network, Disney, and Nickelodeon, in particular, turned out a number of well-remembered and beloved cartoons by those who saw them.
With so many shows coming out, some, unfortunately, got pushed to the wayside compared to others. These shows are still worth looking back at thanks to their characters and writing, as they often had a fun and original spin that maybe just wasn’t recognized at the time.
10’ChalkZone'
IMDb Score: 6.5/10
Rudy Tabootie (E. G. Daily) is your average ten-year-old boy with a passion for drawing. One day, he discovers a magic piece of white lightning chalk, which allows him to open a portal to ChalkZone. This land is inhabited by everything ever erased on a chalkboard, including Rudy’s own creation, Snap (Candi Milo).
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The world inside a chalkboard is practically a breeding ground of creativity. Rudy is able to solve all manner of problems with his artistic skills, which makes you wonder what he’ll create each episode. It also results in some interesting characters, like the villainous Scrawl (Jim Cummings), who was created when Rudy’s classmates sabotaged one of his drawings.
9’Dave the Barbarian'
IMDb Score: 7.0/10
When the king and queen of Udrogoth depart to battle evil, their children Candy (Erica Luttrell), Dave (Danny Cooksey), and Fang (Tress MacNeille) are left in charge of the kingdom. While Candy oversees the day-to-day running with the help of their uncle, Oswald (Kevin Michael Richardson), Fang pushes Dave to protect the kingdom from evils like the Dark Lord Chuckles The Silly Piggy (Paul Rugg). Unfortunately, Dave is a cowardly lover, not a fighter.
Dave the Barbarianhad a crazy sense of off-the-wall humor. There are plenty of fourth-wall-breaking jokes using an offscreen Narrator (Jeff Bennett), and the jokes range from references to absurd visuals. All the characters, both heroes and villains, are funny and likable in how inept they are.
8’My Life as a Teenage Robot'
XJ-9, known as Jenny (Janice Kawaye) is a robot built to be a teenage girl by Dr. Noreen Wakeman (Candi Milo). Her intended use is to protect the Earth from internal and external threats, especially the all-robot Cluster Empire. However, Jenny just wants to live a normal life by going to school, making friends, and crushing on boys.
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This show combined elements ofThe Powerpuff Girlswith an art style similar toSamurai Jackto create something charming and unique. Its animation is fast and stylistic, allowing for creative action scenes, especially when Jenny uses her massive arsenal of weapons. When she’s not kicking butt, Jenny is a sweet, innocent protagonist with a friendly girl-next-door attitude.
7’Class of the Titans'
IMDb Score: 7.1/10
Thousands of years ago, the Titan of Time, Cronus (David Kaye) was defeated and imprisoned in Tartarus. On New Year’s Eve, during a planetary alignment, he breaks free and prepares to conquer the modern world. Fortunately, the Olympian Gods are hiding in plain sight, and recruit seven teenagers descended from Greek heroes to face him.
Class of the Titansis a great show for kids interested in Greek Mythology. It takes inspiration from the classic myths and then adds a modern twist, like removing a monster’s iconic weakness or incorporating modern technology into a magic spell. With seven main characters, it also showcases a diverse and dynamic range of personalities, allowing for moments of drama, romance, comedy, and friendship.
6’Danny Phantom'
IMDb Score: 7.2/10
Danny Fenton (David Kaufman) is your average teenage boy whose parents happen to be renowned ghost hunters. One day, while investigating their ghost portal, he accidentally turns it on and is infused with ghost energy. This allows him to transform into a ghost form and use his powers to battle evil specters.
UnlikeButch Hartman’smost popular show,The Fairly OddParents,Danny Phantomfeatured teenaged protagonists, allowing them to explore more teen-focused storylines and humor. It’s styled much like a comic book, with a recurring cast of villains and supporting characters, all with unique personalities and skills. Sadly, the showonly lasted a few seasonsdue to going over budget.
5’Codename: Kids Next Door'
All around the world, children under the age of thirteen band together as part of an organization called the Kids Next Door. From their treehouse bases, they monitor the activities of adults and teenagers and use their two-by-four technology to fight for kids' rights. Said rights include eating candy for breakfast and removing homework.
This show indulged in children’s fantasies of what it would be like if they could run the world instead of adults. Their technology is very creative and feels like the sort of over-the-top and complex weaponry a kid would think about to fight adult tyranny. The main characters of Sector B are diverse, fun, and voiced by talented actors likeCree Summers,Dee Bradly Baker,and Benjamin Diskin.
4’The Batman'
IMDb Score: 7.3/10
Within Gotham City, billionaire Bruce Wayne (Rino Romano) dons a cape and cowl every night to protect the streets at Batman. At first, he faces opposition from Police Chief Angel Rojas (Edward James Olmos) and his best officers, Ellen Yin (Ming-Na Wen) and Ethan Bennett (Steve Harris). As more super-criminals like the Joker (Kevin Michael Richardson) and the Penguin (Tom Kenny) show up, the city welcomes their caped crusader with open arms.
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The Batmanis not as well-loved as the iconicBatman: The Animated Series,butit’s worth a look.It wasn’t afraid to tell its own stories alongside the familiar tales of The Dark Knight audiences know and love. Bennett is a perfect example of this, as they combine the stories of Two-Face and Clayface to create a unique character.
3’Chowder'
IMDb Score: 7.4/10
Chowder (Nicky Jones) is an excitable young boy living in Marzipan City. He becomes the apprentice of renowned chef Mung Daal (Dwight Schultz), who tries to teach him everything to know about preparing food. Unfortunately, Chowder is more interesting in eating food than preparing it.
Chowderfirst aired on Cartoon Network as the channel was going into a creative slump, which is unfortunate due tojust how funny it is. It combines forth-wall breaks, different animation styles, and surreal jokes to create a truly unique style of comedy. The characters are all a blast, though the relationship between Chowder and Mung is as sweet as it is hectic.
2’Jackie Chan Adventures'
Jackie Chan (James Sie) is a professional archeologist and martial artist who lives with his antique shop-owning uncle (Stacie Chan) and his niece, Jade (Sab Shimono). One day, the shop is attacked by members of the Dark Hand trying to get a magic talisman. This brings Jackie and his family into contact with Section 13, a secret organization that works to protect the world from magical and mythical threats.
Jackie Chan Adventuresis a silly idea for a series, and yet they made it work. It never takes itself too seriously, allowing for a lot of fun in every episode with wacky action scenes and some memorable characters. It also does a good job of introducing younger audiences to Chinese mythology with its Chi-based magic system.
1’Martin Mystery'
IMDb Score: 7.5/10
An organization called the Center monitors alien and mythical creatures across the world. Their top agent, Martin Mystery (Sam Vincent) is obsessed with all things paranormal and jumps at the chance to explore a new sighting. To level out his immaturity, he is partnered with his rational step-sister, Diana (Kelly Sheridan), and a caveman named Java (Dale Wilson).
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This show came from the same Canadian-French pairing that gave usTotally Spies. Its anime-inspired animation lends itself to comedic expressions and over-the-top levels of gore and detail, resulting in creative monsters and good visual comedy. The writers must have practically breathed science-fiction and fantasy-horror stories because every episode manages to be a new, unique adventure.
