Each week I create a 2-2.5 hour block of programming for the family to watch together over a nice breakfast. We call it Sunday Brunch Cartoons, and we’re nearly two years into it without missing a day. I’m releasing a full list of our watch queue, with the hopes that you can think of something really good (or memorably bad) that we should include.
No 70s Hanna-Barbera.
https://feddit.uk/pictrs/image/a12bea0c-89fb-4c86-a610-f231583719ad.webp
Plaintext: Title Batman: Caped Crusader Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years Cybersix Gargoyles Infinity Train Mythbusters Hey Arnold! Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Amphibia Animaniacs Scooby Doo; Mystery Inc. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends Gumby Gurren Lagann Mighty Max (Remastered) My Adventures With Superman Sailor Moon Original ReBoot Recess Crash Course Video Games She-Ra Space Patrol Luluco The Owl House Tron: Uprising Star vs the Forces of Evil Rocky & Bullwinkle Sym-Bionic Titan Freakazoid! Teen Titans Bump In The night Looney Tunes Golden Collection Nate Is Late / Oskar et Malika The Big O Unicorn Warriors Eternal Mega Man Megas XLR Motorcity Fraggle Rock Men in Black: The Animated Series Histeria! The Tick Swat Kats Adventure Time: Fiona & Cake Kim Possible Dexter’s Laboratory Star Trek Mobile Fighter G Gundam The Adventures of Salmon Max Captain N: The Game Master Darkwing Duck Danny Phantom Wakfu Kirby: Right Back At Ya Regular Show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Inspector Gadget The Legend of Zelda Underdog (1964) Kid Cosmic Looney Tunes Cartoons Samurai Jack Adventure Time The Loud House King Arthur and the Knights of Justice The California Raisin Show Visionaries Knights of the Magical Lights He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Transformers: Prime Yuu Yuu Hakusho Invader Zim Ducktales Avatar: The Legend of Korra Codename: Kids Next Door Pingu Bill Nye TSG Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Reading Rainbow Wishbone Red Wall Ramen Akaneko Space Ghost Powerpuff Girls Transformers War For Cybertron Dungeons and Dragons Ren & Stimpy Rugrats Super Mario World Fairly OddParents Hilda Moomin Batman: The Animated Series Earthworm Jim Amazing World of Gumball Beakman’s World Rocko’s Modern Life The Real Ghostbusters The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Bravest Warriors Beetlejuice Ruri Rocks Transformers: Beast Wars Courage the Cowardly Dog Rentaghost The Busy World of Richard Scarry Over the Garden Wall Button Moon Cow & Chicken Bocchi the Rock Adventure Time: Distant Lands The Angry Beavers The Trap Door Pinky and The Brain Clone Wars (2003) Avatar: The Last Airbender Gravity Falls A Series of Unfortunate Events Steven Universe Trigun Batman Beyond Bluey Ed, Edd, & Eddy
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Phineas and Ferb
Wander Over Yonder (Jack McBrayer)
Space Ghost Coast To Coast
Squidbillies
Ahhh Squidbillies, solid addition. Not all that kid friendly to be clear.
Gotta watch Pingu
It’s in our rotation, but it’s been a while since we watched. Old claymation is really great, feels so genuine. Have you seen Lee Hardcastle’s Thingu?
I don’t see “The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack” mentioned yet - it’s weird, has lovable characters, and excellent animation and voice acting. Actually I just can’t say enough good things about it, it’s delightfully odd and entertaining. The surgeon is also a barber, just like the good old days! Can I interest you in some surgery?
David the Gnome!
This has been on my list of ancient lovely things to revisit. Have you given it a spin lately? How’s it hold up after all this time?
It’s format is different. The characters often speak directly to the audience. Sometimes it’s less story driven and more just explaining what gnomes are like in mythology. I watched a bunch a year or two ago but never finished it all. Loved every minute though, it definitely influenced the human I grew up to be. While I’ve got your attention I also loved whatever the animated borrower’s series was…maybe it was called The Borrower’s? Ghibli later made a movie called The Secret Life of Arriety which was also excellent. Also the Rankin/Bass movie The Flight of Dragons!
Nice! On a whim I took the time to find and watch a couple episodes some years back and it was fun to remember how David just talks to the audience about stuff sometimes.
I remember it being a very “warm”-feeling show, but of course it’s impossible to disentangle my earliest thoughts about it from that quick review. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug!
Sidenote, I feel like David the Gnome and Fern Gully are strong examples of something lovely we lost in storytelling for kids. A less polished but somehow both a warmer and a more honest look at things.
Thanks for the recs!
Watching Fern Gully tonight thanks for the reminder! I also loved Don Bluth movies as did many. Was recently reminded of Rock a Roodle and rewatched it during a flood in my area. Similarly strange format, solid place on my heart.
David the Gnome
Since I see you have some anime there:
- Gargantia on the Verduous Planet
- Samurai Flamenco
- Tiger & Bunny
- Cells at Work
Should all be wholesome and pretty kid friendly.
Also, some older cartoons you missed:
- Pirates of Dark Water
- Conan the Adventurer
- 2 Stupid Dogs
- Doug (Nickelodeon series)
Beetlejuice Ducktales The gummi bears David the Gnome
I think the original run of The Muppet Show deserves a spot on the list too
Ulysses XXXI
Someone else mentioned that, it looks super interesting!
I see Samurai Jack and Bluey. I don’t see 90s Spider-Man (others have said X-Men, they got hand-in-hand).
Also, my kids are currently obsessed with the 101 Dalmatians cartoon, FWIW.
I don’t see “The Super Mario Brothers Super Show” on this list, and it feels missing.
Nothing alternates quite as quickly between “well this is solid TV” and “what?! Why?! Wait… What?!” And back again.
My Life as a Teenage Robot, My Little Pony FiM, Phineas and Ferb
That sounds lovely. I’m stealing that idea! Hilda and invader zim is so good.
I recently finished litre witch academy, that I could recommend. And the most bizarre thing I’ve seen is John Dillermand. Maybe first screen it before you show it for your kids :)
Some shows I haven’t seen since I was a kid, but I remember being high quality, and haven’t seen mentioned yet:
- The Animals of Farthing Wood
- Noahs Island
- Watership down (1999, not the adult 1972 movie!)
PLEASE DON’T WATCH WATERSH8P DOWN 1972 AS SUNDAY MORNING CARTOONS
That is to say, don’t do it if you don’t have adult kids and aren’t particularly keen on some well-animated animal violence.
Crazy how different those two products are
Add just a little bit of 60s and 70s Hannah Barbara (Johnny quest, Scooby-Doo, old superhero shows) so that when they are older, you can show them Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law and GOATed of all time animated series The Venture Bros
100%, agreed that it’s good to at least have the kids be familiar with those classic shows. Scooby-Doo has a ton of versions since their original Hanna Barbera, so OP has options if they want to avoid the original. One I watched recently and would recommend is Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!
The animation style is totally different, which might take some getting used to for OP and their spouse, but the kids should enjoy it. It’s got a solid cast, with the likes of Frank Welker (who’s not only known for his animal voices, but who’s been doing the voice of Fred since the 70s!) and Grey Griffin (sometimes credited as Grey DeLisle, who’s done voices on a significant amount of shows on the list.) Also, its focus is on funny, and it gave me some legit laugh out loud moments.
Venture Bros might be the only reason I’d need to sit through a season of Johnny Quest. This is an extremely solid argument, I think you’ve changed my mind completely!
I forgot to add the caveat when they get older for venture bros. But it’ll just make them appreciate it more when they do see it
Of course, it’s a great series but it’ll be all the better if I don’t have to explain the jokes to his therapist in fifteen years lol
Breakfast takes 2 hours in your house?
With a playlist like this, I’d be happy to eat each cheerio one-by-one just to stick around.
Hahahaha, jealous?
Brunch does, anyway.
