Some of us are just cartoon people. That’s not to say our bowties spin and steam comes out of our ears when we get mad, but we are wired to adore these kinds of animated antics. The tenuous grasp on reality, the exaggerated emotion, the loose relationship with physics — cartoons stretch the imagination past its limits (and then some!), and we just can’t get enough.
Luckily, it’s a glorious time for animation-lovers to be alive. From kids shows featuring magical dogs to adult series about weed-smoking superheroes, there's a cartoon out there for everyone — and Hulu has amassed most of them! So, in honor of all the cartoon kids out there, we’ve put together a list, in no particular order, of the best cartoons currently available on Hulu, from the classics to the absurd, and all the fantastic animation in between.
1. Steven Universe
Get ready to fall in love with Steven Universe. Created by Rebecca Sugar, a former Adventure Time writer and artist, this profoundly lovely series was Cartoon Network’s first series created solely by a woman. Sugar based the lead character Steven, an empathetic and optimistic dreamer, on her little brother, and the love leaps off the screen. The young Steven is cared for by three super-powered alien women called the Crystal Gems, who protect the Earth from galactic monsters. As a half-Gem, Steven helps the Gems as best he can, all the while learning more about his own powers, his late mother’s mysterious past, and how to stay true to himself in challenging times.
The show thrives on its beautiful musical sequences and its deft handling of difficult topics. There are consequences in the world of Steven Universe, and characters are allowed to explore complex and conflicting emotions. The result is a refreshing and grounded adventure that grabs you by the heart as it soars through the stars.
How to Watch: Steven Universe is streaming on Hulu.
2. Cowboy Bebop
It’s noir; it’s anime; it’s science fiction. It’s all of the above! Cowboy Bebop is a Japanese, genre-defying series from the ‘90s with a vocal fan following. Spike Spiegel is a bounty hunter in the year 2071, when humans are mostly living on outerworlds. He and partner Jet Black cruise around the galaxy in their spaceship, the Cowboy Bebop, tracking down ne’er-do-wells and picking up new team members along the way. Its moody atmosphere made it a standout among other anime titles of its time, and its long-lasting appeal has earned it an upcoming live-action adaptation starring John Cho. This is a beloved series that rightfully deserves every single accolade it has received. It’s got style, suspense, and an iconic corgi. What more do you need?!
How to Watch: Cowboy BeBop is streaming on Hulu.
3. The Simpsons
We can’t talk about animation without talking about The Simpsons, the series that defined comedy for at least two decades of its stunning 33-season run (and counting!). Because of The Simpsons, Matt Groening is a household name; “Eat my shorts” became a ‘90s catchphrase; and “D’oh” was legitimately added to the English dictionary. The show started as a satire of the classic American sitcom but evolved to take on a life of its own, with masterful parodies (the Mr. Burns/Citizen Kane episode is hall-of-fame level brilliant) and an extensive cast of characters, each with their own ridiculous and lovable idiosyncrasies.
The humor is both smart and stupid, and when an episode hits, it sticks with you forever — shout out to “Marge vs. The Monorail,” written by a young Conan O’Brien! Because so many of us grew up alongside Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, these flawed bright yellow characters somehow feel almost like family, and Springfield, our home away from home.
How to Watch: The Simpsons is streaming on Hulu.
4. Shaun the Sheep Movie
If the beautiful stop-motion animation style of Shaun the Sheep Movie looks familiar, that’s because it’s a spinoff of a British TV series (Shaun the Sheep) which is itself a spin-off of Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave. You know, that movie your dad loved? Shaun the Sheep Movie, however, is a one-of-a-kind delight for all audiences. It’s wacky and fun, and has almost no dialogue. The near-silent film soars on its physical gags, absurd situations, and slapstick humor as it follows Shaun, a sheep, on the adventure of a lifetime. Wanting a day off from the monotony of farm life, Shaun and his fellow sheep concoct an elaborate plan to get themselves a little vacation — but end up searching for their lost farmer in the chaos of the big city. It’s ridiculous, charming, and sure to give any young viewer a smile.
How to Watch: Shaun the Sheep Movie is streaming on Hulu.
5. Major Lazer
This trippy Fox series produced by Diplo and based on the actual electronic musical group Major Lazer strikes a different tone than most other adult cartoons. The show follows a Jamaican superhero (the titular Major Lazer) who fights evil forces in the future and smokes a lot of weed. He and his friends Penny (Angela Trimbur) and Blckmrkt (a pre-Star Wars John Boyega) face foes ranging from a scientist who steals all the world’s bass to make one super-powerful bass drop to a race of Rave Rats who evolved from a foam party that destroyed Ibiza hundreds of years before. The surreal show is elevated by its nostalgic, detailed ‘80s animation that stands out from today’s modern minimalist style. Come for the insane premise, stay for the party vibes — Major Lazer is a 12-minute acid trip that can’t be missed.
How to Watch: Major Lazer is streaming on Hulu.
6. HouseBroken
It’s a show about pets! There’s nothing more lovable and pleasant than pets! HouseBroken is the rare adult animated comedy without violence, gross-out humor, or elaborate sci-fi setups. It’s a gentle, charming series about what our pets do all day; turns out, they attend group therapy together! Honey, a poodle voiced by the inimitable Lisa Kudrow, mimics her owner’s profession by acting as a therapist once a week in a gathering of local neighborhood pets. Since the characters are hilarious, the pet jokes are delightful, and each episode brims with heart, the voice cast is audibly having a lot of fun. Clea DuVall, Maria Bamford, Nat Faxon, Tony Hale, Sharon Horgan, Jason Mantzoukas, Sam Richardson, and Timothy Simons are all fantastic, but Will Forte deserves his own award for Shel, the world’s horniest little turtle imaginable.
How to Watch: HouseBroken is streaming on Hulu.
7. Futurama
If you only know about Futurama from the many, many memes it has inspired, then you’re doing yourself a disservice. This show is cultural touchstone for a reason — it’s a smart and silly series that expertly fits a workplace sitcom into a highly-developed sci-fi setting. On New Year’s Eve 1999, NYC pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry (voice acting legend Billy West) delivers a pizza to a cryogenics lab and accidentally freezes himself for a thousand years. He wakes up in 2999 to a hi-tech world where the moon is an amusement park, robots can and do get drunk, and the new NYC was built upon the ruins of the old NYC, which is now home to a race of sewer mutants.
With math and science Easter eggs deftly sprinkled throughout, 贵耻迟耻谤补尘补’蝉 absolute mastery of the science fiction genre is what makes it so sublime. If you somehow missed this show, don’t wait another second: It’s clever, surprisingly earnest, and downright hilarious.
How to Watch: Futurama is streaming on Hulu.
8. Sailor Moon
It’s hard to save the world while you’re trying to get your crush to like you! Ever since a talking cat named Luna gave teenager Usagi Tsukino a magical brooch, that’s the dilemma she’s forced to face every day. Now, Usagi has the power to turn into a fearsome and super-cute warrior named Sailor Moon, and she does so in the world’s most iconic transformation montage.
Sailor Moon was a ‘90s cartoon staple, enchanting droves of girls everywhere with its unapologetically feminine characters who will chat about makeup before kicking ass and saving the world. To some, Sailor Moon symbolized empowerment, to others self-acceptance. Still others saw their LGBT+ stories reflected in her journey of transformation. If this show were made today, we could imagine the character design would lean less on objectification, but if viewed in the context of the ‘90s, Sailor Moon remains a charming and deeply nostalgic watch.
How to Watch: Sailor Moon is streaming on Hulu.
9. Bob’s Burgers
??Originally conceived as an adult series about a family of cannibals (seriously), Loren Bouchard's beloved animated sitcom follows a family of five struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Across 12 (and counting) seasons, Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene, and Louise have faced all sorts of restaurant-related quandaries, ranging from a persnickety health inspector to an unexpected case of meat fraud. But more than an underdog tale of a small business succeeding against the odds, Bob's Burgers has developed a unique knack for capturing what it means to really be a family in the modern age.
A complex and touching blend of compassion and exhaustion, this series has become the go-to comfort watch for many. Turn on one episode, any episode, and you'll see why. The characters are supremely likable, the world feels fully lived in, and the one-liners will follow you wherever you go. — * Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter
How to Watch: Bob’s Burgers is streaming on Hulu.
10. Rick and Morty
This wildly popular animated comedy may draw attention for its Szechuan sauce–loving fans, but fans of Rick and Morty know that the show is way more than it seems. Its mile-a-minute jokes and irreverent...everything make it one of the funniest animated shows on TV, all the while delving into issues of loneliness, family, the validity of space, various forms of space politics, and what happens when one asshole genius decides he's above the social contract. — * Alexis Nedd, Entertainment Reporter
How to Watch: Rick and Morty is streaming on Hulu.
11. A Boy Named Charlie Brown
A Boy Named Charlie Brown was the first full-length film based on Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip, and it manages to effectively capture Peanuts' charm and complexity. Though the movie revolves around Charlie Brown (voiced by Peter Robbins) trying to win a spelling bee and prove he isn't a failure, it feels more like a slice-of-life film thanks to the inclusion of several vignettes from the children's daily lives. Beautifully animated and featuring an excellent score, A Boy Named Charlie Brown captures the whimsies and frustrations of childhood, all while delivering an important message about failure and continuing to push ahead when things go wrong. — * Belen Edwards, Entertainment Fellow
How to Watch: A Boy Named Charlie Brown is streaming on Hulu.
12. Swan Boy
For something new and different, look no further than FXX’s Swan Boy. Based on the cult online comic of the same name, each episode of this absolutely insane cartoon is only 5 minutes long, but jam-packed with highbrow references, Looney Tunes slapstick, and cheerfully nihilistic punchlines. Swan Boy, voiced by creator and cartoonist Branson Reese, is a boy who is also swan, and he’s rude as hell. Others might describe him as unhinged or wantonly destructive, and honestly? He’d love that. In a show that’s just as likely to quote Nietzsche as it is to serve up a cartoon-y “AWOOOOGA,” it feels fair to say that God is dead, and Swan Boy killed him. His pathological determination to stick it to…everyone leads him and his friends Noel and Rona (Jo Firestone) into a gloriously wide range of preposterous scenarios, from being hunted in The Most Dangerous Game to hell and back, literally. The series is fresh, unpredictable, and deranged, in the best sense of the word.
How to Watch: Swan Boy is streaming on Hulu.
13. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
In a world where imaginary friends take physical forms that everyone can see, young Mac is in a predicament. His mother thinks it’s time for him to move on from his imaginary friend Bloo, but instead of saying goodbye, he moves Bloo into Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, a foster home, if you will. Each day, Mac visits Bloo, and inevitably gets into some sort of mischief with the many other wacky imaginary friends who live in the old Victorian mansion. It’s a surreal and charming kids series that’s a joy to watch thanks to its utterly unique animation style. With Craig McCracken of Powerpuff Girls fame as a creator, and a cast featuring voice acting giants like Tara Strong and Grey Griffin, it’s no wonder that Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends was Cartoon Network’s highest-rated premiere at the time (2004).
How to Watch: Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is streaming on Hulu.
14.
With cheeky humor and unexpected characters, Adventure Time (created by Pendleton Ward) changed the formula for kids’ shows. Finn is the only human in the land of Ooo, a crazy, technicolor kingdom populated by sentient candy, hot dog princesses, slime people, and so, so much more. Along with his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, a dog with limitless stretching powers, Finn battles villains and monsters to protect his home from evil, and often learns a little about himself in the process. The show is emotionally very smart, not shying away from conversations about loss, disappointment, and found families. It’s also deeply silly, each zany character completely unlike any other on TV. Though it’s technically a children’s show, it works just as well for adults. You won’t regret giving it a try, and you certainly won’t regret meeting Finn’s adorable sentient video game system named B-Mo.
How to Watch: Adventure Time is streaming on Hulu.
15.
A meme-worthy masterpiece still celebrated 20 years after its release, Shrek is one of the most iconic kid movies of all time. It perfectly balances fairy tale characters and gross-out gags with a sweet story about loving yourself and never judging a book by its cover. Everyone's favorite grouchy green ogre, Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers), reluctantly quests to rescue Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz). Along the way, he encounters trusty sidekick Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy), fights a dragon, and monologues about onions. The shenanigans reach new heights in Shrek 2. Also on Hulu, the sequel is worth the watch for the "Holding Out for a Hero" sequence alone. — * B.E.
How to Watch: Shrek is streaming on Hulu.
Asterisks (*) indicate this entry previously appeared in another Mashable streaming list.
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