After a long time away, Netflix brought back seminal ‘Nicktoon’ Avatar: The Last Airbender to its streaming service this year, thrusting the show back into the cultural limelight. It followed in August up by adding its (less consistent) sequel, The Legend of Korra.
But Avatar originally ended all the way back in 2008, and while it hasn’t been 100 years, a lot has changed since Aang vanished from TV, especially in the realm of western animation. Those who enjoyed Nickelodeon’s influential hybrid of western and eastern animation may be curious as to what other projects might tickle similar sensibilities.
RELATED: Check Out the Original Pilot for Avatar: The Last Airbender
Perhaps the easiest to recommend outright is Dreamworks’ recent reboot She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Having concluded its five season run earlier in 2020, the show is instantly and easily bingeable on Netflix, and is probably the closest any cartoon has gotten to capturing the same kinds of vibes Aang and company did during their heyday. It’s worth noting that She-Ra doesn’t evolve its tone quite as fiercely as The Last Airbender did, generally sticking to a more middle-school feel – imagine the more jovial nature of Book 1 of Avatar extending outward.
Protagonists Adora and Catra share very similar dynamics to Aang and Zuko, with certain key differences that keep the narrative from feeling over-tread. The show’s vibrant voice acting, colorful world, and fun journey span 52 episodes and culminate in an edifying conclusion, complete with a merry band of lovable misfits, revelations, and character growth one would want from an ensemble cast. There’s nothing on the level of blood-bending, but the story certainly has its more precarious moments.
A lesser-known but certainly not lesser-quality cartoon that is still airing after two seasons is another Dreamworks creation: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. A refreshingly dynamic take on the typically grim post-apocalypse, the world Kipo’s friends and foes inhabit elicits a much more ‘funky’ take on coming-of-age stories that is more than welcome. Twisting and bending archetypical tropes while still telling a potent story about self-acceptance, Kipo is a charming and unique cartoon in the current landscape that kids will enjoy but adults can be sucked into out of sheer endearment and creativity. Its third and final season is scheduled to air near the end of October, meaning there’s still some time to catch up and prepare for what it sure to be a fun conclusion.
While there are definitely key differences, a third show that many have likely already either seen or made up their minds on is Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe, perhaps the past decade’s most culturally relevant western cartoon when it comes to long-form storytelling and holding audience retention. It has its fair share of pacing problems (it’s frankly unfathomable that Ronaldo got multiple episodes dedicated to him), but this is a substantial journey to take. On top of making strides for representation in western cartoons, Steven Universe truly shines in how its plot revelations and character developments re-contextualize earlier episodes in a way cartoons or shows in general rarely approach. This makes a second viewing feel altogether different from the first.
It may not quite scratch the same itch given how its narrative is incessantly attached to titular Steven (to a fault, in many cases), not to mention its uneven plot with many episodes not really tying into anything grander, but for those who stick with it, it does deliver the goods on a likable cast of characters with nuance in their flaws and growing pains. With 10 minute episodes spanning a 160 count (plus 20 more in its epilogue-esque ‘Future’ season, plus a lovingly produced movie placed in between), there is certainly a lot to take in, though in a similar fashion to Book 1 of Aang’s story, be prepared for more kiddy shenanigans earlier on before the more ‘grown up’ content sprouts.
While it sports a decidedly less subtle style and narrative approach, another cartoon that has aired since the age of Avatar Aang that was able to hold adults’ attention as well as kids’ was Disney’s Gravity Falls. During its two season run totaling 40 episodes, the show managed to deliver a variety of spoofs and parodies with heart and a dose of healthy cynicism. It contains similar features to Steven Universe, including recurring side characters that become regular staples and plot revelations. However, Gravity Falls is perhaps the most intimate out of these shows, focusing not on grand fates of entire people groups or planets but on the strange goings-on of a single rural Oregon town and a family with deep ties to it.
The show eventually dips its toes, then its knees, into areas unexpected from Disney at the time (Bill Cipher is a Disney villain, and that is wonderfully frightening). But perhaps more than anything else, it replicates the feeling of going to summer camp, making a bunch of odd friends through weird activities, having to say good-bye to them at the end, and feeling better as a human being for it. With its spiritual successor The Owl House having started this year, there may yet be more endearing modern cartoons borrowing pages from Avatar’s playbook to keep an eye on in the months to come.
She-Ra and Kipo are available to stream on Netflix, Steven Universe is on Hulu and Cartoon Network’s app/website, while Gravity Falls is on Disney+.
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