The Best of 2021: Animated Series
2021 was a big year for The Geeky Waffle. We added four new shows to our network, and expanded our website in so many ways, all thanks to the hard work of our talented hosts and contributors. This week, we’re taking a look back at all the highlights of 2021 as we look to the future of the Waffle in 2022.
by Hope
2021, the year that was supposed to be better, I guess? Regardless, something that hasn’t gotten worse is animation! This year brought us a slew of wonderful animated shows that I wanted to talk about. Whether they’re streaming on Disney+, on cable, or free on YouTube, here are my top 5 personal favorite animated series from the past year!
Pokemon Evolutions/PokeToon
In this 2-for-1 entry, I have been so mesmerized by the Pokemon Company’s various online miniseries. My love of these shorts started with Pokemon Generations and followed with last year’s Twilight Wings, which made me finally fall in love with the Galar region! This year they’ve continued with Pokemon Evolutions and the PokeToon miniseries.
What I love about these shorts is they’re FREE! You can watch them all on YouTube making them accessible for any fan. They’re also not bogged down by the seasons and seasons worth of the anime. Personally, I’m behind on the adventures of Ash and Goh, so these shorts have been great to get in my fix for my love of Pokemon.
Evolutions first episode would have been on my best-of list regardless, as I gushed about that opening salvo in a full article. While I don’t think the rest of the series ever hit that peak, it was still a wonderful love letter to the entire franchise as they celebrate their 25th anniversary. The battle animation is ridiculously good, some of the best in the franchise. They’re especially great if you love the games and want to see a lot of familiar locations.
PokeToon is just pure joy in every single entry. The wildly varying art in each episode makes for a wonderful smorgasbord from different anime styles. The first episode is a nod to Fleischer Studios while the Halloween Gengar episode was a warm, modern coming of age tale. There’s something for everyone in these entries. If I had any gripes is that they haven’t (yet) been given subtitles or dubbed in English. So make sure you hit that closed caption button on YouTube when you watch these.
Serebii has the full list here!
DuckTales
Ending this year was one of my personal favorite reboots of all time being DuckTales. We talked in-depth about it in our “Reboots Done Right” episode of The Geeky Waffle podcast!
If you missed that episode, DuckTales was how to do a reboot correctly while balancing paying homage to the original source material and still being its own story. Just the simple choice of making Huey, Dewey, and Louie their own unique characters added so much to the series. The wide-spanning array of Disney Afternoon characters that showed up from Darkwing Duck to TaleSpin made for a rich world to explore. Also, the series is hilarious from beginning to end.
At the heart of the story are the characters. The McDuck Family is just so wonderful. Each person gets their own motivation and drive in the show. The new characters are intriguing. The villains are such a delight. It allowed for one of the most satisfying finales I’ve seen in a very long time.
This has become one of my new favorite Disney shows. I hope one day down the line we get a reunion movie.
Star Wars: Visions
When they did the slew of new Star Wars announcements, the thing I was the most excited about was Star Wars: Visions. And boy, this series was worth the wait. As I have gone into each individual episode before, I won’t dally too long here.
Visions was so much of what I personally wanted to see out of Star Wars for quite some time. I’ve wanted a series that took risks and changed up styles. I wanted to see characters outside of the Skywalker Family. It gave me my slice of life fix that I never get enough of in a galaxy far, far away. Plus, it paired together two of my favorite things: Star Wars and anime.
I felt like I waited my entire life for Visions. It delivered on the hype plus so much more. I would happily tell anyone to watch this bold and experimental show over the (in my opinion) safe and at times boring The Bad Batch (which I like, but it’s just fine. Nothing stellar).
Amphibia
Amphibia has really become one of my comfort shows that snuck its way into my heart over the last two years. At first glance, I thought season one was fine. But as season two progressed, I realized what a masterclass in world-building and character work that the first season was. Matt Braly and his team have truly put together one of the best ongoing series that’s truly pushing the boundaries of young programming.
“True Colors” is easily one of the best single episodes of a show all year. But it was built on patience and character arcs that led to such a rewarding and tragic conclusion. I am always here for creators who respect children as their audience and refuse to pull their punches.
With season three wrapping up the series in the new year, I am so sad to see this series go.
You can see my season three reviews for Amphibia here.
The Owl House
What can I say about The Owl House that I haven’t already gushed on and on about in my reviews here on the site?
This historic show is following in the footsteps of other greats like Steven Universe and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power when it comes to queer content. Luz, Amity, Raine, and Eda are paving the way for a new generation to see themselves in these heroes. Season two has been some of the best content on television. And I’m not talking about just animated shows:
On. All. Television.
Dana Terrace and crew continue to knock it out of the park. The world is rich. The characters are so incredibly complex. Each and every moment is earned. It breaks my heart that Disney is screwing over this Peabody Award winning series over stupid BS that it’s not “hitting the target audience.” It deserves to be saved from cable hell and allowed to thrive as its own thing on Disney+.
Check out The Owl House on Disney+. You won’t regret it.