Action cartoons are very few, and most animated shows are just 11-minute comedies. This is not a bad thing as shows like Adventure Time, and Steven Universe showed that one could make great story-driven comedies. But we all miss the Saturday-morning, action-packed shows that have gone out of style.
What fans are maybe asking for now is some variety with cartoons. Most cartoons now are either anime or Toonami or Samurai Jack and Young Justice. Fans want a new action cartoon renaissance, and reviving these shows may spearhead it.
1. TEEN TITANS
Teen Titans Go! was fun and brought back the voice cast of the original show, but if we are honest, it really does pale in comparison to the predecessor. The original Teen Titans had a good cast and voice actors, good design and blended action with drama and comedy.
Teen Titans like the word “Go!”. So, they must “go” for a revival of the original series.
2. SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN
As fans, we want Marvel to backtrack and bring back one of the best Spider-Man cartoons of all time-Spectacular Spider-Man. It had great design by Sean Galloway and an arching storytelling that made it disappointing when the series ended.
3. MEGAS XLR
Created by Jody Schaeffer and George Krstic, Megas XLR’s premise is gold. Slackers Coop and Jamie stumble across a robot from the future which is customized by giving it a car for a head and be roped into protecting humanity from an alien invasion.
4. SYM-BIONIC TITAN
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Sym-Bionic Titan was cut short although it was praised. Sym-Bionic Titan was Voltron meets John Hughes movies, with giant-robot and monster action and high school melodrama. Sym-Bionic Titan was canceled after one season, and a comeback might not be possible.
5. TRON UPRISING
The original Tron was a landmark of visual effects and was the first films to immerse itself in computer animation. Tron garnered a sequel in 2010, Tron: Legacy which was followed by a short-lived animated series, Tron: Uprising. There is no official announcement from Disney of the cancellation, though it’s been four years since the end of the first season.
6. MOTORCITY
Motorcity was an action-packed cartoon following Burners, underground freedom fighters who used tricked out hot-rods to rise against the leader of Detroit Deluxe, Kane. Motorcity was canceled after one season despite critical praise. Hopefully, Titmouse will revive the show.
7. THUNDERCATS (2011)
After one season, 2011’s reboot of Thundercats was canceled. It received endless praise for the design, animation, writing, and characterization. Hopefully, Cartoon Network has not written off the Thundercats reboot yet.
8. GENERATOR REX
Created by Man of Action, Generator Rex was based on a comic by two members of Man of Action, Joe Kelly, and Duncan Rouleau. The cartoon followed Rex, who can control nanites that have infected the world. With his powers, Rex can cure monsters or fight them.
Though we are not expecting a comeback soon, it cannot hurt to dream.
