Top 10 Animated Disney Channel Series of the Last Decade

This series only lasted for one season, and in our opinion was severely underrated. The setting and concept for “Motorcity” were unique, and felt like they didn’t quite fit with the general Disney Channel aesthetic, which is perhaps why the show was so short-lived. It’s set in a futuristic version of Detroit where a tyrannical leader prevents the citizens from having certain freedoms- including driving cars. But there’s a group of rebellious drivers who have other ideas, and will fight his rule until the end, preventing him from taking over Motorcity.

Every Disney fan is of course familiar with the “Descendants” franchise, but while the movies are popular, there was also a lesser known animated TV series which aired for two seasons between 2015 and 2017. The story takes place after the end of the first “Descendants” movie, when Ben was crowned, and follows the stories of the baddies’ kids while they try their best to be good despite their evil parentage. The show expands on the world of the original film, adding new characters and going even deeper into the Disney universe.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more feel-good show than “Wander Over Yonder”, which premiered on the Disney Channel in 2013. Most of the positive vibes of this animated series come from Wander himself, the protagonist of the show, whose life mission is to bring freedom and happiness to the entire galaxy. He’s accompanied by his best bud Sylvia the Zbornak as he fights the good fight against the evil Lord Hater. This show is blessedly uncomplicated and a pleasure to watch, and the early episodes can be watched out of order without missing any major story points.

“Big Hero 6” may be one of the more unappreciated Disney films to be released in recent years, but anyone who has seen it undoubtedly fell for the lovable cast of characters, namely Hiro and Beymax. The duo returned in “Big Hero 6: The Series”, which premiered three years after the film’s release, and is set after the end of the story told in the movie. The two friends continue their adventures in San Fransokyo as they attempt to keep the city safe from the villains who inevitably try to take it over.

With each passing year, the “Star Wars” franchise seems to grow larger and more expansive. In 2014 it got a new addition with the animated series “Star Wars Rebels”, which kicked off with an hour-long film called “Spark of Rebellion”. The series is set five years before the events of “A New Hope,” at a time where the Galactic Empire is trying to find all of the Jedi who remain. Amidst this climate, a rebellion is emerging, and a group of dissenters travels on the Ghost starship to fight against the Empire.

This series centers on Milo Murphy, who is a descendant of Edward A. Murphy Jr., the engineer who Murphy’s Law is named after. The famous “law” says that “anything that can go wrong will go wrong” and Milo perfectly exemplifies this, as it seems that he’s constantly encountering misfortune. But his goal is to fight against his bad luck and try to bring some sense of order to the world. The titular character is voiced by "Weird Al" Yankovic, so you know that this show is good for some serious laughs.

“Tangled” gave us a whole new kind of Disney princess, and viewers were hungry for more after the film was released. Also known as “Tangled: The Series”, this show was released seven years after the movie hit theatres and shows us what happens to Rapunzel after she was reunited with her parents after being under the care of the evil Mother Gothel for most of her life. Unlike many other shows which are spin-offs from popular movies, “Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure” actually retains the primary voice cast from the film, with both Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi reprising their roles.

In a classic fish out of water story, with a twist, the heir to the Mewni dimension’s Butterfly Kingdom, Star Butterfly, makes a pretty big mistake on her fourteenth birthday and uses magic to set her family’s castle aflame. This results in her parents making the decision for her to become a foreign exchange student...on Earth. “Star vs. The Forces of Evil” started on Disney XD (where it was their most-viewed premiere at the time) and eventually moved on to the Disney Channel. Critics definitely enjoyed the show, leaving its first season with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 100%.

‘80s and ‘90s kids loved the original version of “DuckTales”, which premiered in 1987, so it made sense for Disney to reboot the show around the time those original viewers were having kids of their own. Scrooge McDuck and the rest of the clan came back in 2017, and the premise is essentially the same, with the wealthy Scrooge taking care of Donald’s rambunctious nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The spirit of the older series is most assuredly alive in this reincarnation, and it’s the perfect nostalgia hit for anyone looking to reconnect with the shows they loved in their youth. Of course, the newcomers will enjoy it as well!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Mickey Mouse” (2013-)
“Elena of Avalor” (2016-)

“Big City Greens” (2018-)

“Star Wars Resistance” (2018-20)

“Amphibia” (2019-)

One of the biggest disappointments in recent years of entertainment has to be the fact that series creator Alex Hirsch decided to end his much-loved show, “Gravity Falls” after just two seasons. This is the perfect kind of animated kids’ show, which appeals to adults as much as it does to children. This is mostly because of its fun premise, but also because of the smart and complex storylines, as well as the characters who you can’t help but feel affection for. This series has a cult following that anxiously awaits anything Hirsch publishes set in the world of Gravity Falls, and for good reason.