Top 10 Bingeable Netflix Original Cartoons

This series began on Cartoon Network, but after two seasons, entitled Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk, it found a new home on Netflix, where it was renamed Dragons: Race to the Edge. Netflix kept the series running for six additional seasons, giving fans of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise a surprisingly dark and well-written supplemental series that expanded the lore and characters, while retaining the amazing visuals of the films. Dragons: Race to the Edge is one of the few examples of a TV series sequel maintaining the quality of the film it came from, especially with the Netflix seasons.

In the mood for some good old-fashioned stop-motion-animation? Netflix has got you covered with the criminally short-lived series, Buddy Thunderstruck. Animated by the studio behind Robot Chicken, this show followed the “high-octane adventures” of Buddy Thunderstruck, a celebrity truck-racing dog who brings chaos and destruction to the small town of Greasepit. Both the animation and humor are on point in this series, turning Buddy’s ridiculous and often mundane antics into wild adventures full of thrills and laughs. Buddy Thunderstruck was underrated upon its release, but we really appreciate its quality.

One of Netflix’s most recent releases is also one of its best: Hilda, an animated series based on the graphic novel of the same name created by Luke Pearson. The series follows the titular, blue-haired character as she moves from the wilderness to Trolberg, a city full of dangerous and strange monsters. Hilda is great both for fans of the original comic series and for those seeking a heartwarming adventure about curiosity, friendship, and growing up. It truly captures a fantasy world full of magical mysteries and endearing characters, and will fill your heart with childlike wonder.

Matt Groening’s latest series takes things back to medieval times for a Netflix-exclusive epic fantasy series. Disenchantment follows the princess Bean and her two “friends” — Luci, Bean’s own personal demon, and Elfo, an optimistic elf — as they go on bizarre adventures in the kingdom of Dreamland. Though the series got mixed reviews, it’s definitely worth checking out for the stellar cast — which includes Abbi Jacobson and Eric Andre — as well as the awesome animation and fun, ridiculous setting.

Growing up is never easy, and this Netflix series illustrates all the struggles of body changes in a very graphic, but very relatable and hilarious way, with the help of ridiculous manifestations of puberty, hormones and sexuality. While Big Mouth was the subject of some critiques for its simplistic and arguably unappealing animation style, the content of the series was praised for accurately depicting the awkward days of puberty with a ton of humor and relatability, as well as a surprising amount of healthy maturity.

In 2017, this animated series managed to earn more Daytime Emmys than any other show, an impressive feat that earned it a spot on our list. Created by Guillermo Del Toro, Trollhunters, also known as Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, followed the adventures of Jim Lake Jr., the first human chosen to be the guardian of a secret underground society of trolls, as he fights evil trolls and other supernatural creatures alongside his friends. For a fantastic adventure series full of dense world-building and boundary-pushing storytelling, Trollhunters is definitely worth a watch, especially with its tie-in sci-fi series, 3 Below on the way in December 2018.

From the head writer of Avatar: The Last Airbender, this cartoon is, in many ways, the spiritual successor to the hit series. Taking place in a fantasy world in which Humans and Elves have been warring for centuries, The Dragon Prince depicts the adventures of Ezran, his brother Callum and elf warrior Rayla as they journey to return the egg of the Dragon Prince back to its rightful place amongst the Dragon King. The reduced-frame-rate animation of The Dragon Prince is a bit jarring at first, but the world, story and characters quickly sweep you up into an adventure that is more than worthy of binge watching.

There are very few adult cartoons that aren’t sitcoms, and even fewer that are as well done as Netflix’s Castlevania. The hit animated series adapts the plot of the third Castlevania video game, Dracula’s Curse, in which Dracula curses the people of Wallachia for burning his wife as a witch. Though the seasons are short, each episode displays excellent writing, animation, action, and voice acting. There’s no doubt that Castlevania is one Netflix’s best original series, and maybe even one of the better animated series ever.

It’s not often that reboots, especially cartoon reboots, do things right, but Voltron: Legendary Defender knocks it out of the park. By streamlining elements from the original Voltron series, Legendary Defender has made an epic, sweeping sci-fi adventure full of awesome action, deep drama, killer visuals and strong character development. In fact, the growth that the characters go through is probably the show’s strongest feature, thanks in no small part to the stellar voice cast. Suffice to say, Voltron: Legendary Defender is one of Netflix’s best cartoons, and we’re sad to see see it go with the release of its final season.



Before we get to our number one, here are a few honorable mentions:

“F is for Family” (2015-)



“All Hail King Julien” (2014-17)



“Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters” (2017-)

Last, but definitely not least, is perhaps one of the most unique shows on Netflix, animated or otherwise. Following the life of an alcoholic former sitcom star, this series simultaneously explores the weird world of Hollywood and the deeper topics of depression, addiction, self-destructive behaviour and the struggles of everyday life. On top of being one of the funniest and groundbreaking animated series of all time, the show is very dynamic, both in its characters and its direction, since it shifts and changes with every season, and never lacks in quality satirical depth.