10 Best Animated Fantasy TV Shows Of All Time

There is nothing quite like a magical tale of heroes vanquishing a great evil. Over the years, our TV screens have been blessed with a near endless stream of quality fantasy content. Even in 2020 when audiences will never stop fretting over the logic behind storylines and character decisions, this simple archetypal template can still make for some of the best viewing experiences ever.

Animated shows occupy a very special place in the fantasy spectrum. In past decades they gave us children’s classics and family favourites. In today’s entertainment world, they have been largely updated for more mature, complex content, while still retaining many of the classical tropes that made them popular in the first place.

Perhaps it is this versatility that makes animated fantasy shows so special. From teaching children to not talk to strangers to normalizing same sex couples, these shows have absolutely done it all.

But, having said all that, just which of these shows have made the biggest mark on their audiences? From trapped in a world of dragons to fighting to save dragon royalty, these, are the 10 best animated fantasy shows, ever.

A bit of a disclaimer: this list is limited to western shows and does not cover anime, in which case it would of course have looked very different.

The '80s were a golden era for cartoons. Some of the most iconic shows ever enjoyed their heyday during this period, ThunderCats being one of the prime examples. One of the defining shows of the time, kids across the world fell in love with its feline heroes and magic-infused storyline. It was everything good about the genre in a nutshell.

However, while it was brilliant in its own right, the 2011 reboot took it up several notches. Aside from the obvious things such as improved animation and fight scenes, the 2011 show offered a much more in depth narrative.

It presented the Cats as being the dominant species on the planet of Third Earth. But underneath the pretext of maintaining peace, lied a darker truth of imperialism and colonization. The characters are also much more complex and believable here. Tygra is the bitter, older Prince who is upset at Lion-O being an undeserving heir to the throne. Cheetara is a former cleric who had to witness the demise of her mentor and indeed her entire clan. And Lion-O depicts the classic yet brilliant character archetype of a young Prince who has been thrust into responsibilities he neither wanted nor is prepared for.

It’s not just about the good guys as the familiar foes from the original return, now more devious and powerful than ever before. The plot goes on to explore numerous dark topics while still managing to hold on to the feelgood aspects of the original. It is this journey of realizing one’s true magical destiny through very realistic emotional struggles that elevates this show above so many others.