In light of the fact that school is over for some of us, I think it's time to talk about summer plans-- specifically, what does everyone plan to watch this summer? Summer is the perfect time for binge-watching, and cartoons are the perfect shows to binge-watch. But with that being said, outside of the heavier series, what is there to watch?
I think everyone can agree that cartoons just aren't what they used to be. There have been quite a few shows that proved themselves to be hidden gems, like "Phineas and Ferb," "Avatar: The Last Airbender," and "Steven Universe" (which I am not-so-low-key waiting to watch on May 12th). But for the most part, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network just haven't been as good as they used to be in the '90s and early '00s.
However, with the recent news of a "Hey Arnold!" movie in the works, and the revival of "Rugrats," "Ben 10," and "Samurai Jack," there may be some hope for us yet. But only if they're revived and not rebooted. There is a difference, and it's not always for the best, as we've seen with...*cough* certain shows:
But if we're only talking about reviving shows, here's a list of 10 shows that I think should be brought back to our at-home screens.
1. Danny Phantom
When I passed 10 and my Fairy Godparents didn't come, I wasn't too disappointed because I knew that at 14, I had the chance to get ghost powers like Danny Fenton. The characters were three-dimensional and were featured with strengths and weaknesses -- this show taught us how to deal with the dualism of our own character traits. And let's be honest with each other: you lived for Mr. Lancer's book swears.
2. Kim Possible
Kim Possible was really the girl who could do it all. Who didn't want to be an international spy, head cheerleader, and straight-A student like Kim? Every character had a personal lesson for us to take away -- from the kid-genius Wade, whose skill level of interacting with the world without ever leaving his room can put every Tumblr user to shame, to Shego, Drakken's reluctant but fierce "sidekick" who taught us how to use a nile filer and an exaggerated eye roll to throw some major shade.
3. Teen Titans
I'm not here to start a debate about the "Teen Titans" rebooted version "Teen Titans Go!" --mainly because I don't have enough space in this article to write about it. Instead, I'll opt for only talking about why "Teen Titans" deserves its own revival. The cast was, to say the very least, diverse. And I don't just mean racially. Each Titan brought a different "problem" with them that was rounded out and worked out throughout the seasons. If anything, "Teen Titans" taught us that any and every one can come together, no matter where you started from or who you are.
4. The Wild Thornberrys
This show followed a young girl named Eliza who was granted the power to talk to animals after one of her eccentric family's various adventures in the wild. My favorite episode wasn't even really an episode -- it was "The Wild Thornberrys: The Movie," and its lessons about family and home can make me cry to this day. This show was funny, adventurous, and I dare say educational.
5. Totally Spies
"Totally Spies" was about three Beverly Hills teens who doubled as undercover agents. Alex, Sam, and Clover combined their high school responsibilities with their spy duties all without "breaking a nail." They were stylish, they were hardcore, and they deserve a revival.
6. American Dragon: Jake Long
Jake Long was not your average 13-year old boy -- he had the power to transform into a dragon. It may not seem very special at first, but if you hold out until season two, you see a full development of each of the characters, the most important being the development of the relationship between Jake Long and his caucasian father, Jonathan, who is completely unaware of his children's magical abilities. With this show, we were introduced to a new perspective on Chinese-American heritage that had not been shown before as well as how to deal with different ideas and opinions.
7. My Life as a Teenage Robot
Like, "Teen Titans," "My Life as a Teenage Robot" was a show about teenagers denying their desires to fulfill their superhero duties. But unlike "Teen Titans," we followed the state-of-the-art robot XJ-9, or Jenny, and her struggles to not be a typical teenager. Even as a preteen, I could relate with wanting to do the things that Jenny did, but seeing her step up as a hero inspired me to deny myself as well.
8. Codename: Kids Next Door
This show was truly the greatest thing to ever happen in my preteen life. It followed five kids who are spies and live in a suped up treehouse and go about their days fighting adults and teenagers... or just dealing with the daily things that kids face. It dealt with many issues, but it's most prominent one was about the fear of growing up. "Numbahs" 1-5 all viewed it as a bad thing, seeing as you were kicked out of the KND once you became a teenager. But as the show progressed, our heroes realized they had done some growing up without knowing it, and by then, so had we. And we all realized it wasn't that bad.
9. Recess
Finally, a show about everyone's favorite subject: recess. The show followed six awesome 4th graders and their adventures on their school's playground. Each member of the group was awesome in their own way. T.J. Detweiler was the leader of the group and always had a plan; Ashley Spinelli was the tomboy that no one wanted to mess with; Vince LaSelle was the cool jock that everyone knew and liked; Gretchen Grundler was the awkward, but totally cool kid genius; Mikey Blumberg was a large and seemingly dimwitted character, but was quite talented as a poet and singer; and Gus Griswald...well, he had other talents, but he was still equally as awesome.
10. The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius
This show was about, you guessed it, a boy genius named Jimmy Neutron and his many adventures. But at the same time, it was about much more than that. Yes, we followed Jimmy as most of his experiments proved to be detrimental to his and his friends' health, but the show was also about Jimmy's relationships with the other characters. Jimmy was a boy genius, Sheen was obsessed with an action figure named Ultra Lord, and Carl was allergic to everything, but we loved them all. As for the girls, Cindy was kinda mean and a control freak, but we still loved her. And Libby? She was simply amazing. I don't think anyone has anything bad to say about her. They were different, but they were all friends, and that's what this show taught us.
There's plenty of other shows that deserve their own revivals. Didn't see one of your favorites? Comment below!