movies/tv Any Western Animated shows you find better than MLP?

[The Coffee Pony 1,390]

Now before anyone says anything, I'd just like to say that I love MLP! LOVE IT! It's a great show, I'm look forward to season 5!

 

and 6!

 

and Equestria Girls 3

 

and the 2017 Movie

 

and anymore comics

 

Yeah, I think you get the picture. Anyway as much as I love MLP that doesn't mean there aren't any shows past or present that I personally have found better. For those of you who have gotten to know me, you'll know that I am a big fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers and Spider-Man and yes there are shows in each of those franchises that I find better than MLP. To get into specifics:

 

Beast Wars - The very show that introduced me to the transformers fandom and has made me a fan of the franchise to this very day. Even upon re-visitation I find that story-wise it has aged very well (Animation-wise not so much but it was the second CGI show ever made so that's to be existed) and for a while I thought this show could never be topped by any successor in the franchise. I was proven wrong a decade and a half later.

 

Transformers: Prime - This one I actually watched some time after becoming a fan of MLP back in 2012. I remember reading on TV tropes that a lot of people the MLP fandom actually threw a bit of a fit when this show got nominated for 6 Emmy awards while MLP got none (ex, here), and while I was disappointed to hear that MLP didn't get nominated for any, it was at this point where I decided to see just how good this show was. Needless to say I was blown away by how good this show was, it definitely deserved those nominations! In fact, this became my favorite Transformers show, topping even Beast Wars, something I thought could never be done! I was a bit disappointed to see it end after the Predicons: Rising movie but hey I thought it ended on a high note and besides we got a sequel series out of it anyway (Robots in Disguise). Now Robots in Disguise is not as good as Prime but hey I still like it and for the love of Primus I hope CN doesn't cancel it! Hasbro should have put it on Discovery Family, I really don't trust CN with Transformers after what happened with Animated.

 

Spider-Man The Animated Series - I was introduced to this show back when I was a toddler and have been a fan of Spider-Man ever since. Thanks to this show I grew up on the franchise and I still to this day love the show to bits (even though I'll admit it's dated by today's standards with the censorship and all). This also used to be my favorite Spider-Man show for a while but eventually it got topped.

 

Spectacular Spider-Man - Now I was thrown off by the art-style of this show at first but eventually it won me over with its fantastic story-telling and is my current favorite show in the Spider-Man franchise. The fact that it was axed before its time is an absolute crime in my eyes and it really doesn't help that the current Spider-Man show isn't very good. Oh well at least there are other parts of the franchise I can turn to like the comics. Specifically the Ultimate Spider-Man Comics and Spider-Man 2099 (I am so glad the latter's back).

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 and 2012 - This franchise is unique as it gets better and better with entry to the franchise. (Ignoring Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation but hey that's not an animated show and it really should not have been live action in the first place.) I still like the 1987 show but let's face it, it's REALLY showing its age, while its successor, TMNT 2003, has aged pretty well with the exception of the last two seasons. TMNT 2012 I find even better managing to balance both the goofy humor of the '87 show with the seriousness of the '03 show. If you haven't watched TMNT 2012, go do so! It's the best show Nickelodeon has currently! I just wish it didn't have such a horrendous airing schedule. It goes on hiatus every 4 episodes! They don't take breaks in-between seasons! I'll give MLP this, while the Hiatuses they take in between seasons feel long and torturous AT LEAST when the season comes out it's worth it as it has a consistent airing schedule and we don't have to deal with this type of bullshit!

 

Also I'll list these ones without description or else I'll be here all day

 

Gargoyles

Avatar The Last Airbender

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Teen Titans

Batman: The Animated Series

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Edited April 2, 2015 by The Coffee Pony

[Moonlight 7,287]

Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, and Dan VS. are my choices.

 

Steven Universe: Better representation, all the gems except Steven are canon agender, each one has a different body type, knows how to write breakdowns better than MLP, more serious and can actually handle serious subject matters such as death, has an on-screen same-sex kiss, amazing animation, stunning musical score, it's really good overal..

 

Gravity Falls: Cute interesting characters, nice animation, funny jokes, intense scenes, doesn't talk down to its audience, nice emotional scenes, actually knows how to do mystery well.

 

Dan VS: Actually knows how to be funny unlike MLP, Dan is perfect and relatable overall, knows how to do harsh humor well, very unique and nice to watch.

 

MLP is awful at humor imo, so it automatically gets brought down when it tries to be funny.

[Megas 27,742]

Megas XLR, and King of the Hill

[Blue Moon 6,341]

As much as I love MLP:FiM, I think I'd go with Gravity Falls for the cartoon I like more; it's probably my favorite show currently airing right now.

 

It is extremely well-made in all of its aspects. It knows how to do humor and emotional scenes exceptionally well (I have laughed out loud many times, and there are quite a few sad scenes), and the animation is fantastic. It is also well-written with actual mysteries in the episodes as well as secret messages you can find using what the show gives you. Even the music is well-done, from the super catchy theme song, to the background music that aids in setting the atmosphere very well.

 

It has some very likable and memorable characters, and you'd be surprised with how fleshed out the characters are; particularly, the minor ones that you wouldn't expect to be a deep character (i.e. reoccurring townspeople).

 

Continuity is also one of my favorite aspects of the show. Aside from the individual episode's plot lines, there is an overarching plot line that's been going on the whole show. But it's not just plot; the characters develop over time and they stick to their character development, which is something that doesn't always happen with MLP:FiM.

 

One last thing I love about the show is how it portrays the twin's relationship. They actually look and feel like they're siblings, from how well they get along together, and from the small little moments.

 

If you haven't watched this show yet, I highly recommend you do so.

 

Over The Garden Wall is another great western animation miniseries. I wouldn't say it's better than MLP:FiM, but it's at least equal in quality, so I think it's worth mentioning. This one excels in atmosphere and characters, and it's really short too (ten eleven-minute episodes), so it wouldn't take you long to watch it. I highly recommend watching this as well if you get the chance.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Blue Moon

[Barbaloot 198]

Yeah, lots actually.

 

Really, MLP is nothing more than a good show. But it's hardly a masterpiece like Gravity Falls, Adventure Time, Avatar or Ducktales is.

[Discordian 6,015]

Spongebob Squarepants. It's my favorite cartoon. I watch it more than I watch anything else. I need to get more of it.

 

There's more though. I'll just list those:

 

Any of the Sonic cartoons.

Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Dexter's Lab

Tom & Jerry (both new and old)

Random cartoons from fifty years ago like the Sunshine Makers or anything animated by Adolf Zukor.

 

To name a few.

[CP3_P0n3 170]

Invader Zim - Knows how to do insane dark moments and insane humor sometimes. My all time favourite.

 

Gravity Falls - A bit like above. I guess I just like some dark things in cartoon. This is one of the best.

 

Phineas and Ferb - The one show that actually relates a bit to sensible things (If you watch it, you know what I mean)

 

Kick Buttowski - Geniune laugh in this one, certainly.

 

Transformers : Prime - I agree with the OP. Sadly it appears at the bottom of the list.

[Discordian 6,015]

I love Phineas and Ferb. Can't believe I forgot that one.

 

And Kim Possible. So much yes.

 

I remember this one racing show on Toon Disney called Oban Star Racers. Never got to see the whole thing but that show blew me away.

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

Gravity Falls has deep storytelling as well as Kim Possible. I wouldn't call the new adventures of Winnie the Pooh better but similar to FiM just lighter conflicts. Phineas and Ferb is a fun show too. Invader Zim had a cool concept. And shows on classic Disney characters such as Ducktales. And I feel Star vs the Forces of Evil and Wander over Yonder are randomness done right.

[cmarston1 5,959]

I would definitely have to go with my favorite animated series of all time: Avatar the Last Airbender.

I would go into major detail about why Avatar the Last Airbender is one of the greatest animated series of all time but for starters that would take forever and everyone and their grandmother already knows the reasons why.

But besides that possibly Legend Of Korra as well but as of right now MLP FIM is my favorite cartoon currently on tv.

[Twilight Dirac 721]

I am also going with Avatar The Last Airbender.  Absolute masterpiece.  MLP is fun and all but it never rises to this level of quality.

[Yoshi89 5,293]

Many classics, such as Rugrats, Inspector Gadget, the Mario cartoons, Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats, pre-movie SpongeBob, Ed, Edd & Eddy, Hey Arnold!, Dennis the Menace (the 80s version) and Angry Beavers.

 

Among shows currently on TV, there's Regular Show and South Park.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,302]

It depends.  How many other shows feature...

 

Not that I haven't enjoyed a great number of shows: Dexter's Lab, Cow and Chicken, Chowder, Adventure Time (the first season xD ), Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Rocko's Modern Life, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (original), Thundercats (original), etc.  Though the only series I currently watch / am invested in is MLP:FIM, and I'm invested in a big way.

[xCuddlefish 41]

I'm going to agree with everybody else. The storytelling is phenomenal in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Gravity Falls is absolutely gorgeous and also has very good writing and clever jokes.

 

But when I was younger I recall watching a lot of Ed, Edd and Eddy, Dexter's Lab, Animaniacs, etc. And those shows are definitely ones that I can come back to and appreciate them after 10 years of leaving it on the shelf. You tend to notice and pick up on the jokes as you grow.

[ThatOneComrade 1,091]

I hold MLP, Steven Universe, and Gravity Falls on the same level. None are better or worse than the other imo.

[OG CHUCK 64]

yugioh and pokemon are considere western animation ?

[Bourbon Brisk 84]

yugioh and pokemon are considere western animation ?

No that's anime, and it was dubbed by 4 kids and edited very heavily, but I'm only counting the original series as i don't really enjoy the new series much.

 

There's a scene in yugi-oh oh where kaiba is in his office and two men with guns rush in but in the western version they're just pointing their fingers at him which is really stupid.

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

Not a single show I can find that's better than MLP.

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

Gravity Falls is a show I think FiM can learn a lot from. I feel GF knows how to do serious moments and overarching plots better. FiM is a great show, but I feel in many ways, it could be better.

[OG CHUCK 64]

no the only western show i like is MLP is the best I find that all western animation suck

[ponylaces 1,870]

Nope, lol.

 

There haven't been any cartoons out there that have impressed me like MLP did. Yes, there are great shows such as Gravity Falls and Steven Universe, but I can't stop comparing everything I watch to MLP. To be honest, I think MLP just made my expectations higher for other shows out there.

Edited April 9, 2015 by PonyLaces

[Lisa 5,553]

Mainly Star vs. The Forces of Evil and Adventure Time. Purely for the reason that they're more interesting than MLP to me.

[KatonRyu 1,033]

Avatar, both series for me. Aside from that Batman The Animated Series. I wish I could say something about Gravity Falls, but I've yet to watch that one.

 

EDIT: I've watched Gravity Falls in its entirety over the past few days, and it definitely beats MLP. It's been a long time since I last saw an animated series that good.

Edited April 13, 2015 by KatonRyu

[Unr3alGamer 230]

I have 7 episodes left before I'm caught up, but Gravity Falls is the Breaking Bad of animated cartoons in terms of quality.

 

MLP: FiM is The Walking Dead of animated cartoons in terms of quality. 

 

Hint hint:

 

Breaking Bad started off pretty good and got so much more interesting and better as it went along. It's fantastic.

 

The Walking Dead has some good, bad, hit or miss, and mediocre episodes. The ones that are good are really good and the ones that are bad are really bad. Overall pretty good.

 

So in terms of what's airing right now, Gravity Falls beats out MLP. 

 

For all time though:

 

-FHFIF was awesome

-Spongebob Seasons 1-3 were pure gold

-Danny Phantom was pretty solid

-Avatar: The Last Airbender was hard for me to get into, but I do appreciate its quality, just not something I'd go back to

 

Edit: Caught up with Gravity Falls. Certainly, 100% no doubt in my mind it's my favorite animated show on air after Season 2 Episode 11 (and 12). It just keeps getting better.

Edited July 31, 2015 by Unr3alGamer

[Sunny Fox 5,952]

Hmm. ReBoot, Beast Wars, Invader Zim, Batman TAS, Justice League, Steven Universe, Danny Phantom are all shows I would put on the same level as FiM, and possibly better, but that might just be those darn nostalgia goggles...