The 12 Best Animated Disney Shows Of All Time, Ranked

Disney is synonymous with animation. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” helped bring cartoons into the mainstream, and since then, the studio has regularly released animated films, usually to widespread acclaim. It should be no surprise to see, then, that Disney has also excelled at crafting superb cartoons for the small screen.

Some of Disney’s best TV characters are cartoons, who have as much depth to them as live-action creations. There have been various eras to the Disney Channel (and subsequently Disney XD and Disney+), but it doesn’t matter whether you grew up in the late 1980s with adventure shows like “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” or enjoy more modern offerings like “Phineas and Ferb.” 

Disney Channel had a leg up over other networks because they had a vast swath of movies to turn into cartoons down the road. But some of the network’s most memorable series have been originals that stood toe-to-toe with any of Disney’s classic films. Humor, drama, and action are all represented here with the best animated Disney shows ever made.

“Amphibia” is a great series for any fans of “Gravity Falls” (more on that show later), which makes sense once you realize series creator Matt Braly previously directed eight episodes of “Gravity Falls” before developing his own show for Disney. “Amphibia” sees a young girl, Anne Boonchuy (voiced by Brenda Song), magically transported to a world filled with anthropomorphic frogs, whom she befriends while trying to find her way back to Earth.

At first, it might seem like “Amphibia” is an exercise in silly adventures with a very loose plot involving Anne’s return home. But as the series goes on, the lore becomes far more advanced, and it begins tackling important themes like how psychologically fraught a toxic friendship can be. You mostly wind up with fun, one-off adventures, but every so often, it moves back toward serialization. 

“Amphibia” functions as a great introduction to fantasy for younger kids. The world-building is fantastic for a kids’ show, but the true strength, particularly in those early episodes, is Anne’s growth. She starts off pretty self-centered, but over time, she learns to appreciate what the frog people of Amphibia have done for her. That growth becomes crucial to figuring out the overarching plot introduced later on, but whether you want silly fun or epic adventure, “Amphibia” has you covered.

The year is 1989. You pour yourself a big bowl of cereal, sit down in front of the television, and get ready to watch another rip-roaring adventure with “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.” Chip (voiced by Tress MacNeille) and Dale (Corey Burton) had appeared in various Disney properties going back to the 1940s, but this was a pretty drastic departure from what we had seen before. They weren’t just playing second banana to Mickey and Minnie; now, they were detectives in their own right, helping solve cases deemed too small by the regular police.

The self-contained adventures always made for a fun watch, and it was great to see Chip and Dale both get some personality makeovers. Chip became the intelligent, logical one while Dale became something of a wild card. That’s not even getting into the fantastic additions of Monterey Jack, Gadget, and Zipper. From infiltrating a Cola Cult to playing make-believe as a James Bond stand-in, there were many fun adventures to be had, and you never knew what you were going to get one week to the next.

“Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” has retained a lot of nostalgic cache, as evidenced by the 2022 live-action/animated film of the same name. It kept the spirit of the show throughout its meta narrative, which saw the chipmunks interacting with a host of other cartoon characters (Disney and otherwise).

“TaleSpin” seems like an incredibly odd extension of “The Jungle Book.” Yes, “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” changed up Chip and Dale, but it’s not that much of a stretch to take some anthropomorphic chipmunks and make them detectives. But “TaleSpin” took Baloo (voiced by Ed Gilbert), who was just a bear living in the jungle, and turned him into a fighter pilot. To be fair, Shere Khan (Tony Jay), the Bengal tiger, also got a makeover and was now an evil businessman. It’s ridiculous fun all the way through. 

Action-adventure series were nothing new in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but “TaleSpin” stood apart from the crowd by filling episodes with aerial dogfights. Baloo regularly showed off his piloting skills by outmaneuvering anyone trying to get his cargo. The animation in these flight scenes was second-to-none, providing exceptionally detailed backdrops and plane patterns so that any kid watching would be instantly glued to their screen. 

“TaleSpin” wasn’t afraid to get silly, like in an episode where Baloo switched bodies with Kit (R.J. Williams/Alan Roberts) in classic “Freaky Friday” fashion. But with war and conflict as an ever-present backdrop, the show also dove into geopolitical commentary on occasion. “TaleSpin” harkened back to old serials from the 1930s and ’40s, so there was plenty for adults to get a kick out of, too. 

A year before “Batman: The Animated Series” would blow critics away and help usher in a new age of comic book adaptations, “Darkwing Duck” was Disney’s golden goose. Darkwing Duck (voiced by Jim Cummings) is very much in the vein of classic Batman from the 1940s. In fact, it’s probably not much of a stretch to say so many kids were primed to enjoy Batman later in life thanks to seeing Darkwing’s misadventures.

The show featured ample action, and Darkwing was prone to hurting himself in a fight as much as he would his opponents. This led to him becoming one of the great slapstick characters of the Disney Channel. Any superhero is only as good as his supervillains, and Darkwing had some great ones. There’s Negaduck (Cummings), who’s the evil counterpart to Darkwing from another reality (a common trope within the superhero genre). Morgana Macawber (Kath Soucie) could almost be considered Darkwing’s Catwoman, as she started as a villain but changed her ways over time. (It’s also worth noting that “Darkwing Duck” has one of the most iconic theme songs in any animated show ever.)

On the surface, “Recess” seems like a pretty basic show about a group of friends navigating the fourth grade, which mostly occured on the playground during recess. The main cast all fit into their various archetypes, like nerd and tomboy, but that allowed the show to tackle a wider variety of themes.

Once you really dig into “Recess,” it’s amazing how much the show has to say about modern society. The playground, with its different cliques and social dynamics, allowed the show to dive into ideas surrounding sociology and economics. The episode “Economics of Recess” saw the schoolchildren become obsessed with Monstickers, which become a new currency. Kids began exploiting one another to acquire more Monstickers for themselves, hoarding them away from those who actually do the labor. It’s a very astute observation of how capitalism functions, and the only way to dismantle it is to remove the Monstickers completely. 

For many, “Recess” was probably their first introduction to political satire, whether they were aware of it or not.

“The Proud Family” saw the Disney Channel blending the sensibilities of its classic, zany cartoons with those of more straightforward family-oriented sitcoms. Penny Proud (voiced by Kyla Pratt) is your typical 14-year-old girl who’s just trying to hang out with her friends while surviving the social pressures of school, like wanting to go out for cheerleading. Penny is a great protagonist because the show doesn’t shy away from highlighting her flaws, but it also puts a spotlight on her admirable qualities, too (like how she convinced all of the other kids to go on strike until their parents raised their allowances).

You can tell Penny loves her parents and wants to do right by them, but she’s also not afraid to call them out on their shortcomings. She’s rebellious in a way teens should be in how they question things that don’t necessarily make a ton of sense. “The Proud Family” offered stellar Black representation on television in the early 2000s, providing a starkly different kind of show than some other Disney Channel offerings at the time. 

Of all the shows to reboot, it makes sense to do it with “The Proud Family” (even if a certain character required an abrupt exit). Twenty years after the fact, Penny still has a lot to say about how the world works via Disney+’s “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.”

“The Owl House” borrows elements from a traditional isekai anime and sees Luz Noceda (voiced by Sarah-Nicole Robles) discover a portal to a demon world called Boiling Isles. There, she meets a witch named Eda Clawthorne (Wendie Malick) who teaches her all she knows about magic, as Luz hopes to acquire the same abilities someday while exploring all this world has to offer. 

What really set “The Owl House” apart is how it was able to lean into greater LGBTQ+ representation compared to what people had seen out of Disney previously. Disney has a history of paying lip service to the community by having a character vaguely being gay, but “The Owl House” let characters embrace their sexuality (including Luz, who was bisexual and developed an attraction to Mae Whitman’s Amity Blight). The series even earned praise from GLAAD for its commitment to portraying LGBTQ+ characters.

Sadly, “The Owl House” got cancelled after only three seasons, but the show managed to wrap up its storylines pretty well.

“Gargoyles” was a stand-out within Disney animation in the 1990s. The studio had action series before, with “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” and “TaleSpin,” but “Gargoyles” was much darker, more akin to something like “Batman: The Animated Series” than the rest of Disney’s programming. Mild language came to the forefront, like use of the word “hell,” and the violence was a bit harsher, including a character getting shot offscreen while blood appeared. All of this made for an incredible animated series about a group of gargoyles who are in an enchanted petrified state and awoken centuries later in New York City, where they have to adjust to modern sensibilities while helping to protect the innocent from the villainous David Xanatos (voiced by Jonathan Frakes) and supernatural threats. 

Humor shone through as well time to time, but no doubt most kids tuned in to see something far more mature than what they were used to. After a successful first season, “Gargoyles” upped the ante for its second outing, introducing a more complex storyline that allowed more secondary characters to shine — although, if you tried watching new episodes in real time back then, there’s a chance they got interrupted by breaking news stories of the O.J. Simpson trial, indirectly contributing to the show’s cancellation.

There’s no doubt the original “DuckTales” in 1987 is a nostalgic favorite for many. It certainly has its charms, but for the purposes of this list, the 2017 reboot is what earns a place. It follows much of the same set-up where Huey (voiced by Danny Pudi), Dewey (Ben Schwartz), and Louie (Bobby Moynihan) go to live with their uncle Scrooge McDuck (David Tennant), and many adventures ensue. 

The problem with many television reboots is that it’s hard to figure out who the target audience is supposed to be. When it comes to reboots specifically meant for kids, writers have to find that balance of appeasing adults who grew up with the original but also create something special for the new generation. The “DuckTales” reboot struck that perfect balance. Newcomers to the series don’t need all the backstory to understand what’s going on, and older fans will enjoy various jokes more directed toward them. 

2017’s “DuckTales” has the perfect blend of humor, adventure, and heartwarming drama. Honestly, it could’ve gone for years longer, and we would’ve been thrilled. But the “DuckTales” finale we got was plenty epic in its own right.

“Phineas and Ferb” remains one of the most enjoyable Disney Channel series ever made. It’s pure fun from start to finish, which is all the more impressive when you consider pretty much every episode follows the same format. Phineas (voiced by Vincent Martella) and Ferb (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) always look to break up their summer boredom, which takes the form of them building some elaborate inventions. While that’s going on, their pet platypus Perry (Dee Bradley Baker) moonlights as a special agent to foil the plots of the nefarious Dr. Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire). 

There’s never a slow moment to the series, and you can pretty much watch any episode in any order and enjoy them. However, certain jokes call back to moments earlier in the series, and there are Easter eggs that only fans who watch the whole thing through will catch. This is a series bursting with creativity, and that even extends into the songs that will instantly get you humming along like the catchy “S.I.M.P. (Squirrels in My Pants).” 

Ultimately, “Phineas and Ferb” is an infectiously positive show. Dr. Doofenshmirtz may try to conquer the tri-state area, but even he’s a good influence a lot of the time and is a good father to Vanessa (Olivia Olson). It’s the kind of show that once you start watching, you’ll realize you’ve just gone through half a season in no time — and it’s still airing on Disney Channel and Disney+ now, thanks to a 2025 revival.

“Kim Possible” truly changed the game as to what was possible for a Disney Channel series. Kim (voiced by Christy Carlson Romano) has to juggle both normal teenager activities like completing homework assignments with her side gig as a super spy, saving the world from various threats. The result is an ideal blend of sitcom-esque shenanigans and cool action set pieces. No matter what you wanted out of a Disney Channel show in the 2000s, there’s a good chance “Kim Possible” scratched whatever itch you had. 

Kim Possible also makes for a great role model for all children. She exemplifies how it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and to ask for help, as she always had her best friend Ron Stoppable (Will Friedle) in her corner to back her up. But she’d still need to miss class and important events due to her spy work, which meant she sometimes let others down.

It’s not always easy balancing family, school, and extracurricular activities, but as long as you give it your best, you’ll be all right. From the second you heard those four iconic beeps to kick off the theme song, you knew you were in for a good time. 

“Gravity Falls” feels so crucial to the world of animation in the 21st century that it’s easy to forget there are only 40 episodes total. It begins simply enough with twins Dipper (voiced by Jason Ritter) and Mabel Pines (Kristen Schaal) spending their summer vacation with their Grunkle Stan (Alex Hirsch) in the bizarre town of Gravity Falls, where all sorts of supernatural occurrences unfold. As the series progresses, it gradually becomes more serialized with the ultimate threat of Bill Cipher (also Hirsch) looming large. 

But even when you go back to rewatch “Gravity Falls,” it becomes clear what the endgame was all along. There are a ton of hints of the major twists to unfold over the course of two seasons, all while providing a fantastic sibling dynamic between Dipper and Mabel as they come of age. And viewers don’t have to worry about any filler because every detail matters, even the one-off, monster-of-the-week-type stories. 

There have been a ton of great animated Disney shows over the years, but “Gravity Falls” is handily the best. No matter what you want out of a good TV show, “Gravity Falls” provides it, and the series helped inspire many Disney Channel shows that followed, from “Amphibia” to “The Owl House.” You can put on any episode at random and enjoy the hilarity and heart that went into every frame of this show.