The Best & Worst of Animation in 2021 

Holiday Season Deal! Go to nordvpn.com/nicktendo to get a 2-year plan plus 1 additional month with a huge discount. Music credits have returned to being on-screen. I originally got rid of them because I thought they were visually distracting, but it is WAY easier to put them on-screen instead of listing them here. I hope y'all enjoy how I decided to mix up the Best & Worst of the year format this year. I didn't want to split it into half good/half bad to limit what I could cover. My hope is for this to be the defining format for these annual videos moving forward. Let me know what you thought of it! As for 2022, I have one big project still on my plate alongside some more reviews and retrospectives, as well as a load of scripts that I wrote but never edited. I look forward to having enough time to finish them eventually! Here's hoping that we hit 200K this year!

I think it's crazy how Amphibia is already being considered a classic cartoon by many

HELL YEAH GREEN HOP POP REPRESENTATION

The OG Gravity Falls crew popped off this year: Owl House S2, Amphibia S2+S3, Inside Job, AND Mitchells vs the Machines. The legacy continues

Hilda and the Mountain King was the best animated movie to end out 2021. I love all the characters and the emotional story.

I'm so glad Kid Cosmic is on here; I found it so weird that very few people were even acknowledging it, including among animation-focused channels. It's the first cartoon in years that has the sense of fun I've always associated with action cartoons in the early-mid 2000s, it feels like a return to form in that sense (Which I guess is to be expected given who's behind it), with a surprising amount of heart and groundedness.

Fully agree with putting True Colors at #1, while Amphibia can be slow at times, when it picks up. IT PICKS UP. True Colors is the perfect example of that. Everything came together in such a tightly-written, beautifully animated, neatly paced, and emotionally brutal masterpiece of animation. Definitely one of my favorite cartoon season finales of all time.

I do agree that the DuckTales reboot series should have gotten a additional season. However, it is what it is.

9:58 Here's a fact about Jellystone: The artstyle was inspired by the artstyle of the Disney Infinity series, which had a chunky style for the characters so everything would make sense when put together. And I'm glad Disney Infinity is still relevant because it's a masterpiece.

Honestly the most shocking discovery of 2021 for me personally was Close Enough. It's like Regular Show but the humour was turned up to 10 while still being relatable to real world issues and challenges.

I loved Jellystone and I hope they get more seasons. I didn't grow up with the og HB characters because I'm Gen Z but I remember watching the whacky racer's and boomerang bumpers. Seeing stuff like jabberjaw getting chased around a lunchbox, the purple gorilla for sale even the banana splits singing tralala it was nostalgic and seeing this expanded universe was so cute. I even sing that kitten around song 😂

2021 was a very great year for animation and brought some amazing shows hope that 2022 is the same or even better

Ghost and Molly McGee became an instant favourite for me! Great great stuff.

I had forgotten that Ducktales had ended in the past year because the last two years have lasted a decade. I have no complaints about the finale, except that it did mean that the series was over. But, we never got to see Negaduck. That was something they missed.

Most of your commentary was so positive I could barely tell what you considered "best" and "worst" lmao

Finally someone appreciate Kid Cosmic, I felt like everybody just skipped it. I was high when I watched it, amazing season, hype for season 3

I still need to catch up with Kid Cosmic. As someone who's favorite cartoon My Life as a Teenage Robot, I feel it'd be up my alley

Good choices. I'd probably agree with you #1, TC was the highlight of the series up to that point. Although, my favorite Owl House episode this year is probably themid-season finale Yesterday's Lie, a mid-season finale that eschews the high stakes suspense of episodes like the Gravity Falls s2 mid-season finale in favor of something more quiet and emotionally devastating. Also, Rickmurai Jack was a helluva finish to the hit-and-miss 5th season, full of more dumps and white-knuckle suspense that's neck and neck with the s3 premiere as my favorite episode of the show.

Fun fact: Molly’s voice actress also voices Sasha from Attack on Titan

2021 was kinda wild for animation, yet I do hope that Final Space gets revived by Adult Swim around this year. #SaveFinalSpace #RenewFinalSpace #ReviveFinalSpace #FinalSpaceSeason4

I love the Ducktales love. This show deserves more attention

Hearing Netflix canceled City if Ghosts hurt me, it may not be my kind of show but it still looks so wholesome

Having Attack on the Koopa Bros in there made this video even better than it already was.

I hope Glitch Techs comes back this year

I'm so grateful that Adult Swim saved Tuca & Bertie. Remember when Netflix used to be a savior to cancelled cartoon and now it has a list of cut-short cartoons now? I'm glad this show didn't join. Season 2 was one of my favorite things this year, along with Centaurworld. Also, I think the most disappointing Disney Channel series finale from last year to me was Big Hero 6: The Series. The show had a shaky start, got a lot better, and then the final season was just so underwhelming. Disney meddling at its worst. I do agree with your criticisms for the DuckTales finale, though, even if I still enjoyed the final product.

I’m confused… what’s at what place and what’s the bad one and the good one… is it just me?

19:04 Wow, your favorite episode of the entire season is the only one that I worked on! What an honor!

Tuca & Morty Rick & Bertie I smell a crossover

6:33 Squidward hates da woods :(

praying amphibia is here

Happy New Years Nicktendo!

Awesome vid as usual, but you should probably add chapters so viewers can easily skip the parts that they don't want to get spoiled on.

You have mentioned Infinity Train therefore I've seen enough. I'm satisfied.

I love that the Banana Splits were street thugs in Jellystome. It’s…it’s…perfect.

Da woods Also I can’t watch Disney channel without going through 24 hours of Jessie and Big City Greens

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

No wonder I hadn't heard of that Netflix ghost show. Only 6 episodes?

Great job on Top 10 Best & Worst of Animation in 2021 can you review the smurfs 2021 cartoon one day

I can only hope Space Jam 2 and Far From The Tree will inspire the animated film industry into making 2d movies again. But I doubt it. Edit: I know this is about animation, but I wanna give a shout out to the live action kids shows that I believe are just as good as the animated shows: Secrets of Sulphur Springs and Sydney to the Max from Disney Channel. And The Astronauts, Drama Club and The Barbarian and the Troll from Nickelodeon. The latter four all deserve another season. And ALL of these shows deserve as much love and respect as their animated counterparts. I just feel like most animation fans, especially if they're adults, look down on live action kids shows even when they're on the same network as the animated shows they watch. Maybe some of them aren't as good as the kids shows you grew up watching, but maybe it's because our childhood shows weren't that much different? ru-vid.com/group/PLDdYXCLMNKAGyz34_0lLrUGxHKjL6L9jy

I love thst the caterpillar robot was a caterpie from pokemon just with arms

I love that you talked about Kid Cosmic! That show is great!

I hope you keep posting more stuff because sometime I forget I'm subscribed to you.

Hey Nick great video but that statement at the beginning in regards to Stephen is incorrect. Multiple crew members have come out and stated he was completely aware of them and somewhat involved with kamp koral before his passing.

Another contender for best of 2021 I'd say would be Craig of the Creek: Capture the Flag. It's such a grand event that involves almost every character, features a truly despicable and controlling antagonist, and it changes the show in a drastic way.

Awesome! Now I have a lot of new shows to check out!

Pickle Nick lives in my head rent free. I don't even like Rick and Morty but I rewatch your videos on it far too much to be healthy.

One of my favorite animated movies of 2021 is The Loud House! It’s better than A Loud House Christmas and Space Jam: A New Legacy!

Disenchanted was good, hope it gets a fourth part at some point

Lol I was literally just thinking of when you'll be making this

Silently drawing ties from a random scene in _New Legacy_ to that one random ad for Sprite is peak NICKtendo

Yayyy thank you for more videos ❤️

glad to see the return of my old friend pickle nick

My complaints with The Ducktales series finale besides it being the last one is we really don’t get any time to breath unless it was longer than 60 minutes without commercials. Plus most of the interactions we DO get are blink and you miss. AND We never get to see Webby and Lena reconcile after what happened back at the family board.

Sorry, Invincible! You were close! But in terms of superhero cartoons of 2021, Kid Cosmic supremacy, baby!

This has been a pretty good year for animation. Sony made 3 good animated movies, Netflix made a good adult animated show about the government. Helluva boss has been literally a helluva show. Rick and Morty had a good season of where everyone loves. And ambhiba did the impossible taking a adventure show and turning it into a sitcom with same amount of the adventure and story from season 2, oh yeah. Invincible baby! I'm sorry I can't watch every single cartoon ever.

Finally final space has been mentioned I know people are mixed on the show but when it’s good it’s some of the best of animation. We need the last season and an ending #savefinalspace

It’s weird for the first time i saw the first 5 episodes of ghost and Molly McGee I thought it was okay didn’t love it, but like a month later I really like and it is one of my favorite shows and the only one I find easy to rewatch random episodes. But that makes sense because it was more episodic by design compared to my other favorites.

Can you also do a best and worst of anime too?? Great work btw

if Hotel Transylvania: Transformania came out this year this list would be SO different...................

THANK YOU for mentioning City of Ghosts! Hands down most underrated show of 2021.

No Rugrats reboot after all that. It was hinted at the beginning of this video but oh well.

I’m hoping Pibby is mentioned, it probably is, I’m just hoping while I’m watching.

7:28 Was that a Caterpie Mech suit?

at least The DuckTales ReBoot went out on a high note of there series finale and the Ture Colors Season 2 finale of Amphibia was emotionally heart strong

you did a awesome job showing the best worst to the lame worst animations this year. happy new year. good bye 2021 and hello 2022.

Anphibiba isn't over yet, season 3 airing, which is final season as well again Disney cancels good and give their crap like 6 seasons each sometimes more

Damn you did Arcane DIRTY! Best animation of 2021 hands down, but I understand your hesitancy due to the Riot Games allegations. Did you end up watching the whole show, Nick?

Middle Most Post goes hard.

Amazing video

Best: Amphiba Distant lands together again Encanto Mitchells vs Machines

Yesss centaur world got a recommendation! Although you need to watch the whole show before getting to the recommended episode, or it won't make as much sense, or have any emotional impact.

Is there an edit where after impaling Marcy, the King says the "WHY DID YOU MAKE ME DO THIS?" line from Invincible?

8:45 I cannot think of dana but only as Master Shake

Middlemost Post Was A Amazing Show!

Love the DuckTales season finale!!!

Centaurworld is still my #1 series of the year. A 2 act/season animated musical that’s a mix of walking dead and adventure time? HECK YEAH.

Nicktendo Stephen hellenburge did know about camp Coral the show was in the works when he was still alive but died before he got to see it one of the executive who work on the show confirmed this 😁😁😁

Simpsons Road Rage music for the Simpsons segment - good taste

Have you seen dogs in space?

Kid cosmic season two was really good, but I feel like it would’ve benefited with episodes dedicated to getting each of the cosmic stones, because they were all scattered throughout the universe and it would be a race to get them. It felt really rushed to me .

Nickelodeon has another original, the loud house

I love middlemost post it's already my favorite nicktoon and favorite modern cartoon

I’m a little disappointed that Adventure Beast isn’t on there! It’s one of my new favorite Netflix shows!

I'm disappointed that the movie Hilda and the Mountain King isn't here but it came out to late where you most likely were already finalizing the video or the Hilda fan base is just really quiet since it's a more reserved show.

cool vid, could you do a video on freefonix?

There is a disturbing lack of centaurworld around here

8:38 GAZPACHO!!!!

13:38 well your in luck, they show Mickey Mouse twice this year without punishments.

Wait! Disney's newest cartoon has the voice of master shake in it?

Ducktales ending this year fucking sucked, such a great show which got hardly attention.

Where would you rank the new Tom and jerry movie in all this? I’m surprised you didn’t mention it.

I actually saw a lot of myself in Reagan Ridley

We also got the first three episodes of the Dinosauria web series.

an ENTIRE 2021 animation video without mentioning pibby. that is some serious restraint.

1:07 HE’S TOO POWERFUL

It’s a crime ducktales ended. We need more.

16:30 do you not know about the The Justice league cartoon?

Mitchells are the mixup of the internet technology.

I spy a Mooncake plush!! 🤩🤩💫

What show is the clip used in 7:18 from?