The 1990s were a decade of incredible progress and innovation. It was a time defined by dial-up internet, Nintendo 64 replacing the Super Nintendo, and groundbreaking new movies and television series. Kids tuned in to watch record-breaking cartoon shows, paving the way for new adaptations of Batman, Looney Tunesand even a young adult version of James Bond titled James Bond Junior. No Saturday morning was complete without a bowl of cereal and a few hours of cartoons.
Meanwhile, the unparalleled success of The Simpsons guaranteed that a new genre of adult animation was brewing. Shows like King of Hill, South Parkand Space spirit from coast to coast would become iconic staples of the time.
Thankfully, the 90s fever is still rampant as new retro properties are announced seemingly every week. Here’s a look at some of the best animated films of the 90s that will be making a return soon.
The Powerpuff Girls
Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are back in action. The Powerpuff Girls, which originally ran from 1998 to 2005, follows the exploits of the three superhero sisters as they battle super villains and the daily miseries of childhood. Debuts on Cartoon Network, The Powerpuff Girls ran for 78 episodes, earning two Emmy Awards and a handful of animation accolades along the way.
It’s one thing to reboot a series with beloved characters. It is quite another to bring back the character, charm and general atmosphere of the original. While the show has seen many remakes, this latest animated iteration gives fans a reason to be extra excited – The Spice Girls will be aided by its original creator, Craig McCracken.
This is absolutely great news for the series. It can be difficult for a remake to revive the subtle qualities that made the original such a smashing success. Like a worn pair of shoes, McCracken’s direct involvement pretty much guarantees that this evolution of The Spice Girls will feel comfortably familiar to devoted fans. The reboot is set to expand the universe of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup while also revisiting the aspects that made the show a generational hit. With McCracken back in the development pilot’s seat, fans have high hopes that The Spice Girls will deliver where many reboots fail.
Daria
In the 1990s, sarcasm reigned supreme, and no figure captured the mood of that period better than Daria, a high school student with a fiery sense of humor and a keen ability to sarcastically tear someone apart. Daria had an excellent supporting cast and wasn’t afraid to bring up hot-button issues. Topics like feminism, socioeconomic class, and even racism were not uncommon narrative themes in the show. Recognizable struggles helped to solidify Daria as recognizable to adolescents who struggled to adapt to the many complexities of life. Now the show seems to be aging along with the audience.
More of a spin-off than a direct remake, the new feature is called jodie and follows the famous Daria side character, Jodie Landon. although jodie was envisioned as a series, the property is instead taking shape as an animated film. The venture was produced by MTV Entertainment Studios. On which platform or network within the Paramount ecosystem the film will debut is yet to be decided.
Darkwing Duck
A 90s afternoon spent watching cartoons just wasn’t complete without it Darkwing Duck. A zealous father by day and crime fighter by night, Drake Mallard is the proverbial duck caught between two worlds. As Darkwing Duck, he dons a mask and cape and patrols the city in search of culprits with his trusty sidekick, Launchpad McQuack. Active for three seasons and a total of 91, Darkwing Duck offered kids a middle ground between the playful antics of a typical Disney cartoon and the dark, somber tone of the 90s mega-hit Batman: the animated series.
Back in 2020, Variety reported a Darkwing Duck reboot was in development for Disney+, with Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, James Weaver and Alex McAtee of Point Gray Pictures set to produce the series.
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is one of those shows that needs no introduction. With an impressive 13 seasons and 259 episodes, King of the Hill kept audiences chuckling with the show’s signature blend of Southern charm and ironic humor. The show premiered in 1997, which means: King of the Hill made new episodes along with some pretty big events in American history. Creator, Mike Judge, used the Hill family’s disarming charm to present real questions and critiques to people they wouldn’t otherwise want to hear.
Disappointing, talk to Fox to revive King of the Hill on his home network recently fell through. Thankfully Mike Judge and creative partner Greg Daniels recently formed their own animation company, Bandera. It’s a good bet that Hank Hill and the company will be taking up their Texas residency on another network or streaming service in the near future. Likewise the recent Beavis and Butthead reboot was picked up by Paramount+ after initially being developed for Comedy Central.