I probably bit off more than I could chew with this one. The last twenty-five years of animation covers a ton of shows and movies, and I'm very aware of all the ones that I haven't seen. My apologies to "Bojack Horseman."
As with all the lists in this series, there are twenty five entries, but only the top ten get writeups. And I will totally cheat and slip in a few extra characters.
Bandit Heeler - "Bluey" is easily the most popular new cartoon of the past decade, and though all the Heelers contribute to the show's enduring popularity and appeal, the character who stands out as the most iconic is Bandit. He's a great example of a more involved, more active cartoon father than we've seen in the past. He grumbles and he grouses, but his commitment to his family is crystal clear.
Chihiro - There aren't many anime characters on this list for various reasons. However, Studio Ghibli needs some representation here, and I can't think of a better Ghibli character than Chihiro - the young heroine that Hayao Miyazaki created with a deliberate effort to evoke a more realistic modern girl. She's a big reason why "Spirited Away" is still one of the best animated films of the past quarter century.
Miles Morales - However, I think that the animated film with the biggest impact recently has definitely been "Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse." Miles is a boundary-breaking animated character for his design, his race, his culture, his comic-book origins and more. And thank goodness he makes a fantastic Spider-man, with one of the best superhero origin stories that has even been put onscreen.
Toph Beifong - I've heard the arguments for Zuko, but I'm sorry. The best "Avatar: The Last Airbender" character is Toph. The show's pint-sized earthbending champ becomes the gang's bruiser and a reliable source of earthy comedy in the second season, and I simply can't imagine the show without her. She's such an original. I even liked the old lady version of Toph who showed up in "The Legend of Korra."
The Ice King - I wanted a villain in the mix, and I kept coming back to the Ice King from "Adventure Time," who is probably the best example of a character who only works through the kind of long-form storytelling we didn't really get from western animated series before the 2000s. Nobody has a story arc as epic or as surprising as this guy, and if you just want a fun comedic villain, he's surely that too.
Mizu - Adult-oriented animated series have really taken off in recent years, with "Arcane" and "Blue Eye Samurai" leading the way. And this means some really interesting new characters like Mizu, who is a Japanese heroine from a show with very western sensibilities. Frankly, Mizu is not the type of character I could ever see coming out of the anime storytelling tradition, even though she's deeply inspired by it.
Nimona - I am grateful that "Nimona" was rescued and finished by Annapurna, after the closure of Blue Sky, because it's the kind of movie that is not for me, but is absolutely going to be a cornerstone for the audience that really needs it to exist. The deeply weird, and utterly wonderful shapeshifter Nimona is a classic outsider character, and just subversive enough to feel a little dangerous in the best way.
Rick Sanchez - Here he is - the drunkard, abusive, mad genius whose badassery enables his worst impulses, and tends to lead to trauma and misery for everyone he meets. Rick is the star of the most twisted family sitcom currently running on television, once you get past the science-fiction trappings. But as smart as he seems, the truth about Rick is that he's just as clueless as everyone else.
Dr. Girlfriend - "The Venture Bros." do not get enough love despite their massive influence on animation. The cast is full of wonderful male characters, but the one I really adore is the deep-voiced female lead, Dr. Girlfriend. Initially, her presence is an opportunity to see a different side of The Monarch, but as the show goes on, she really comes into her own and becomes a force to be reckoned with.
LEGO Batman - Well, I sort of got Bojack in here. Lego Batman is a character that could only exist because of the colliding forces of shameless toy marketing, the IP of Warner Bros., with the creative anarchy of Phil Lord and Chris Miller. "The LEGO Movie" shouldn't work, but it does, and LEGO Batman was enough of a highlight that he got his own spinoff, which somehow also works very, very well.
The Next Fifteen
Shrek
Beckett Mariner
Catra
The Minions
Omniman
Stitch
Shonen Bat/Li'l Slugger
The Other Mother ("Coraline")
Rapunzel
Huntrix
Roz ("The Wild Robot")
Paddington
Viktor ("Arcane")
The Red Turtle
The Incredibles
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