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Adventure Time ended back in 2018, but the deliciously weird not-just-for-kids animated series lives on, with the latest spinoff, Adventure Time: Side Quests, premiering later this month on Disney+ and Hulu. If you’re seeking other adventures in the same vein, here are 10 shows to try out—some inspired by the pop culture dominance of heroes Jake the Dog and Finn the Human, and others created by people who worked on the seminal animated show. As Finn would say: Mathematical!
Bee and PuppyCat (2022)
This series from Adventure Time animator Natasha Allegri had an unusual road to production, beginning life as a Kickstarter-backed YouTube series in 2013 before moving to Netflix for a second season (the original episodes are still available on YouTube, but they’ve been reworked as the first few episodes of the series on Netflix). Playing a bit like Adventure Time meets Sailor Moon, the show finds cheerful, hapless temp Bee meeting the mysterious, egocentric PuppyCat. When he realizes that she’s broke and jobless, he takes her to another dimension where TempBot offers the two a series of adventuresome tasks throughout space. Stream Bee and PuppyCat on Netflix.
Gravity Falls (2012 – 2016)
This much-loved, if relatively short-lived, animated series follows twin siblings Mabel and Dipper Pines (Kristen Schaal and Jason Ritter) as they are sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle (aka “Grunkle”) Stan (voiced by show creator Alex Hirsch). While helping Stan run his mystery-themed tourist shack, the kids tackle a series of supernatural mysteries, many related to the show’s ultimate antagonist, dream demon Bill Cipher. Like Stranger Things, the series came to a planned conclusion (albeit after four years rather than ten), and its finale was similarly a ratings blockbuster—the highest rated telecast in the history of Disney XD. Stream Gravity Falls on Disney+.
The Owl House (2020 – 2023)
Teenager Luz Noceda finds herself trapped in the Demon Realm, where she befriends Wendie Malick’s nonconformist witch Eda Clawthorne (aka the Owl Lady), who undertakes to teach the non-magical Luz everything she can about magic. It all takes place in the Boiling Isles, part of an archipelago formed from the remains of a dead Titan, which is just the first of many bits of cool world-building on offer alongside the impressively developed characters and deeper themes of oppression and disability. Busting open the doors for LGBTQ representation on Disney before the increasingly timid company decided to shove everyone back into the closet, the show is full of queer characters, and it remained both creatively offbeat—and adorable—throughout its run. Stream The Owl House on Disney+.
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020)
A collaboration between DreamWorks and the South Korean animation studio Mir (The Legend of Korra), this enchanting adventure series follows Kipo Oak as she seeks out her father in a unique future dystopia: It seems that at some point in the distant past, mutated animals rose up against their human oppressors and forced humans into underground burrows. During her journey, Kipo discovers new things about herself (for example, that she’s not 100% human), and makes friends and allies among the animals. It’s a gorgeous and delightful adventure, with a fair bit of casual diversity and queer representation. Stream Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts on Netflix.
Steven Universe (2013 – 2019)
Rebecca Sugar’s series, like Adventure Time, begins as a series of seemingly standalone adventures before developing into an impressively rich and complex narrative over the course of a planned-out five seasons and a movie. The title’s Steven (Zach Callison) lives in Beach City with magical, mineral-based aliens named Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Steven is half-Gem himself, and the series follows him as he grows into his powers and into himself, along the way discovering that his companions are fugitives from an interstellar empire. It’s a much-loved, very musical, and highly acclaimed series that has birthed the aforementioned movie and the sequel series Steven Universe Future, with another spin-off in the works. Stream Steven Universe on Disney+ and Hulu.
Centaurworld (2021)
Separated from her rider, a war horse from an apocalyptic, anime-inspired land finds herself transported to a whimsical, magical, musical world populated by centaurs of every size, shape, and species combination—cataurs, finchtaurs, and even leaftaurs are among those Horse encounters. Not feeling like she fits in, Horse is desperate to return home and be reunited with her rider, and in that process, she unleashes the evil Nowhere King, who threatens both worlds. In addition to its other charms, each episode features multiple fun musical numbers. Stream Centaurworld on Netflix.
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Over the Garden Wall (2014)
As with Bee and PuppyCat‘s Natasha Allegri, Over the Garden Wall creator Patrick McHale worked on Adventure Time before creating this instant classic of a spooky holiday miniseries. As it opens, brothers Wirt and Greg (Elijah Wood and Collin Dean) become lost in a mysterious forest referred to only as the Unknown. Wirt is anxious, frequently annoyed by more carefree Greg, the two having to confront their differences in order to handle the strange people and creatures that they encounter on their journey. The beautiful animation was inspired by cartoons of earlier eras, and the whole thing has an unsettling weirdness and unexpected complexity that makes it more than a typical story of kids lost in the woods. Stream Over the Garden Wall on Disney+ and Hulu.
Hilda (2018 – 2023)
Hilda’s world feels like it could have come from the mind of Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, but with more trolls (it’s not Japanese, for the record, but based on a British graphic novel). The title character lives with her mother in the remote wilderness, a landscape filled with magic and animals that adventurous Hilda is very familiar with. Circumstances force the two to move to the city of Trollberg, a place that appears to have significantly less magic. It’s a distinctly lovely-looking show, with a curious and empathetic protagonist who’s also incredibly stubborn and set in her ways. It’s as wonderful for kids as it is for adults, with Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) giving a delightful performance as the title character. It all wraps up with a feature-length movie, Hilda and the Mountain King. Stream Hilda on Netflix.
Rick and Morty (2013 – )
Perhaps not a great choice for the younger kids, and therefore not in the all-ages spirit of Adventure Time, this sci-fi romp nonetheless plays like a twisted (and inebriated) take on other shows involving buddies taking magical journeys together. Rick Sanchez is an old-school (and deeply cynical) mad scientist, dragging his well-meaning but hapless grandson on high-concept sci-fi adventures—it’s a bit of a riff on Back to the Future. It’s clever, crass, frequently disturbing, and occasionally a bit emotional, but mostly it’s a wild good time exploring the multiverse. Stream Rick and Morty on Disney+ and HBO Max.
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (2023 – )
Finally, an actual spin-off: both Adventure Time and its follow-up miniseries, Distant Lands, followed on the adventures of Finn the Human and Jake the Dog, but this show introduces their multiversal counterparts. In a universe without magic, Fionna and her cat live boring lives by day, while by night they dream of adventures in a strange world. Meanwhile, the Ice King is struggling to exist without his powers when he discovers that Fionna and Cake, whom he believed to be purely products of his fan fiction, are in fact real, and that they need his help to save their own universe. The series hits all those sweet Adventure Time notes while advancing both the characters and the lore. Stream Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake on HBO Max.
