The 1990s are often considered one of the best decades for animation, with a veritable treasure trove of incredible cartoons airing across the ten-year span. It’s no exaggeration to say that some of the best animated TV shows of all time aired in the 1990s, and pretty much every kid raised in that era fondly remembers the cartoons they grew up watching. With animated series ranging across almost every conceivable genre, the ’90s featured so many incredible shows that it’s pretty much impossible to remember them all, so sadly, some of the era’s great animated series have been tragically forgotten.
Of all the animated TV shows that aired in the 1990s, some were always bound to become pretty obscure. However, among these forgotten gems, there are a handful that would actually work well for modern audiences should they be rebooted. Each of the following still holds a certain charm or characteristic that would undoubtedly appeal to audiences of all ages, in part due to the ’90s nostalgia but, more importantly, because their premises could easily work in a more modern format.
3) Mummies Alive!
Aside from among those who watched it during its original run, the name Mummies Alive! isn’t likely to spark any real recognition. However, it’s a forgotten show from the 1990s that could easily find success with modern audiences should a reboot come to pass. Building upon the success of Gargoyles, the show followed a group of reanimated Egyptian mummies who were once sworn bodyguards of a young prince. Awakening to protect the prince’s modern reincarnation from the machinations of an evil sorcerer, the mummies are each armed with different weapons and abilities. Though the show was born of a wave of Egypt-mania in the 1990s, its premise could easily work today. After all, superhero stories are as popular as ever, and the added fantastical and mythological elements helped give Mummies Alive! a certain unique quality. A new animated fantasy-action series could expand upon the show’s story, revamping it for a modern audience and allowing it to finally live up to the potential it never quite fulfilled in the ’90s.
2) The Pirates of Dark Water
Despite only airing a total of 21 episodes, The Pirates of Dark Water is considered by some to be a classic ’90s cartoon that deserves a modern reboot. Its story follows Prince Ren, the son of the dying king of Octopon, as he sails around a fantasy world on his ship, the Wraith. Along with his misfit companions, including a monkey-bird called Niddler, an element-controlling ecomancer, and a treasure-obsessed pirate, Ren seeks the Thirteen Treasures of Rule that will help him save his home from the threat of the Dark Water, a sentient black liquid taking over and consuming the seas. A high-concept fantasy that was criminally short-lived, The Pirates of Dark Water‘s continued cult following outlines how successful a reboot could be. Picking up the show’s story or rebooting it entirely would surely draw a considerable audience, with the element of nostalgia helping its marketing and the strength of its premise doing the rest. It’s one of the most overlooked cartoons of the ’90s, and it thoroughly deserves to make a comeback.
1) Exosquad
Over the years, there have been many great animated sci-fi shows that not enough people remember, and Exosquad is a prime example. Its general premise concerns a future war between humanity and the Neosapiens, a race artificially created by humans to serve as forced labor. Of all the animated shows of the 1990s, Exosquad stands out as one truly ahead of its time. By embracing a continuous story rather than the simple episodic format of most cartoons, and by exploring central themes of slavery, shifting political allegiances, and the moral and ethical implications of war, Exosquad marked itself as one of the most ambitious animated shows of its era. Considering the potential for narratives exploring rich and complex themes, as well as the intense sci-fi action it offers, Exosquad could easily become a huge hit if rebooted today. As it was cancelled before it could really hit its stride, a modern reboot seems a perfect solution, as it could be a huge sci-fi success on multiple levels.
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