20 '90s Cartoons Streaming on Hulu That Will Take You Back to Your Childhood
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Break out your favorite sugary cereal and plan a pajama day, because it's time to revisit the classic cartoon movies and TV shows of the '90s. Hulu's collection of '90s cartoons makes it easy to feel like a kid again; whether that means getting in touch with your inner Angelica Pickles via a Rugrats marathon or reaffirming your belief that Antz is superior to A Bug's Life, the streamer has it all. We all know the '90s weren't perfect, but the decade's cartoons and movies most definitely were. And that means revisiting them is always a pleasure.
While Hulu's selection of '90s animated favorites isn't vast, it is full of gems that will help you while away a Saturday afternoon — or four, if you prefer.
Animaniacs
Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are best known for making an entire generation love meta humor. The Warner brothers (and sister!) spend their days running amok on the Warners lot, while also dropping now-dated references to pop culture in a series of hilarious sketches. Even though the references are very much of their time, this cartoon remains a treasure, especially if you spent your weekends with the lovable trio growing up.
Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish
A 1999 direct-to-video release, Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish is also Yakko, Wakko, and Dot's final adventure, but the movie is tonally different from the show thanks to the trio's story playing out against a 19th-century setting. In the movie, Wakko makes a wish on a star to save his sister, Dot, but things get chaotic when other wishers get in on the action.
Antz
Antz and A Bug's Life came out less than a year apart, and as a result, the DreamWorks movie is often overshadowed (even though it came out first). Granted, it's not quite as memorable as the Pixar classic, but it's still a fascinating story about nonconformity — that is also probably way more violent than you remember it being.
Daria
Daria Morgendorffer taught a generation of teens how to embrace their weirdness and drop sardonic one-liners like it was their job. There are few animated shows out there that are quite as influential as this MTV favorite, and it more than holds up two decades after its premiere.
Doug
The early Nickelodeon seasons of Doug remain some of the show's best thanks to the combination of Doug's wild imagination and his relatable middle-school struggles. In fact, watching Doug deal with bullies, his crush on Patti Mayonnaise, and his sibling rivalry with Judy is still inspirational, even though we're no longer tweens. (But if you do prefer the Disney years, those episodes are streaming on Disney+.)
Extreme Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is still having a moment all these years later — there's a new movie starring Paul Rudd coming out this Summer to prove it — which makes this an excellent time to revisit the short-lived cartoon spinoff. The series is notable for featuring an inclusive group of new Ghostbusters who solve different cases each week with a little help from Dr. Egon Spengler and Slimer, of course.
Hercules
As one of Disney's last traditional animated features, Hercules is doubly nostalgic. Watching a teen Hercules transform himself from "zero to hero" to prove he's worthy of living with the Greek gods on Mount Olympus is hilarious — and Hades is hands down one of Disney's best villains.
Hey Arnold!
No other cartoon makes us cry quite as dramatically as Hey Arnold!. Sure, Arnold and his pals offer up laughs, too, but remember Pigeon Man? Or Mr. Hyunh reuniting with his daughter? Or literally anytime Arnold's parents were mentioned? Stock up on some tissues, then prepare to be wowed by this animated treasure all over again.
Jumanji: The Animated Series
The Jumanji cartoon manages to be even more unsettling than the movie. In the animated series, Judy and Peter keep getting sucked into the game over and over again, delaying their happy ending, while also keeping us entertained on a weekly basis.
King of the Hill
OK, King of the Hill is an adult animated comedy, but it also doubled as totally acceptable family viewing in the '90s. Chances are, you and your parents laughed over Hank's propane dramas together — even if some of the humor went over your head.
Pinky and the Brain
"What are we going to do tomorrow night?" Pinky's innocent question always elicits the same response from the brilliant Brain — "The same thing we do every night, try and take over the world!" That simple setup leads to next-level hijinks for the mice pals.
Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain
For an all-too-short 13-episode season, Pinky and Brain become Elmyra's pets. The second Animaniacs spinoff wasn't around for long, but trapping poor Brain with both Pinky and the pet-loving Elmyra is too good to miss.
Pocahontas
Pocahontas remains one of Disney's more controversial animated features thanks to its portrayal of the relationship between the real-life Native American woman and explorer John Smith. But while it takes liberties with history, there's still an important message about nature preservation at its core — and if you revisit it with the kiddos in your life, you can use the movie as a way to delve deeper into the real Pocahontas's far more tragic story.
The Powerpuff Girls
The reboot is fun, but we love the original-flavor Powerpuff Girls the best. Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom's early adventures are full of '90s-era girl-power fun and enough offbeat humor to make even the most serious viewer giggle.
The Prince of Egypt
In 1998, DreamWorks released The Prince of Egypt, an animated retelling of The Bible's Book of Exodus. However, the best reason to watch this movie is for the music, including the powerful "When You Believe" ballad performed by Whitney Houston.
Rugrats
Rugrats is perhaps the most quintessentially '90s cartoon of them all. Nickelodeon's show about a group of babies who have big adventures gave us the joy of watching Angelica's tyrannical plots unravel, Chuckie and Tommy's pure friendship, and the dream to one day eat a Reptar bar.
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon's cast of magically powered high-school girls is the first anime that many '90s kids fell in love with. And the best part about watching it on Hulu is that the streamer has the uncensored version of the show that previously wasn't available stateside.
The Swan Princess
Disney may have cornered the market on princesses, but we happen to think The Swan Princess more than holds its own. There's a forbidden love story, an entitled magician, and a literal swan transformation in this gem — what more could you ask for?
Tiny Toon Adventures
Acme Looniversity is the school we still long to attend. It's in those hallowed halls that Buster, Babs, and Plucky learn how to be successful cartoon characters, because there's nothing the '90s loved more than self-referential children's entertainment.
Tiny Toons: How I Spent My Summer Vacation
The feature-length Tiny Toons: How I Spent My Summer Vacation is as refreshing as a Capri Sun on a hot day. The movie features three different stories: Babs and Buster's down-river adventure, Plucky and Hamton's visit to a famous amusement park, and Fifi's casual stalking of her favorite Hollywood star.