5 Classic ’90s Cartoons That Need a Major Reboot in 2026

The 1990s were a second golden age for animated TV shows. The Disney Afternoon block, with DuckTales, TaleSpin, and Chip n' Dale: Resuce Rangers, along with Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs from Warner Bros. kept kids of all ages entranced. At the same time, Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men brought the action, while The Tick reminded everyone that superheroes could be funny.

In the decades since, a number of '90s cartoons have been rebooted. DuckTales, which arguably kicked off the '90s golden age even as it originally ended in 1990, had a successful return in 2017. X-Men '97 is a huge hit for Disney Plus, and Batman has three animated series running with Batwheels, Batman: Caped Crusader, and Bat-Fam.

Still, there are some animated gems from the 1990s that seem to have fallen into limbo, either forgotten by the masses or consistently on the edge of returning but never quite making it back. Fans wait with bated breath, hoping for news that the shows that meant so much to them in their formative years will get another chance to shine.

5 The Pirates Of Dark Water

Running for just 21 episodes, The Pirates of Dark Water didn't last long, but it left an impression on the people who watched it. The series, set on the world of Mer, followed the adventures of Prince Ren as he searched for the "Thirteen Treasures of Rule" that could save the planet's seas, and his father, from the sentient dark water that is destroying everything.

With watercolor backgrounds and stylized but detailed animation, The Pirates of Dark Water was unlike any other show on the air at the time. It was also a series that took its story and characters seriously, setting the stage for other more mature cartoons of the time. Sadly, the story was never completed, and Ren still had five treasures to find. A reboot could give the series closure.

4 Exosquad

It's arguable that without Exosquad, the '90s X-Men series would never have happened. The series, which began in 1993 and ran for 52 episodes, was put together by many of the same people that were responsible for X-Men, and it was one of the few American animated shows to use serialized storytelling, showing that the same could work for Marvel's mutants.

Exosquad also told a relatively in-depth story for the audience it was aimed at. The series, which centered around an interplanetary war between humans and Neosapiens — an artificial race created by humans to be used as slaves during the colonization of Mars and Venus — wasn't afraid to delve into issues of prejudice and racism.

While Exosquad was initially popular with viewers, with a spin-off in the works, it was canceled after the second season after being moved to a poor time slot, airing at 4 a.m. in some areas. But the show's fans continue to hold out hope that a revival could happen.

3 Gargoyles

Disney's Gargoyles was initially part of the Disney Afternoon animation block, but the show's darker themes quickly made it stand out from the more comedic shows that it was connected to. The series, which told the tale of six gargoyles who are turned to stone in the year 994 and awaken in modern day Manhattan, was an instant hit.

Across three seasons, Gargoyles dealt with themes that included grief, guilt, revenge, and romance. Filled with references to Shakespeare and plenty of action, the show had an elevated tone that made it stand out from most other cartoons that were on at the time, and because of that it still has a dedicated and vocal fanbase today.

In some ways, it is bewildering that Disney has never found a way to bring Gargoyles back. Along with multiple film adaptations — both animated and live-action — having been discussed in the past. Even Jordan Peele was unable to get Disney to agree to a movie. Still, the show's creator, Greg Weisman, has never given up. In 2023, a live-action series was announced, but all has been silent since then.

2 Freakazoid

The forgotten sibling of the Steven Spielberg/Warner Brothers animated marriage that created Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs, Freakazoid may have been too weird and filled with superhero humor for its time. But now, with everyone and their granny knowing the MCU and DCU characters better than their own family, this show is ready to return.

Created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, Freakazoid not only goofed on superheroes, but on the internet, which was still in its relative infancy when the show began in 1995. This was a time before even AOL Messenger, when GeoCities and Netscape were two of the most popular sites. There was no social media for the show to mock. There weren't even memes.

Today, the idea of a teen being given powers from the internet that also make him unbearably hyper and constantly snarking and making references to pop culture would feel right at home. In 1995, the world wasn't ready for Freakazoid. Now, it is all but begging for him to return.

1 Darkwing Duck

Set in the same world as DuckTales and playing off of Batman, Darkwing Duck ran for three seasons and instantly became a fan favorite. Along with its perfect spoofing of not just the Dark Knight, but all pulp heroes of the 1930s and '40s, the series managed to lovingly homage the very things it was making fun of.

Darkwing Duck also featured an unbelievably catchy theme song, which was not uncommon for the Dinsey Afternoon shows. After all, just about everyone born after 1985 can sing the themes from Gummi Bears, DuckTales, and Resuce Rangers, and Darkwing Duck is no different.

Darkwing Duck appeared in the DuckTales reboot, and even had a cameo in the 2022 Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie. A reboot was in development in 2022, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg executive producing, but it was shelved sometime later. In August 2025, Jim Cummings, the voice of Darkwing Duck, confirmed that work was underway on a revival series that would take cues from The Dark Knight Returns, but all has been quiet since then.