A Retro Saturday Morning Special: The Top Ten Classic Cartoons (2022 Edition)

Saturday, December 17, 2022

A Retro Saturday Morning Special: The Top Ten Classic Cartoons (2022 Edition)

Wow another year has come and gone so you know what that means - it's time to revisit the most popular Retro Saturday Morning cartoons from 2022. When compiling this list one thing became clear, all of you really love cartoons that feature action, adventure, science fiction and super heroes. There aren't any cute rabbits or ducks in this list (but there is Moose and Squirrel). Everything here ranges from jungle girls and rockin Goolies to damn dirty apes.

So without further ado here are the most viewed Retro Saturday Morning cartoons from the past year!

10. Jana of the Jungle in The Cordillera Volcano (1978)

Jana must rescue a group of miners that are trapped by a volcano that is about to erupt. Standing in her way is a witchdoctor who demands that the minors must die as a sacrifice to the Volcano God to save his tribe.

9. The Heculoids in The Mutoids (1967)

A ship crash lands on Quasar with a sole occupant on board. Zanor offers assistance and the passenger turns out to be a Mutoid, a race who can change their appearance to anything. The Mutoids plan to take over Quasar and use it as a base of operations. Zandor destroys the Mutoids' missile control system and the missiles explode, defeating the Mutoids.

8. The X-Men in Pryde of The X-Men (1989)

Pryde of the X-Men is a one-shot animated television pilot from 1989 featuring the X-Men. A series, for which this episode was intended as a pilot, never materialized. The title is a pun based on the name of Kitty Pryde, one of the characters. Marvel Productions/Sunbow Productions produced the pilot X-Men episode for NBC. The single episode aired infrequently in syndication during the Marvel Action Universe series and was later released on video.

7. Batman: The Animated Series - On Leather Wings (1992)

I'm just going to come right out and say that Batman: The Animated Series is the best TV based on DC Comics character ever produced. I would also add that the series is better than any of Batman movies with the only possible exception being the original 1989 Tim Burton film.

The first episode of the series was entitled On Leather Wings and it aired on the Fox Network on September 6th, 1992. In the episode Batman squares off against one of his popular nemeses from the comics Man-Bat.

6. Return To The Planet Of The Apes - Flames Of Doom (1975)

Astronaut Bill Hudson transmits to Earth from the NASA spacecraft Venturer. On board are crew members Jeff Allen and Judy Franklin. The ship's date is August 6, 1976. Bill explains that they are living proof of Dr. Stanton's "time thrust" theory. Due to the advanced speed of the Venturer, their Earth clock indicates that they have traveled over a century into the future. The craft begins to reel wildly as the Earth clock starts clicking up. The crew blacks out while the ship enters a planet's atmosphere and crashes into a desolate desert region.

5. Rocky and Bullwinkle in Jet Fuel Formula (1959)

Only Bullwinkle could screw up a cake recipe and create rocket fuel and everyone from the US government, enemy agents Boris and Natasha. to even Moon Men want to get their hands on it. Aided by Rocky the Flying Squirrel everyone's favorite moose manage to thwart Boris and Natasha's dastardly schemes only to be captured by a pair of aliens that look like they came straight off a cereal box.

4. Frankenstein Jr. in The Shocking Electrical Monster (1966)

When the evil Dr Shock (an evil scientist who looks like Fu Manchu crossed with a vampire) uses his Master Mix Monster Machine to turn his servant Igor into the giant energy eating Shocking Electrical Monster it's time for Buzz Conroy and Frankenstein Jr. to do some clobbering!

3. Josie and the Pussycats in The Nemo's A No No Affair (1970)

While on a low-economy cruise to Pago Pago Island, the gang's ship is attacked and sunk by Captain Nemo's super submarine. The great-grandson of the original Nemo reveals his plans of using his sub to sink any ship in his path in order to rule the seas. After being captured and dropped to the bottom of the ocean, the Pussy Cats escape, find Nemo's headquarters on Volcano Island and set out to stop his plans in their unusual, madcap fashion.

2. Flash Gordon in A Planet in Peril (1979)

Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, and Dr. Hans Zarkov, visitors from Earth, are traveling in a spaceship to the planet Mongo with a dire warning: The two planets will soon collide. However, as the ship approaches, the group is shot down by local forces, crashing in the ocean. They are saved by a group of Gill Men, insofar as they are saved from drowning; they effectively become part of the "catch of the day," alongside Prince Barin of the Arborians, and Prince Thun of the Lion-Men. The two of them, little as they can appear to stand one another, give them their introduction to Mongo: The planet is suffering under the tyrannical rule of self-proclaimed Ming the Merciless. However, all races on Mongo are enemies to one another; as a result, Flash observes, no matter how much any or each of them may hate Ming, they can never stand together against him.

1. The Groovie Goolies in When I Grow Up (1971)

When Drac takes Frankie and Wolfie on a tour of the torture chamber, he gets caught in his own devices; Wolfie revises the story of Little Red Riding Hood and then gives pet tips; Hagatha fights with tumbleweeds; Hauntleroy gets more of a workout than he anticipates when he jumps on an exercise bike.