The animation industry took quite a hit in 2022, with a lot of surprise cancellations and an alarming new trend of companies removing finished series from their streaming platforms. But that doesn’t mean new shows aren’t still being made, and some old favorites are returning for new seasons, sequels, and reboots.
Here’s our most-anticipated animated premieres of 2023 from Netflix, Disney+, Max, and Amazon Prime.
Pro tip: The industry is changing all the time. Bookmark this page and check back periodically as we update with more release dates about new and exciting upcoming animated titles.
Upcoming animated shows on Netflix
Netflix used to be a safe haven for all sorts of animated shows, from Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts to BoJack Horseman. However, it’s been canceling a ton of popular animated shows in recent years, like Tuca & Bertie, Q-Force, Inside Job, and (most tragically) Dead End: Paranormal Park.
But Netflix seems to be revitalizing its animated presence at the end of 2023, including the mysterious #NetflixDROP01 livestream, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed (and hovering over the unsubscribe button).
We Lost Our Human | Interactive comedy adventure
Following in the footsteps of Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal and Battle Kitty, Netflix’s newest interactive special is called We Lost Our Human. It follows a cat and dog duo who find that every human on the planet has mysteriously disappeared. Will they ever find their human? Since it’s an interactive special, somewhere between a movie and a video game, that’s up to the viewer.
We Lost Our Human premiered on March 21. It is currently streaming on Netflix.
Skull Island | Action, adventure
This anime-style show is an installment in the MonsterVerse—meaning it takes place in the same continuity as the recent Godzilla and King Kong movies—and follows a group of humans stranded on the infamous Skull Island, home of King Kong.
Skull Island premiered on June 22. It is currently streaming on Netflix. Unfortunately, the rest of the MonsterVerse movies are not currently on Netflix.
The Dragon Prince | Fantasy adventure
The Dragon Prince is a charming 3D animated show about two brothers and an elf who find themselves tasked with protecting a dragon egg (and later, a baby dragon.) It’s a classic high-fantasy show full of adventure, action, and scheming evildoers.
Much like Avatar: The Last Airbender before it, The Dragon Prince divides itself into “books” instead of seasons. Season 5 is called “Book Five: Water” and is the second season of the Mystery of Aaravos arc.
The Dragon Prince season 5 premiered on July 27. All five seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.
Disenchantment | Fantasy sitcom, satire
Disenchantment is a wonderfully weird, plot-heavy comedy from the minds behind Futurama. It follows the rebellious princess of a fantasy kingdom as she battles demons, creepy cults, and her own family. And after over a year of complete and total silence, Netflix finally announced that the show avoided an untimely cancellation and is ending with its fifth season. We’ll just be over here, crying, screaming, throwing up.
Disenchantment‘s final season premiered on September 1. The full series is currently streaming on Netflix.
Castlevania: Nocturne | Dark fantasy, horror
Netflix’s animated Castlevania adaptation may have ended with season 4 in 2021, but the story doesn’t end there.
The original series followed Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades as they teamed up with half-vampire Alucard to defeat his father, Dracula, and other creatures who go bump in the night.
Castlevania: Nocturne takes place hundreds of years later, during the French Revolution. Trevor’s descendant Richter Belmont must lead his friends into a battle against a new, powerful vampiric threat. If you’re familiar with the games, you’ll notice it’s adapting both Rondo of Blood and Symphony of Night.
Castlevania: Nocturne premiered on Netflix on September 28, and is currently streaming alongside seasons 1–4 of Castlevania on Netflix.
Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix | Action, adventure
Captain Laserhawk follows in the proud Smash Bros.–like tradition of smushing a bunch of video game characters from different franchises together into one universe. Except instead of a fighting game with a banger of a theme song, Ubisoft chose to bring its characters together in a new animated series with sort of a Suicide Squad vibe.
Set in a 90s-flavored cyberpunk dystopia, Captain Laserhawk is Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon meets Assassin’s Creed meets Watch Dogs 2 meets Beyond Good and Evil meets Rayman meets Raving Rabbids. This is one crossover you won’t want to miss.
Captain Laserhawk is coming to Netflix on October 19.
Blue Eye Samurai | Action, adventure
This gorgeously animated story from the writer of Logan and Blade Runner follows Mizu (Maya Erskine), a mixed-race swordfighter seeking revenge in 17th-century Japan. It’s got a star-studded voice cast, including Brenda Song, Stephanie Hsu, Ming-Na Wen, Randall Park, and George Takei.
Blue Eye Samurai is coming to Netflix on November 3.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off | Comedy, action
The rumors are true: Bryan Lee O’Malley, creator of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, is making a Scott Pilgrim anime. Even better, the original cast from the 2010 movie is reuniting to voice their characters in the reboot, including Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza, Kiernan Culkan, and Brie Larson.
Scott Pilgrim is about a struggling musician who falls in love with a girl named Ramona Flowers, but must defeat her seven evil exes before “winning” her over. It’s a super colorful, wacky story with a killer soundtrack, and we’re looking forward to seeing it translated into the medium of anime.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is coming to Netflix on November 17.
Pokémon Concierge | Stop-motion anime
Netflix and The Pokémon Company recently announced a collaboration in the form of Pokémon Concierge, a stop-motion anime about a resort for Pokémon. We don’t know too much about this series yet, but it immediately looks super charming.
Pokémon Concierge is coming to Netflix on December 28.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft | Action, adventure
During the Castlevania: Nocturne premiere event in September, Netflix finally revealed a sneak peak at its upcoming Tomb Raider anime series. The new show will fill in the narrative gap between the more recent prequel games and the original games’ timelines. Hayley Atwell (Captain America, Agent Carter) will voice Lara Croft.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft does not yet have a release date.
Devil May Cry | Action, adventure
Fresh off the success of Castlevania, Netflix and Adi Shankar are teaming up with Studio Mir (The Legend of Korra, My Adventures with Superman, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts) to bring yet another beloved video game to life. This time it’s Devil May Cry, the fast-paced, action-heavy game about vanquishing demons.
Devil May Cry does not yet have a release date.
Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld | Supernatural, action
Ali Wong stars in this new animated series from Netflix. Jentry Chau is a Chinese-American teenager who must embrace her supernatural powers to protect the world (and her high school) from evil monsters. She’s not alone in this endeavor, and her great aunt aids her in her fight.
It sounds similar to American Dragon: Jake Long and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and we’re totally here for it.
Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld does not yet have a release date.
One of our favorite Netflix animated shows is Bee and PuppyCat. We don’t expect a new season to be ready as soon as 2023, but we’ve compiled a list of similar shows you can watch in the meantime.
Upcoming animated shows on Disney+
Disney is well-known for its animated series. Even before Disney+, Disney Channel brought us classics like Kim Possible, Phineas and Ferb, and American Dragon: Jake Long. (Can you tell what generation I’m from?)
Between Disney Channel and Disney+, the House of Mouse is gearing up for a pretty animation-packed 2023. Brace yourself for a big strategy change, though; from now on, Disney Channel will only air episodic shows, while serialized shows with overarching plotlines will be confined to Disney+.
There are a lot of new original titles coming down the line, but quite a few adaptations and continuations of existing IP as well. Also, good news for those in my own generation—a Phineas and Ferb revival is currently in production, although it probably won’t air in 2023.
The Ghost and Molly McGee | Supernatural comedy
Now’s a great time to catch up on the first season of what critics are calling “a lot like Beetlejuice—if Lydia Deetz was a peppy optimist instead of a sullen goth.”
The Ghost and Molly McGee is about a girl whose family moves into a haunted house, complete with a ghost who’s hell-bent on sucking all the joy out of the world. Of course, Molly does what anyone would do, and befriends the ghost almost immediately. Shenanigans ensue. Also, a lot of singing.
Season 2 of The Ghost and Molly McGee premiered on April 1. It is currently streaming on Disney+.
The Owl House | Fantasy adventure
Disney may have cruelly cut this show’s final season down to a mere three episodes, but the crew behind The Owl House is certainly making the most of it. The Owl House is about a teenager named Luz who stumbles through a portal into a magical world, where she learns how to become a witch.
This isn’t a butterflies-and-rainbows magical world, though—the entire continent is carved from the carcass of a long-dead Titan, and sometimes deadly boiling rain falls from the sky. It’s a freaky nightmare world, and Luz fits right in.
The final episode of The Owl House, “Watching and Dreaming,” premiered on Disney Channel on April 8 and is currently streaming on YouTube and Disney+. You can also catch up by watching a compilation of The Owl House‘s entire third season on YouTube.
Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur | Superhero adventure
If you’re not familiar with the last eight years or so of Marvel comics, you might not recognize this name. The first Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur comic came out in 2015, and quickly found a devoted audience.
Moon Girl is Lunella Lafayette, a nine-year-old girl who just happens to be the smartest person in the Marvel Universe. Yes, smarter than even Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Also, she’s friends with a dinosaur. But that’s actually pretty common for Marvel. (Ever heard of Runaways?)
The new show is an animated adaptation of those comics, and we love the art style they chose for it. If you need more motivation to give the show a chance, watch this clip of Lunella crime-fighting on rollerskates while listening to Childish Gambino. It kicks butt.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur premiered on February 10. It is currently streaming on Disney+.
Star Wars: Visions | Space opera, anthology
May the 4th be with you, Star Wars fans. Once again, Disney is celebrating Star Wars Day with an animated anthology of stories from beyond the canon Star Wars universe.
Visions first released in 2021 with short films from several different animation studios, including Studio Trigger. Season two features nine new shorts from a new group of studios, including Studio Mir, the animators behind a ton of popular series including The Legend of Korra and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
Star Wars: Visions season 2 premiered May 4 and is currently streaming on Disney+.
Hailey’s On It! | Sci-Fi adventure, comedy
Where The Ghost and Molly McGee took inspiration from Beetlejuice, Hailey’s On It! pulls from The Terminator. Hailey Banks is a normal (if anxious) teenager whose life changes when a scientist travels from the future to preserve the timeline and make sure Hailey grows up to save the world.
But in order to save the world, Hailey has to complete every item on her Phineas and Ferb–esque to-do list. Luckily, she’s got a new original soundtrack to help her out (on sale June 9 from Walt Disney Records).
Hailey’s On It! premiered on Disney Channel on June 8 and is currently streaming on Disney+.
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire | Sci-fi adventure, anthology
Did you come away from Black Panther wishing for more afrofuturistic stories? Your wish has been granted.
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire is a lot like Star Wars: Visions in that it’s an anthology of animated shorts from talented studios around the world. But instead of focusing on an existing IP, Kizazi Moto is all about telling futuristic, sci-fi stories from an African perspective.
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire premiered on July 5 and is currently streaming on Disney+.
Dragon Striker | Fantasy adventure, comedy
In addition to its American titles, Disney Channel and Disney+ are beginning to expand their production of original animation internationally. Part of this movement is Dragon Striker, a French cartoon about magical soccer—er, football—players.
In the world of Dragon Striker, every athlete has a special magic ability that helps them on the field. The story follows a kid named Key who discovers he, too, has a unique ability and embarks on a quest to become a star player (and also, you know, save the world from evil and stuff). It feels extremely anime in the best way.
Dragon Striker is coming to Disney+ sometime in 2023.
The Doomies | Supernatural mystery, comedy
The Doomies is another international cartoon coming to Disney+ in 2023. It’s an “epic supernatural mystery” involving two French teens who accidentally doom their hometown to constant incursions of spooky monsters.
It’s also a fast-paced comedy, and we’re hoping it’ll fill the empty “scary-fun” space that Dead End: Paranormal Park left behind when Netflix canceled it.
The Doomies is coming to Disney+ sometime in 2023.
X-Men ‘97 | Superhero adventure
Hang on, I think I need a tissue. It’s finally here—we’re finally, finally getting new X-Men content. New X-Men animated content. I don’t love Disney’s near-monopoly over the entertainment industry after purchasing Fox, but this is the one slim silver lining.
If you’re confused, Disney’s Marvel Studios used to only have the rights to certain characters from the comics. Fox owned the rights to all the mutants—otherwise known as the X-Men—although Disney got to use Scarlet Witch as long as they promised to kill off Quicksilver early on.
But now Disney owns Fox, and with it, the rights to every mutant. They’ve been sprinkling in mutant content in some recent MCU titles—namely, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Ms. Marvel, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—but this is the first new show with X-Men right there in the title.
Well, technically it’s not a new show. Like Castlevania: Nocturne, X-Men ‘97 is a sequel show. It takes place after the events of the 1992 X-Men animated series (hence the name). I’ve read the tie-in comic X-Men ‘92: House of XCII that came out last year, and if the show is anything like it, I am so excited.
(I’ve said it before, but if Disney ever decides to revisit the 00s show X-Men Evolution, I might just cry).
X-Men ‘97 will air on Disney+ sometime in early 2024.
StuGo | Sci-fi adventure
In StuGo, a group of kids arrive at a prestigious summer camp—only to find that the camp is actually an experiment run by a mad scientist. Wacky sci-fi escapades ensue.
StuGo is coming to Disney Channel sometime in 2024.
Fantasy Sports | Fantasy adventure
Based on a graphic novel of the same name, Fantasy Sports is an animated series currently in development by Disney TV Animation. It follows Wiz, a teenage treasure hunter who teams up with her friend Mug to complete fantastical athletic challenges.
The graphic novels and animated series were both created by Sam Bosma, who also worked on backgrounds for The Owl House, and is a collaboration with LeBron James’ production company.
Fantasy Sports does not yet have a release date.
The Sunnyridge 3 | Fantasy/sci-fi adventure
Disney’s latest entry in the “group of teens going on spooky adventures” genre is The Sunnyridge 3, a story about three friends who hang out at the Sunnyridge Mall. This isn’t any ordinary mall, though—it’s home to a wide variety of conspiracies, from science fiction to the supernatural.
The Sunnyridge 3 is a serialized show, so it will air on Disney+ instead of Disney Channel. It does not yet have a release date.
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Upcoming animated shows on Max
Like Netflix, the platform previously known as HBO Max too used to be home to a lot of great animation. Remember Infinity Train? Unfortunately, recent cutbacks have led to shows not only getting canceled, but removed from the service entirely—sayonara, Looney Tunes.
It does seem that the service is doubling down on adult animation specifically, but with varying degrees of success.
Velma | Horror comedy
Few shows have garnered quite as much controversy as 2023’s Scooby-Doo reboot, Velma. Reimagined as a super-edgy, gorey adult comedy, somehow the show managed to anger so many people that it has an abysmal audience score of only six percent.
It’s not all bad, though. The character designs and animation are solid, and the concept is pretty good too. There’s clearly an attempt to turn Velma and Daphne into the new Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. It’s even zeroing in on that Riverdale-y melodrama. The problem is that even Riverdale was not very fun to watch in its first season.
That, and the fact that Velma is one of those shows that brags about being “a cartoon for adults,” and justifies that rating with shock-factor jokes. It’s giving mid-00s randomness, and it’s not working. Unfortunately, the show didn’t get better as the series progressed, either. But maybe the show will outgrow its South Park phase in its upcoming second season.
Velma season 1 premiered on January 12. It is currently streaming on Max.
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal | Action, adventure
This show comes to us from Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack. It’s about a trio of gods who find themselves reincarnated into teenage bodies with very few memories of their past lives and universe-saving mission.
It’s got magic. It’s got steampunk-y, industrial revolution-era London. It doesn’t have any actual unicorns, that part’s more of a metaphor. (Bummer.)
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal premiered May 4 on Adult Swim is currently streaming on Max.
Clone High | Science fiction, sitcom
The age of 00s nostalgia is officially upon us. Clone High is a cult favorite TV show from 2002 that only ran for one season on MTV, but gained new popularity years later through, of course, the power of memes.
Clone High was already doing the themed high school thing years before Monster High and Rainbow High. Although instead of monsters or personified colors, the students of Clone High are clones of famous figures throughout history. If you’ve ever wanted to watch Cleopatra, JFK, and Joan of Arc embroiled in teen drama, this is your lucky day.
Honestly, the concept is a little like the Margaret Peterson Haddix books, The Missing series. It was also about teenage versions of historical figures, but with more of a time-travel mystery vibe. I totally forgot that the series existed until right this moment, but now I kind of want to see it get a TV adaptation. Clearly, the time is right for it.
Clone High premiered with the newly rebranded Max on May 23 and is currently streaming on Max.
Villainous | Comedy, horror
Villainous originally premiered on Cartoon Network Mexico and HBO Max Latin America, but only made its way to the US with the rise of Max in 2023.
Inspired by the 2012 webseries of the same name, Villainous is a story about an organization of supervillains and their effort to triumph over their heroic counterparts. If you’ve always found villains more interesting than heroes, this one’s for you.
Villainous premiered with the newly rebranded Max on May 23 and is currently streaming on Max.
Summer Camp Island | Fantasy adventure, comedy
Okay, this one comes with a caveat: as far as we can tell, Summer Camp Island is not returning to Max after the service pulled all five seasons in 2022. However, the show is returning to Cartoon Network, both airing old episodes in a marathon and finally releasing the unaired sixth season.
Summer Camp Island takes place in a charming fantasy world of animal-people and follows a group of kids attending a magical summer camp full of secrets. It’s definitely thematically appropriate that Cartoon Network is bringing it back during the summer.
Old episodes of Summer Camp Island began airing every weekday starting June 5 on Cartoon Network, with new episodes set to follow starting July 31.
If you don’t have cable, you can find Cartoon Network on live TV streaming services like Hulu + Live TV.
My Adventures with Superman | Action, comedy
We’ve seen a lot of TV shows explore stages in Clark Kent’s life as Superman. In Smallville, we followed his teenage years. In Superman & Lois, we fast-forwarded to his life as a father of two two teenage sons. We’ve even followed Clark’s canine best friend in Krypto the Superdog.
But in this new animated series from Adult Swim, we’ll see twenty-somethings Clark and Lois build their careers in journalism while falling in love. We may not have needed yet another show about Superman, but we’ll probably be watching anyway.
My Adventures with Superman premiered on Adult Swim on July 6 and is currently streaming on Max.
Harley Quinn | Superhero dark comedy
The third season of Harley Quinn explored Harley and Ivy’s budding relationship, but ended with the couple realizing they still have trouble communicating with each other. The Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special aired just in time for the titular day, bringing mayhem and a lot of R-rated jokes along with it.
Season 4 of Harley Quinn premiered on July 27 and is currently streaming on Max.
Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | Fantasy adventure
Max is really spoiling Adventure Time fans. Following the series’ finale and success of the Distant Lands specials, Fionna and Cake reinvites viewers back into the world of Ooo—or maybe the multiverse of Ooo? The new trailer shows the titular duo traveling through realities (even the less-magical ones) and looks perfect for fans of Bee and PuppyCat. After all, Fionna and Cake were originally designed by Bee and PuppyCat’s creator, Natasha Allegri!
Fionna and Cake premiered on August 31 and is now streaming on Max.
Upcoming animated shows on Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime doesn’t really have a big stable of original animated content like Disney or Netflix. But its thing is usually quality, not quantity.
The Legend of Vox Machina | Fantasy action
Critical Role is probably the most high-profile actual play show out there (that’s a show that chronicles people playing a tabletop role-playing game, or TTRPG), and a massive Kickstarter campaign brought it to an even larger audience through its animated adaptation, The Legend of Vox Machina.
The series follows a scrappy band of heroes who save their world from the threat of evil forces, from undead sorcerers to sinister dragons. It really feels like a Dungeons & Dragons game come to life (well, because it is). The second season begins right where the first one left off: with a horde of angry dragons coming to burn the heroes’ world to the ground.
With this series’ success and the Dungeons & Dragons movie’s recent success, it feels like the year of the TTRPG. (At least, it would be if Wizards of the Coast was less weird about its licensing, but that’s a story for another day.) Amazon recently announced it intends on making even more Critical Role–inspired shows and movies, including an adaptation of its Mighty Nein campaign, which takes place in the same world as Vox Machina.
It’d also be cool if Peacock finally remembered they bought the rights to The Adventure Zone, another actual play show, a while back. I, personally, would love to see someone give College Humor’s streaming service Dropout the budget for an animated show based off their actual play series, Dimension 20.
The Legend of Vox Machina season 2 premiered on January 20. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Hazbin Hotel | Musical comedy
After a very long time in development hell (heh), Hazbin Hotel is finally coming to streaming. A24 is producing the animated series, inspired by the Kickstarted pilot released in 2019, and Amazon Prime Video has ordered at least two seasons.
Hazbin is about Charlie, a princess of Hell, opens a hotel for wayward demons in the hopes of reforming them and sending them off to heaven, thus solving Hell’s overpopulation. Like the independent spinoff series Helluva Boss, it’s a musical, its characters designs are elaborate, and its humor leans heavily into the dark and edgy.
Hazbin Hotel is coming to Amazon Prime Video in January 2024.
Olivia Bono loves entertainment, and she’s never going to shut up about it. Here at CableTV.com, you’ll find her writing about the wild world of streaming. Her specialty is animation—you can find much of her work at our anime hub page. Olivia previously wrote for the Cornell Daily Sun, where in addition to television, she reviewed movies, albums, and video games. Outside of work, she loves to listen to audiobooks, make art, and spend time outdoors.
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