Since the start of animation as an art form back in the early 1900s, animated series have come a long way. With so many incredible animated series from all over the world, there are a lot of great shows for fans to find and praise. Unfortunately, there are two sides to the history of this storytelling medium, and as far as creators have come in their endeavors, there are some who still have a lot to learn.

As many great cartoons as there have been in the past several decades, there are just as many notably awful series that viewers have had to witness. Thankfully with the power of the internet, review boards from IMDb are a great way to avoid these infamous projects of the animated industry.

Updated by Fawzia Khan on 26th August, 2023: Animation is a medium that has no limits, but some cartoon shows can test audiences with boring stories, unfunny gags, or uninteresting visuals. This is reflected in their poor IMDb ratings. This list has been updated with more animated shows that didn't satisfy audiences the way they should have.

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15 Kamp Koral (3.5/10)

After creating one of the most beloved cartoons with SpongeBob SquarePants, Steve Hillenburg asked for one thing; no spin-offs. This has led to a split among the fans after the announcement of Kamp Koral. Since the past several seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants have been grossly disappointing, a number of fans decried the spin-off.

Regardless, there was an audience willing to give it a chance. Perhaps Kamp Koral may entertain the youngest viewers with its invitingly adorable characters and how imaginative the stories can be, but for older viewers, and especially older SpongeBob fans, the series is a painful experience. The humor, which makes up most of the show, falls dreadfully flat. With little substance to the series, viewers gave it a 3.5 out of 10.

14 The Powerpuff Girls Reboot (3.5/10)

When The Powerpuff Girls animated reboot was greenlit, fans were excited. The original series offered more than enough world-building to return to television and present fresh new ideas to add to the story of everyone's favorite young crime fighters.

Unfortunately, the series proved to be a huge disappointment. Some argue that older viewers need to move on and accept the 2016 reboot for what it is and how it entertains young kids, but at the same time, even the young viewers didn't seem impressed. The reboot series currently has a 3.5 out of 10 on IMDb.

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13 Fanboy And Chum-Chum (3.2/10)

With below-average animation and harsh reviews from critics and audiences alike Fanboy and Chum-Chum somehow survived for two seasons and a halfhearted concept. Filled with toilet humor and tired gags, Fanboy and Chum-Chum was never going to be a fan favorite.

With the show's central focus on two superhero fanboys, it's pretty clear that the creators were trying to take advantage of the superhero pop culture boom and the success of comic book movies. While there's nothing wrong with the attempt to resonate with the modern-day audience, the problem is the creators didn't take the idea anywhere special. The protagonists aren't likable to any degree, and their tendency to annoy just about everyone around them is more nauseating than charming, leading the series to a 3.2 rating on IMDb.

12 Supernoobs (3.1/10)

After the disappointment of Johnny Test, it's surprising how many viewers were willing to give Scott Fellows another chance with his 2015 series Supernoobs. On the surface, this series looks decent, with smooth animation and unique character designs, but it doesn't take long for audiences to see its many faults.

With a whole cast of unlikable characters, embarrassing voice-acting performances, and storylines that are so ridiculous, Supernoobs just couldn't find a fanbase. It's because of its many problems that it has a 3.1 out of 10.

11 Planet Sheen (2.9/10)

After the success of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Nickelodeon noticed how popular and lovable the side character Sheen was. His humor and wild antics were the perfect addition to the series, so the show's producers decided to give the character his own spin-off. Unfortunately, it didn't work out well.

Fans of Jimmy Neutron were confused as to why Planet Sheen needed to be made in the first place, but some took a chance and were quite disappointed. Just like the title character of this spin-off, the series is unhinged and without deep thought, leading to a low score of 2.9 out of 10.

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10 Breadwinners (2.5/10)

Many networks centered around children's entertainment make money off of episodic series, which are shows that have stand-alone episodes that have no overarching plot. However, even episodic shows need to have engaging content, and the Breadwinners fell short.

The two main characters are charming in their own way, and the humor can hit at some points throughout the series, but the repetitive and predictable plot makes for a boring series. The music that plays through the episodes is rather fun and enjoyable, but everything else is rather lackluster. For that reason, viewers have given it a 2.5 out of 10.

9 Da Boom Crew (2.4/10)

In spite of his great success with The Proud Family, cartoon creator Bruce Smith fell short with his next animated series, Da Boom Crew. Originally airing on the Kids' WB! in 2004, this series was instantly met with poor reviews and even poorer viewer numbers, leading to the show being canceled after just four episodes, a rarity for an animated series.

Da Boom Crew follows three boys who find themselves stuck in a video game universe, which is a great premise to open with. Unfortunately, the rest of the series didn't live up to the hype due to some embarrassing content. While the story was captivating, the series was overburdened with ridiculous plot holes that even children couldn't ignore. On top of that, the show's dialogue was unrealistic, with an emphasis on slang that no one uses.

8 The Nutshack (2.3/10)

Most cartoon fans would argue that The Nutshack is one of the lowest rated animated series ever made. Even for the audiences who tried to see past the surface of this show, the content was just not enough to keep them interested. The crude humor rarely went beyond shock value and the characters were flat. Today, the show is mostly remembered for the many comedic edits of the theme song that have spread across YouTube. This cartoon earned a 2.3 out of 10.

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7 ThunderCats Roar (2/10)

In recent years, a number of cartoons have been given the reboot treatment, ThunderCats is no different, as it has been rebooted twice. While the 2011 reboot only lasted one season, supposedly due to low ratings and/or poor toy sales, the newest reboot, ThunderCats Roar, was canceled for much stronger reasons.

Upon its premiere, many fans found themselves frustrated with the show's poor handling of the original content. The destruction of the ThunderCats' planet is played for a joke, completely ignoring the emotional impacts that played a major role in the original '80s series. Other changes made by the creators only increased fans' distaste of the show. .

6 The Problem Solverz (2/10)

Without question, there is a place for crude animation, but The Problem Solverz didn't find a place in viewers' hearts. The Problem Solverz came around at a time when creators were going through a new era of cartoon experimentation, and while many shows from this period became fan favorites, this one fell flat. While the ideas for this show could have potentially been successful for certain viewers, most agreed that it wasn't well realized and gave it a 2 out of 10.

5 Santa Inc. (1.7)

Starring Seth Rogen, Leslie Grossman, and Sarah Silverman, Santa Inc. pulled its weight in talent, but fell short, otherwise. The cartoon revolved around Candy Smalls, the apex female elf in the North Pole, and her endeavors to become the first female Santa Claus. Santa Inc. tried to combine raunchy comedy with the concept of Christmas but instead gave viewers mindless comedy. The stop-motion style didn't help either, and many 90s cartoons have better animation than the more current Santa Inc.

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4 Fairview (1.6)

This Comedy Central animated series centered on walking, talking, and breathing nesting dolls who lived in a town called Fairview. This town was populated by socially and politically irresponsible people and a mayor who was formerly a party girl too. The animation style struck many viewers as bizarre, so maybe a visual improvement might have held the attention of the audience longer.

3 Velma (1.6)

A much-anticipated reboot that disappointed fans was Velma. The Mindy Kaling-led cartoon took out everything joyous from the Scooby-Doo IP, like the sleuthing, the humor, and the dog, and replaced it with lackluster mature storylines. The origin story of clever but underrated Velma Dinkley should have been sparkling and original, but instead, it relied too much on meta humor and too much self-awareness. Velma had great voice acting and art direction, but the story meandered too far off the course to be appreciated.

2 High Guardian Spice (1.5)

Intended to be Crunchyroll's debut production before a delay, High Guardian Spice followed the journey of four girls as they enrolled in the High Guardian Academy to become guardians of West City. The premise set hopes high for viewers who wanted to view new anime, but the execution was subpar. The visuals itself could be static and uninteresting, with little to no detailing. Unrelated plots ended up in one episode, and the character design was cliché. High Guardian Spice had potential, but it was wasted.

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1 The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican (1.5)

This 1950s cartoon is as rare as it is nonsensical in its entirety. The eponymous Paddy the Pelican's adventures weren't animated properly, with pencil tests in the final product, reused animation, and rushed voiceovers by the creator, Sam Singer. The score was a disjointed melody of organ notes, and the overall effect was less than satisfactory. With an absurd introduction that just had someone laughing for several seconds, The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican turned people off from the start.