Cartoons have gone through a surprise renaissance in recent years and we have these ten creators to thank for it. Give some applause to these individuals. (Updated with Honorable Mentions)
Honorable Mentions
Daniel Chong
Creator of We Bare Bears
A simple premise of three bears trying to function in normal society is one of the better attempts at incorporating modern day humor into cartoons. Hope to see more from this one.
Daron Nefcy
Creator of Star vs the Forces of Evil
I really wanted Amethyst Princess of Gemworld to become a series but I'll settle for Star vs the Forces of Evil, living proof that you can make a female lead interesting without the need for vomits of pink.
Disqualified: Skyler Page
Creator of Clarence
Skyler Page Disgraced himself by committing an act of Sexual Assault on another employee and has since been sacked by Cartoon Network.
10. Kyle A. Carrozza
Creator of Mighty Magiswords
This show only came out last week and already I'm hooked, this guy is a refugee from Nickelodeon's failed Random Cartoons project that came from the same stable as Adventure Time. While Mighty Magiswords is only a web cartoon at the moment there is hope of more to come from this show.
9. Sean Szeles
Creator of Long Live the Royals
A prominent writer of Regular Show, Sean Szeles has graduated into making his own show that hopes to carry on the same humor that Regular Show produced.
8. Rebecca Sugar
Creator of Steven Universe
A prominent writer of Adventure Time, Rebecca Sugar's show about a boy inheriting gem powers has all the dimensions found from her time working on Adventure Time and is one of the best female cartoon creators since Lauren Faust.
7. Peter Browngardt
Creator of Uncle Grandpa
A major writer on Flapjack, and creator of Secret Mountain Fort Awesome, Peter Browngardt took out what didn't work in Fort Awesome and made Uncle Grandpa which did work.
6. Patrick McHale
Creator of Over the Garden Wall
Another writer from Flapjack and a contributor to Adventure Time, Patrick McHale created the biggest surprise of last year, the dark and mysterious Over the Garden Wall which set a new standard in story writing and atmosphere.
5. Benjamin Bocquelet
Creator of Amazing World of Gumball
A French born British animator who used to work in advertisement and the only one on this list without previous cartoon history. Ben's ability to blend his unique creations into an impressive and hilarious show makes him Europe's finest cartoon maker to date and one to watch for the future.
4. Pendleton Ward
Creator of Adventure Time
This guy put Cartoon Network back on the map along with the number 3 entry. A talented writer that Nickelodeon was stupid enough to ignore, is now regarded as the creator of Cartoon Network's most successful show.
3. J.G. Quintel
Creator of Regular Show
J.G. Quintel is a man who I can relate to, he successfully crafted a cartoon suitable for people of my Generation, basically anyone born in the 80s and made sure that the old Cartoon Network fan wasn't ignored.
2. Alex Hirsch
Creator of Gravity Falls
Alex Hirsch is a reminder that Disney haven't completely abandoned cartoons and can still create classics. Gravity Falls is the cleverest show on TV in all forms, not just cartoons, here's hoping he creates more.
1. Thurop Van Orman
Creator of The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
But over half this list owe their pay checks to Thurop Van Orman who gave them their big break. Sean Szeles, Peter Browngardt, Alex Hirsch, J.G. Quintel, Pendleton Ward and Patrick McHale were all credited writers of Flapjack, the show wasn't the most fondly remembered in Cartoon Network's history but you all had to start somewhere and Flapjack is the Forefather of the Modern Cartoon Network.
Note: Nothing from Nickelodeon?
Kind of says a lot about their shows at the moment.
