The Best Animated Fantasy TV Series You May Have Missed

There’s no doubt that this is a great time for fantasy television. From Game of Thrones and its many spinoffs to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time, there is a veritable treasure trove of fantasy TV for fans of the genre to escape into – and that’s just live action.

Animated fantasy series have also seen a surge in quality and variety in recent years. There’s plenty of anime and traditional fantasy as well as shows that blend the modern world with fantasy realms in fun and unique ways. Whether you’re trying to find something to tide you over until House of the Dragon returns or are simply looking for a fun fantasy escape, here are some of our favorite animated fantasy series.

The Owl House

The Disney Channel series The Owl House was woefully short-lived with only three seasons, but the story it tells in that time is thrilling, fantastical, and heartfelt. Set in the Boiling Isles, a realm built on the body and magic of a fallen Titan, the series follows a young human named Luz Noceda as she stumbles into the realm through a magical portal and discovers that the stories of witches and magic that she loves to read are very real, though not quite what she expected. She meets the wild witch Eda Clawthorne, whose eccentric nature and unwillingness to fall in line make her a target for the Emperor and his minions. Eda takes Luz under her wing, and the two soon discover the true nature of the Boiling Isles and the nefarious plans Emperor Belos has for its denizens.

The Owl House is about embracing the things that make us unique and standing up for our fellow “weirdos” when society shuns them. This show may technically be aimed toward a younger audience, but there’s something we can all learn from it.

The Legend of Vox Machina

The Legend of Vox Machina, on the other hand, was definitely not made for children. Based on the first Dungeons & Dragons campaign from Critical Role, this series tells the tale of Vox Machina, a group of adventurers who might not all be the sharpest sword in the bunch, but they mean well (most of the time). The group has fought necromancers, vampires, dragons, and demons over the course of the series’ first three seasons, and the adventure is just getting started.

You don’t have to know anything about Dungeons & Dragons, Critical Role, or the Vox Machina campaign to find this show entertaining. Critical Role and the creatives they work with to bring this show to life have done an incredible job of making this show accessible and fun for any fantasy fan to jump right into.

Delicious in Dungeon

Based on the manga series of the same name by Ryoko Kui, Delicious in Dungeon follows a group of adventurers as they delve into the depths of a dungeon to save their friend and fallen party member, Falin. In this world, raiding dungeons is a common way to make money and seek glory, as anyone brave enough to defeat the Lunatic Magician is promised the entire kingdom for their efforts. Most adventuring parties don’t make it that far, and a lot of them end up living out their days surviving in the upper levels of dungeons.

This adventuring party, however, must go further and further down to find their friend, fighting a number of monsters along the way. Thankfully for them, they find a dwarf named Senshi, who has been living off of the monsters in the dungeon and knows how best to prepare them to eat. That’s right, this show is all about fighting and eating monsters.

As silly as that premise may sound, Delicious in Dungeon does a wonderful job of balancing a slightly goofy tone with more serious plot points. The stakes of this mission still feel large even when Senshi is giving the wildest instructions on how to grill up the terrifying monster they just killed (and staring into your soul with the biggest puppy dog eyes you’ve ever seen).

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Though a bit more somber and serious than Delicious in Dungeon, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is another fantasy anime series worth watching. This show follows the Elven mage Frieren as she reflects on the ten years she spent with a party of adventurers working to defeat the Demon King. The party was successful, but Frieren’s extended lifespan means that this adventure was a mere blip of time in her life whereas it took up a majority of her companion’s lives. 

The show takes place over different periods of time in Frieren’s life as she visits her former companions in the decades that pass and goes on new adventures that continue their legacy. It’s a compelling look at mortality in the fantasy genre, and well worth the watch.

Hilda

Hilda is another animated series where fantasy meets the modern world. After growing up in the woods for a lot of her life, Hilda’s mom decides that it’s time for them to spend some time in civilization and moves them to the fictional city of Trolberg. But that doesn’t mean that Hilda loses her connection with the trolls, elves, and other creatures that live around them. Despite her more urban surroundings, Hilda still finds a way to connect with the realm of fantasy hidden around her.

It’s a really cute series about embracing the whimsy and magic around you, even when society is telling you it’s time to ‘grow up.’ Things are hard for a lot of people right now, and we could all do with a little more whimsy and fun in our lives.

Over the Garden Wall

The ultimate cozy fantasy series, Over the Garden Wall follows two brothers, Wirt and Greg who become lost in a strange forest and must find their way home. Along the way, they come across a number of people and strange creatures, some of which are eager to help the boys get home while others want to keep the boys there for their own nefarious purposes. The series isn’t very long, but it’s an eerie yet compelling story about family, loss, and believing in oneself.