Review: My Top 5 Children’s Cartoon Episodes Of 2024

At number 5, we have the episode “Dawn Of The Dread”. This episode is written by Leanna Dindal, storyboard directed by Stephen Heneveld and Broni Likomanov, and first came out on Nickelodeon on October 2, 2024. The 2022 Monster High show is probably my favorite incarnation of the franchise. Granted, I’m not as knowledgeable on the previous generations, but still. I like this show a lot because of how well it mixes horror, comedy, heartwarming moments, and tough issues in a way that feels very natural. This episode proves it. The episode focuses on Ghoulia’s anxiety. When it manifests as a brain monster, she hurries to get rid of it before an appointment with the school counselor named Dr. C. Yeah, this episode is definitely a strange one, but it works. I particularly like its message about how you can’t get rid of anxiety. You instead learn to control it rather than suppress it or get rid of it.I think placing the focus on Ghoulia makes sense. It’s best shown at the beginning, where she’s shown taking a test, and still worries over how she did even after finishing it. That’s not uncommon, but her still studying to the point of trying to not spend time with her friends is definitely a bit too much. This works well given episodes like “Growing Ghoulia” and “Flaunt Your Skeleton”, where she’s rather anxious about trying to feel her best or be her best because she doesn’t think that she’s good enough. She even acts anxious over whether she should see the school counselor due to not wanting to inconvenience anyone. There’s also this particular scene later on when she tries playing video games in order to block out her anxiety, but it’s still there. Even if you can tell that she shouldn’t do all this, it’s something that works with her character given how she’s someone who pushes herself to extremes. You can’t exactly think straight when it comes to dealing with something extreme. It also makes sense that she would go to Lagoona and Twyla for help at some points given their own issues. Lagoona often lets her emotions get to her while Twyla is autistic, and yet they still prove to be good friends in how they help out.

I like the way that anxiety physically manifests itself into a problem. Sure, she does often act incredibly worrisome about what the future might hold. However, she also isn’t treated as a burden by anyone outside of Ghoulia. At worst, she’s mainly seen as an annoyance. Only Ghoulia sees her as a problem given how she literally tries getting rid of her. They actually bring up something interesting in how having some anxiety has helped Ghoulia navigate harder moments in her life while making sure she doesn’t go too far. It’s definitely a good way to show that anxiety isn’t easy to deal with, but it can be done when recognizing the source, and keeping it under control. The ending definitely helps. Ghoulia goes to see Dr. C, who’s pretty calm and down to earth. She has her own anxiety monster, but much smaller. It’s a nice way to show how everyone has anxiety, but it can still be kept under control. This episode is definitely great. I was almost going to put “One Were To Rule Them All” along with this, but I wanted to talk about a different show later down the line where 2 shows are tied. Still, season 2 was excellent, as this episode clearly shows. Also, on a side note, Felicia Day very much nails the role of Ghoulia.

4. Food, Glorious Food Fair (Kindergarten: The Musical)

At number 4, we have the Kindergarten: The Musical episode “Food, Glorious Food Fair”. This episode is written by Venessa M. Diaz, directed by Nora M. Johnson & Guy Moore, and came out October 11, 2024. This is a show that definitely impressed me quite a bit, and is another winner for Disney Junior, as this episode shows. I’ve talked about it before in my review of the show, but I want to talk about it again anyway. The episode is about Berti being hesitant to bring her favorite dish, arroz con gandules, to school since she’s afraid that the other kids won’t like it. The episode has two very solid messages. You have one about not being ashamed to show off your culture to your friends since it’s a part of you. You have another about how it’s more important to please yourself with what you like even if not everyone else will.Placing the focus on Berti definitely makes sense for her character. She’s someone who takes great pride in her family and culture. However, she’s also someone who has a very strong desire to please others, sometimes against her better judgement. What kickstarts her conflict is when the other kids question why she would bring something with vegetables given how it’s seen as something unusual. Even if it’s something pretty minor, which keeps them likable, you can still feel for Berti given how, from her perspective, it seems like she’s being criticized for embracing something from her culture. Even if she should still show what she likes, you sympathize with her simply because of how she’s just trying really hard to make everyone happy, which is admirable. She’s just not focused enough on also making herself happy, which is just as important.

There’s also little moments with one of the other characters I want to talk about, mainly Rose. Throughout the episode, she keeps trying to encourage Berti to bring the dish she likes regardless of what others think. I think it’s pretty fitting given episodes like “Bye Bye Albie”, “Shoeloose”, and “Berti And The Beast”, where she tries to get Berti to be more open with the truth or encourage her to be herself. Rose is someone who’s impulsive, and while she doesn’t always think straight, it can be channelled more positively as she doesn’t hesitate to help others when need be. It’s quite nice.

The ending also works pretty well. As Berti brings arroz con gandules “cake”, she sees that she doesn’t want to do this, and tells everyone the truth. We then get a nice conversation where everyone apologizes for making her feel bad since they were just confused about a dish like this. They then try it, and like it. Many viewers can predict an ending like this, but seeing the emphasis on the characters questioning each other, but with respect, helps it feel earned since it seems like they’re seeing each other both ways. Topped off with a great performance from Andrea Rosa Guzman as Berti, you definitely get a showstopper of an episode.

3. Make It, Don’t Break It (Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur)

At number 3, we have the Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur episode “Make It, Don’t Break It”. This episode is written by Halima Lucas & Taylor Vaughn Lasley, directed by Annie J. Li, and came out on Disney Channel on February 24, 2024. If you ask me, this is my favorite of all the Marvel/Disney cartoons, at least the ones I’ve seen. This show is the perfect mixture of action, comedy, strong character development, and heart. This episode is a great showcase of this. The episode involves the arrival of Dr. Akonam Ojo from Wakanda. Lunella tries very hard to impress her during a robotics competition that she entered, but she keeps pushing herself. This episode is definitely quite something. It’s an episode that walks the perfect line between being fun, emotional, and quite mature. There’s also a particularly valuable message about seeing your self worth and not pushing yourself too far just for the sake of pleasing others.This is the kind of conflict that lines up perfectly for Lunella. She’s someone who’s not afraid to show off her intelligence, especially to people she cares about or looks up to. As such, this creates an interesting conflict where she keeps going above and beyond to please her idol/mentor , who keeps thinking that she’s not reaching her full potential. I think this works here given how she takes great pride to show how she’s someone who’s not afraid of a challenge, yet also wants to stay true to who she is. Even if you know that she shouldn’t push herself, and gets visibly stressed out (which I’ll touch on below), you can still understand her thought process since it plays into how she’s well meaning, yet also stubborn when she has her mind set on something big. Also, on a side note, Diamond White is definitely on her A-game with how she’s able to capture all facets of Lunella’s personality.

The character of Dr. Ojo is also well handled. Making her a rather strict mentor who’s incredibly critical could’ve easily backfired due to how easy it is to make them unlikable. That’s thankfully not the case. She’s definitely pushing Lunella too far, even wondering if she has what it takes to be seen as a diamond. What I think helps keep her from being unlikable is that, while she’s strict, she’s also composed. She can be rather calm when giving her criticism. She’s also not afraid to give Lunella some compliments, even if they can be somewhat backhanded.

I also want to point out how well the supporting cast are written, most notably Casey, Mimi, and Coach Hebrek. Casey’s supportive side helps show why she’s Lunella’s best friend. She encourages Lunella to be herself while also making sure she doesn’t push herself too far. Coach Hebrek is generally apathetic when he’s reaching a class, but when he’s actually allowed to be a coach and show support, he definitely shines in how he encourages the students to have fun with the competition. Mimi is also great on how she’s able to recognize that Lunella is having a panic attack, and give her the space she needs to process this. Wait, what?

Yeah, let’s address the elephant in the room. This episode is mainly remembered for being the one where Lunella has a panic attack. There are a few times in the episode where Dr. Ojo criticizes Lunella harshly, and it cuts to a black background as chalky water drops fall, signaling that Lunella’s self esteem is being slowly chipped away. When she loses the competition, and Dr. Ojo thinks that she’s not the diamond she thought she was, this is what causes Lunella to have her panic attack. It’s definitely quite an intense moment that works pretty well. Lunella is basically being told that she doesn’t have what it takes to make something of herself no matter how hard she tries. It’s quite impressive to see something like this in the show, and it works well because of how it’s built up. The ending works incredibly well. Casey gives Lunella some music to listen to, kickstarting one of the show’s regular mixtape moments. The lyrics reassure Lunella that she’s already a diamond, and she doesn’t need to think otherwise. It’s an incredibly powerful moment, especially afterwards, where she’s more confident in telling Dr. Ojo that she’s a diamond as is. Things get even better when Dr. Ojo agrees with her, and sees that the tough love approach she got doesn’t always work for everyone. Yeah, that’s the way to end an episode like this, have both sides see they approached things the wrong way, but will try to fix it. This episode is very much a diamond for the show, making me appreciate it even more as a fan.

2. Princess Royal Wedding & Princesses Seas The Day (Princess Power)

At number 2, we have a tie between the Princess Power episodes “Princess Royal Wedding” and “Princesses Seas The Day”. Both episodes are written by showrunner Elise Allen, directed by Donna Brockopp, and came out on Netflix on May 20, 2024. Yeah, I like Princess Power so much that these two episodes deserve to share the spotlight. They take what’s great about the show, and elevates them. I’m going to go in depth with these episodes quite a bit.

“Princes Royal Wedding” centers on the marriage between Rita’s mother Queen Ryung and recurring character Queen Olivia. She and her younger sister Omera, as well as her friends, try to put together the perfect wedding, but things don’t go as planned. On top of that, she also wants to impress Headmistress Miranda Melon so that the princesses can get into Princess Adventure Academy. So, this episode accomplishes a lot in its 31 minute runtime, and it all comes together well. The characters, the emotion, the message about being accommodating towards loving family members even when it’s not easy, and the setup for the arc about getting into Princess Adventure Academy are all handled very well here. The three main factors that make it work are Rita, Omera, and Headmistress Miranda Melon.

When it comes to Rita, this is definitely her best episode because of how it shows why she’s a great character. She’s someone who takes great pride in trying to show off her creative self and be there for others. She’s also shown to be great with children because of how she’s able to see them on their level and make them feel like equals. This episode definitely helps make her likable despite the mistakes she makes. There’s little moments that help make her likable, such as how willing she is to let Omera help out, put emphasis on Princess Adventure Academy being good for all of them, and even show the uniqueness of the orange fruitdom. It’s definitely fitting because of how she’s willing to emphasize the beauty of anything and anyone inside and out. Even when she gets more annoyed by Omera messing up, she still tries keeping her composure before understandably snapping when things go very wrong. The moment she makes up to Omera for what she did helps show that while she makes mistakes, she works harder to fix them and make other people feel good. It’s just so great.

Omera herself is also well written. She could’ve easily been annoying because of her impulse and constant mistakes, but she’s actually quite likable and charming. She has a real love for her older sister Rita, and just wants to help out. She too gets little moments that help make her likable. A good example being when she asks Rita if she can hug Velvet. Yeah, she accidentally squeezes him too tight, but she’s at least taking initiative. Another comes from later with how there doesn’t seem to be any ducks for the wedding, and she goes for a substitute. She just doesn’t communicate her intentions well. You definitely feel for her when Rita inadvertently says that she just gets in the way, and ruins everything.

And finally we have Headmistress Miranda Melon, who’s definitely quite the interesting character. She can be described as a bit of a trickster mentor with how she’s a bit on the nutty side, yet also genuinely cares for others and wants to see them succeed. It’s best shown in her first scene, where she’s playful yet courteous when interacting with the princesses before randomly disappearing. She keeps up this kind of behavior throughout the episode, making her fun to watch, especially with how she’s able to drop in and out of impossible situations. She gets a very good moment near the end, where she lets out a small smile when seeing Rita trying to make amends with Omera. It’s a moment that shows how she’s someone who values moral character, and doesn’t mind mistakes as long as they try to fix them. It also shows how selfless Rita is given how she did this without knowing that she saw this, thus showing how she saw Princess Adventure Academy as a secondary priority and made making amends with her sister the top priority.

This episode is serves as good setup for some of the best storytelling I’ve seen in a preschool show with how Miranda tells the girls how she wants them to take part in the Crystal Key Quest, and earn the keys that will grant them entrance to the academy. Yes, the show enters an overarching narrative from here on out, and it wraps up very well in “Princesses Seas The Day”. This episode is about the girls going on their final Crystal Key Quest when they find out from a kidnapped Karina (who’s Kira’s older sister) that the pirate Captain Reginald has stolen treasures from the fruitdoms. This episode is definitely quite intense because of the girls dealing with an actual threat to the fruitdoms, even if he’s still rather comical. Beyond that, there’s a very well executed double message about putting the needs of others first as well as using kindness being more effective in winning over other people.

There’s plenty about the episode that works. A good example comes from when the girls first get the message that Karina was kidnapped. When Kira sees this, she says how she has to do this alone, and doesn’t want to hold the others back from completing the last quest. This is a good example of her selflessness as it shows how she’s willing to be a leader, and put the needs of others first. It’s really nice. It then becomes better when Rita, Penny, and Bea say that they’re going to help her because of how they’re all in this together. This also shows their selflessness since it shows that they think about everyone in need regardless of how this could personally affect them. Another good moment comes the climax, where the girls don’t hesitate to save Captain Reginald and his crew despite their antagonism. It’s particularly good development for Bea given how she wasn’t too interested in working with Delia in the previous episode, yet here, she helps out without a second thought. Captain Reginald is also a fun character with how hammy and over the top he is. Plus, he’s a decent threat.

While I feel his HeelFaceTurn is a bit rushed, seeing him work with the princesses to fix his mistakes works well enough in my book. The ending is definitely the best part, where Headmistress Miranda saw the selflessness the girls had for others, and gives them the final key to get into Princess Adventure Academy. Seeing them wish their families goodbye as they go off to be better princesses still gets to me. This episode needs the show on such an emotional note. It made me proud to be a fan of the show.

Before we get to number 1, here are some honorable mentions.

We have the SpongeBob SquarePants episode “Tango Tangled”, the Fairly Odd Parents: A New Wish episode “The Battle For Big Wand”, the entirety of the Craig Of The Creek sleepover arc, the Jessica’s Big Little World episode “Jessica’s Picnic”, the Primos episode “Summer Of Tater Luna”, the My Adventures With Superman episode “My Adventures With Supergirl”, the Firebuds episode “Balancing Act”, the Ariel episode “Clamming Up”, the Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures episode “The Prince And The Pirate”, and the Dee And Friends In Oz episode “Dee And The Wizard Of Oz”.

And now it’s time for my number 1 pick.

1. The End (The Ghost And Molly McGee)

At number 1, we have “The End”, the series finale to The Ghost And Molly McGee. The episode is written by series creators Bill Motz and Bob Roth, directed by Stephen Heneveld and David Knott, and came out on Disney Channel on January 13, 2024. Oh my word! This episode is quite the emotional rollercoaster. It definitely earned the right to be my favorite episode of 2024. Let’s talk about it. The episode has Molly and Scratch coming across memories of Scratch’s past life as a human. Seeing that he’s actually the ghost of town dullard Todd Mortenson, meaning he’s a wraith (the ghost of a person that doesn’t die), he has big decisions to make about his afterlife.The Ghost And Molly McGee is a show that’s very special. It’s a show that wears positivity on its sleeves even when showing how things in life aren’t always easy. It’s most notable in how there are 2 messages that are often shown throughout the series that are represented well here. One is about how life isn’t worth living without taking risk. The other is about how you can’t take the good without the bad. You very much see this in how Molly and Scratch react to this kind of news. Molly is a character who’s all about optimism and trying to make things better for people. Heck, the episode opens with her getting a reward for all the good she’s done. She cares for Scratch a lot, and will do anything to help him. Of course, she’s had moments before of getting too clingy or possessive of things she can’t control. Here however, she’s focused on trying to help him when he explains his situation of past memories flooding in, even before the reveal. When the reveal does come, even if she still has her own feelings about this, she still tries to help him, and process what happened. That’s quite mature.

Scratch himself is also perfectly well written. On the surface, he may be someone who’s just a lazy jerk that tries avoiding responsibility. He does act this way, but beneath it all is a good person who cares for others, but can’t easily show it. You see this in how the reason he’s so hesitant to confront his past is because of how he, as Todd, always turned offers from his childhood friend Ada (a recurring character introduced in season 2) to travel the world with her. He would always find some excuse to not go. You definitely feel bad for him because of how he cares for her, yet always found comfort and safety in his mundane life. It’s really sad.The ending is what really helps bring the episode to greatness. Scratch is initially hesitant to become Todd again since he thinks that he’ll forget about Molly. She then tells him that while life has risks, they’re also what make life worth living. It’s a very powerful moment showing how Molly is willing to put the happiness of her loved ones first. Yes, she’ll miss Scratch, but he also needs to seize the day and enjoy life regardless of risk. The hug they share is quite beautiful. After returning back to normal, Scratch as Todd is ready to reconnect with Ada by traveling the world. Even though he doesn’t remember Molly, he still greets her happily, and even calls her by his nickname for her, Moll, implying that he has some memories of her. Seeing them separate on good terms is such a sight to see. The end credits add a touch of this, where he reunites with Ada while we the audience see a painting of Molly and Scratch hugging. It’s just great.

Remember earlier how I said that you can’t take the good without the bad? Well, this applies here. You see, the creators were originally given the greenlight for a season 3, but executive changes at Disney prevented that from going through. While the show definitely deserved a season 3, I’m at least thankful that the people working on the show were able to get the finale that they always wanted. This ended the show on such a high note, and cemented this as my favorite episode of 2024.