For many of us who were kids in the late 90s and early 2000s, the Harry Potter franchise is arguably a treasured piece of our nostalgic past. Because essentially, it’s an escapist fantasy where young people get to do amazing and important things that impact their world.
The franchise was also incredibly popular and inspired many similar fictional works including animated shows. Granted, some of them proceeded Harry Potter and aren’t as directly influenced by it as others. Nevertheless, these animated series might interest Harry Potter fans as something to watch while the Fantastic Beasts franchise hangs in the air.
Winx Club
Despite its outward fluffy appearance, this ongoing show has a surprisingly interesting history behind it. Originally an Italian animated series, it was given an English dub in the United States by the now-defunct licensing company 4Kids before Nickelodeon took over from 2010 onward.
Additionally, Winx Club has some parallels to Harry Potter as it’s about an Earth girl named Bloom who attends a magical school in another realm called Alfea. There, she makes several friends and discovers many secrets about her mysterious past. Meanwhile, the girls are aided by attractive male heroes-in-training as they confront various evil forces.
Mummies Alive!
Besides 4Kids, another production company that no longer exists is DIC Entertainment which also licensed nostalgic shows in its heyday. Among these included a short-lived Canadian animated series called Mummies Alive, which didn’t do well at the time.
Though it is worth mentioning because like Harry Potter, this show features a young male protagonist who is being targeted by an evil magician. Only instead of using magic to protect himself, the kid has a group of undead mummies who were his bodyguards in a past life. In addition, they have magical powers that are related to the Ancient Egyptian gods.
The Hollow
In addition to the live-action shows, Netflix also has its share of animated series that are either original or broadcast on the streaming platform. One example of the latter is The Hollow, which debuted on Netflix last year.
Canadian in origin, it not only features a style of animation that’s similar to shows from the early 2000s but it’s also got fantasy elements. Story-wise, The Hollow follows the adventures of two boys and a girl who wake up in an unfamiliar world with no memories of how they got there. On the way, they learn of their unique powers which help them out of tough situations.
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Before Monsters, Inc. was released, there was a show on Nickelodeon in the 90s that revolved around a hidden world of monsters who interacted with ours. But instead of a power plant full of inter-dimensional doors, the setting was a school which could be accessed via a landfill.
Here, monsters of various shapes and sizes learn how to scare humans while conducting various class assignments in this regard. This included the show’s main monsters known as Ickis Krumm and Oblina. Not only were they roommates at the school but also good friends that got into all kinds of situations together.
Blue Exorcist
Also known as Ao no Exorcist, this anime was fairly popular upon release thanks to the manga that spawned it. Though after the first season, six years went by before a second one came out.
One of the main reasons for this was to allow the manga to create enough material for the anime, which is a common issue with many anime series that are adapted from ongoing manga. In terms of its story, it’s about a boy named Rin Okumura who learns he’s the son of Satan. But instead of giving into his dark heritage, he decides to become an exorcist and enrolls at a special school.
X-Men: Evolution
Following in wake of the nostalgically popular X-Men animated show from the 90s, X-Men: Evolution was not initially liked but has gotten more positive reviews in retrospect. Released in the early 2000s, it ran for four seasons with a fifth one planned that ultimately got canceled.
Like its predecessor, Evolution focuses on the titular X-Men as they learn to harness their mutant abilities under the guidance of Professor Xavier while fighting evil mutants and prejudice. But in this version, most of the younger mutants are reimagined as teenagers with some exceptions. So it combines high school drama with superhero elements.
RWBY
With the wider availability of video editing and animation software, it wasn’t long before independent animators started making a name for themselves on the Internet. This included Rooster Teeth, which created the web series Red vs. Blue that used Halo video game assets.
But arguably, their follow-up project far surpassed Red vs. Blue in every aspect. Simply titled RWBY, this ongoing show is set in a fantasy world where dangerous creatures called Grimm reside. Fortunately, there are Hunters that help protect the populace and they receive training from a school which our main quartet of characters named Ruby Weiss Blake and Yang attend.
Little Witch Academia
Of the animated series covered in this article thus far, Little Witch Academia bares the closest resemblance to Harry Potter. Though if one examines this anime carefully, it actually borrows more from The Worst Witch series that proceeded Harry Potter by at least two decades.
Set at the all-girls Luna Nova Academy for young witches-in-training, a girl with non-magical parents named Atsuko “Akko” Kagari decides to attend the school. Wanting to be like Shiny Chariot, a popular witch that did magical performances, she has to overcome her ineptitude at magic. Additionally, Akko tries to unlock the mystery of a wand that was owned by Chariot.
Gravity Falls
Though it only lasted two seasons, this show was well-received during its original broadcast and continues to be highly regarded. So why was it canceled? Because the creator had a definitive end for the show though he hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of continuing it.
For those who don’t know, Gravity Falls is about twin siblings Dipper and Mabel who are forced to spend the summer with their Great Uncle ‘Grunkle’ Stan at his phony Mystery Shack. But soon, the two discover real supernatural things that are happening in Gravity Falls. Guided by a mysterious journal, they take it upon themselves to find out the truth.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
While Nickelodeon is often credited as being the first true network that broadcasted shows directly aimed at children, it’s gone through ups and downs over the years. During the early 2000s, for instance, Nickelodeon landed several hits including this one.
Yet unlike SpongeBob SquarePants, which is iconic but not mature, Avatar: The Last Airbender was not only mature but it also bridged the generation gap. Since then, many similar shows have come in its wake including Netflix’s The Dragon Prince. Taking place in a world where the very elements can be manipulated, the story focused on the journey of a chosen hero named Aang and his companions.