Apple TV+ Animation: What Happened?

Looking for some Saturday morning cartoons to stream? Maybe skip Apple TV+.

A recent study by Luminate Intelligence found that Apple TV+ has mostly abandoned creating animated shows compared to other streaming services like Netflix. When Apple TV+ launched in late 2019, it only ordered one animated series. In 2020, that number increased to three, and in 2021, it jumped to eight animated shows. While the number was more than what Peacock, Prime Video, and Paramount+ offered, it fell short compared to HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, and Netflix.

The pandemic drove many streaming services to explore animation, but Apple TV+ seemed to go all-in, maybe to give Frog and Toad a break from quarantine. Despite facing the pandemic, Apple TV+ continued to invest in animation in 2022, with 15 series orders – almost double its efforts from the previous year. This significant jump stood out among other streaming platforms who were scaling back on animated content. Apple TV+ has shown a consistent effort towards animated series, a trend that they maintained in 2023 with another 15 series orders.