12 Classic Cartoons to Stream for Free, and Where to Find Them

As cartoons become harder to find on bigger streaming platforms, free services such as Tubi and Pluto are stepping up to save beloved classics.

After disappearing from HBO Max, the original Looney Tunes recently experienced a surge in viewership on Tubi, highlighting the essential need for access to foundational forms of animation. Many of the shows that serve as the bedrock for present-day animation have seemingly begun to disappear from the bigger platforms—not just the Tunes—with their legacies hanging in the air, and it’s great to see free streaming platforms give these shows their due.

The medium has long had a crucial pop culture presence, and it’s not just “family†entertainment. So many of us were raised on these animated television shows, which helped us learn about community and took us on imaginative adventures.

With nostalgia in mind—but also the chance to bring the classics to a new generation of fans—here’s where you can track down many of those timeless animated touchstones, including Scooby-Doo, Transformers, Strawberry Shortcake, Jem and the Holograms, One Piece, and more.

Looney Tunes

Watch on Tubi: As mentioned above, the iconic Warner Bros. animation legends can be found on Tubi, which boasts 13 seasons of the original animated shorts. The episodes featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, and the rest of the gang span from their introductions to their Golden Age of Hollywood eras.

The Looney Tunes Show

Watch on Tubi: The 2011 reboot starring Saturday Night Live‘s Kristin Wiig (as Lola Bunny) and Fred Armisen (as Speedy Gonzales) aimed to update the Tunes to fit a more modern sitcom vibe; it’s very different from the original shorts’ framing. The Looney Tunes Show, which found its own audience within the Looney Tunes fandom, is considered canon nonetheless.

Naruto

Watch on Pluto TV, Tubi: Considered an early crossover success, Naruto‘s tale of a boy on a journey to become the greatest ninja helped pave the way for anime’s current towering popularity.

Tom and Jerry

Watch on Tubi: The iconic cartoon cat and mouse duo were another casualty of the HBO Max animation exodus. Thankfully, Tubi has nine seasons of the original shorts.

Transformers

Watch on: Pluto TV, Tubi: The first iteration of Transformers and its spinoffs are widely available for fans of the action franchise, which follows the intergalactic wars between those robots in disguise.

One Piece

Watch on Pluto TV: The platform currently has 13 seasons of the One Piece anime available to stream, so you can dip your toes into the wildly huge storytelling epic from Eiichiro Oda. (Be warned, though: if you become hooked, you will have to seek out the rest on a paid streaming platform such as Crunchyroll or Netflix.)

Strawberry Shortcake

Watch on Pluto TV, Tubi: All four seasons of the 2003 reboot of Strawberry Shortcake can be found on both major free streaming platforms. The original cartoon special, The World of Strawberry Shortcake, is not currently streaming, however.

Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Bitty Adventures

Watch on PlutoTV, Tubi: The Strawberry Shortcake franchise made the jump to CG early on; it’s still popular among early aughts kids with lots of online nostalgia for both it and the 2003 2D cartoon.

Sailor Moon

Pluto TV: Five seasons of Sailor Moon Crystal can be found on Pluto TV to keep on fighting evil by moonlight with Serena and her magical friends.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Watch on Tubi: Climb in the Mystery Machine and head to the abandoned amusement park on Tubi, home to the original Hanna-Barbera adventures of Shaggy, Scooby, and the rest of the gang.

The Scooby-Doo Show

Watch on Tubi: The ’70s-era Scooby-Doo is also available separately, for more spooky sleuthing and scarfing down Scooby Snacks.

What’s New, Scooby-Doo? 

Watch on Tubi: The 2006 reboot stays true to the style of the original show but brings more modern comedy sensibilities to its mystery shenanigans.

Jem and the Holograms

Watch on Tubi: The three seasons of Jerrica, aka Jem, and her friends, the holograms, live out their dual rock star dream lives and compete in a battle of the bands in this ’80s throwback.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Watch on Pluto TV, Tubi: Nine seasons of the 2010s-era phenomenon My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and its various spin-offs are available to watch on Tubi and Pluto TV online. Dive deep into what became one of the first major internet-era fantasy fandoms.

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