Is Avatar the best animated series ever?

 I had intended to ask the question of Avatar the Last Air Bender being the the best animated show ever, but The ever brillant Patrick Roach (Geek-tastic.com) answered it for me. And said it better! Damn.  Here is Patrick's comment.

Yes Ned. The Answer is yes. I don't even have to hear what argument you are getting ready to make. I already know the answer. No other cartoon show I know of took the time to develop its world, its plots, or its characters more than Avatar did. Hell, even their animal companions were developed characters with stories of their own. Over the three seasons of the show you can actually watch as the characters age and mature with experience.

In season one, the show is very kiddish. The main characters are like first level D&D characters. They're young, inexperienced, immature, and they're totally unprepared for the dangers they're about to face. The main villain of season one, Prince Zuko, is mindless in his quest to defeat the Avatar, but we don't know anything about him other than he's evil.

Over the course of the next two seasons, the characters encounter things that change them, make them grow up, make them become adults. The show gets more serious as it goes on. We learn of Zuko's past, where he got his scar, why he hunts the Avatar. We watch him wrestle with his choices. Does he continue to chase the Avatar and try to regain his father's love, or does he forego his upbringing and become his own man?

By season three, the heroes are veteran warriors. Sokka has gone from a stupid kid to a capable military general. Kitara goes from being a novice water bender to being the most powerful bender in the world, Toph learns to soften up and be a part of a team, and Aang finally stops running from himself and his destiny. He learns to accept the responsibilities of being the Avatar, he masters the four elements and he becomes the man he has to be to save the world.

I can't think of any kids cartoon show ever that has put so much into it's stories. The show covers topics such as spiritualism, family, loss, love, world politics, fate and destiny, child abuse, and the differences between good and evil. From what started as a martial arts kid show on Nickelodean, that's a hell of an accomplishment.

And lets not forget the amazing artwork or the design of the show. Each of the four nations has it's own discinct look and style. Even the different types of bending are based on different forms of martial arts. Having attended the panels at comic con, I was treated to listening to the show's creators discuss the vast amount of research and work that went into developing the show's look and feel. The hours they spent having the show's animators study videos of martial artists so they could capture the moves of bending correctly. The trips around the world to find scenery that could be developed into settings for the show (the fire nation is heavily based on the volcanic landscape of Iceland, by the way).

They approached the Avatar series as if it was a movie, and the results in the show gave it an epic feel to its storytelling. I wish more shows would come out like Avatar. There is not enough intelligent animation in this world, and it's a damn shame

Let us know what you think is the Best Animated show ever, and we will bring it up on a upcoming show.