Television series
Storm Hawks
A scrappy crew of teenage misfits inherits a legendary sky-knight squadron and its arsenal of transforming flying motorcycles, turning them into unlikely aerial warriors. Storm Hawks is pure kinetic joy: gorgeous hand-drawn animation, rapid-fire humour, and genuine character chemistry wrapped around episodic sky battles. It's for anyone who loved Avatar: The Last Airbender's charm but wanted more emphasis on mechanical flight, daredevil stunts, and found-family bonding.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you grew up on Saturday-morning cartoons and still get a jolt from a dogfight, the breezy, bouncing kind of action where the sky feels like a playground and the stakes come across loud rather than heavy.
Skip it if you need your animation grounded and your characters deep, since the teens are broad types and the energy stays bright, loud and busy from one episode to the next.
What it asks of you: Half-hour episodes, fifty-two of them across two seasons, so it moves in brisk bursts you can binge without much commitment, and it rarely slows for quiet reflection.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Avatar: The Last Airbender2005
Shares the same DNA of ensemble-cast adventure with beautifully animated action, character arcs that matter, and a world where air mastery defines the story. If you loved one, the other will click immediately.
But Avatar is longer and more narrative-driven; Storm Hawks trades some plot density for faster pacing and more standalone episodes.
Samurai Jack2001
Peak Cartoon Network animation that prioritizes motion and visual storytelling over dialogue. Every action sequence is a work of art, and the show trusts you to feel tension through imagery alone.
But Samurai Jack is meditative and sometimes melancholic; Storm Hawks is noisier and more playful.
ThunderCats1985
The OG scrappy band of heroes in flying/transforming vehicles, fighting ridiculous and menacing villains across an alien landscape. Nostalgia-free, it still holds: pure adventure serialization that respects its own world.
But 1980s animation and pacing feel slower; the tone leans earnest rather than comic.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Storm Hawks
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Carole & Tuesday2019
Both are love letters to freedom and motion. Storm Hawks achieves it through velocity and mechanical flight; Carole & Tuesday through art and connection. Same yearning, different language.
An anime about two girls on Mars pursuing music and dreams across a sprawling world. It shares Storm Hawks' sense of found-family joy and its visual language of movement and freedom, but trades dogfighting for jazz and existential hope.
But Slower-paced and introspective; requires patience and emotional availability rather than adrenaline.
More like this (7)
Megas XLR2004
Cartoon Network's other love letter to mechanical rebellion. Two meatheads and a robot fight giant monsters with a giant robot they barely understand. The chaos and heart are identical to Storm Hawks' DNA.
But Ended abruptly on a cliffhanger; only two seasons, and it can feel repetitive if you binge it.
Jackie Chan Adventures2000
A magical adventure show that refuses to take itself seriously while delivering genuinely stakes-laden action. The banter between leads is as important as the combat, and both are excellent.
But Heavily episodic; serialisation only kicks in later, which some find slow.
Sym-Bionic Titan2010
Genndy Tartakovsky's hidden gem about three aliens piloting a giant robot disguised as high schoolers. Gorgeous animation, surprising emotional depth, and mechanical action that rivals anything Cartoon Network made.
But Only got one season before cancellation; ends on an unresolved storyline that stings.
Exosquad1993
A 90s military sci-fi show about humans in powered exoskeletons fighting a war against robot overlords. It's more serious than Storm Hawks but shares the squad dynamics and the joy of mechanical flight.
But Dated CGI and animation; pacing is slower and more serialised, which demands commitment.
ReBoot1994
Computer-generated heroes fighting viruses inside the internet; it's trippy, weird, and moves at breakneck speed. Influenced a generation of action shows, including the DNA that flows through Storm Hawks.
But Early CGI is rough; the show's tone shifts wildly across seasons, which some find jarring.
Wakfu2008
Both are adventure shows built on ensemble charm and visual ingenuity, but Wakfu is European whimsy meeting Japanese animation style. Storm Hawks' kinetic energy meets Wakfu's ornate, painterly world-building.
A French animated series about a band of misfits (including a flying creature) crossing a magical world. Stunning art direction, inventive world-building, and genuine stakes wrapped in humour. Episodes flow gorgeously.
But Subtitles required; tonal shifts can feel abrupt, and its serialisation demands attention over binge-watching.
Natsume's Book of Friends2008
Both find emotional depth in episodic structure and found family. Where Storm Hawks builds connection through high-stakes dogfights, Natsume builds it through tea, conversation, and mutual vulnerability. Same heart, inverted register.
A gentle supernatural journey about a boy wandering rural Japan, befriending yokai and untangling curses. It's episodic like Storm Hawks but trades action for contemplation, trading sky battles for small moments of grace and weirdness.
But Quiet and introspective; essentially the opposite of high-octane; won't satisfy if you want bombast.
Recommended by
BraveStarr, The Fantastic Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor, Rescue Heroes