Nom de code: Kids Next Door

Codename: Kids Next Door is a cartoon depicting a 5 child chapter of "super agents" part of a much larger organization known as "The Kids Next Door". Using their tree house fortresses sprawled across the globe and their handy "2x4" technology the kids are out to stop "adult tyranny" as well as their super nemeses the "The Delightful Children From Down The Lane" with their evil leader "Father". I personally think this rivals anything Gennedy Tarkovsky has put out in terms of originality, excitement, and humor. This show is chock full of parodies from various niches of pop culture that rarely fall flat, and never get tiresome unlike other cartoons that just take it way too far (Robot Chicken and Family Guy to give some examples). Some of the main characters can get on your nerves (they are brats after all) but the premise and the awesome villains often make you forget the minor annoyances. This show recently ended a few months ago, and I was sad to see it go, but the ending was very fitting. I would recommend this along with Avatar: The Last Airbender as two recent cartoon series that appeal to kids, teenagers, and adults as cartoons with good artistic merit.

At first I thought that this was going to be stupid but then I read the comments on the imdb and since everybody thought this cartoon was great I watched it and everyone was right-it was awesome!!! All the characters were unique had their own background. The villians are really funny too! The Cartoon Network usually has good shows, at least better shows than most of the cartoons on The Disney Channel. Also, has anyone but me noticed that Numbah Three and Numbah Four like each other?

I love this show! My favorite character as you can probably tell, is Numbuh 1.I can't help it, he's just so cool! Love the accent! Although I think he can do a lot better than Lizzie for a girlfriend. Him and Numbuh 86 should be together, like Jimmy and Cindy on Jimmy Neutron; Boy Genius. I especially love the way he tries to bring justice to kids everywhere.

Observe with this quote;

Numbuh 1: How many times do we have to tell you parents, cleaning closets is deadly work. (so true*sigh*)

But seriously, I love basically all the K.N.D.

Young or old, if you enjoy cartoons and animation, then you'll enjoy Kids Next Door. The show's concept is relatively simple: a secret agency composed of ten year-olds fights evil adults; the result is a imaginative world that is both inspired by several genres and movies and creates a distinct universe. The comedy is wide-ranging in the ages it appeals to, the action is entertaining despite the show not being the pinnacle of animation, and the plots are original while paying homage to it's sources: many of the episodes are homages with a KND spin that works extremely well. The characters that make up this rich universes might seem like stereotypes at first, but they grow into completely three-dimensional beings that can be both fun and poignant.

Hands down, KND is one of the best original shows on Cartoon Network, keeping with the explosion of comic creativity in the channel that is leagues ahead of most other kid-oriented channels (Nick and Disney come to mind).

I don't think it is the best Cartoon Network cartoon though, Dexter's Laboratory was definitely the most consistent, smartest and most engaging of all their shows put together. While some episodes are very repetitive and there are later episodes that meander quite considerably, Codename:Kids Next Door is one of the funnier and original recent Cartoon Network cartoon shows with a great concept. The story lines are creative, the writing is intelligent and funny, the animation is done in a unique visual style, the theme tune is memorable and the characters are likable with unique personalities, Numbah 1 being the smartest and Numbah 3 being the cutest. The voice acting isn't necessarily award worthy but it is solid and delivers the dialogue perfectly. Overall, funny and original, even if like Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy it lost its way in the later episodes. 8/10 Bethany Cox