It’s time again to look at the most-watched cartoons on Netflix for the first half of 2026 (January to June), based on Netflix’s recent viewing report.
One change after this point: Netflix announced that starting in 2027, they’re switching to annual-only reports instead of biannual ones.
Criteria
Numbers are based on global viewing, and ranked by number of views. Not every show or film listed below is available on the US version of Netflix.
I generally stick with all-animated productions, versus shows like “Gabby’s Dollhouse” (part-live action).
I’m also not familiar with every animated cartoon (especially anime), so if I’ve missed a cartoon, please let me know.
The 10 most watched animated TV shows on Netflix, January-June 2026
- KPop Demon Hunters Lyric Videos: 18,800,000 views
- KPop Demon Hunters Bonus Content: Fan Collection: 18,000,000 views
- Peppa Pig (Season 6): 16,300,000 views
- Peppa Pig (Season 3): 12,800,000 views
- Peppa Pig (Season 1): 12,700,000 views
- Peppa Pig (Season 4): 12,300,000 views
- Masha and the Bear (Season 5): 11,600,000 views
- Rick and Morty (Season 8): 11,200,000 views
- Masha and the Bear (Season 1): 11,000,000 views
- Peppa Pig (Season 5): 11,000,000 views
The 10 most watched animated movies on Netflix, January-June 2026
- Swapped: 130,800,000 views
- KPop Demon Hunters: 130,400,000 views
- Madagascar: 53,400,000 views
- Goat: 42,500,000 views
- Despicable Me 3: 37,000,000 views
- Despicable Me 4: 35,900,000 views
- The Secret Life of Pets: 32,600,000 views
- Paw Patrol: The Movie: 31,800,000 views
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie: 30,500,000 views
- Despicable Me 2: 25,600,000 views
My thoughts
“Swapped” is a movie produced by Skydance, one of the animation arms of Paramount (aka the people who’re buying Warner Bros. instead of Netflix). Meanwhile, “KPop Demon Hunters” is clearly still popular, even if it’s been a year since the film’s release. Even its tie-in extras are on Netflix’s most-watched TV show list. On the overall film list, “Swapped” and “KPop” come in at #3 and #4 respectively.
The only TV show on the most-watched list that isn’t aimed at preschoolers or “KPop” fans is “Rick and Morty,” which isn’t on Netflix in the US; its homes here are Hulu and HBO Max.
On the movie side, the top 10 films are mostly DreamWorks and Illumination productions, from “Madagascar” to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” Besides “KPop” and “Swapped,” there’s also “Goat”; like “KPop,” “Goat” is produced by Sony. Again, DreamWorks feels like Netflix’s de facto animation partner, which makes removing “She-Ra” feel even odder, Meanwhile, DreamWorks and Illumination films clearly have more viewing through Netflix than Peacock (their ostensible official home).
Image: Sony’s “Goat.” (Sony)
