Last updated on June 28th, 2023
The Western United States is a popular setting for animated cartoons. Westerns alone ensure it’s definitely not underrepresented in media. California’s also disproportionately treated in media as a “default” setting.
Below’s a list of animated cartoons set in or involving each state in the American west. The US Census Bureau defines the West to include: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
Alaska
The 1995 movie “Balto” is based on the story of the real-life 1920s Alaskan sled dog.
The 2019 PBS Kids series “Molly of Denali” is set in a fictional Alaska village.
Arizona
Pixar’s “Cars” franchise features the town of Radiator Springs, located in Arizona.
Cartoon Network series “Clarance” is set in the fictional town of Aberdale, Arizona.
California
Since California’s the home of the American movie and TV industry, there’s a very long list of cartoons set here. To list a few TV shows and films set in the US’ most populous state:
- “Rugrats” (an unnamed town in California)
- “The Fairly OddParents” (the fictional town of Dimmsdale)
- “Turbo“ and its TV spin-off “Turbo FAST” (set in Los Angeles)
- “Animaniacs” (most of the Warners’ segments are in southern California)
- “We Bare Bears” (set in the San Francisco Bay Area)
- “Star vs. the Forces of Evil” (the Earth-set parts are in a fictional Los Angeles suburb)
Colorado
“South Park” is the most famous Colorado-set cartoon. The characters frequently visit Denver for various reasons (baseball games, etc.).
Hawaii
Hawaii’s a popular vacation destination, and thus featured as such in too many cartoons to list. However, “Lilo and Stitch” is the only film (or TV show) I can think of that’s actually set in the Aloha State.
Idaho
The cult film “Napoleon Dynamite” had a very short-lived animated series spin-off in 2012. Like the original film, the TV show’s setting is in Idaho.
Montana
On “Animaniacs,” Wakko mentions Montana’s state capital, Helena, in his song “Wakko’s America.” I couldn’t find a better Montana reference, though imagine the sheer number of cartoons set in the Western United States (per pre-1970s media’s obsession with the Old West) must’ve had at least one set in Montana.
Nevada
Las Vegas often appears in various cartoons, virtually always as a vacation destination (versus an ongoing setting). To list a few shows with trips to Sin City:
- “Pinky and the Brain” has a Frank Sinatra/Rat Pack parody episode set in Vegas.
- “The Flintstones” has its prehistoric counterpart, “Rock Vegas.”
- Ditto the Jetsons and its futuristic counterpart, “Las Venus.”
- “Rugrats” has an episode with the gang visiting Las Vegas.
- “What’s New Scooby-Doo?” featured an episode with the gang visiting Las Vegas. The episode was clearly made during the city’s aughts-era attempt to be family-friendly. There’s only one fleeting background reference to gambling, via slot machines.
A very short-lived Cartoon Network preschool show, “Ellen’s Acres,” is set in rural Nevada.
New Mexico
Albuquerque is famously associated with where Bugs Bunny keeps forgetting to make a left turn. Said error causes Bugs to repeatedly get lost and end up in various odd locations.
“The Simpsons” also has referenced Albuquerque. A 12th season episode revolves around Homer trying to stop Springfield’s minor league baseball team, the Isotopes, from moving to Albuquerque. In real life, Albuquerque’s minor league baseball team has renamed itself the Albuquerque Isotopes. The Isotopes are a triple-A minor league affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
The 2021 Netflix series “Kid Cosmic” is set in New Mexico.
Oregon
Disney XD series “Gravity Falls” is set in the fictional small town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. The show made numerous Pacific Northwest references, down to an antagonist of Mabel’s whose name is “Pacifica Northwest.”
The 1990s Nickelodeon series “The Angry Beavers” is set in a forest in Oregon.
Utah
The “Tiny Toon Adventures” episode “Slugfest” ends with Plucky and Hamton in Utah, where they face the episode’s villain.
The 1979 Don Bluth film “Banjo the Woodpile Cat” is set in Utah.
Washington
The 2017 PBS series “Ready Jet Go!” is set in the fictional town of “Boxwood Terrace.” The producers say it’s loosely based on the Seattle suburb of Mountlake Terrace.
Wyoming
An episode of the 1990s “Back to the Future” animated series sees Marty, Jules, and Verne (and eventually, Doc) go back in time to meet Clara’s parents, who met on a wagon train heading west. Said wagon train apparently passed through the future site of Yellowstone National Park. The IDW “Back to the Future” comic used aspects of this episode as part of Clara’s parents’ backstory.
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
