It’s the year 2000, and the first step of the 21st century has begun. Our mobile phones no longer resemble bricks, but we still print out directions from MapQuest. The social network era has not yet caught on yet.
So what characters were out there in the year 2000 through 2009? Some cartoons from the 1990s were still popular, like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Pinky and the Brain. There were also new shows taking the stage like Totally Spies, Codename: Kids Next Door, and Kim Possible. New movies also soared into pop culture like Monsters Inc. and Howl's Moving Castle.
Now we are deeper in the 21st century by almost 20 years. So the characters from these shows have been around for a while. Many are still fondly remembered, some even enough to get reboots today like the Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack. Not all have gotten reboots though because they are still going, like Family Guy and The Fairly OddParents.
Whatever the case may be, they have fan art. What's great is that the fan artists don't just limit themselves to matching the character exactly. Many try to make something new, like showing the characters at different ages or in different drawing styles, and while they aren't exactly the images we remember, they tend to be even more satisfying.
It's a lot easier to show than to try to explain, so here is our list of amazing 2000s character redesigns that are too awesome for words.
24 A Different Monsters Inc.
“After being banished for a second time Mike and Sully salvage what they can from abandoned Monster Incorporated outposts,” wrote the artist. “Redesign of Sully from Monsters, Inc. Wanted to design him to be actually scary looking!”
It was very creative for the artist to give Sully a design that makes him like the cross between a polar bear and a dinosaur. A lot of kids would probably find him cool rather than scary though. One issue with this redesign: how does he fit through anyone’s closet?
Art was made by Tom Lopez.
23 3D Spirited Away
“It all started with a pure love for the movie,” wrote the artist. “So this is my tribute to Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, Spirited Away. Those little furry ball characters are one of my favorite characters. I did some quick sketches for the layout of the scene and I built the rest as I work on the project."
“After getting some feedback, I ended up fixing a lot of small details in comp. Overall, I really enjoyed making this image (it's actually my dream for seeing a 3D Miyazaki movie) to live.”
Art was made by Joy Tien.
22 Human SpongeBob
There is still no escape from SpongeBob. If we time traveled into the future, he would still be a prominent figure of pop culture.
Due to his popularity, there are a lot of humanized versions of him and other characters like Patrick, Squidward, and Sandy online.
The artist for this particular SpongeBob has also drawn Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Sandy, Pearl, Plankton, and Karen. While some character models are different, SpongeBob usually is blonde and has a dorky smile.
Art was made by polochka.
21 3D Chuckie
This is not just run-of-the-mill fan art. It was made by a 3D artist known for his cartoony portraits of famous people and characters. He wrote on his Behance profile, “I love art, independent the kind of art (traditional, digital). I love art history and I'm a big fan of the masters of the Cinquecento (Rafael Sanzio, Leonardo DA Vinci)."
There is a lot of grown-up Rugrats fanart out there, so this is a nice change. The style is so different from the original cartoon but you can still clearly recognize the character.
Art was made by guzzsoares.
20 Modern Naruto
Naruto ran for 15 years from 1999 to 2014. When it hit televisions, it was very popular. Not all kids knew what anime was, but they definitely knew what Naruto was. It was an international hit.
The three kids of Team 7: Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto.
Of course, the three most recognized characters are from the beginning of the show.
Modern Sakura’s overalls and thigh-high long socks are super cute! The number 7 at the bottom of her shoe is a nice touch. As usual, Naruto is being silly and Sasuke is acting like he doesn’t care.
Artist is unknown.
19 A Different Family Guy
Family Guy came around the same time as Naruto, except it is still going! The comedy is definitely not as popular today as it was in the early 2000s. It was a grown-up-animated comedy titan that was comparable to The Simpsons and South Park. However, today it is obvious the show is running out of ideas, especially when competing with new grown-up-animated shows like Rick and Morty.
This fanart style change is definitely welcome after we’ve endured the same thing with 19 years of this show.
Art was made by boramy.
18 The Kim Possible Reboot We Deserve
This amazing art piece was done for a tournament called “The Bloody Cartoon Tournament” where the artist drew their favorite anime and cartoon characters to fight each other. There is another amazing art piece of Doug and Porkchop from the cartoon, Doug, that was done for the same tournament. In the tournament story, Ron gets taken as a hostage to persuade Kim to join the tournament.
“Kim enters in the tournament without hesitation and without knowing who is the person is behind the blackmail,” wrote the artist.
Art is by davidgalopim.
17 A Non-Anime Howl’s Moving Castle
Hayao Miyazaki’s hit movie, Howl’s Moving Castle, came out in 2004. In the movie, a young girl named Sophie is cursed to be an old woman and so she travels to meet the wizard Howl to undo her curse.
The movie is loved for its romance, magic, and animation.
This storybook-like style art pops in a similar way to the original movie in terms of shapes and colors. There is little doubt a fan would love this as a poster in their room.
Artist is unknown.
16 Human Finding Nemo
Turning animal characters into human counterparts is a huge staple of the fan art world. Finding Nemo came out in the early 2000s and was a major hit due to its humor, animation, and the interesting underwater world it took place in.
What better way is there to first introduce a child to the wonders of sea life?
The amount of expression the artist used and the amount of characters they did is amazing. If that was a movie poster for a restyled Finding Nemo, surely a lot of fans would go.
Artist is unknown.
15 Grown Up Grim, Billy, And Mandy
The first episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy was in the year 2000 and it ended before 2010, so it’s a good example of a typical 2000s cartoon.
As for as concepts go, this show was very creative.
The grim reaper lost a bet to some children and he had to be their slave. That’s it, that’s the heart of the show. It loved to be both dark and annoying when it came to humor. Remember when Billy repeated the line “Destroy us all!” for what felt like five whole minutes?
Art was made by isaiahstephens.
14 Team Rocket Plays Pokémon Go
This is a cool idea. Judging from the actual cat on Jessie’s shoulder, this is Jessie and James in our world where they are just avid Pokémon fans.
Pokémon, in its games, shows, and movies, has been running for a long time, before and through the early 2000s. Remember that man in Pallet Town who says, “Technology is incredible!” It’s like he predicted the future of how Pokémon would change with the technology of the times.
Artist is Maaria Laurinen.
13 Deedee And Dexter
With the less cartoonish exaggeration in this fan art, Dexter looks much taller. Both he and Deedee’s heads also look much smaller.
If they were adults, wouldn’t they have to move out of their parents’ house?
Would Dexter have to move his lab? That sounds like a lot of work but knowing Dexter, he’d find a way and would be excited to move away to pure independence. He’d try to avoid Deedee, but as usual, she’d still find a way to bother him.
Artist is unknown.
12 Bulldog Courage
Courage the Cowardly Dog was like a gateway for children to thrillers and horror. Courage and his owners, Muriel and Eustace, were victims of eldritch horrors in the middle of nowhere, where outside help is seldom available.
This redesign of the characters makes them look more intimidating, like they can fight the monsters back a little. Original Muriel looks like she would not even hurt a fly, but here she looks like someone who can defend herself.
Artist is unknown.
11 Codename Kids Next Door
This fan art is kind goes against of the lore of Codename Kids Next Door. Once you reach the age of a teenager, your memory of the underground kid spy network is erased. There were few episodes that involved teenagers and adults getting their memories back and helping the kids, but then, of course, their memory would be erased all over again.
But who knows? Things could have ended up different for our heroes. We can dream that they never get their memories erased.
Art was made by isaiahstephens.
10 Totally Spies Grown Up
Here we have the teenage spies now in what looks like their thirties or forties. Not only have they aged, but their outfits look far more technologically advanced.
If Totally Spies ever gets a reboot these new character designs would be a good start.
Hopefully, their reboot will be better than The Powerpuff Girls and more successful like Duck Tales. It could be like Harry Potter, where the audience grows up with the characters. With the characters more grown, the show could be more mature too.
Art was made by Isaiah Stephens.
9 Anime Fairly OddParents
Cosmo and Wanda have never looked more adorable. This is one of the 2000s shows that went on for a very long time. It launched in 2001 and had its last episode in 2017! The plot was simple, a boy with fairy godparents, and its characters and humor really stuck with the fans. However, the show ran for a very long time. It was not known to stop while it was still a really good show. Most fans agree the cartoon went downhill the moment Cosmo and Wanda had a baby.
Art was made by hakurinno215.
8 My Life As A Teenage Robot 3D
This was a good cartoon that was too easily forgotten. It got only three seasons with 39 episodes. It ran from 2003 to 2009.
The protagonist was a robot called XJ-9, but preferred to be known as Jenny Wakeman.
She was built to be Earth’s protector but preferred the daily life of a teenager. It seemed to want to attract the same audiences who liked The Powerpuff Girls. It did not get as popular as The Powerpuff girls though, but it was good!
Artist is Matheus Freitas.
7 Anime Arnold And Helga
He does not have his football-shaped head anymore! With the anime style, his undersized hat just looks strange.
The artist has noted that this fan art takes place on Valentine’s Day.
With that in mind, it’s very likely that this is based off the episode “Arnold’s Valentine.” In the episode, Arnold goes on a date with a mystery girl who is actually Helga in disguise. It was an episode-favorite of the fandom because the crush Helga has on Arnold was always a rollercoaster ride.
Art was made by dokinana.
6 Anime Danny Phantom
Danny Phantom was known as one of the more edgy cartoons out there, full of supernatural monsters while also focusing on teenage life. This anime-style certainly makes the story look like it can be darker than it actually was.
The story focused on a teenage boy who, through an accident in his parents’ laboratory, can turn into a half-boy and half-ghost hybrid.
Fans really have wanted a reboot of the show or at least a successor.
Art was made by atrueenglishman.
5 Modern Azula
“Daddy’s Little Monster,” is hands down the best shirt choice for a modernized Azula.
The detail of the red dragons on her shoes and the tattoo on her hand is also awesome.
Azula is known to be one of the greatest animated villains due to succeeding at complexity without making her so empathetic that we did not enjoy seeing her get defeated in the end. After all, she is a teenager with a lot of issues, as teenagers often have.