Hong Kong action movies made their way to America in the 1990s, sending the likes of John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat to Hollywood. But the biggest name from Hong Kong to become a star in the States was Jackie Chan, and following a string of blockbusters in the early 2000s, he got his own children's animated adventure show.
Admittedly, a Saturday morning cartoon based on a real-life celebrity rarely turns out to be very good, but "Jackie Chan Adventures" broke the mold. Taking place in a world where magic is real, the show finds Chan playing a fictionalized version of himself as a secret agent and treasure hunter. He's a mix of James Bond, Bruce Lee, and Indiana Jones. Never aiming too high, the show is pure excitement, has a unique sense of humor, and never fails to be a rollicking good time. Chan is the biggest reason why, as his character, like Chan himself, is a fun-loving, slapstick martial artist unafraid to poke fun at the ridiculousness of the proceedings as he faces everything from dragons and wizards to gangsters and ninjas.
Sure, "Jackie Chan Adventures" could have simply skated by as a by-the-numbers animated adventure. But it's so much more, and it just might be one of the most underrated animated action shows of the decade.
