Best documentary & animation shows streaming, ranked.
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- #1100

Avatar: The Last Airbender
2005–2008 · Series · 3 seasonsAnimation · Action
1 EmmyBest Animation SeriesIn a war-torn world of elemental powers, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
NetflixParamount+Prime Video - #399
Toy Story
1995 · Movie · 1h 21mAnimation · Action · Comedy
A cowboy doll is profoundly jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as the top toy in a boy's bedroom. When circumstances separate them from their owner, the duo have to put aside their differences to return to him.
Disney+Hulu - #498
Ocean with David Attenborough
2025 · Movie · 1h 35mDocumentary
Attenborough explores the planet's undersea habitats, revealing the greatest age of ocean discovery and emphasizing the ocean's vital importance while exposing its problems and highlighting opportunities for marine life recovery.
Disney+Hulu - #1396
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
2023– · Series · Japanese · 2 seasonsAnimation · Action · Comedy
Elf mage Frieren and her fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to understand what life means to the people arou...
HuluNetflix - #1496
The Promised Neverland
2019–2021 · Series · Japanese · 2 seasonsAnimation · Action
When three gifted kids at an isolated idyllic orphanage discover the secret and sinister purpose they were raised for, they look for a way to escape from their evil caretaker and lead the other children in a risky escape plan.
Hulu - #1996
Man on Wire
2008 · Movie · 1h 34mDocumentary · Biography · Crime
1 OscarA look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
Prime Video - #3394
Naruto Shippūden
2007–2017 · Series · Japanese · 21 seasonsAnimation · Action
Naruto Uzumaki, is a loud, hyperactive, adolescent ninja who constantly searches for approval and recognition, as well as to become Hokage, who is acknowledged as the leader and strongest of all ninja in the village.
Hulu - #4293
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
2019–2024 · Series · Japanese · 4 seasonsAnimation · Action
A family is attacked by demons and only two members survive - Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko, who is turning into a demon slowly. Tanjiro sets out to become a demon slayer to avenge his family and cure his sister.
HuluNetflix - #4893

Gleason
2016 · Movie · 1h 50mDocumentary · Biography
After he is diagnosed with ALS, former professional football player Steve Gleason begins making a video diary for his unborn son, as he, his wife, and their friends and family work to raise money for ALS patients as his disease pr...
Prime Video - #5892
The Apothecary Diaries
2023– · Series · Japanese · 2 seasonsAnimation · Drama · History
A young maiden is kidnapped and sold into servitude at the emperor's palace, where she secretly employs her pharmacist skills with the help of the head eunuch to unravel medical mysteries in the inner court.
HuluNetflix - #5992
20 Feet from Stardom
2013 · Movie · 1h 31mDocumentary · Biography · History
1 OscarBackup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
Prime Video - #6292
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession
2004 · Movie · 2h 2mDocumentary · Biography · History
The story of Z Channel, one of the first U.S. pay cable stations and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974 in LA, their eclectic slate of movies became a prime example of the untapped power of cable television.
Prime Video - #6892
Little Dieter Needs to Fly
1997 · Movie · 1h 20mDocumentary · Biography · Drama
German-American Dieter Dengler discusses his service as a U.S. naval pilot in the Vietnam War. Dengler also revisits the sites of his capture and eventual escape from the hands of the Viet Cong, recreating many events for the camera.
Prime Video - #7492
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
2014 · Movie · 1h 37mDocumentary · Action
A behind the scenes chronicle of how clash of vision, bad creative decisions, lack of interest and really bad weather plagued the disastrous production of the infamous The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996).
Prime Video - #9691
Great Teacher Onizuka
1999–2000 · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Comedy · Drama
About Eikichi Onizuka, a 22-year-old ex-gangster member and a virgin. He has one ambition that no one ever expected from him. His sole life purpose is to become the greatest high school teacher ever.
NetflixPeacockPrime Video - #9791
The Legend of Vox Machina
2022– · Series · 3 seasonsAnimation · Action
After saving the realm from evil and destruction at the hands of the most terrifying power couple in Exandria, Vox Machina is faced with saving the world once again-this time, from a sinister group of dragons known as the Chroma C...
Prime Video - #10391
Fruits Basket
2019–2021 · Series · Japanese · 3 seasonsAnimation · Comedy · Drama
After Tohru is taken in by the Soma family, she learns that twelve family members transform involuntarily into animals of the Chinese zodiac and helps them deal with the emotional pain caused by the transformations.
Hulu - #10890
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
2021 · Movie · 1h 47mDocumentary · Family · History
Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most impactful children's series in TV history. From the iconic furry characters to the songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed our world.
Prime Video - #11590

Invader ZIM
2001–2006 · Series · 2 seasonsAnimation · Action
1 EmmyAn alien named Zim from the planet Irk is sent on a secret mission to conquer Earth, not realising that his leaders were just trying to get rid of him and hoped that he would die. Once there, Zim manages to disguise himself as a h...
Paramount+ - #11690
To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story
2017 · Movie · 1h 48mDocumentary · Biography
To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story is the harrowing story of a stuntman overcoming a dehumanizing childhood filled with torment and bullying in Sparks, Nevada. After surviving a near-death burn accident, he worked his way up through Hollywood, leading to his ultimate rise as Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th series and making countless moviegoers forever terrified of hockey masks and summer camp. Featuring interviews with cinema legends, including Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), and Cassandra Peterson (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark), To Hell and Back peels off the mask of Kane Hodder, cinema's most prolific killer, in a gut-wrenching, but inspiring, documentary. After decades of watching Kane Hodder on screen, get ready to meet the man behind the mask in To Hell and Back - an uniquely human story about one of cinema's most vicious monsters.
Prime Video - #14189

Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey
2017 · Movie · 1h 36mDocumentary · Action · Biography
Fred Beckey is the legendary American "Dirtbag" mountaineer whose name is spoken in hushed tones around campfires. This rebel climber's pioneering ascents and lifestyle form an iconic legacy that continues to inspire generations.
Prime Video - #14489

Red vs. Blue
2003–2024 · Series · 19 seasonsAnimation · Action
After the Halo event of 2552, there is a brief but violent period of civil war among the humans. Two armies on opposite sides of a canyon, the Reds and Blues, fight in the most worthless piece of real estate in the galaxy.
PeacockPrime Video - #14789
The Disappearance of Shere Hite
2023 · Movie · 1h 58mDocumentary
Shere Hite's bestselling book The Hite Report liberated female orgasm by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous surveys. Her findings rocked the American establishment and conversations about gender and s...
Hulu - #14889
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
2018 · Movie · Japanese · 1h 55mAnimation · Action · Drama
Maquia, a teenager, belongs to the Iorph community whose members can live for hundreds of years. But her life changes when the Iorph settlement is invaded and she comes across an orphan.
Prime Video - #15489
【OSHI NO KO】
2023– · Series · Japanese · 3 seasonsAnimation · Drama · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
A doctor and his recently-deceased patient are reborn as twins to a famous Japanese musical idol and navigate the highs and lows of the Japanese entertainment industry as they grow up together through their lives.
Hulu - #16989
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
2016– · Series · Japanese · 3 seasonsAnimation · Action · Drama
After being suddenly transported to another world, Subaru Natsuki and his new female partner are brutally murdered. However, Subaru awakens to a familiar scene, meeting the same girl again. The day begins to mysteriously repeat it...
Hulu - #17088
The Universe
2007–2015 · Series · 9 seasonsDocumentary · History
This educational show explores many scientific questions and topics about the universe (Big Bang, the Sun, the planets, black holes, other galaxies, astrobiology etc.) through latest CGI, data and interviews with scientists.
Prime Video - #17288
MythBusters
2003–2018 · Series · 15 seasonsDocumentary · Mystery · Reality
The Mythbusters use science (and explosions) to answer every shower thought ever. From testing the myth that coke and pop rocks can explode your stomach, to recreating historical weapons to see how they worked.
Disney+MAXHulu - #17688
Lucy and Desi
2022 · Movie · 1h 43mDocumentary · Biography · Comedy
2 EmmysThis film explores the rise of comedy icon Lucille Ball, her relationship with Desi Arnaz, and how their groundbreaking sitcom "I Love Lucy" forever changed Hollywood, cementing her legacy long after her death in 1989.
Prime Video - #17788
Dororo
2019– · Series · Japanese · 1 seasonAnimation · Action
Sightless Hyakkimaru wields fearsome prosthetics in place of the limbs his father traded to 12 demons. When he encounters the young thief Dororo, the pair sets out to reclaim Hyakkimaru's body parts and survive the demon-infested ...
HuluPrime Video - #17888
Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles
2019 · Movie · 1h 37mDocumentary
The origin story behind one of Broadway's most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof, and its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when "tradition" was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations and religion were ev...
Prime Video - #18788

Homicide Hunter: Lt Joe Kenda
2011–2023 · Series · 9 seasonsDocumentary · Crime
Through re-enactments, discussions with investigation teams, and interviews with victims' families and other involved persons, the show highlights Lt. Joe Kenda's successes with his 387 homicide case history and 92% solution rate.
MAXHulu - #19588
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball
2025– · Series · 2 seasonsAnimation · Action
In Elmore, reality bends and family life gets weird. Gumball pulls Darwin, Anais, and the whole town into adventures - from fighting evil fast food to dealing with an AI crushing on his mom. The show's so wild, it needed a new name.
Hulu - #19988
Silicon Cowboys
2016 · Movie · 1h 17mDocumentary · History
Three friends dream up the Compaq portable computer at a Texas diner in 1981, and soon find themselves battling mighty IBM for PC supremacy. Their improbable journey altered the future of computing and shaped the world we now know.
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