On a different note, there's the Disney comics loved throughout the globe, I think that in Italy they dig that stuff. May be too childish for you though. I'm talking of Donald Duck and the rest of the very well known characters.
Marvel and DC too, but with a distinct feel you may not like.
Comic books, especially European ones, have good entries but they lack a cohesion as a whole, they're very diverse.
With animation, the 80s and early 90s were like the golden era of Western animation, with nice things as My Little Pony, Wildfire, Pirates of Dark Water, Space Rangers, and in the French department Ulysses 31, Jayce et les conquerants de la lumière and then some more. Nowadays you may want to take a look at Adventure Time or Regular Show.