Western Animation
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![dog pile of all the common characters from western cartoons for various ages and demographics dog pile of all the common characters from western cartoons for various ages and demographics](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/western_animation_5572.jpg)
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About
Western animation (often simply called âcartoonsâ) is a general term used to describe animated media that comes from the Americas, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Though itâs called Western animation, in the present, most of the actual animation is outsourced to Korea, but the rest of the process is done in the West. [1] Though its main demographic is young children, there have been plenty of shows and films targeted towards adults and/or teenagers.
History
WIP
Early forms of moving images
Though there were earlier forms of entertainment that had a lot in common with animation that have existed since before the 19th century, like âShadow Play storiesâ, which were made with cut-out figures that were held between a source of light and a translucent screen and âMagic Lantern showsâ that were created with puppets that were moved around on the equivalent of an overhead projector against a translucent painting as background[2]; traditional animation, as we know it today, didnât start until the very early 1900s.
The Silent Era
The first animated film thatâs known was created in 1908 by French Artist, Ămile Cohl, called Fantasmagorie, the film consisted of a stick figure encountering various morphing objects, as well as sections were a live-action hand entered the scene. [3] During the 1910s, the industry started being commercialized by the showing of animated shorts like this one in Movie theatres.
![silhouette cartoon example of silent film silhouette cartoon example of silent film](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/La_Fantasmagorie_%281908%29.webm/250px--La_Fantasmagorie_%281908%29.webm.jpg)
The first cartoon character that was successfully marketed was Felix the Cat, created by Otto Messmer in 1920 (though most of the credit was taken by Pat Sullivan, the head of the studio), Other earlier silent cartoon characters include Gertie the Dinosaur, by Winsor McCay, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, by Walt Disney. [4] [5]
![Felix the Cat simplified example Felix the Cat simplified example](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Felix_the_cat.svg/245px-Felix_the_cat.svg.png)
The first animated feature film to be entirely made of hand-drawn animation was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made in 1937 by Walt Disney [6]. While the first animated television show was released by Hanna-Barbera in 1958, The Huckleberry Hound Show.[7]
Important Companies and Channels (WIP)
Notable Icons (WIP)
Many western animated shows and characters have gained large notoriety all throughout the world, garnering large amounts of fans and universal recognition. They've become an integral part of western culture, some important examples include:
Mickey Mouse
![Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
![Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse](https://ixxidesign.azureedge.net/media/1676571/Mickey-Mouse-2.jpg?mode=max&width=562&height=613)
Mickey Mouse [8] is an anthropomorphic cartoon mouse created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at the Walt Disney Studios in 1928. He currently serves as the current mascot of The Walt Disney Company and is one considered one of the most recognizable characters of all time.
Looney Tunes
![Characters from Looney Toons Characters from Looney Toons](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
![Characters from Looney Toons Characters from Looney Toons](http://www.konbini.com/mx/files/2018/06/looneytunes.jpg)
The Looney Tunes is an American animated series of shorts films produced from 1930 to 1969 by Warner Bros, which introduced numerous popular cartoon characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and many others. Over time, the Looney Tunes have become Warner Bros' main franchise, creating tons of television shows, theatrical films, video games, music, and amusement parks, among other things. Bugs in Bunny, in particular, is regarded as a cultural icon has even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Simpsons
![The Simpson's TV Show Characters all on the couch The Simpson's TV Show Characters all on the couch](http://img.europapress.es/fotoweb/fotonoticia_20170419170025_640.jpg)
Ed, Edd, and Eddy
![](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
![](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/002/542/ed.jpg)
Spongebob Squarepants
![](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
![](https://mrmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/SpongeBob_SquarePants_main_characters.png)
Steven Universe
![](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
![](https://static.posters.cz/image/750/poster/steven-universe-into-action-i40516.jpg)
Rick and Morty
![](https://a.kym-cdn.com/assets/blank-b3f96f160b75b1b49b426754ba188fe8.gif)
![](https://i1.wp.com/codigoespagueti.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/rock-and-morty.jpg?resize=1080%2C600&quality=100&ssl=1)
Online Relevance
Cartoons have a pretty long history online, with a relatively big fanbase among different internet forums, sites, and wikis. Cartoon oriented sites, both official and fanmade, have been made over the years, like The Cartoon Network/Boomerang Cartoon Forum [9], a site dedicated to news and discussions relating to any animated programming of those channels. Many YouTubers also have channels that are mainly oriented towards cartoons, some notable examples include Rebel Taxi, Saberspark, TheMysteriousMrEnter, and Mars Reviews. Other websites like 4chan [10] and Reddit [11] also have communities dedicated to western animation, /co/, r/cartoons and r/90sCartoons respectively. Multiple animated shows also have their own forums and sites made to house anything relating to them.
External References
[1] TV Tropes Western Animation â TV Tropes
[2] TV Tropes Early Animation / Useful Notes â TV Tropes
[3] Wikipedia Fantasmagorie (1908 film) â Wikipedia
[4] TV Tropes The Silent Age of Animation / Useful Notes â TV Tropes
[5] Wikipedia History of animation â Wikipedia
[6] Wikipedia Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film) â Wikipedia
[7] Wikipedia The Huckleberry Hound Show â Wikipedia
[8] Wikipedia Mickey Mouse â Wikipedia
[9] Wikipedia Looney Tunes â Wikipedia
[10] Toonzone Forums The Cartoon Network/Boomerang Cartoon Forum | Toonzone Forums
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