# Western Animation Western animation is the catch-all label for animated media produced in the Americas, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand[2]. The medium traces back to French cartoonist Émile Cohl's 1908 short Fantasmagorie[1] and grew into one of the dominant forms of 20th-century entertainment, later anchoring sprawling online fandoms that split cartoons from anime. ## Origin Shadow play and magic lantern shows pre-date the camera by centuries, but traditional animation as a medium starts in the very early 1900s[3]. French artist Émile Cohl released Fantasmagorie in 1908, a short built around a stick figure meeting a run of morphing objects, with a live-action hand occasionally entering the frame[1]. Through the 1910s, movie theaters started programming animated shorts alongside live-action features[3]. Felix the Cat, drawn by Otto Messmer in 1920 under studio boss Pat Sullivan (who publicly took most of the credit), was the first cartoon character successfully marketed as a brand[6]. Earlier silent-era standouts included Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur and Walt Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit[6]. Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1937, was the first animated feature film made entirely of hand-drawn animation[5], and Hanna-Barbera's The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958 was the first animated television series[4]. - **Platform:** Film / Television (later online fandom on 4chan, Reddit, YouTube) - **Creator:** Unknown (medium pioneered by Émile Cohl in 1908) - **Date:** 1908 ## Overview Western animation covers everything from one-off theatrical shorts to prime-time series, with audiences ranging from preschoolers to adults[2]. In the present, most of the frame-by-frame animation work is outsourced to Korean studios while writing, voice work, and direction stay in the West[2]. Visually the output tends toward exaggerated expressions, snappy comedic timing, and character-driven gags, which separates it from the house styles associated with anime or European art animation[5]. Online, the term is mostly used by fans as a sorting tag that distinguishes American, European, and Oceanian cartoons from Japanese anime[5]. The label groups together Disney features, Looney Tunes shorts, Cartoon Network originals, Adult Swim comedies, and streaming-era prestige series under one umbrella, even when their tones and audiences differ sharply. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Western Animation? An umbrella label for animated media produced in the Americas, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, covering theatrical features, TV series, and shorts[2]. ### Where did Western Animation come from? The medium traces to French artist Émile Cohl's 1908 short Fantasmagorie, which featured a stick figure interacting with morphing objects[1]. ### What does Western Animation mean? Online, it is used mostly to distinguish American and European cartoons from anime and other regional styles, grouping Disney, Looney Tunes, Cartoon Network originals, and similar output together[5]. ### How do you use Western Animation? Fans use the term as a sorting tag on forums like 4chan's /co/, subreddits such as r/cartoons and r/90sCartoons, and in review videos by channels like Saberspark and Rebel Taxi[5]. ### Is Western Animation still popular? Yes, it is still a dominant format worldwide, with most hand-drawn production outsourced to Korean studios while the rest of the pipeline stays in the West[2]. ## References 1. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasmagorie_(1908_film)]() 2. [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WesternAnimation]() 3. [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/EarlyAnimation]() 4. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huckleberry_Hound_Show]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/western-animation]() 6. [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfAnimation]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/western-animation Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library