'Toon-Art'. The original meaning of the word "cartoon" was in fine art of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, where it referred to a preparatory drawing for a painting, mosaic, tapestry, fresco or mural. In the 19th century, it came to refer to humorous illustrations in magazines and newspapers, and in the early 20th century it was sometimes used to refer to comic strips. In more modern usage, it commonly refers to animated programs for television and other motion-picture media. Because of the stylistic similarities between comic strips and early animated movies, "cartoon" came to refer to animation, and the word "cartoon" is currently used to refer to both animated cartoons and gag cartoons. While "animation" designates any style of illustrated images seen in rapid succession to give the impression of movement, the word "cartoon" is most often used in reference to TV programs and short films for children featuring anthropomorphized animals, superheroes, the adventures of child protagonists and related genres. At the end of the 1980s, the word "cartoon" was shortened, and the word "toon" came into usage with the live action/animated feature “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988), followed two years later by the TV series Tiny Toon Adventures. The artists who draw cartoons are known as cartoonists, such as Chuck Jones, Jim Davis, Francisco Ibañez, Albert Uderzo, Hergè, Charles M. Schulz, Tex Avery and Matt Groening. |
