Relating Comics, Cartoons, and Animation

Abstract

This chapter provides a way to understand the sometimes confusing relations between comics, cartoons, and animation. Meskin's claims seem to be borne out by close examination of extant definitions of comics. In "The Aesthetics of the Comic Strip" and elsewhere, Robert Harvey avoids the problem by thinking of comics as a visual-verbal blend. One might think that cartoons are one category of art and comics are quite another. Cartoon" is used not merely to refer to a category of art but also to a style of representation. Cartoons have found a fundamental place in comics because their simplicity allows for the possibility of almost universal identification with them. Animated cartoons are predominantly made for children. The cartooning style, then, is tightly connected to both comics and animation. However, it should be reiterated that comics and animation differ significantly from one-panel works considered as a specific genre of art.