Ask any college student about old cartoons like Looney Toons or X-men and you'll probably get a response like “I loved watching that show! ”. Children in America today grow up with cartoons, as most American animation is directed at children. If you were to ask people who say they watch cartoons if they still watch animated shows today, they would probably say they stopped watching cartoons a long time ago. However, this is not the case everywhere, in Japan animated shows are aimed at all ages and not just children. In America, animated TV shows are designed for children, but in Japan, animation has a much broader spectrum. In America one of the first popular successes in animation was Disney's production of a short seven-minute animation called Steamboat Willie in 1928, which was the first animated show with audio synchronized with the animation. The show also featured the famous Mickey Mouse, who would become one of the best-known figures in American animation. During World War II many animated shows, which were now called cartoons, were shown in theaters as a sort of break from the problems of the real world, which was now facing war and the Depression. Cartoons of the time were comedic and contained a lot of slapstick comedy. Most of the cartoon characters were not humans, but small, rounded, cute versions of animals, with bodies that appeared to be made of rubber, as they were able to stretch and bend. impossible shapes. Cartoon characters were usually very plain and didn't look human at all. Most of the characters have only three or four fingers and very disproportionate body parts. Most of the environments were very simple, most ... middle of paper ... Many anime and manga artists explore different locations taking photos for artistic reference. As a result, anime puts a lot of detail into the surrounding environment, with detailed buildings and intricate landscapes. In conclusion, American animation is usually very episodic, uses unrealistic artwork, and focuses mostly on children, while Japanese animation usually has a very long and intricate history. lines, detailed graphics and does not focus on any specific age group. However this doesn't make one better than the other, American cartoons have become something that will always be remembered as part of people's childhood. And although many people see Japanese anime as childish cartoons, with the recent rise of adult-themed American cartoons perhaps more Americans will open their minds to the imaginative power and potential of animation and try anime..