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Ananimated series (or acartoon series[1]) is a set ofanimated films with a common title, usually related to one another. Theseepisodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can either have a finite number of episodes like,[2] for example,miniseries, a definite end, or be open-ended, without a predetermined number of episodes.[3] They can be released on television[1] or the internet,[2] in movie theaters[1][4] ordirect-to-video. Like other creative works, cartoon series can be of a wide variety ofgenres and have differenttarget audiences: both males and females, bothchildren andadults.[5][4][6]
Animatedtelevision series are aired daily or on certain days of the week during a prescribedtime slot, including, for example,saturday-morning cartoons,prime time cartoons,late night anime, andweekday cartoons; series broadcast only on weekends.[4]
The duration of an episode also varies. Traditionally, they are produced as half-hour or nearly half-hour cartoons; however, many are animatedshorts of 10 — 11 minutes, which can be combined for filling a set time period in "segments" including several such shorts. When advertising is taken into account, the cartoon itself may be only 15 — 20 minutes of the half hour, althoughNetflix and many otherstreaming services do not show commercials. There are also series with very short episodes lasting approximately five minutes; they have recently become more common inJapanese animation.
If a local station of a television network broadcasts an animated series as a part of its own programming, the time-slot will vary by region.
All early cartoon television series, the first beingCrusader Rabbit (1950 — 1959), are comedy. However, later series include sports[4] (Speed Racer,Captain Tsubasa,Slam Dunk), action (Hajime no Ippo,[4]G.I. Joe), science fiction (Mobile Suit Gundam,[6]Tenchi Muyo!), drama (Neon Genesis Evangelion), adventure (Dragon Ball), martial arts (Baki the Grappler), and other genres.[4]
The firstanimated sitcom wasThe Flintstones[4] (1960 — 1966)[7] produced byHanna-Barbera. It was followed by other sitcoms of this studio:Top Cat (1961 — 1962),Jonny Quest (1964 — 1965),The Jetsons[4] (1962 — 1963, 1985, 1987); andWait Till Your Father Gets Home (1972 — 1974), an adult-oriented animated series[7] in the style ofAll in the Family.The Alvin Show fromRoss Bagdasarian andBeany and Cecil fromBob Clampett also are sitcoms.[4]
The 1980s and 1990s were a renaissance of children's and adult cartoon television series. Various broadcast networks and media companies began creating television channels and formats designed specifically for airing cartoon series. Companies that already had these types of formats began to revamp their existing models during this time. Most of these animations were American cartoons[8] and Japanese animes.[6] Listed below are examples of television networks and channels that include animation at present.
American | British | Japanese | Canadian Australian
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Examples of animation-focused networks and channels of at present are listed below; but some of them occasionally broadcast live-action shows.
American | South Korean | Canadian | Japanese
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During the 1990s, more mature content than those of traditional cartoon series began to appear more widely, extending beyond a primary audience of children. These cartoon series includedThe Simpsons,South Park,Family Guy,[7]Futurama,[4]The Ren & Stimpy Show,Rocko's Modern Life,Beavis and Butt-Head,King of the Hill, andDuckman. Canadian computer-animated seriesReBoot, which began as a child-friendly show, shifted its target group to ages 12 and up, resulting in a darker and more mature storyline.[9]
Animated film theatrical series include all early animated series:The Newlyweds (1913 — 1914),[10]Travelaughs (1913, 1915 — 1918, 1921 — 1923),[11]Doc Yak (1913 — 1915),[12]Colonel Heeza Liar (1913 — 1917, 1922 — 1924),[13]Kapten Grogg [sv] (1916 — 1922),[14]Les Aventures des Pieds Nickelés (1917 — 1918),[15][16] theTom and Jerry cartoon short films released in movie theaters from 1940 to 1967, and many others.[4]
Direct-to-video animated series include JapaneseOVA series, the first of which was the science fiction dramaDallos[6] (1983 — 1985). Almost allhentai (pornographic)anime series are released as OVAs.
Animated web series are designed and produced for websites,streaming andonline video platforms. Examples includeHappy Tree Friends (1999 — present),Homestar Runner (2000 — present),Eddsworld (2003 — present),Too Cool! Cartoons (2013 — 2014),RWBY (2013 — present),Jaiden Animations (2014 — present),The King's Avatar (2017 — present), and many others.[citation needed]
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