The first animated cartoon was produced in 1908 in France. In the 1930s-1960s, cartoons flourished and were commonly shown before movies. Walt Disney produced Steamboat Willie in 1928, introducing synchronized sound to cartoons. Today, animation is often computer-generated, though some argue this does not qualify as true cartoons. The Flintstones was the first successful primetime animated series in the US.

1. The History of Cartoons

2. An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot

3. First Cartoons The first animated cartoon was "Fantasmagorie" produced in 1908 by the French director Emile Cohl. One of the first successful animated cartoons was “Gertie the Dinosaur” produced by Winsor McCay

4. In the 1930s to 1960s, cartoons were produced in huge numbers, and usually shown before a movie to keep audiences entertained.

5. Sound Technology Original cartoons were black and white and included no sound. The first cartoon with synchronized sound is Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie,starring Mickey Mouse in 1928.

6. Sound Film With the advent of “sound film”, musical themes were now included. Animated characters would perform an action in "loops", where drawings were repeated over and over, synchronized with the music. Disney produced the first full-color cartoon in Technicolor, “Flowers and Trees”, in 1931

7. Today’s Technology Today, animation is commonly produced with computers, giving the animator new tools not available in hand-drawn traditional animation. Professionals argue that today’s, computer generated films, are not officially cartoons

8. Primetime Other networks tried to run cartoons in the primetime slot such as, The Jetsons , Top Cat , and The Alvin Show , none of these programs survived more than a year. The Flintstones was the first successful primetime animated series in the United States, running from 1960-1966.

9. Saturday Morning Cartoons Networks moved these failed shows to Saturday morning. Reaching smaller audiences with more demographic unity among children These cartoons became popular and played for years!