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July 30, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
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Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
Screen & Stage • Animation

Cartoon

A cartoon is a visual work that may refer to a humorous or satirical drawing, a sequence of drawings such as a comic strip, or an animated film or television programme made from drawn or digitally created images.

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

A cartoon is a humorous or satirical drawing, comic strip, or animated film or TV show. The term originally referred to a full-size preparatory drawing for major artworks like frescoes or tapestries.

What it is

In modern English, 'cartoon' has several meanings. It can be a single humorous or satirical drawing, a sequence of drawings (comic strip), or an animated production made from drawn or digitally created images. The word also has an older meaning in art history: a full-size preparatory drawing for a painting, fresco, mosaic, or tapestry.

How they are made

Animated cartoons are produced by planning a story, creating storyboards, drawing characters and backgrounds, and capturing a sequence of frames to simulate motion. Modern productions often use digital tools, while traditional methods involve hand-drawn images. The process is similar for both film and television, though budgets and timelines vary.

Why they matter

Cartoons are a major part of media and culture. In print, they provide humour and political commentary. In animation, they are central to children's entertainment and family programming. Canadians consume cartoons through television, newspapers, streaming platforms, and comic publishing, making them a familiar part of daily life.

In short

  • Cartoons can be single drawings, comic strips, or animated films/TV shows.
  • The term originally meant a full-size preparatory drawing for fine art.
  • Modern cartoons are used for humour, satire, and entertainment.
  • Animated cartoons use a sequence of frames to create motion.
Canadian angle

Cartoons are widely consumed in Canada through television, newspapers, magazines, streaming platforms, and comic publishing, and Canadian readers will encounter the term in both the print and animation senses.

Quick questions

What is a cartoon?
A cartoon is a humorous or satirical drawing, a comic strip, or an animated film or television show made from a sequence of images.
How are cartoons made?
Animated cartoons are made by developing a story, creating storyboards, drawing scenes or models, and photographing or digitally rendering successive frames so the images appear to move.
What is the history of cartoons?
The word originally referred to a full-size preparatory drawing for art such as frescoes and tapestries. In the nineteenth century it also came to mean a humorous or satirical pictorial parody.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoon
    Supports: Basic modern meanings of cartoon; distinction between cartoonist and animator
  2. Merriam-Webster — https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartoon
    Supports: Dictionary definitions including humorous drawing, comic strip, and animated cartoon
  3. Britannica Kids — https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/cartoons/273540
    Supports: General definition, main forms, and animated cartoons as filmed drawings
  4. Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/art/cartoon-pictorial-parody
    Supports: Historical meaning and distinction between cartoons and animation
  5. Royal Academy of Arts — https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/daniel-maclise-what-is-a-cartoon
    Supports: Origin of the word and art-historical meaning
  6. Art UK — https://artuk.org/discover/art-terms/cartoon
    Supports: Italian origin and nineteenth-century shift in meaning
  7. 1jour1actu — https://www.1jour1actu.com/culture/whats-a-cartoon
    Supports: Basic animation production steps such as story, storyboard, illustration, and animation