Cartoon Network: The Indian Experience

The first comic series that came in the form of a book was 'The Funnies' in 1929. During the mid 1900s, comic book characters such as 'Superman,' 'Mickey Mouse,' 'Little Orphan Annie,' 'Dick Tracy,' 'Bizzaro,' 'Popeye,' 'Aquaman,' and 'Flash Gordon' gained popularity around the world. Animated cartoons evolved during the early 1900s (Refer Exhibit I for a note on animated cartoons). 'Sinking of the Lusitania,' released in 1918, is considered by many to be the world's first animated feature film. By 1920, many animation studios were established across the US and France. The most influential animation studio in the world, Walt Disney ¹(Disney), entered the market in 1928. Disney's first venture was 'Streamboat Willie,' starring Mickey Mouse. Other leading animation providers during the mid-1900s were Warner Bros. and MGM.

Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Eric Larson, Vladimir Tytla, Jay Ward, Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera are some of the people who made noteworthy contribution to the evolution, advancement and popularity of cartoon/animation characters across the world. Cartoons were introduced for the first time on TV in 1950 with Jay Ward's 'Crusader Rabbit' in the US. However, the development of cartoons specifically for TV did not begin till the 1960s as animated feature films ruled the market till then. However, with audiences preferring TV to cinema houses, many cartoon studios had to close shop.² This gave momentum to the production of animated cartoons for TV. Some of the best-known cartoon series were developed during the next two decades: 'Scooby Doo,' 'The Flintstones,' 'The Jetsons,' 'The Speed Buggy,' and 'The Snorks.' The leading producers were Hanna Barbara, Filmation and DIC...