We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.

The Comic Book History of Animation

True Toon Tales of the Most Iconic Characters, Artists and Styles!

Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey

From the team behind The Comic Book History of Comics comes the perfect companion piece telling the story of the triumphs and tragedies of the filmmakers and beloved characters of the past century and a half -- essential for hardcore fans of the medium and noobies alike! It's all here, from Aardman to Zoetrope, Disney to Miyazaki, Hanna-Barbera to Pixar, and everything in-between!

Begin in the early 1900s with J. Stuart Blackton and the first American cartoon, Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur , and Felix the Cat ! Find out about Margaret Winkler, the most powerful person in early animation, and Walt Disney, who revolutionizes cartoons with sound and color! Discover how Fleischer Studios teaches us to sing "Boop-boop-a-doop" and eat our spinach, and how Warner Bros' Looney Toons rivaled Disney's Silly Symphonies ! Plus, icons of animation including Hanna-Barbera, Huckleberry Hound , The Flintstones , and Ruby-Spears; the Plastic Age of toy-based TV shows including G.I. Joe , Transformers , and He-Man ; and the new Golden Age of TV animation launched by The Simpsons !

And go abroad to France with Emile Cohl's dynamic doodles in Fantasmagorie ; to Japan, where Momotaro debuts the first full-length anime, Divine Sea Warriors , and Osauma Tezuka conquers TV as he conquered manga; and to Argentina, which beat out Snow White for the first feature length animated movie by two decades!

And finally, Jurassic Park and the computer animation revolution! Post- Little Mermaid Disney, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli conquer the world!

Read on Amazon
Read this for free with Kindle Unlimited

Save this book

Create your own learning path. Save this book to your list so you can find it easily later.
Save

Share

Help others find this book page by sharing it with your friends and followers:

Amazon Buyer Protections & Purchase Guarantee

Protected by Amazon A-to-z Guarantee & generous return policies

Amazon A-to-z Guarantee
Buyer Protection

Amazon A-to-z Guarantee

Every book purchase is protected by the Amazon A-to-z Guarantee. This guarantee covers both the condition of your book and its timely delivery, providing full buyer protection whether you purchase directly from Amazon or from third-party marketplace sellers.

Return Policy

Generous 30-Day Returns & Free Shipping

Generous 30-day return policy on physical books. Amazon makes returns effortless with self-service return labels, drop-off at thousands of local locations (Kohl's, Whole Foods, UPS Stores), and free return shipping on eligible book purchases.

Savings & Discounts

Great Savings & Member Discounts

Maximize your savings with competitive pricing, deep discounts on new and used marketplace copies, bundled textbook rentals, and exclusive member savings through Amazon Prime with free fast delivery.

Formats & Programs

Kindle, Audible & Physical Formats

Read your way across versatile digital and physical formats: instant delivery via Kindle eBooks, unlimited reading with a Kindle Unlimited subscription, audiobook listening with Audible (often featuring a 30-day free trial), or traditional paperback and hardcover editions.

Amazon Purchase Protections & Benefits
Amazon A-to-z Guarantee covering third-party & direct purchases
Generous 30-day return policy with hassle-free drop-off options
Kindle eBook editions with instant delivery on any device
Kindle Unlimited program with access to over 4 million titles
Audible audiobooks with free trial eligibility
Competitive discounts across new, used, and rental copies
Amazon Affiliate Partner Protections Policy details last reviewed: 2026-10-22
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser