What Children Think Makes a Great Cartoon

In 2001 the British Film Institute surveyed kids on their favorite cartoons and cartoon characters.  Here are the results.

Five essential ingredients for successful animated characters:

  1. They should make children laugh or feel happy – with their different looks, funny voices, use of imitable catchphrases;
  2. They should expand children’s imaginations by blurring fantasy and reality – by doing things real people cannot do or acting irreverently;
  3. They should remain in character and behave logically, however fantastic their situation or location;
  4. They should have a problem to solve, go through a journey or adventure – but their stories need not always end in the same predictable, entirely successful outcome;
  5. They should have natural movements and their mouths should form words properly – children have high expectations!

The type or style of animation – whether characters are drawings, puppets or models – is not so important; neither is the country of origin.

Further details here.

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