Animation for Children:

Cartoon Network
HIT Entertainment / Mattel
Nickelodeon
Scholastic

Animation for Families:

20th Century Fox Animation / Blue Sky Studios
Aardman Animations
Disney
Dreamworks Animation
Hanna-Barbera
Paramount Pictures
Pixar
Sullivan Bluth Ltd. / Amblin Entertainment
Warner Brothers

Animation for Teenagers & Adults:

20th Century Fox Television
Adult Swim
Comedy Central
MTV

Aardman Animations

Aardman Animations (est. 1972) is a British animation studio that uses claymation (clay animation) in most of its films. Their most famous early characters are Wallace and Gromit, an eccentric British inventor and his dog.

In addition to their short films about Wallace and Gromit, they have made several famous feature films:

  • Chicken Run (2000)
  • The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
  • Flushed Away (2006)
  • Arthur Christmas (2011)
  • The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012)
  • Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)
  • Early Man (2018)
  • A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019)

Aardman Animations has a connection to Japanese animation. From Wikipedia: From 2006 to 2007, the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, had an exhibit featuring the works of Aardman Studios. [Studio founders] Sproxton and Lord visited the exhibit in May 2006 and met with animator Hayao Miyazaki during the visit.[24] Miyazaki has long been a fan of Aardman Animations’ works.[25]

“Film Set from Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” by puffin11uk is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

HIT Entertainment / Mattel Creations

HIT Entertainment was formed in 1982 by Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets puppets used in Sesame Street, and two British media producers. It was previously known as Henson International Television (also known as HiT or hit!) but the shorter name HIT was used after Henson left the company. The company was purchased by Mattel in 2011 and became Mattel Creations in 2016. During its tenure, it produced several popular animated children’s shows, including:

  • Alvin & the Chipmunks (1983-1990)
  • Bob the Builder (1999-2011)
  • Angelina Ballerina (2002-2006)
  • Thomas & Friends (2003*-2021)
    • *Produced by The Britt Allcroft Company/Gullane Entertainment, 1984-2003
“Alvin & The Chipmunks” by Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Disney

Disney (est. 1923) is one of the Big Five film studios in America. It has changed its name slightly over time, but is always represented by its first popular cartoon character, Mickey Mouse. Mickey and his companions Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy continue to appear in Disney comics, TV shows, and movies. Their ongoing popularity shows the longevity of animal characters.

Animals have played major roles in many Disney films, including:

  • Dumbo (1941)
  • Bambi (1942)
  • Lady and the Tramp (1955)
  • 101 Dalmatians (1961)
  • The Jungle Book (1967)
  • The Aristocats (1970)
  • The Rescuers (1977), The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
  • The Fox and the Hound (1981)
  • The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
  • Oliver & Company (1988)
  • The Lion King (1994)
  • Brother Bear (2003)
  • Chicken Little (2005)
  • Bolt (2008)
  • Zootopia (2016)
“Lady and the Tramp projections at Disney Animation” by Castles, Capes & Clones is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

For some people, Disney animated movies have become associated with “princess movies” because of the many princess fairy tales that they have adapted, including:

  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
  • Cinderella (1950)
  • Sleeping Beauty (1959)
  • The Little Mermaid (1989)
  • Beauty and the Beast (1991)
  • Aladdin (1992)
  • Mulan (1998)
  • The Princess and the Frog (2009)
  • Tangled (2010)
  • Frozen (2013), Frozen 2 (2019)
  • Moana (2016)
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” by twm1340 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Pixar

Pixar (est. 1979) started as a part of Lucasfilm after some animators split off from Disney. In 1986, it became a separate corporation when the division was bought by Apple founder Steve Jobs, who became its majority owner. They started producing computer-animated films, which Disney distributed, when the technology became possible in the 1990s. Pixar was purchased by Disney in 2006, so its movies are now part of Disney. During its independent years, it started the following stories:

  • Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), Toy Story 4 (2019)
  • A Bug’s Life (1998)
  • Monsters, Inc. (2001), Monsters University (2013), Monsters at Work (Disney+ series)
  • Finding Nemo (2003), Finding Dory (2016) 
  • The Incredibles (2004), Incredibles 2 (2018)
  • Cars (2006), Cars 2 (2011), Cars 3 (2017) Cars (Disney+ series)

The following movies are some stories created by “Disney ・ Pixar” animation teams:

  • Ratatouille (2007)
  • WALL-E (2008)
  • Up (2009) 
  • Brave (2012) 
  • Inside Out (2015) 
  • The Good Dinosaur (2015)
  • Coco (2017)
  • Onward (2020)
  • Soul (2020)
  • Luca (2021)

Pixar has also worked with Japanese animation, helping with the English localization of several Studio Ghibli films (mostly films by Hayao Miyazaki).

“Toy Story 3 trailer-002” by TooMuchDew is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
“Lego Ideas: Inside Out Headquarters” by Oky – Space Ranger is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Sullivan Bluth Ltd. / Amblin Entertainment

Sullivan Bluth Ltd. started in 1979 as Don Bluth Productions when Don Bluth, John Pomeroy, Gary Goldman, and eight other animators left Disney due to creative differences. After a few difficult years, the studio reformed in 1985 as Sullivan Bluth Studios with the financial support and advice of the businessman Morris Sullivan. The company soon began a creative partnership with Amblin Entertainment (the company of the famous director Steven Spielberg) and produced several successful animated films. For several years, the company worked in the USA and in Ireland. In 1992, the company lost major financial support after poor performance from its latest movies. With new financial support, the company completed the three films that it had already developed substantially, then Bluth and Goldman went to work at Fox Animation Studios.

The following Sullivan Bluth movies are famous:

  • An American Tail (1986)
  • The Land Before Time (original, 1988)
  • All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)
  • Thumbelina (1994)

During the company’s time in Ireland, the animation industry in Ireland developed to be much larger than before. This expansion influenced, and perhaps helped, other animation companies in the area, such as Murakami-Wolf Dublin (famous for Puff the Magic Dragon and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series).

“land before time dinosaur puppets” by kafka4prez is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

20th Century Fox Animation / Blue Sky Studios

20th Century Fox Animation (est. 1994) was a part of 20th Century Fox. In 1994, after the success of their first 7 animated films, including FernGully: The Last Rainforest, the Fox studio hired animation expert Don Bluth to work in its new animation department. They produced the movie Anastasia (1998), which was a great success, but their next movie, Titan A.E., was not successful.

However, 20th Century Fox had another animation studio, Blue Sky Studios, which produced several successful stories, including:

  • Ice Age (2002), Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
  • Robots (2005)
  • Rio (2011), Rio 2 (2014)
  • Ferdinand (2017)
  • Spies in Disguise (2019)

Since 2018, 20th Century Fox is now part of Disney under the name “20th Century Studios.” Disney announced in February 2021 that, due to the pandemic, maintaining 3 feature animation studios (Disney Animation, Pixar, and Blue Sky Studios) was unsustainable. Blue Sky Studios’ projects were suspended in April 2021, and the studio no longer exists.

20th Century Fox Television

A separate part of 20th Century Fox, named 20th Century Fox Television, distributed several popular animated sitcom television shows, designed for adults:

  • The Simpsons (1989-present)
    • Family-friendly
  • Family Guy (1999-present)
  • American Dad (2005-present)
  • Archer (2009-present)

This division (子会社) is now owned by Disney as well, where it has been renamed “20th Television”.

“CreativeTools.se – PackshotCreator – Ice Age – Scrat toy” by Creative Tools is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Comcast

Dreamworks Animation

Dreamworks Animation (est. 1994) is a subsidiary (子会社) of Universal Pictures, which is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast. It was founded when Disney board member Katzenberg split from Disney in 1994 due to tensions about the choice of new leadership. Co-founder Steven Spielberg brought in Amblimation, which was a London-based subsidiary of Amblin Entertainment that had split from Don Bluth due to “creative differences”. Films produced by DreamWorks Animation were originally distributed by DreamWorks Pictures from 1998 to 2005, then by Paramount Pictures from 2006 to 2012 and 20th Century Fox from 2013 to 2017. Now, they are distributed by Universal Pictures.

Popular animated movies by Dreamworks Animation include:

  • The Prince of Egypt (1998)
  • Chicken Run (2000)
  • Shrek series (2001, 2004, 2007, 2010)
  • Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
    • co-produced with Aardman Animations, creator of the Wallace & Gromit characters
  • Kung Fu Panda series (2008, 2011, 2016)
  • How to Train Your Dragon series (2010, 2014, 2019)
“Prince of Egypt” by Festival international du film d’animation-Annecy is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (est. 1920) started as a publisher of youth magazines. It is now a major publishing company in the United States, focusing its brand on youth and education materials. It started a media division in 1995, producing animated films and TV based on some of its popular children’s book series. Popular adaptations include:

  • The Magic School Bus (1994-1997)
  • Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000-2003)
  • Clifford’s Puppy Days (2003-2006)
  • Clifford’s Really Big Movie (2004)
  • Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)
“Scholastic’s ‘The Magic School Bus'” by srqpix is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Warner Brothers

Warner Brothers (est. 1926) is one of the Big Five film studios in America. It has changed its name slightly over time and now has two divisions of animation (cartoons and animated movies), but it started producing cartoon shorts, called “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies”, for movie theaters and television in 1930.

  • Looney Tunes (1930-1969)
    • Famous characters: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Yosemite Sam, the Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Pepé Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales
  • Merrie Melodies (1930-1969)
    • partner series to Looney Tunes, later merged together

Later, they introduced other animal cartoon shows:

  • Animaniacs (1993-1998)
  • Pinky and the Brain (1995-1998)

Some of their shows were adaptations of famous DC superhero comics:

  • Batman (1992-1995)
  • Superman – two series (1988) (1996-2000)
  • Justice League (2001-2004)
  • Aquaman (1967-1970)

Warner Brothers Animation also made full-length feature films that became famous:

  • Space Jam (1996)
  • Quest for Camelot (1998)
  • The Iron Giant (1999)
  • The Lego Movie (2014)
“Merrie Melodies” by twm1340 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
“Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies PEZ Dispensers” by Han Shot First is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Hanna-Barbera

Hanna-Barbera (est. 1957) produced animated shows that were appropriate for all ages, but designed for children. After the death of one of their founders, the company became part of Warner Brothers. Hanna Barbera’s show titles changed regularly, but their most popular characters appeared in many of their shows. Here are some of their famous shows:

  • Tom & Jerry (1940-1967)
  • The Flintstones (1960-1966)
  • The Yogi Bear Show (1961-1962)
  • The Jetsons (1962-1963, 1985-1987)
  • Jonny Quest (1964-1965, 1986-1987, 1996-1997)
  • Birdman and the Galaxy Trio (1967-1968)
  • Fantastic Four (1967, 1978)
  • Scooby Doo series (1969-?)
  • Sealab 2020 (1972)
  • Jeannie (adaptation of a live series) (1973)
  • The Addams Family (adaptation of a live series) (1973)
  • The Smurfs (1981-1989)
  • The Berenstain Bears (1985-1987)
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • “1994 Arby’s Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Collector Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network (est. 1994) started as a part of the Hanna-Barbera production company, but became part of Warner Brothers. Here are some of its famous shows:

  • Teen Titans (2003-2006)
  • Johnny Bravo (1997-2004)
  • Dexter’s Laboratory (1996-2003)
  • The Powerpuff Girls (1998-2005)
  • Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999-2002)
  • Samurai Jack (2001-2017)
  • Transformers: Animated (2007-2009)
  • Steven Universe (2013-2019)
  • Adventure Time (2010-2018)
“Powerpuff Girls evil mirror trouble” by jawavs is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
“adventure time!” by brina_head is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
“Samurai Jack Artbox Cards” by andertoons is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Adult Swim

Adult Swim (est. 2001) is a part of the Cartoon Network, but has separate audiences and ratings. Following the standard for more violent, crude, or sexual content on American television, Adult Swim shows are broadcast on TV late at night, when young viewers are not watching television. Adult Swim shows are animated, but not for children. Here are some of its famous shows:

  • Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2000-2015)
  • Sealab 2021 (2000-2005)
    • Satire of Hanna Barbera’s Sealab 2020
  • Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law (2000-2007)
  • Space Ghost Coast to Coast (1993-2011)
  • The Boondocks (2005-2014)
  • The Venture Bros. (2004-2018)
  • Rick & Morty (2013-present)
“Boondocks Mural” by Scott Beale is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Viacom CBS

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures (est. 1912) is the second-oldest film studio in the USA (after Universal Pictures). It is the only member of the Big Five film studios in America to still be located within the Los Angeles city limits. Most of its productions were live action movies; however, it had several popular animations. In 1928, Paramount began releasing Inkwell Imps, animated cartoons produced by Max and Dave Fleischer’s Fleischer Studios in New York City. The Fleischers were highly experienced in the animation industry; many even saw them as talented competition to Walt Disney. The Fleischers animated several iconic characters, including:

  • Betty Boop (1930-1939)
  • Popeye the Sailor Man (1932-1957)
  • Superman (1941-1943)

In 1942, Paramount took over Fleischer Studios and renamed it Famous Studios. The studio produced more cartoons until 1967, when it was shut down. Famous characters from this era include:

  • Little Lulu (1943-1948)
  • Casper the Friendly Ghost (1945-1959)
  • Little Audrey (1947-1958)

Due to a variety of business decisions, many of their original cartoons are now owned by other studios.

Paramount was the first major Hollywood studio to start distributing all of its films digitally, as of 2014.

“Orgía de Betty Boops” by grapitix is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon (est. 1979) is owned by ViacomCBS and is available through cable subscription. It was the first American television channel designed specifically for children. Here are some of its animated shows:

  • SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present)
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
  • Dora the Explorer (2000-2019)
  • The Fairly OddParents (2001-2017)
  • Rugrats (1991-2004)
  • Doug (1991-1999)
  • Ren & Stimpy (1991-1995, MTV 1996)
  • The Wild Thornberrys (1998-2004)
  • Hey Arnold! (1996-2004)
“Dora the Explorer” by Håkan Dahlström is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Comedy Central

Comedy Central (est. 1991) started as a part of WarnerMedia, but is now owned by ViacomCBS. Their programming includes, in their words, “stand-up specials, sketch shows, adult animation, late-night programming and more.” Comedy Central is less focused on animation, but it has some famous and popular animated shows for adults, including:

  • South Park (1997-present)
  • Futurama (1999-2013)

Right: Custom South Park-style characters, created by a fan of the TV show “Heroes”

“South Park Heroes” by Cayusa is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

MTV

Also part of ViacomCBS, MTV (est. 1981) started as a TV channel for showcasing live musician performances and music videos. (MTV means “music television”.) However, MTV added live and animated television shows in the early 1990s. Some of their popular animated shows include:

  • Beevis and Butt-Head (1992-1997, 2011)
  • Daria (1997-2002)
  • Ren & Stimpy (Nickelodeon 1991-1995, MTV 1996)
“Trent’s creativity – Daria” by Gwendal_ is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Movie/TV Streaming Services (available in English in Japan):
~ Netflix
~ Hulu
~ Disney+
~ Apple TV+
~ YouTube Premium