The 50 Greatest Cartoons

By Jerry Beck,

Book cover of The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals

Book description

Showcases some of the greatest cartoons of all time, including characters from Disney, Warner Brothers, Fleischer Studio, Walter Lantz, MGM, and others.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The 50 Greatest Cartoons as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ordinarily I don’t believe in “greatest” comparisons, but this book is different. Animation historian extraordinaire Jerry Beck surveyed more than a thousand historians and animation professionals to ascertain their picks, compiled the results into a list of fifty “greatest” cartoons, and then created this book with a separate entry for each film. It’s both informative and an endless delight, with well-illustrated celebrations of classic cartoon gems from the Disney, Warner, Fleischer, and MGM studios as well as the smaller, more obscure companies. You may disagree with the rankings or the choices, but this is undeniably a deep dive into a…

From J.B.'s list on American animation history.

Want books like The 50 Greatest Cartoons?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 72 books like The 50 Greatest Cartoons.

Browse books like The 50 Greatest Cartoons

Book cover of Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons
Book cover of Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation
Book cover of Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,188

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in animation, the Walt Disney Company, and traditionally animated filmss?

Animation 34 books