The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases ...

of information about

animated cartoons Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

, animated feature films, animated television shows, and cartoon

shorts Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they ...

. The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated features on creator Dave Koch's local computer. In response to increasing interest in the material, the database went online in 1998 as a searchable resource dedicated to compiling information about

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

s, including production details such as voice actors, producers, and directors, as well as plot summaries and user reviews of cartoons. In 2003, BCDB became a

501(c) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exempt from some federal income taxes. ...

non-profit corporation A nonprofit corporation is any legal entity which has been incorporated under the law of its jurisdiction for purposes other than making profits for its owners or shareholders. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, a nonprofit corporation may ...

. On June 24, 2009, it was announced by creator Dave Koch on his BCDB forums that the site had 100,000 titles. Due to system issues that have been unable to be resolved, all cartoon information on the site is non-existent after 2019. Users are no longer able to contribute to the site due to the issue. Since the creator is no longer active and the moderators are not in charge of this site, the error still persists as of 2022.

Features

One feature of the BCDB is its "Top Rated" page which provides a listing of the top 25 animated films as voted by the registered users of the website. Ratings are shown based on top score as well as the cartoons that receive the highest number of votes. Users are given the option of rating a movie from "1" (lowest) to "10" (highest). To safeguard against attempts to skew the data, the DataBase employs data filters and a vote quota in an attempt to give an accurate

Bayesian estimate In estimation theory and decision theory, a Bayes estimator or a Bayes action is an estimator or decision rule that minimizes the posterior expected value of a loss function (i.e., the posterior expected loss). Equivalently, it maximizes the po ...

. The BCDB also has a lowest-20 rated cartoons feature which, based on the same data, shows the least liked cartoons in the database. BCDB also includes a linked, online forum, where users express their opinions about cartoons, and/or ask questions about them. The forum is available to all registered users, and is actively moderated by a team of moderators and administrators. Other features include news items related to the animation industry and the recently added image gallery, which allows users to see images of various

cartoon characters In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in ...

taken from popular films.

Recognition

In 2002, ''

The San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'' listed BCDB as a "top site" and wrote "with more than 42,000 cartoons, 2,000 series and 1,300 cartoon reviews, this may be one of the Internet's largest searchable databases of cartoons". In 2005, '' Apple Hot News'' wrote "The Big Cartoon Database is the place to find in depth information about any cartoon ever made". In 2006, it was reported by the

Reference and User Services Association The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) annual Outstanding Reference Sources awards are considered the highest awards honoring academic reference books or media,. Besides these awards, the American Library Association (ALA) also grants ...

, in their Eighth Annual List of Best Free Reference Web Sites, that "The Big Cartoon Database is the definitive Web compendium for anyone interested in the history of animation." The BCDB has been used as a reference by such news sources as ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...

'', ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', ''

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...

'', '' Beacon News'', ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', and the ''

Animation World Network Animation World Network (often just "AWN") is an online publishing group that specializes in resources for animators, with an extensive website offering news, articles and links for professional animators and animation fans. Specifically, AWN co ...

'', among others. ''Que's Official Internet Yellow Pages'' rates the site as 5 (out of 5) stars.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Cartoon Database Cartoon DataBase Internet properties established in 1997 Websites about animation American film websites Cartooning 1997 establishments in the United States