Toon (species)

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Tropes and genres
Related tropes/genresFurry, magical realism
See alsoFan animation
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In fictional works, toons are animated characters that are presented as a distinct species separate from and existing alongside humans and animals. The 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit defined the trope in popular culture, with the original 1981 novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit? coining the term.

Works featuring toons are often visual works that combine live action and illustration, but the trope is also used in non-visual and fully illustrated mediums and works. In visual works, toons are distinguished from other fictional species depicted via animation through differences in art styles and animation techniques; fictional species that are depicted in a photorealistic style or animated via motion capture performances are often not considered toons.

In fandom, toons are occasionally employed as a trope in fanworks. Due to the trope's association with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, toons most frequently appear in crossovers and fandom fusions with the film. Fanworks for canon works using the trope also often feature toons, such as Bendy and the Ink Machine.

History

The trope of toons emerged from the larger filmmaking practice of combining live action footage and animation. Before advancements in computer-generated imagery technology allowed for photorealistic animation, animation used in films often used an unrealistic and semi-realistic art style. Despite the juxtaposition of live-action characters with animated ones, many pre-CGI films using the technique do not call explicit attention to the usage of the technique. However, some films before the release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? do use the trope of toons, such as the short film You Ought to Be In Pictures, which depicts drawings of the characters of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig coming to life.

Example works

In fandom

Example fanworks

Fanart

Fanfiction

External links

References