Big Cartoon DataBase
Encyclopedia
The Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...

, animated television shows and cartoon shorts.

The BCDB project began in 1996 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
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....

 in 1998 as a searchable resource dedicated to compiling information about cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...

s, including production details such as voice actors
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

s and directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

, as well as plot summaries and user reviews of cartoons. In 2003 BCDB became a 501(c) non-profit corporation. On June 24, 2009, it was announced by creator Dave Koch on his BCDB forums that the site had hit the 100,000 mark of titles included in the database.

Features

One feature of the BCDB is their "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
Bayesian probability
Bayesian probability is one of the different interpretations of the concept of probability and belongs to the category of evidential probabilities. The Bayesian interpretation of probability can be seen as an extension of logic that enables reasoning with propositions, whose truth or falsity is...

. 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 taken from popular films.

Recognition

In 2002, The San Diego Union Tribune 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
Reference and User Services Association
Reference and User Services Association is a division of the American Library Association chartered to stimulate and supporting excellence in library reference and user services. RUSA awards a number of medals and honors to promote its goals of excellence in its field and publishes an annual list...

, 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 is used as a reference by such sources as Hartford Courant, The San Diego Union Tribune, Oakland Tribune, Beacon News
Pacific Publishing Company
The Pacific Publishing Company in Seattle, Washington, in addition to its commercial printing operations, publishes neighborhood newspapers in the Seattle area...

, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

, and the Animation World Network
Animation World Network
Animation World Network is an organization for animators, with an extensive website with news, articles and links for professional animators and animation fans. AWN also publishes a printed journal, "Animation World"....

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

Big Comic Book Database

Run by the Big Cartoon Database, the Big Comic Book Database (BCBDB) is the sister website of BCDB and set up to contain information about comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

s. As of 2005, the database contained information on over 100,000 comic books in over 5000 series and includes over 35,000 cover scans. In mid-2005, BCBDB added additional elements to make the site a more all-encompassing comic book resource. Cover scans include high-resolution versions for detailed online study of artwork. The site includes a comic book price guide showing readers current resale values at the various grading levels of individual comic books.

The BCBDB is arranged by publisher and set for ease in researching various issues and series. For each of the comics compiled in the database, it contains creator information such as writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

, penciler, inker
Inker
The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...

and other artistic contributors, as well as including a synopsis for many of the comics listed. Key comic book issues include notes on why they are considered important to the industry, and for what milestones the key comic book is known.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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