What is the difference between a cartoon and an anime? (anime comes from animation in Japanese)

well anime is more for adults or teens and cartoons is for little kids and anime is much better ;D

apart from where those originated from? The most characteristic differenses is how the characters are drawn and the use of certain elements, like the "action-stripes" used in anime to indicate action/speed etc. anime also have more facial mimics and a more comlex story (nothing is black/white - easy to symphatise with even the "bad" guys), which also makes it a bit harder to understand, whereas the story in a cartoon is simple and therefore easy entertaining. there were a few differences..don't know how good I put it, though...perhaps you should try wikipedia?

Yes and no. Yes, because the Anime can contain the action and the zany, humorous content of our cartoons. And no, because there are constant sad moments: Apatheic people who kill, harm or capture loved ones from families, deaths, and ultra dramatic scenes of all kinds. It's a constant in Japanese Anime

A lot of people ask this question, and some people will tell you that they are the same and some people will tell you they're different. They're the same because anime is just another name for cartoon, but it's just used in Japan. Because the term anime is just used in Japan and because Japan has been using the same one style for many years, anime is now the stereotyped term for Japanese cartoons. The difference is that Japanese cartoons have a lot more work put into them, were as a cartoon isn't put much work into it. This is shown by the quality difference between the two. Anime generally looks better because people in Japan work harder to make it look good. Cartoons most of the time look like they're thrown together. Also Anime looks more real, while most cartoons look super deformed(but there are exceptions like batman, spiderman, ben ten, ect.)It also seams that if a person who draws cartoons but draws them to look more real or good looking, people will think it's anime. Which really ticks me off. Also cartoon are aimed at very young children, Anime is mostly aimed at adults(though many kids watch them too) People will also say that Cartoons don't have a plot. This isn't necessarily true though. They do have plots but it's a plot for each individual episode, were in an Anime the plot lasts for the whole series. People who prefer anime over cartoons are people who are looking for a good story that also looks good. The thing (if tv businesses would let us) cartoons can be just as good. There are extremely good cartoon artists out there that have amazing work and have good stories to go with their work. But I feel as if the cartoon business world has come to the idea that all cartoons should be simple and stupid-looking. But in Japan it seams as though they have a similar problem. Most of them are stuck on this one now not so original style(by the way anime was inspired by disney). I love anime and cartoons. I support originality(cartoon styles) and good stories(anime) only if the artist's of this world were free to make there dreams come true.

I think Anime is not just Japanese. It seems like American are trying to imitate the Japanese anime style. Like in Batman: Gotham Knights it uses Japanese anime style, but i think that we are also starting to so more of the japanese style in are own cartoons. So can Anime really just be limited to Japan? I think alot of the Marvel and DC direct to videos can count as american anime at its finest, but that is just my opinion.

the big eyes? lol..........i get mad when people say cartoons are aimed at kids. what about the simpsons, family guy, king of the hill, and american dad?.......they are all adult oriented!!!......and @hector the simpsons has been around for for 2 decades and is still just as funny today as it was when it came out, imo

first is their style in drawing second is the story-telling style

I think anime has a wider age range for it's audience than cartoons, which are aimed at children

The real answer is: Cartons are meant to entertain and "make you laugh" fr short period of episodes and have no actual storyline, and of course are poorly drawn and have very little detailed caracteristics. ANime is supposed to "teach and entertain'" an audience within one storyline(and sometimes 2) for a long(or short) period of episodes.