It doesnt seem so odd nowadays that people in their 20s through 60s quote Bugs Bunny or collect animation art or look forward to a new animated DVD chock full of extras. Growing up in the 1950s and 60s, cartoons were definitely kids stuff.

Oh sure, adults watched The Flintstones, which was shown during prime time. And Rocky and Bullwinkle had jokes I didnt get but my parents did. Generally, though cartoons were thought of as the programs children watched on Saturday morning or feature films that were deemed suitable entertainment.

By the late 1980s the status of animation had begun to...