ABSTRACT
Most of the classic cartoons star anthropomorphic animals that are in some way influenced by Aesop's Fables, a collection of stories credited to Aesop, a slave who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Besides the habit of quoting Aesop, however, there are big differences concerning various cultures and time periods. Animated characters can vary from studio to studio: The product of Disney differed from the Looney Tunes or Woody Woodpecker. One can see, however, that Japanese and other Asian artists are more interested in style and design than in characters. DreamWorks, Disney, and Universal, they all line up in China producing toys and merchandize, co-producing, and opening theme parks without paying respect to Chinese culture, however. Disney's first try to fraternize with Chinese culture was Mulan, a 1998 animated feature film, based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, a female warrior who lived in Han Dynasty.
