Dr. Seuss in the context of "Vanity Fair (magazine)"

A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images intended for satire, caricature, or humor; or a motion picture that relies on a sequence of illustrations for its animation. Someone who creates cartoons in the first sense is called a cartoonist, and in the second sense they are usually called an animator.

The concept originated in the Middle Ages, and first described a preparatory drawing for a piece of art, such as a painting, fresco, tapestry, or stained glass window. In the 19th century, beginning in Punch magazine in 1843, cartoon came to refer – ironically at first – to humorous artworks in magazines and newspapers. Then it also was used for political cartoons and comic strips. When the medium developed, in the early 20th century, it began to refer to animated films that resembled print cartoons.

Illumination (formerly known as Illumination Entertainment) is an American animation studio founded by Chris Meledandri on January 17, 2007. It is a division of Universal Pictures, which itself is a division of Comcast through the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, a unit of NBCUniversal; Illumination produces the films, while Universal finances and distributes them. The studio is best known for creating the Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, and Sing franchises; the adaptations of Dr. Seuss' books The Lorax and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!; and Nintendo video games, starting with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The Minions, characters from the Despicable Me series, are the mascots of the studio.

Illumination has produced 15 feature films, with an average gross of $711 million per film. Three of the studio's films—Minions (2015), Despicable Me 3 (2017) and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)—are all among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, with the latter having the highest-grossing opening for an animated film in its initial release; eight of their films are also among the 50 highest-grossing animated films. Its first film, Despicable Me, was released on July 9, 2010, and its latest film, Despicable Me 4, was released on July 3, 2024; their upcoming slate of films includes The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on April 3, 2026, and Minions 3 on July 1, 2026. Additionally, an untitled film is scheduled for release on April 16, 2027.

In poetry, a tetrameter is a line of four metrical feet. However, the particular foot can vary, as follows:

• Anapestic tetrameter:
  • "And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea" (Lord Byron, "The Destruction of Sennacherib")
  • "Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house" ("A Visit from St. Nicholas")
  • "And since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse / And just blurt this berserk and bizarre shit that works" (Eminem, "The Way I Am")
• Iambic tetrameter:
  • "Because I could not stop for Death" (Emily Dickinson, eponymous lyric)
• Trochaic tetrameter:
  • "Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater" (English nursery rhyme)
• Dactylic tetrameter:
  • Picture your self in a boat on a river with [...] (The Beatles, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds")
• Spondaic tetrameter:
  • Long sounds move slow
• Pyrrhic tetrameter (with spondees ["white breast" and "dim sea"]):
  • And the white breast of the dim sea
• Amphibrachic tetrameter:
  • And, speaking of birds, there's the Russian Palooski, / Whose headski is redski and belly is blueski. (Dr. Seuss)

I Am Sam (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2001 American drama film co-written and directed by Jessie Nelson. It stars Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianne Wiest, Dakota Fanning, Richard Schiff, Loretta Devine and Laura Dern.

Nelson and co-writer Kristine Johnson researched the problems facing adults with intellectual disabilities by visiting the non-profit organization L.A. GOAL (Greater Opportunities for the Advanced Living). They subsequently cast two actors with disabilities, Brad Silverman and Joe Rosenberg, in key roles. The film's title is derived from the lines "I am Sam / Sam I am" of the book Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss, which is included in the movie.

Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, painter, and voice actor, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of shorts. He wrote, produced, and/or directed many classic animated cartoon shorts starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, and Porky Pig, among others.

Jones started his career in 1933 alongside Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett, and Robert McKimson at the Leon Schlesinger Production's Termite Terrace studio, the studio that made Warner Brothers cartoons, where they created and developed the Looney Tunes characters. During the Second World War, Jones directed many of the Private Snafu (1943–1946) shorts which were shown to members of the United States military. After his career at Warner Bros. ended in 1962, Jones started Sib Tower 12 Productions and began producing cartoons for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including a new series of Tom and Jerry shorts (1963–1967) as well as the television adaptations of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) and Horton Hears a Who! (1970). He later started his own studio, Chuck Jones Enterprises, where he directed and produced the film adaptation of Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth (1970).

The Lorax is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss and published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, the main character, who "speaks for the trees" and confronts the Once-ler, a business magnate who causes environmental destruction.

The story is commonly recognized as a fable concerning the danger of capitalism and humanity's greed causing destruction of the natural environment, using the literary element of personification to create relatable characters for industry (the Once-ler), the environment (the Truffula trees) and environmental activism (the Lorax). The story encourages activism and involvement in making the situation better: a concluding quote from the Once-ler states, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not". The Lorax exemplifies Dr. Seuss's views on climate change and pollution, teaching children about the importance of doing their part to protect the environment (in this case, Truffula trees).

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a children's Christmas book by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a cranky, solitary creature who attempts to thwart the public's Christmas plans by stealing Christmas gifts and decorations from the homes of the nearby town of Whoville on Christmas Eve. As a result of the townspeople's response, the Grinch realizes that Christmas is not all about money and presents.

The story was published as a book by Random House in 1957, and at approximately the same time in an issue of Redbook. The book criticizes the commercialization of Christmas and the holiday season.