The Golden Age of American animation

The Golden Age of American animation is a period in American animation history that began with the apperance of sound cartoons in 1928, peaked during the mid 1940s, and continued into the 1960s when theatrical animated shorts slowly began losing to the new medium of television animation. Many of the most memorable characters emerged from this period including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Droopy Dog, Popeye, Betty Boop, Woody Woodpecker, Tom and Jerry, and the Pink Panther and an incredibly popular adaptation of Superman. Feature length animation also began during this period, most notably with Walt Disney's first films: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia, Pinocchio, and Bambi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Age_of_Hollywood_animation