The new family movie “Ice Age: The Meltdown”/ is written/ for laughs. But some people/ might also see it/ as a serious message/ about the dangers/ of climate warming. The film brings back the animated animals/ from the two thousand two hit movie/ "Ice Age." The main characters/ are a wooly mammoth/ named Manny, a sloth/ named Sid/ and a saber-toothed tiger/ named Diego.

In the first movie, Manny, Sid and Diego/ faced the dangers/ of the coming prehistoric freeze. This time/ they are threatened/ by floods/ from the melting/ of the Ice Age. At first, the animals/ love the water. Later, when they discover the threat, they must warn everyone else/ and find a way/ to save their valley. "It's all part of my 'Accu-weather' forecast. The five-day outlook/ is calling for intense flooding/ followed by ... THE END OF THE WORLD!"

The world of cartooning/ has changed a lot/ since the days/ when Walt Disney/ drew his characters/ by hand. Animated cartoons/ are especially labor-intensive. Animators/ create a sense of movement/ through a progression/ of many images. Each image/ is a little different/ than the one/ before it. Today/ many animators, including the ones/ who made the "Ice Age" movies, get help/ from computers.

But/ Walt Disney's work/ still influences modern cartooning. He started his company/ in nineteen twenty-three. He had his first big success/ five years later. He combined animation/ with sound/ in the nineteen twenty-eight film/ “Steamboat Willie.”

"Steamboat Willie"/ was the first movie/ to star Mickey Mouse. Later/ came other famous Disney characters, including Donald Duck. Donald Duck/ is over seventy years old/ now, but you could never tell/ by looking at him. To animate something/ means to give it life. Animated characters/ can live forever -- or at least/ as long as they stay popular.

Another form of cartooning/ is the comic strip. Comic strips/ are a drawing or a series of drawings/ that present a situation/ or tell a little story. Comic strips/ are usually good/ for a laugh/ or at least a smile. American newspapers/ commonly publish a page/ or more of them/ each day. These are usually black-and-white drawings. Sunday funnies/ are often published/ in color. Readers of all ages/ enjoy the comics/ in the newspaper.

On television, cartoons/ used to be thought of as mainly for children. But times/ have changed. For example, Cartoon Network says/ one-third of the people/ who watch its programs/ are over the age of eighteen. So/ it offers special late-night programming/ called "Adult Swim." These cartoons/ are meant to appeal to what it calls "a grown-up sense of humor/ and other adult sensibilities." One of the shows, "The Boondocks," is based on a newspaper comic strip.

"The Boondocks"/ is the story of Huey and Riley, two young African-American boys. They come from a rough part/ of Chicago, Illinois. Now/ they live with their grandfather/ in a mainly white community. The characters/ are known/ for their sharp observations/ about life there, and life/ in general. Huey speaks his mind/ like a revolutionary.

"The Boondocks"/ often deals with issues/ of race and social justice. The strip/ is more political/ than most comic strip readers are used to. Some think/ it is great; others/ think it goes too far. "The Boondocks" appears in about three hundred fifty newspapers. Aaron McGruder/ is the cartoonist/ who created it. In March, he suspended the strip/ temporarily. Aaron McGruder/ plans to take a break/ until October. "Every well/ needs refreshing," he says.

“Peanuts”/ is an example/ of a more traditional comic strip. Charles Schulz/ is the artist/ who created Charlie Brown/ and Snoopy the dog/ and all their friends. Charles Schulz/ died in two thousand. But the cartoons/ he drew/ are still being repeated. The humor/ is timeless.

Many readers/ also enjoy comics/ like “Garfield and Friends." Garfield/ is a fat cat/ who likes thinking of food/ and making fun of his owner. And some readers/ never miss “Dennis the Menace.” This single-drawing cartoon/ is about a five-year-old boy. Dennis/ is always causing trouble/ for his parents/ and a retired neighbor, Mister Wilson. But to his fans/ since the nineteen fifties, Dennis/ is always likeable.

Another form of cartooning/ is the editorial cartoon. These express the opinion/ of the artist/ or the artist’s publication. Nineteenth century cartoonist Thomas Nast/ drew for Harper’s Weekly/ and the humor magazine Puck. In his political cartoons/ he drew an elephant/ to represent Republicans/ and a donkey/ for Democrats. Today/ these animals/ are still used to represent the two major parties/ in America.

In the twentieth century, cartoonists/ like Peter Arno, James Thurber and Charles Addams/ drew for the New Yorker magazine. The New Yorker/ has a tradition/ of publishing cartoons/ as social commentary.

Peter Arno/ liked to make fun of people/ of wealth and social position and self-importance. He drew his subjects/ with heavy lines. James Thurber's cartoons/ pointed out human weaknesses. He drew his subjects/ with a light touch. James Thurber/ also wrote many humor books. He created the character/ of Walter Mitty. Walter Mitty/ is a mild little man/ who daydreams of doing exciting things.

Cartoonist Charles Addams/ created the Addams Family. They looked/ like a scary family/ out of a horror movie. But Addams/ made funny situations/ from these strange characters. Somehow/ his artistry/ made normal people/ seem strange.

Today, New Yorker cartoons/ are still known/ for their sharp humor. For example, a lawyer/ advises a man/ that the best defense/ in his situation/ is to lie. New Yorker cartoonists/ can find humor/ in almost any situation. A well-known cartoon/ that appeared in nineteen ninety-three/ was drawn/ by Peter Steiner. Two dogs/ are at a computer. One says to the other, "On the Internet, nobody knows/ you're a dog."

One of America’s most influential political cartoonists/ worked at the Washington Post/ for fifty-five years. His name/ was Herbert Block. But readers/ knew him better/ as Herblock, the name/ he used to sign his work. During the nineteen fifties, Herblock/ was known for his cartoons/ against Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy/ accused many people/ of being communists. Finally, the Senate/ condemned McCarthy/ for his actions.

Over the years, Herblock/ won three Pulitzer prizes/ and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He continued drawing/ until shortly before his death/ in two thousand one, at the age of ninety-one.

Cartoons/ can make powerful statements/ about events. In nineteen sixty-three, President John F. Kennedy/ was shot. That led cartoonist Bill Mauldin/ to draw another president/ who died that way. He drew the statue of Abraham Lincoln/ in Washington. In the cartoon, President Lincoln/ is crying. Almost forty years later, in two thousand one, cartoonists/ drew the Statue of Liberty/ crying in New York Harbor. That was after the September eleventh attack/ on the nearby World Trade Center.

Cartoons/ can make people/ sad. They can also make them/ angry. Last September/ a newspaper in Denmark/ published cartoons/ that insulted Muslims. Other newspapers/ later republished these cartoons. Protests/ and deadly riots/ took place/ in a number of countries/ earlier this year. The cartoons and the reaction/ led to international debate/ about responsibility/ and freedom of speech. Cartoons/ can make us/ think, they can make us/ laugh, they can make us/ cry. Cartoons can make a difference/ in how we look at life.