Claim: Sunrise created anime.

An is a Japanese hand-drawn or computer animation . The word is the abbreviated pronunciation of `` animation '' in Japanese , where this term references all animation . Outside Japan , anime is used to refer specifically to animation from Japan or as a Japanese-disseminated animation style often characterized by colorful graphics , vibrant characters and fantastical themes . Arguably , the culturally abstract approach to the word 's meaning may open up the possibility of anime produced in countries other than Japan . For simplicity , many Westerners strictly view anime as a Japanese animation product . Some scholars suggest defining anime as specifically or quintessentially Japanese may be related to a new form of orientalism .   The earliest commercial Japanese animation dates to 1917 , and Japanese anime production has since continued to increase steadily . The characteristic anime art style emerged in the 1960s with the works of Osamu Tezuka and spread internationally in the late twentieth century , developing a large domestic and international audience . Anime is distributed theatrically , by way of television broadcasts , directly to home media , and over the Internet . It is classified into numerous genres targeting diverse broad and niche audiences .   Anime is a diverse art form with distinctive production methods and techniques that have been adapted over time in response to emergent technologies . It consists of an ideal story-telling mechanism , combining graphic art , characterization , cinematography , and other forms of imaginative and individualistic techniques . The production of anime focuses less on the animation of movement and more on the realism of settings as well as the use of camera effects , including panning , zooming , and angle shots . Being hand-drawn , anime is separated from reality by a crucial gap of fiction that provides an ideal path for escapism that audiences can immerse themselves into with relative ease . Diverse art styles are used and character proportions and features can be quite varied , including characteristically large emotive or realistically sized eyes .   The anime industry consists of over 430 production studios , including major names like Studio Ghibli , Gainax , and Toei Animation . Despite comprising only a fraction of Japan 's domestic film market , anime makes up a majority of Japanese DVD sales . It has also seen international success after the rise of English-dubbed programming . This rise in international popularity has resulted in non-Japanese productions using the anime art style , but these works are usually described as anime-influenced animation rather than anime proper .