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What's the difference between anime and U.S. cartoons?

One thing I think is significant...(etc.)

Although "anime" simply means animation, the product differs from U.S. cartoons and animated films in that it is not geared mostly to children. Like its printed counterpart, manga comics, anime is a diverse field, producing everything from cute children's programs such as "Sailor Moon" — a superhero schoolgirl with impossibly long legs and big eyes — to violent and sexual images for Japan's otaku, or "nerd," subculture.

Many foreign fans have been won over by the imagination and intelligent story lines in the genre's most celebrated works. Others are drawn in simply by the vivid colors, fantastic characters and surreal landscapes common in anime.

I don't mind at all, but I'm no authority; you're gonna want to cite more substantial sources than "Some internet fanboy."

I'm sure you're sick of all the "technical" definitions of anime

I'd also suggest you steer clear of the stuff the_soultaker said above...but I'm sure you knew that already.

See, that's the number one thing that annoys me about a lot of pro-anime propaganda, the cheap shots they often take at western cartoons. No, not all American or Canadian cartoons have "one-dimensional" characters. Have these people ever seen The Nightmare Before Christmas or King of the Hill or The Iron Giant or Daria or Undergrads, which are just some examples American-produced cartoons which have at least some characters which aren't just one-dimensional? All those cartoons have strong, character-driven storylines. Even a lot of the superhero cartoons, especially those made post-Superfriends, have characters whom do worry about things outside of their day-jobs, inspired, yes, in some cases by anime, but also their source material. comic books, has, in many cases, matured compared to what they used to be in large part due to the graphic novel revolution of the 1980s, as well as influences from more underground comic books prior to that era.

And, of course Bugs Bunny is completely one-dimensional... he's the star of seven-minute long cartoons which are basically successions of sight gags with Bugs as a "trickster" character. And some of those cartoons are absolutely brilliant in that way, because some cartoons neccessitate one-dimensional characterizations; multi-dimensional characters in one-dimensional situations wouldn't work. One-dimensional characterizations are not a sign of inferior writing, just a different style of writing. And to imply that there aren't any Japanese cartoons with one-dimensional characters is just ludicrous. Adventures of Mini-Goddess is an example of seven-minute long gag cartoons with characters, with the exception of Gan-chan whom is the comic foil "straight man" (or "straight rat", I suppose), just as one-dimensional as anything in the Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes stable. And, yes, there are plenty of bad Japanese cartoons with one-dimensional characters, like an awful lot of the Dragonball or Yuu Yuu Hakusho-clones I've seen, which, if I named them, I'd get angry e-mail from the fans which would read like "But in episode 92, so-and-so-a-character, who's usually a generic tough guy, showed some degree of anguish, therefore he isn't one-dimensiuonal!", in which case I could name "In episode XX" examples for the American cartoon shows I watch to disprove any one-dimensional claims. Yes, even for Ralph Wiggum. And Urusei Yatsura, about my favourite anime, has mostly characters whom are one-dimensional at least 90% of the time. The times when Ataru does show his affection for Lum doesn't disprove the fact that he's a fairly one-dimensional girl chaser in most episodes.

American animation...has been stuck in the "cartoons are for little children" rot and that has retarded its further development.

I think it can be widely agreed upon that Japanese animation reached its development peak in the 80-90's and hasn't developed much since then.

Soultaker, I think he meant steer clear of Gasaraki, noir, DBZ, and he-man, the shows you mentioned as inferior shows. In other words, I think s/he was agreeing with you.