The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated features on creator Dave Koch's local computer.[1] In response to increasing interest in the material, the database went online in 1998 as a searchable resource dedicated to compiling information about cartoons, including production details such as voice actors, producers, and directors, as well as plot summaries and user reviews of cartoons.[2] In 2003, BCDB became a 501(c)non-profit corporation.[1] On June 24, 2009, it was announced by creator Dave Koch on his BCDB forums that the site had 100,000 titles.[3]
Due to system issues that have been unable to be resolved, all cartoon information on the site is non-existent after 2019. Users have ceased to contribute to the site due to the issue. Since the creator is no longer active and the moderators are not in charge of this site, the error still persists as of 2022. In January 2024, the website became inaccessible. Some pages on the site still exist however.
One feature of the BCDB is its "Top Rated" page which provides a listing of the top 25 animated films as voted by the registered users of the website. Ratings are shown based on top score as well as the cartoons that receive the highest number of votes. Users are given the option of rating a movie from "1" (lowest) to "10" (highest). To safeguard against attempts to skew the data, the DataBase employs data filters and a vote quota in an attempt to give an accurate Bayesian estimate. The BCDB also has a lowest-20 rated cartoons feature which, based on the same data, shows the least liked cartoons in the database.[4]
BCDB also includes a linked, online forum, where users express their opinions about cartoons, and/or ask questions about them. The forum is available to all registered users, and is actively moderated by a team of moderators and administrators.
Other features include news items related to the animation industry and the image gallery, which allows users to see images of various cartoon characters taken from popular films.
In 2002, The San Diego Union-Tribune listed BCDB as a "top site" and wrote "with more than 42,000 cartoons, 2,000 series[,] and 1,300 cartoon reviews, this may be one of the Internet's largest searchable databases of cartoons".[5] In 2005, Apple Hot News wrote "The Big Cartoon Database is the place to find in depth information about any cartoon ever made".[6] In 2006, it was reported by the Reference and User Services Association, in their Eighth Annual List of Best Free Reference Web Sites, that "The Big Cartoon Database is the definitive Web compendium for anyone interested in the history of animation."[2]
