CalArts style

noun

A popular aesthetic in animated cartoons from the 2010s onward, with simplistic character designs, thin outlines, and flat regions of plain bright color.

Similar
bean mouth
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Meanings

nounCalArts style (uncountable)
  1. derogatoryslanguncountableA popular aesthetic in animated cartoons from the 2010s onward, with simplistic character designs, thin outlines, and flat regions of plain bright color.

    Synonyms: bean mouth

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA popular aesthetic in animated cartoons from the 2010s onward, with simplistic character designs, thin outlines, and flat regions of plain bright color.

Similar
bean mouth
Also see
bean mouth

Origin

Coined by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi in 2010, though he originally used it to refer to a different aesthetic reminiscent of Disney Renaissance films.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

CalArts style. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/CalArts%20style

MLA

“CalArts style.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/CalArts%20style. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “CalArts style,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/CalArts%20style.

Source: CalArts style on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.