Toon Zone

Toon Zone (TZ for short and sometimes referred to as Toonzone) is a web portal focusing on animation-oriented journalism and discussion. The web portal, which is divided into news, forums, and web hosting, was created under the guidance of Brian Cruz, Eileen Delgadillo, and Colin Feder. Although Toon Zone's history dates back to 1994, when Devon Thomas created the Warner Brothers Club forums, the current incarnation of the site launched on August 24, 1998.

Focus
Toon Zone primarily focuses on Cartoons, comics, Manga and anime. The news section publishes news about all varieties of animation and comic releases, as well as reviews, interviews, and editorials. Toon Zone also features hosted web sites. Its most recognizable feature is its message boards, which are dedicated to subjects such as the DC Comics and Marvel Comics animated universes, Cartoon Network (including the Adult Swim and Toonami programming blocks), Nicktoons, Disney, and Warner Brothers Animation. Toon Zone has also added a section for original animation and comic content called "Cartoons, Dammit!".

Spinoff sites and growth
Toon Zone began as a fan site for Tiny Toons and Animaniacs, though it has since expanded to include a wider range of animation.

The site currently consists of a plethora of original content that Toon Zone created, or accepted under their banner. For example, the website The World's Finest has brought in tens of thousands of new visitors. The World's Finest also coined the term "DCAU", describing the collected universe shared by some of the animated DC programs. Its forum is also hosted there. Toon Zone has hosted this site, but it is not one of its properties.

In 2003, Vincent Benenati, a former editor, left Toon Zone and launched Animation Insider, a similarly-themed animation news and information portal. A year later, staff members of the Termite Terrace forum launched Golden Age Cartoons, their own domain dedicated to classic Warner Bros., MGM, Columbia, and other animated shorts of the golden age of animation.

The Toon Zone Community
The engine of Toon Zone's growth is its forums. A number of animation industry professionals, including Craig McCracken, Lauren Faust, Bruce Timm, Dwayne McDuffie, Paul Dini, , and Bill Freiberger have accounts and post regularly, as do voice actors such as Joe Alaskey and Bob Bergen. During major events on television, Toon Zone can have more than 1000 members logged on simultaneously. The community includes animation writers and artists.

The moderators on the Toon Zone forums prevent intellectual property infringement; mentions of or links to illegal downloads are removed. They also require the a user to read and agree to the forums rules before signing up. They also ensure a safe environment for the community's younger members (anyone 13 or older may join) by monitoring potentially age-inappropriate discussions. Toon Zone is a family animation site, so any threads dealing with possible mature content are marked appropriately.

The forum community follows some loose traditions. A recurring example is celebration of April Fools Day. During this 24 hour period many pranks are pulled, including the titles and focuses of sub-forums changing and staff members assuming alternate names and personalities.

Toon Zone In The Media
* Adult Swim has mentioned Toon Zone on the air, jokingly calling it a "gated community".
* In Justice League Unlimited #33 (Written by Jason Hall), one of the characters goes to Toon Zone Amusement Park.

Staff
Over the site's almost seven years of history, the editorial, news, and moderator staff have changed significantly, but all are unpaid volunteers. Most take nicknames, often based on the names of cartoon characters. The staff includes the three founders: Eileen Delgadillo (Harley), Brian Cruz (Brian), and Colin Feder (Colin). Many staff members have worked or currently work in animation or comics in a professional capacity. Past news chiefs have included Ben Applegate, a journalist at a Korean newspaper. Others work in a field similar to that which they handle on the site itself. For example, The World's Finest creator Jim Harvey is an administrator, writer, reviewer, and journalist both off and on Toon Zone.

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