EUGENE–For the first time since Mickey Mouse danced his way into the hearts of Americans, a new and enticing style of animation is beginning to replace Disney in the hearts and minds of American youth.

You’ve probably already seen the first wave–the Pokémon phenomenon. But are you ready for the next wave of these Japanese cartoons known as anime?

Anime was developed in Japan, and the feature-length films often reflect a Japanese form of literature–adult comic books known as "manga."

"In the U.S. we tend to see cartoons as one thing. They are either animated gags or they tell sentimental children’s stories à la Disney. In Japan, cartoons have many dimensions and the stories are more subtle and complex," says Ken O’Connell, a University of Oregon professor of fine and applied arts who has studied anime.

O’Connell says anime cartoons have an instantly recognizable style.

"The characters have large, childlike features. The facial expressions are restrained. Japan is a culture where expressing your emotions through your face is less common than in the United States," he explains.

O’Connell says another characteristic of anime is the incredible detail in the backgrounds, which are painted in a distinctly Japanese style.

Many Americans were introduced to anime through a series of children’s cartoons. "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Kiki’s Delivery Service" are two anime-style children’s features that are available in most video stores.

But a darker, and more typical, anime film is now playing at art cinemas around the country. "The Princess Monoke" is based on Japanese myths and culture. The feature contains graphic violence and tells its story in adult terms.

O’Connell, a long-time observer of the anime phenomenon, says he is as puzzled as anyone about why American youth find anime so fascinating.

"The American audience for anime is mostly among high school kids. Maybe they’re ready for stories that don’t provide simple and neat solutions to human problems, the way Disney cartoons do," O’Connell observes.

Or, he says, the attraction may lie in the fact that anime in America is largely an underground movement that adults don’t understand. Either way, O’Connell predicts anime is here to stay.

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