Reference resources are a great place to begin your research. They can help you define terms as well as find overviews of topics and theories and identify keywords or alternate terms for database searching.
There are many different types of reference sources, which include dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, bibliographies, handbooks, style manuals to name a few.
Animation a World History (Volume 1) by Giannalberto Bendazzi
Animation a World History (Volume 2) by Giannaberto Bendazzi
Animation a World History (Volume 3) by Giannalberto Bendazzi
Anime Encyclopedia: A Century of Japanese Animation (e-version ordered)
Cartoons one Hundred Years of Cinema Animation
Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons
For more resources on film in general, check the Reference Resources page of the Film and Media subject guide.
Check the “Film Genres” page on the American Movie Classics (AMC) web site to find out!
Oxford Bibliographies provides peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on film history, television studies, media studies, critical theory, visual arts, cultural studies, digital culture, game studies, popular culture and the study of the moving image.
Bibliographies are browseable by subject area and keyword searchable.
Take a look at the following subject guide: Cinema and Media Studies
For example there are articles on Anime, Animation and the Animated Film and Walt Disney to name a few.