Reviews of Cartoon Art Museum (Museum)

Dalal Marafie

The cartoon museum was very nice. It was very nice to see the actual sketches of cartoons and comics that we grew up watching and reading. Few of Archie’s sketches were there

David Eisenman

Not a recommend. But kids like it. Not lots to see.

Reid Branson

Really enjoyable small museum dedicated to comic art. Special exhibits (I had the pleasure of seeing one on March, the story of John Lewis's experiences as a civil rights icon--excellent!) as well as permanent collection displays. Well worth a visit!

Tim Leloir

Un peu petit mais sympa, je suis allé voir l'exposition sur Jim Starlin.

Ligia Kempfer

(Translated by Google) Very good (Original) Muito bom

J H

About the size of a phone booth with very little comic art on display. A HUGE disappointment!!!!!! When you are standing in the gift shop, look up in the back room.... that's all there is! Not worth the outrageous admission fee. As a "museum", there was so much more this entity could have done. Display comic art from the first days of superheros and show the evolution of what a superhero was from the Golden Age to now. Feature an exhibit of empowerment of women in comics and as superheros. Show the diversity of superheros over the years. NADA.... Such a shame. This could be so much more. Admission should be $3, tops. The best art was put on walls of a tiny, side conference room, as an afterthought. Half the exhibit was animation. Pass on this place!

Jeff MacIver

Sad to see this is closed. It was a great place to visit for comic book fans.

Paul Madavi

Too small a space for so much wonderful art. Well worth the visit.

Katherine Avenmarg

Very nastalgic for adults. Not so exciting for kids. Good way to kill a little time in an afternoon. Glad I went but wouldn't pay to go again.

Yael Bar-On

קטן ולא זול... הילד רצה ונכנס לבד. אהב כל רגע... רק למי שאוהב קרטונז..

Karen White

Some great little animation gems here.

Suzanne Carpenter

I had to take my daughter here for Art class for school. We enjoyed it. Wish is was bigger.

Quin

To small place

Keith Vinzant

It's definitely worth the entrance fee. Fun stuff to see.

Chelsea Larsson

If you love cartoons this is like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. See drawings from Walt Disney and sketches from Sam and Max and Charles Schulze too. Prepare to meet your inner child.

Shadi Safadi

Skip it

Jason Ly

Very nice

Dave Simpson

Very unique and cool museum. The building is small, but it has a lot of original artwork from various cartoons. The exhibits were also very informative. It is a really good place to learn how some of the most popular cartoons were made.

Thomas Cavanaugh

Interesting to see.

Albert Lee

Hmm, what can I say? This is nice little gem that is tucked away on Mission St. right in the heart of downtown SF! I had never heard about this place until today, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. Right when you walk in, you'll notice a little gift shop section to your right which includes all sorts of knick knacks, everything ranging from American comics to even Japanese Manga and some iconic characters such as Domo-kun. If you go straight pass the gift section, you'll enter the main showcase area with old school art/comics and more modern art/comics. Think of an art museum, but with comic book drawings from the beginning of time to current. I was surprised they showcased an issue of Alpha Flight (a Canadian superhero team who has had runnings with Wolverine), which is super old school. Overall its a nice little place to visit for comic book fans and art fans! If you haven't been here before, I suggest taking a stroll.....through memory lane :)

Timothy Lane

Had a BLAST here! Great exhibit, GREAT staff! Looking forward to a possible collaborative relationship between CAM & the museum that I volunteer at in Sonoma County!

Danielle W

They have consistently interesting programming here! I often (sadly) forget about this spot, or talk about visiting for months without getting my butt down there. I'm almost always pleasantly surprised when I do, though.

Yu Joshua

It's sort of small for a museum. But it's still cute.

Hayes Mitzel

Really fun!!

françois luong

The curator is one of the most knowledgeable comics scholars I've had the chance to talk to

Eily Pleming

Really enjoyable, the featured star wars series with Darth Vader and son was cute.

Val Wilde

I'm not sure what i expected, but this was set up for children more than i expected.

Savvas Dalkitsis

Nice little exhibition. A bit small though

Ashok Linganna

Nice place to appreciate comic art. Not as large as the comic art museum in Baltimore but still great. Reasonably priced. Enjoyable over all. Just wish they gave more context for the art pieces and how they fit into the story of comics.

Suzanne Coberly

Great new space near Giradelli Square near the water. No bookstore yet, but it is apparently coming soon. Enthusiastic, knowegable person at front desk. Exhibits were interesting; however, they need more curating-for example, the Hell Boy tribute exhibit would have been improved by adding some information about why each of the artists created the tribute art that they did, rather than just listing their names and backgrounds.

rita meirina

An excellent small museum, we can know about how cartoon developed from time to time

Thomas San Francisco

Younger children would enjoy it and adults may too but the museum is small and can be much more.

Oscar Oliver

Don't be fooled by Google pictures, there is very few to see in this "museum". No Marvel statues nor costumes. Some interesting original plates but you can see as much in any comic con, even the smallest one, or even in libraries expositions....

Ryan Feldman

Has all you could ever know about creating cartoons. This place includes a large display of history including their own library you can read all sorts of comics and books from. Friendly staff members. Fun events listed on their website and in store.

Erik Rozman

Great museum, with cool exhibits. The exhibits are good sized, and they leave you with a taste for more. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful.

Alexander Choudhury

For anyone considering coming to this place for the Marvel/superhero themed exhibits featured in some of the pictures, just as an FYI I believe they are a limited time exhibit and not always on display. I went specifically for this and found a much smaller place than I expected with not really any comic book pieces and none of the exhibits in the pictures. That’s not to say the museum has no value, I'm sure it is very interesting for niche groups of people specifically interested in classic cartoon sketches and their history. My only complaint is really it’s size, it is only a couple of rooms large and even for dedicated fans it can be done in well under an hour. But it is understandable considering how expensive San Francisco is. My advice would be to check the website beforehand to make sure whatever you want to see is currently being displayed.

Shane Periandri

Awesome! Really cool stuff!

Paul Feng

What a gem. Some really cool stuff, including old political cartoons and more.

Virginia Wang

Lots of cool exhibitions, from original Sandman artwork to (Disney) Mary Blair paintings to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (missed this last one - doh!). Only $8 for adults. Even if you're interested in the current exhibit, stop by the gift shop -- lots of interesting/cool/cute things from books to little figurines (no cost to visit the shop).

Tristen Hyde

Great cartoons. Very close to Fisherman's wharf.

Eric Leuteritz

Small, but very cool and very well done!

Denise Dang

Great museum collection of cartoon and animated art! Went here on the opening night for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle exhibit, showcasing a lot of the early inspiration and artwork for the comics and animated series. Got to meet many of the animated series artists, and even got to get autographed on-the-spot sketches from multiples artists. The museum shop also has a nice collection of cute, nerdy, geeky toys and trinkets.

Nick

Very small, We were in and out in about 15mins. Mostly just framed comic art drawing from Marvel and DC. They did not allow my friend to take his camera in. They hold his camera at the front desk until we left.

Ferran Arricivita

It worths the visit!

Sylvain Aimoz

7$ but not so many stuff, I was expecting more content, more explanations, more history.

Paul Cwick

Very nice place to visit for afficianados of Cartoon, Comic & Animation Art. HOWEVER, all visitors should be advised that the museum's Mission Street location closed its doors in 2015, and the museum has since moved to a new location near Fisherman's Wharf, and is now OPEN!

Maia Kerr

So much fun!

Cornell mcneil

Wasn't what I expected. There were a few life size figures and books.

sayra gang

Love this place

Kristy Cha

Fund this damn place! Donate moniessssss.

MalKontent Blizzard

One of the true hidden treasures South of Market Street

antonio perez

Amazing place. I love it!

Chris Laryea

Hands down the best place, ever!!

Sandy W

Was a smaller museum than I expected. The small space is put to good use, but really can not support a large exhibit of great cartoons. There is a few historically significant cartoons exhibited in the reading room. The size might make this an ideal intro to museums for younger family members.

Bart Klos

Small place and the staff were more interested in themselves or each other than attending the visitors.

Palm Test

Loved it!

beef o'malley

really fun art, they had a peanuts and dr Seuss collection when i went. lovely staff and very friendly.

Chuck Whelon

Amazing location. Has an ever-changing display of the very best cartoon art from all eras and genres. Don’t miss it.

Patrik Westin

A bit under whelming, expect more

Emrys Hiatt

The Cartoon Art museum has some real gems, including props from the newest Avengers movie, as well as a special exhibition based off of the Civil Rights movement. It's a small but well taken care of museum, and the people who work there clearly care about the medium and are willing to answer questions or give space. My only complaint- and why I'm not giving it 5 stars, is that the special exhibitions seem to be there only to give excuse for the rest of the museum exhibiting someone's personal collection of one comic artists work over the years. For it to be totally called a cartoon art museum or a comics museum, I really wish they would give more diversity and consideration to other artists. I was incredibly disappointed to find out that the "exhibit " for "The Prince and the Dressmaker", for which I was coming to the museum to see, was maybe 6-8 pages on a small wall by the bathroom. Not very impressive. Still, for only about 6 dollars admittance, I can't really complain.

Felecia Clemons

I really enjoyed it. I learned a few things , including Stan Lee's Rawhide Kid from 1955 was a gay character!

Cory F

Such a great place! I love the whole collection. Definitely worth a visit

Joe Sterne

A small but nice cartoon museum. Has a great variety of work on the wall (in terms of age and along the production process). As of this review (summer 2013), there is an awesome Superman homage in the very back (and a Man of Steel poster). It's the artsy-ist comic place I've ever been in. Only bummer: no teleporter (sheesh!)

Stevie Frankow

It's ok, not very exciting. There are a few gems but over not real exciting

Stephen Schur

The last couple of times I've been here were a trade show event with an open bar and Edward Gorey's birthday evening. Even without the refreshments, it's fun to look at the original drawings. I liked the SF heart sculpture in the entry, too.

Joe Wos

Best cartoon museum in the US!

Bryan Nabong

The Cartoon Art Museum is one of those places I've been wanting to check out for a while now, but the plans never really came together. The place is not that large, but the entrance fee is fair. They have some really fun and interesting displays for those who enjoy comic books, comic strips, graphic novels and other illustrative arts. The museum "gift shop" has a comic book shop feel. The museum holds signings from featured artists, as well. I'm going to be keeping my eye out on future exhibits. :)

Chaeri Han

A bit too small and not enough exhibits. Great for kids though because they have a lot of coloring pages and tables for them. Teacher and military discounts available

Martha Villegas Beith

It has from the Avengers, Felix the cat, Popeye, Disney, Simpsons and Mad. So much variety and it was a blast to see and learn.

Mark Mavroudis

Small but great displays. Saw some art I had never seen before.

Maribeth Reinbold

Very Cool for Marvel and all comic fans

Emily Trinh

Very small for a museum. I think it's more like a gallery. But the theme is lovely. Reasonably priced

Bratati Karmakar

Nice place to visit In sfo.

James Bowen

4-5 stars for those who like comics, 3 for average person. A bit on the short side, but still a bit fun for a half hour or less. Go when there is a sale, not for 20usd.

Christopher Marx

Calling themselves a “museum” is a fallacy. I wanted to love this place. However, they had an incorrect placard to a piece of art. Completely unacceptable for a museum to not fact check.

Dave 4792

Place is pretty small and kind of boring like they only have not much to do.

Dominic Vasquez

A lot of fun if you enjoy drawings or comics. Awesome shop for certain comics, but if you are a marvel or DC fan the shop may not have what you're looking for.

Patrick Catanzariti

Absolutely a treat to check out this small gallery! The history of cartoon art we got to see was 100% worth it. Very glad places like this can exist to showcase an industry with original copies of cartoon artwork, details around techniques around the walls and even video of things like stop motion animation! Super cool. A must see for any cartoon artist or enthusiast, very inspirational! Keep in mind that the art rotates around, so it might be different to what we saw - but even the replica movie props were astonishingly good!

Gee Barger

Loved the March (by John Lewis and Nate Powell) exhibit

Mike Figueroa

The Cartoon Art Museum brings out your inner goofball and guides you through the history of cartoons. The art ranges from Mickey Mouse and Archie all the way up to anime of the modern age. They have special events depending on the season, with the most recent being The Avengers.

Aleks Berland

This is a small gallery, but great outgoing knowledgeable staff, and an excellent variety of shows seem to pass through here. The gift shop is very nice as well.

Lisa Josephs

As I understand, this is a new space for the Cartoon Art Museum. The space is open and inviting and the current exhibition is interesting. They set aside a reading area with the books for their current exhibition available to read. The docent was very knowledgeable and fun to talk to about the art.

Alice Sullivan

Its closed

Dianna Adair

Unpretentious small museum. Well displayed exhibits of several select topics. Marvel and MARCH were featured on my visit. Check for current exhibits. Limited days and hours, no evenings. Reduced entry fees for SF residents, seniors, children, students, military: most people.

Oscar Munoz

Cool little museum with history of some comics.

M M

Interesting delving into a comic artists mind.

Raziel Ramos Ruiz

Un pequeño museo especializado ubicado en la zona de más afluencia turística de San Francisco. Se puede recorrer en una hora pero su curaduria es un deleite para los fanáticos de los cómics y la animación. Los bocetos expuestos son verdaderas obras de arte A small specialized museum located in the most tourist area of San Francisco. You can walk in an hour but his curaduria is a delight for fans of comics and animation. The exposed sketches are true works of art

Noel Ong

Got some pretty good marvel costume but too few and to small

Stephen Wong

Fun for all cartoon and comics fans

Shannon Sweetser

A small museum with a lot of personality. Located right near Yerba Buena Cultural District, it's a great place to go to dive into the history and importance of cartoons -- from graphic novels to comic book and Sunday funnies. It's a great price point and can easily be enjoyed in under an hour. Don't miss the gift shop full of unique and interesting comic books and tributes to the graphic cartoon arts.

Edwin Zee

$8 admission is a fantastic way to spend a few hours laughing and getting inspired by different types of cartoon art. Expect to see anything from production images from movies, political cartoons, and all your favorite cartoon strips. Tuesdays are pay what you want, but I think you'll find that the $8 price is incredibly reasonable.

Amy Higgins

Love this place! It's a ton of fun for kids and those of us who are still children at heart. They even do lectures sometimes from famous artists. It's a must do for anyone who lives or visits the city.

Dee Tran

Came here for a friend's birthday workshop. Our group was invited to learn how to draw superheroes! This is a great way to mingle with others while sharing your talented drawing skills!

Hogan Brett

False Advertizing. This is not in any form a museum. It is a gallery. It is just new artists displaying their work. There is no information about cartoon history, or anything educational. The term "Cartoon" is misleading too... it is soley comic book art, nothing at all about animation. I felt duped. It should be called "contemporary comic book art gallery displaying comics nobody has ever heard of".

Ryan OReilly

Don't waste your time

Mike Dousette

Great comic museum in a wonderful location!

Dave Richards

If this is like the one that used to be in Boca Rotan then it has to be great!

Juan Carlos Cardenas

Incredible breakfast sometimes there's a long line prices are fairly reasonable

Corrie Davidson

For the comic aficionado you are sure to catch sight of rarities (like first edition of superman AND the first edition he appeared in) as well as unique pieces (pre-production covers complete with taped adjustments and notes to the printer). Their rotating exhibits mean there is always something new to see and they often bring in artists for signings or lectures. The gift shop is fantastic with items for all ages - worth a visit even if you don't opt for the small gallery.

Leonard Fisher

Happened to walk by and decided to take a look. Glad we did.

Ellis Kim

Excellent museum of cartooning with friendly and knowledgeable staff

Tammy Fountain

The BEST! We were in SF for a visit and my son joined the Saturday kids' class. We will be back.