Kids' cartoons among most deadly films

Children's cartoons depict death more often than films for adults, and their main characters are more than twice as likely to be killed off, according to research released on Tuesday.

The study found the main characters in children's cartoons were 2.5 times as likely to die as protagonists in films for adults and were almost three times as likely to be murdered - often in violent ways.

Important characters overall die in two-thirds of cartoons aimed at children, compared to in half of films for adults, according to the study published in the British Medical Journal.