# Textoon: Generating Vivid 2D Cartoon Characters from Text Descriptions

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.10020 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.10020/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 17 Jan 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [See-through: Single-image Layer Decomposition for Anime Characters](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.03749/) (2026)
- [CartoonAlive: Towards Expressive Live2D Modeling from Single Portraits](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.17327/) (2025)
- [Bunraku: Turning a Single Illustration into an Editable Live2D Character](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.27348/) (2026)
- [DreamDance: Animating Character Art via Inpainting Stable Gaussian Worlds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.24733/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The 2D cartoon style is a prominent art form in digital character creation, particularly popular among younger audiences. While advancements in digital human technology have spurred extensive research into photorealistic digital humans and 3D characters, interactive 2D cartoon characters have received comparatively less attention. Unlike 3D counterparts, which require sophisticated construction and resource-intensive rendering, Live2D, a widely-used format for 2D cartoon characters, offers a more efficient alternative, which allows to animate 2D characters in a manner that simulates 3D movement without the necessity of building a complete 3D model. Furthermore, Live2D employs lightweight HTML5 (H5) rendering, improving both accessibility and efficiency. In this technical report, we introduce Textoon, an innovative method for generating diverse 2D cartoon characters in the Live2D format based on text descriptions. The Textoon leverages cutting-edge language and vision models to comprehend textual intentions and generate 2D appearance, capable of creating a wide variety of stunning and interactive 2D characters within one minute. The project homepage is https://human3daigc.github.io/Textoon_webpage/.