2001 in animation is an overview of notable events, including notable awards, list of films released, television show debuts and endings, and notable deaths.
Events
January
February
- February 2: John Callahan's Quads!, based on John Callahan's cartoons, is first broadcast.
- February 3: The first episode of Lloyd in Space airs.
- February 4: The Futurama episode "Amazon Women in the Mood" premieres, guest starring actress and comedian Bea Arthur.
- February 11:
- The Futurama episode "Bendless Love" premieres, guest starring actress and comedian Jan Hooks.
- The Simpsons episode "Tennis the Menace" premieres, guest starring Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams.
- February 16: The film ' is released.
- February 23: Henry Selick's Monkeybone, which combines animation with live-action, is released, but to bad reviews and low audience attendances.
- February 25: The Futurama episode "That's Lobstertainment!" premieres, guest starring actor, comedian and fellow Simpsons cast member Hank Azaria. However, this episode received polarizing reception from fans and it was often regarded as one of the worst episodes of the series.
March
April
- April 1:
- The Futurama episode "The Cyber House Rules" premieres, in which Leela meets up with her former orphanarium playmate Adlai Atkins, now a plastic surgeon, who agrees to grant Leela surgery that will give her two eyes.
- The Simpsons episode "Simpson Safari" is broadcast, in which the family travels to Africa.
- April 4: The first episode of Titeuf airs, based on the eponymous comics series.
- April 8: The Tom and Jerry short The Mansion Cat, produced by Hanna-Barbera, premieres on Cartoon Network's sister network Boomerang. This was the final Tom and Jerry-related piece of media to be produced by Hanna-Barbera before the studio's closure this year, it is also the last Tom and Jerry-related piece of media to be produced with the franchise's co-creator William Hanna still being around (who died two weeks before this short premiered).
- April 19: Bill Plympton's Mutant Aliens is released.
- April 20: The dark Invader Zim episode "Dark Harvest" airs. This episode became controversial when it was mentioned at the Scott Dyleski trial in 2006.
- April 22: The Futurama episode "Bendin' in the Wind" premieres, guest starring musician Beck.
- April 29: The Simpsons episode "Trilogy of Error" is first broadcast, in which three connected stories from different viewpoints are told, inspired by the film Run Lola Run, all based around Homer Simpson accidentally cutting off his thumb. The episode also guest stars Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz as Thelonious.
May
June
- June 2: The first episode of Braceface is broadcast.
- June 3: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise's ', produced by the Walt Disney Company, is released. It is a box office flop, but becomes a cult film later. During its 25-week theatrical run, Atlantis: The Lost Empire grossed over $186 million worldwide ($84 million from the United States and Canada). Responding to its disappointing box-office performance, Thomas Schumacher, then-president of Walt Disney Feature Animation, said, "It seemed like a good idea at the time to not do a sweet fairy tale, but we missed."
- June 8: The first episode of Time Squad airs.
- June 20: Season 5 of South Park begins on Comedy Central with the premiere of the episode "It Hits the Fan", which is well known for having the word "sh*t" said uncensored on television. This was the first episode to premiere in the 21st century.
- June 27: The South Park episode "Cripple Fight" premieres on Comedy Central, featuring the debut of Jimmy Valmer.
- June 28: The Rugrats receive a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- June 30: The first episode of What's with Andy? is broadcast.
July
- July 11: Season 3 of Family Guy begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "The Thin White Line", which was seen by just nearly 6 million viewers that night.
- July 20:
- The Portuguese film The Happy Cricket is released.
- Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away premieres.
- July 21: The hour-long Rugrats special "All Growed Up" premieres on Nickelodeon in honor of the show's 10th anniversary.
- The special serves as the backdoor pilot for the spin-off All Grown Up!, which premiered 2 years later on Nick.
- This special holds the record for the most watched program on Nickelodeon at its premiere, ranking in a total of over 11 million viewers.
August
September
October
November
December
Specific date unknown
Awards
Films released
Television series debuts
Television series endings
Television season premieres
Television season finales
Births
February
- February 15: Haley Tju, American actress (voice of Lexi Kubota in Glitch Techs, Marcy Wu in Amphibia, Alia in Arlo the Alligator Boy and I Heart Arlo, Sqweep in Monsters vs. Aliens, Stella in The Loud House, Karmi in ', Nu Hai in ', Wenda in Where's Waldo?).
- February 21: Isabella Acres, American actress (voice of Jade in Sofia the First, Mary Anne Gleardan in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Kate in Phineas and Ferb, young Princess Bubblegum in Adventure Time, Emma Gale in Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright).
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
- October 12: Raymond Ochoa, American actor and singer (voice of Arlo in The Good Dinosaur, young Anakin Skywalker in ', Noah in the Special Agent Oso episode "The Living Holiday Lights").
- October 13: Caleb McLaughlin, American actor (voice of Ghost in Summer Camp Island, Mo-Slo in ' episode "An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents", young Gary Goodspeed in the Final Space episode "Chapter 4").
- October 17: Jake Beale, Canadian actor (voice of Mike in Mike the Knight, first voice of Daniel in Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, continued voice of D.W. Read in Arthur).
- October 19: Art Parkinson, Irish actor (voice of Kubo in Kubo and the Two Strings).
- October 21: Ashley Liao, American actress (voice of Jun Wong in ').
November
- November 12: Hazel Doupe, Irish actress (voice of Melinda in ').
December
Deaths
January
- January 2: Alison de Vere, English animator, background designer (Halas and Batchelor, The Beatles, Yellow Submarine, The Animals of Farthing Wood) and director (The Black Dog, Psyche and Eros), dies at age 73.
- January 25: Sam Singer, American film director and producer (The Adventures of Pow Wow, The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican, Bucky and Pepito), dies at age 89.
- January 28: Don Brodie, American actor and director (voice of Devil Donald in Donald's Better Self, and Barker in Pinocchio), dies at age 96.
February
March
- March 1: Torsten Bjarre, Swedish animator and comics artist, dies at age 85.
- March 8: Edward Winter, American actor (voice of Dr. Buzz Kutt and Owner in Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, President, Sarge and Guard in The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Scientist #1 and other various characters in The Angry Beavers), dies from parkinson's disease at age 63.
- March 9: Richard Stone, American composer (Warner Bros. Animation), dies at age 47.
- March 11: Jim P. Dilworth, American animator, designer, and brother of John R. Dilworth (Courage the Cowardly Dog), dies at age 41.
- March 16: Norma MacMillan, Canadian voice actress (voice of Sweet Polly Purebred in Underdog, continued voice of Gumby, Davey in Davey and Goliath and Casper the Friendly Ghost), dies at age 79.
- March 22: William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and cartoonist (Tom & Jerry, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, Wacky Races, Scooby-Doo), co-founder of Hanna-Barbera, dies at age 90.
- March 25: Larry Lansburgh, American producer, director, and screenwriter (Walt Disney Company), dies at age 89.
April
- April 3: Ray Osrin, American cartoonist, animator and comics artist, dies at age 72.
- April 15: Joey Ramone, American musician and member of the Ramones (voiced himself in The Simpsons episode "Rosebud"), dies from lymphoma at age 49.
May
June
- June 1: Hank Ketcham, American comics artist and animator (Walt Disney Company, Walter Lantz), dies at age 81.
- June 15: Hurey, Belgian animator (worked for Belvision) and comics artist, dies at age 63.
- June 19: Lee Mishkin, American animator (Calvin and the Colonel, The New 3 Stooges, The Jackson 5ive, Halloween Is Grinch Night, Yogi's Space Race, ', The Simpsons), storyboard artist (Linus the Lionhearted, Heavy Metal) and director (Is It Always Right to Be Right?, Bionic Six), dies at age 74.
- June 24: Kent Holaday, American animator (Walt Disney Animation Studios, Maxie's World, BraveStarr, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil, ') and lip sync artist (DIC Entertainment, The Simpsons, The New Adventures of He-Man, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life, Klasky Csupo, The Critic, The Maxx, King of the Hill, Daria, Celebrity Deathmatch, Futurama, Sheep in the Big City, Baby Blues), dies at age 49.
- June 26: Paul Berry, English animator and director (The Sandman, worked for Cosgrove Hall and Henry Selick), dies at age 40.
- June 27:
- Jack Lemmon, American actor (voice of Frank Ormand in The Simpsons episode "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson"), dies from bladder cancer at age 76.
- Joan Sims, English actress (voice of Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol, The Witch in The Thief and the Cobbler), dies at age 71.
July
- July 4: Perry Kiefer, American animator (HBO Storybook Musicals, Bugs Bunny's Overtures to Disaster, Rugrats, Tiny Toon Adventures, Timon & Pumbaa), storyboard artist (Animaniacs, Rocko's Modern Life, Gargoyles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Tick, Pepper Ann), background artist (Animaniacs), prop designer (Gargoyles), sheet timer (Jungle Cubs) and director ('), commits suicide at age 41.
- July 7: Toni Pagot, Italian comics artist, cartoonist and animator (Calimero), dies at age 79.
- July 15: Ted Berman, American animator, film director and screenwriter (Walt Disney Company), dies at age 81.
- July 16: Morris, Belgian comics artist and animation director (Daisy Town, The Ballad of the Daltons), dies at age 77.
August
- August 4: Lorenzo Music, American actor (voice of Garfield in Garfield and Friends, Tummi Gummi in Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Peter Venkman in The Real Ghostbusters and Ralph the All-Purpose Animal in Twice Upon a Time) dies at age 64.
- August 16: Dave Barry, American radio host and voice actor (voice of Humphrey Bogart in 8 Ball Bunny, Bluto in the Popeye cartoon Seein' Red, White 'N' Blue, Elmer Fudd in Pre-Hysterical Hare), dies at age 82.
- August 23: Kathleen Freeman, American actress (voice of Eugenia Kisskillya in Detention, Mrs. Gordon in As Told by Ginger, Mrs. Crackshell in DuckTales, Elder #1 in ', Ma in the ' episode "Short Order Crooks", Mrs. Evans in The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest episode "Return of the Anasazi", Greta in the Cow and Chicken episode "Sumo Cow", Ma Mayhem in the Batman Beyond episode "The Eggbaby"), dies from lung cancer at age 78.
September
- September 7: Billie Lou Watt, American actress and writer (voice of the title characters in Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, Jimmy Sparks in Gigantor, Chris Peeper, Gizmo and other various characters in Superbook, Ma Bagge and McPhearson Phantom in Courage the Cowardly Dog), dies from lung cancer at age 77.
- September 18: Ernie Coombs, American-Canadian entertainer (voice of the Narrator in Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings), dies from a stroke at age 73.
- September 23: Robert Abel, American visual effects artist (Tron), dies at age 64.
- September 30: Bjørn Frank Jensen, Danish animator and comics artist (co-founder of Ring, Frank & Jensen, worked for Marten Toonder's animation department), dies at age 81.
October
- October 5: Jan Lenica, Polish graphic designer, cartoonist, poster illustrator and animator (Dom, A, Adam 2, Ubu et la grande gidouille), dies at age 73.
- October 6: Yuriy Meshcheryakov, Russian-Ukrainian animator (The Tale of Tsar Saltan), dies at age 55.
- October 9: Vladimir Danilevich, Russian film director (Vaniusha The Newcomer), dies at age 77.
November
- November 6: Chris Ishii, American animator and comic artist (Walt Disney Animation Studios, UPA, the 1974 Mad Magazine special, the animated segment in Woody Allen's Annie Hall), dies at age 81.
- November 12: Albert Hague, German-American songwriter and composer (How the Grinch Stole Christmas!), dies at age 81.
- November 20: Bob Moore, American animator and comics artist (worked for Walter Lantz and Walt Disney Animation), dies at age 81.
- November 21: Seymour Reit, aka Sy Reit, American animator (Fleischer Studios, co-creator of Casper the Friendly Ghost), writer, screenwriter, comics writer and comics artist, dies at age 83.
- November 29: George Harrison, English musician, singer-songwriter and member of The Beatles (voiced himself in The Simpsons episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet"), dies from lung cancer at age 58.
December
- December 2: Chase Craig, American animator, scriptwriter and comics writer (Warner Bros. Cartoons, Walter Lantz Productions), dies at age 91.
- December 7: Faith Hubley, American animator, storyboard artist (Mr. Magoo, co-founder of Storyboard Studios), dies at age 77 from breast cancer.
- December 11: Beverly Hope Atkinson, American actress (voice of Carol in Heavy Traffic), dies at age 66.
- December 26: Nigel Hawthorne, English actor (voice of Captain Campion in Watership Down, Dr. Boycott in The Plague Dogs, Fflewddur Fflam in The Black Cauldron, Professor Porter in Tarzan), dies at age 72.
- December 30: Ray Patterson, American animator and film director and producer (Screen Gems, Walt Disney Animation Studios, MGM Animation, Grantray-Lawrence Animation, Hanna-Barbera), dies at age 90.
- December 31: David Swift, American writer, film director and producer (Walt Disney Company), dies at age 82.
Specific date unknown
Notes
See also
References
Sources
External links