List of years in animation
This is a lists of years in animation.
Before 1940
- 1900 - J. Stuart Blackton and Thomas Edison create The Enchanted Drawing, the first film to feature ground breaking animated sequences.
- 1906 - Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, the first animation recorded
- 1908 - Fantasmagorie, said by animation historians as the world's first cartoon, is released
- 1911 - Little Nemo, the first animated film based on a comic strip, is released
- 1914 – Gertie the Dinosaur, one of the earliest animated films to feature a dinosaur, is released
- 1919 – First Felix the Cat cartoon Feline Follies
- 1923 – Walt Disney Animation Studios is founded
- 1926 – German animation The Adventures of Prince Achmed, the earliest and survived feature film, is released.
- 1928 – Steamboat Willie, the first ever synchronized cartoon with sound, introducing the world to Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse
- 1929 – The Skeleton Dance (first Silly Symphonies cartoon)
- 1930 – Warner Bros. Animation is founded, along with the launch of popular cartoon short series Looney Tunes, Dizzy Dishes (first Betty Boop cartoon)
- 1932 – Flowers and Trees (the first colour cartoon and winner of the very first Oscar for Best Animated Short Film); character debut: Goofy
- 1933 – Popeye the Sailor, Three Little Pigs
- 1934 – character debut: Donald Duck
- 1935 – character debut: Porky Pig
- 1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (the very first ever full-length animated feature film); character debuts: Snow White, Daffy Duck
- 1938 – Gandy Goose
- 1939 – Gulliver's Travels, Barney Bear
1940s
- 1940 – Tom and Jerry, Pinocchio, Fantasia; character debut: Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker
- 1941 – Woody Woodpecker, Dumbo, Superman
- 1942 – Bambi, Mighty Mouse, How to Play Baseball
- 1943 – Red Hot Riding Hood, Little Lulu, Droopy, Victory Through Air Power
- 1944 – The Three Caballeros, Screwball Squirrel
- 1945 – Casper the Friendly Ghost
- 1946 – Make Mine Music, The Talking Magpies (first Heckle and Jeckle cartoon)
- 1947 – The Crab with the Golden Claws, Little Audrey
- 1948 – Little Tinker
- 1949 – Mr. Magoo, Crusader Rabbit (the first ever animated television series)
1950s
- 1950 – Gerald McBoing-Boing, Cinderella
- 1951 – Alice in Wonderland
- 1952 – The Scarlet Flower, The Snow Maiden, Lambert the Sheepish Lion, The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird
- 1953 – Peter Pan, Chilly Willy; character debut: Tinker Bell
- 1954 – Animal Farm
- 1955 – Lady and the Tramp (becoming the first animated film to be filmed in CinemaScope)
- 1956 - The Gumby Show, The Twelve Months; Toei Animation is founded
- 1957 – Let's All Go to the Lobby; Hanna-Barbera is founded, followed by the first broadcast of its first show The Ruff and Reddy Show
- 1958 – The Huckleberry Hound Show; character debut: Yogi Bear
- 1959 – Rocky and His Friends, Sleeping Beauty, The Quick Draw McGraw Show
1960s
- 1960 – The Flintstones, The Bugs Bunny Show; character debut: Fred Flintstone
- 1961 – One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Yogi Bear Show, Top Cat
- 1962 – The Jetsons, Gay Purr-ee, The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series
- 1963 – Astro Boy (the first ever anime television series), The Sword in the Stone, Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales; character debut: The Pink Panther
- 1964 – The Pink Panther cartoon series, Johnny Quest, Underdog, The Magilla Gorilla Show, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- 1965 – The Magic Roundabout, The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show, A Charlie Brown Christmas (first Peanuts TV special)
- 1966 – Winnie the Pooh, Space Ghost, Batfink, Trumptonshire trilogy, Ultra Series, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
- 1967 – The Jungle Book, George of the Jungle, Speed Racer, Spider-Man
- 1968 – Yellow Submarine, Wacky Races, The Herbs, The Archie Show
- 1969 – Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots, Nu, pogodi!, Clangers, Frosty the Snowman; The Archies release Sugar Sugar; character debut: Scooby-Doo
1970s
- 1970 – The Aristocats, Josie and the Pussycats
- 1971 – Mr. Benn, Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!, The Cat in the Hat
- 1972 – Fritz the Cat (marking the launch of adult animation) Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids; Aardman is founded; the 1st Annie Awards are awarded
- 1973 – Schoolhouse Rock!, The Wombles, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Charley Says, Robin Hood, Charlotte's Web, Dr. Seuss on the Loose
- 1974 – Roobarb, Hong Kong Phooey, Bagpuss
- 1975 – Paddington Bear, Great, Mr. Men, Hedgehog in the Fog, The Great Grape Ape Show, Bod, Ivor the Engine
- 1976 – Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Jamie and the Magic Torch, Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk
- 1977 – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Rescuers, Wizards, The Hobbit, Baggy Pants and the Nitwits, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, Laff-A-Lympics, The Flumps
- 1978 – Watership Down, Fangface, The Lord of the Rings
- 1979 – Tale of Tales, Doraemon, Banjo the Woodpile Cat
1980s
- 1980 – The Amazing Adventures of Morph
- 1981 – The Smurfs, Danger Mouse (1981), Postman Pat, Heavy Metal, The Fox and the Hound, Willo the Wisp, Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds
- 1982 – The Secret of NIMH, The Snowman, SuperTed
- 1983 – He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Wind in the Willows, Inspector Gadget, Henry's Cat, Bananaman
- 1984 – The Transformers, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Heathcliff, Voltron, Rainbow Brite, The Family-Ness, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, The Trap Door, Rupert and the Frog Song, Muppet Babies
- 1985 – The Raccoons, ThunderCats, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears, M.A.S.K., Jem, She-Ra: Princess of Power, The Black Cauldron, Care Bears; Studio Ghibli is founded
- 1986 – An American Tail, The Great Mouse Detective, Dragon Ball, Foofur, The Raggy Dolls, Castle in the Sky, Pingu; Pixar is founded, along with its first short film Luxo Jr., with the title character who would then become its mascot.
- 1987 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fireman Sam, DuckTales, The Brave Little Toaster
- 1988 – My Neighbor Totoro, Akira, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Land Before Time, Count Duckula, Grave of the Fireflies, Tin Toy, Oliver and Company, Garfield and Friends; character debut: Totoro, Jessica Rabbit.
- 1989 – The Simpsons, Wallace and Gromit, The Little Mermaid (starting off the Disney Renaissance), Creature Comforts, The BFG, Kiki's Delivery Service, Beetlejuice, Babar, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Muzzy, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers; character debut: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson, Ariel
1990s
- 1990 – Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Tiny Toon Adventures, TaleSpin, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Bobby's World; Nickelodeon Animation is founded
- 1991 – Beauty and the Beast, Doug, Rugrats, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Father Christmas, Super Mario World, Darkwing Duck, Only Yesterday, Æon Flux
- 1992 – Batman: The Animated Series, Sailor Moon, Aladdin, The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends, Eek! the Cat, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, X-Men, Crayon Shin-Chan, Porco Rosso; Cartoon Network is launched
- 1993 – The Nightmare Before Christmas, Animaniacs, Beavis and Butt-Head, The Animals of Farthing Wood, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, 2 Stupid Dogs, Rocko's Modern Life, Madeline, The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Biker Mice From Mars, VeggieTales
- 1994 – The Lion King, The Tick, Spider-Man, Pom Poko, Duckman, ReBoot, Magic Adventures of Mumfie, Gargoyles, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, The Magic School Bus, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters; DreamWorks Animation is founded
- 1995 – Toy Story, Pinky and the Brain, Freakazoid!, Ghost in the Shell, The What A Cartoon Show, Pocahontas, Timon & Pumbaa, Whisper of the Heart; character debut: Woody and Buzz Lightyear
- 1996 – Dexter's Laboratory, Hey Arnold!, James and the Giant Peach, Blue's Clues, Space Jam, Arthur, KaBlam!, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Superman: The Animated Series
- 1997 – Pokémon, South Park, Princess Mononoke, Anastasia, Todd MacFarlane's Spawn, I Am Weasel, Johnny Bravo, Perfect Blue, Hercules, Cow and Chicken, The Angry Beavers, Cats Don't Dance, Daria, Geri's Game, King of the Hill, Recess; character debut: Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick
- 1998 – The Powerpuff Girls, Antz, The Prince of Egypt, Oh Yeah! Cartoons, The Rugrats Movie, Kirikou and the Sorceress, The Wild Thornberrys, Mulan, A Bug's Life, CatDog, Bob and Margaret, The First Snow of Winter, Bob the Builder; character debut: The Powerpuff Girls
- 1999 – SpongeBob SquarePants, The Iron Giant, Family Guy, Futurama, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, My Neighbours the Yamadas, Tarzan (final Disney Renaissance film), Toy Story 2, Digimon: Digital Monsters, Redwall, Happy Tree Friends, Ed, Edd 'n Eddy, Batman Beyond, Home Movies, Oggy and the Cockroaches, Robbie the Reindeer, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rocket Power, Mike, Lu and Og; character debut: SpongeBob SquarePants
2000s
- 2000 – Dora the Explorer, Chicken Run, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Static Shock, As Told By Ginger, Teacher's Pet, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Jackie Chan Adventures, Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids, The Emperor's New Groove, Sheep in the Big City, Dinosaur, Clifford the Big Red Dog
- 2001 – Shrek (which wins the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature), The Fairly OddParents, Invader Zim, Samurai Jack, Spirited Away, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Time Squad, Monsters, Inc., Waking Life, Justice League, Yu-Gi-Oh!, The Proud Family, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, House of Mouse, Stanley, Totally Spies!, Beyblade; Gorillaz release their self-titled debut album
- 2002 – Lilo & Stitch, Ice Age, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?, Cyberchase, A Town Called Panic (TV series), Filmore!, Clone High, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, ChalkZone, ¡Mucha Lucha!, Naruto, Mr. Bean: The Animated Series, Kim Possible, Treasure Planet, The ChubbChubbs!, Codename: Kids Next Door; character debut: Scrat, Stitch
- 2003 – Finding Nemo, The Triplets of Belleville, Teen Titans, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Boundin', Xiaolin Showdown, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Brother Bear, Creature Comforts (TV series), The Venture Bros., Harvie Krumpet, Code Lyoko
- 2004 – Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, The Incredibles, Drawn Together, Shrek 2, The Polar Express, Bleach, Atomic Betty, Peppa Pig, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Danny Phantom, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Winx Club, Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, Howl's Moving Castle, W.I.T.C.H.
- 2005 – Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ben 10, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Corpse Bride, American Dad!, Robot Chicken, Madagascar, 9, The Boondocks, How It Should Have Ended, Camp Lazlo, Krypto the Superdog, Squidbillies, Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, American Dragon: Jake Long, My Gym Partner's A Monkey, Johnny Test, The Buzz on Maggie; Gorillaz release Demon Days; Laika is founded
- 2006 – Happy Feet, Curious George, Cars, Handy Manny, Monster House, Wonder Pets!, Class of 3000, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, Pucca, Peter and the Wolf, The Secret Show
- 2007 – Phineas and Ferb, Ratatouille, The Simpsons Movie, Chowder, Persepolis, Surf's Up, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Shaun the Sheep; Chris Meledandri leaves 20th Century Fox Animation to form his own company Illumination
- 2008 – Kung Fu Panda, Ponyo, WALL-E, Total Drama, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Simon's Cat, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Waltz with Bashir, Presto, Tinker Bell, Bolt, Martha Speaks, The Penguins of Madagascar
- 2009 – Coraline, Up, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, Mary and Max, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Masha and the Bear, Prep & Landing, Archer, A Town Called Panic (film), The Secret of Kells, Logorama, Monsters vs. Aliens, The Gruffalo
2010s
- 2010 – Despicable Me, Adventure Time, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled, Toy Story 3, The Ricky Gervais Show, T.U.F.F. Puppy, Octonauts, Generator Rex, Chico and Rita, A Cat in Paris, Regular Show, Young Justice, The Illusionist, Day & Night; Gorillaz release Plastic Beach; character debut: the Minions, Pinkie Pie
- 2011 – Bob's Burgers, The Adventures of Tintin, The Amazing World of Gumball, Arthur Christmas, Rango, La Luna, Rio, Puss in Boots, Larva, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
- 2012 – The Legend of Korra, Brave, Gravity Falls, Wreck-It Ralph, ParaNorman, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, Rise of the Guardians, Bravest Warriors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), Sofia the First, Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood, Paperman, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure; character debut: Mabel Pines
- 2013 – Frozen, Rick and Morty, Mickey Mouse, The Wind Rises, Steven Universe, The Croods, Teen Titans Go!, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, PAW Patrol; character debut: Elsa and Anna, Olaf, Rick Sanchez
- 2014 – The Book of Life, The Lego Movie, Over the Garden Wall, Big Hero 6, BoJack Horseman, Star Wars Rebels, How to Train Your Dragon 2, When Marnie Was There, Tumble Leaf, Mr. Pickles, Song of the Sea, The Boxtrolls, Spookiz; character debut: Princess Unikitty, BoJack Horseman
- 2015 – Inside Out, The Peanuts Movie, Shaun the Sheep Movie, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, We Bare Bears, Home, Mighty Magiswords, F Is for Family, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, We Bare Bears, Anomalisa, The Little Prince
- 2016 – Zootopia, The Loud House, Finding Dory, Sausage Party, Moana, The Secret Life of Pets, Milo Murphy's Law, Trolls, Tales of Arcadia, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Red Turtle, Piper, My Life as a Courgette, Voltron: Legendary Defender
- 2017 – DuckTales (2017), Coco, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Castlevania, The Breadwinner, The Lego Batman Movie, Unikitty!, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, In a Heartbeat, Big Mouth, A Silent Voice, Big Hero 6: The Series, The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales..., Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Spirit Riding Free, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, Mary and the Witch's Flower, Loving Vincent, Hanazuki: Full of Treasures; character debut Lucas the Spider
- 2018 – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Isle of Dogs, Hilda, Incredibles 2, The Dragon Prince, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Disenchantment, Ballmastrz 9009, Summer Camp Island, Mirai, Final Space, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Craig of the Creek, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, Let's Go Luna!, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
- 2019 – Infinity Train, Hazbin Hotel, SparkShorts, Frozen II, Toy Story 4, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Green Eggs and Ham, DC Super Hero Girls, Harley Quinn, Klaus, Bless the Harts, Undone, The Casagrandes, Missing Link, Primal; Kyoto Animation's first studio carries out an arson attack, killing 35 people.
2020s
- 2020 – The Willoughbys, The Owl House, It's Pony, Onward, Soul, Central Park, Solar Opposites, Looney Tunes Cartoons, Close Enough
- 2021 – Ron's Gone Wrong, Vivo, Raya and the Last Dragon, Pinocchio, Wendell and Wild
- 2022 – Nimona