1954 in animation
Events in 1954 in animation.
Events
January
January 2: Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester cartoon Dog Pounded premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Pepé Le Pew makes a cameo at the end of the short.January 16: Friz Freleng's Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam cartoon Captain Hareblower premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.January 17: Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Puppy Tale, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, is first released.January 30: Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Posse Cat, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, is first released.February
February 13: Chuck Jones' cartoon Feline Frame-Up premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Starring Marc Anthony, Pussyfoot, & Claude Cat.February 27: Chuck Jones' cartoon No Barking premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Starring Claude Cat & Frisky Puppy, Tweety & Marc Anthony also have cameos in the short.March
March 5: The Donald Duck cartoon Donald's Diary premieres, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by Jack Kinney.March 13: Friz Freleng's Bugs Bunny cartoon Bugs and Thugs premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.March 20: Chuck Jones' Pepé Le Pew cartoon The Cats Bah premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Penelope Pussycat.March 25: 26th Academy Awards: The Walt Disney Company's Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom, directed by Ward Kimball and Charles A. Nichols, wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.April
April 17:- * Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Hic-cup Pup, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, is first released.
- * Robert McKimson's Sylvester and Hippety Hopper cartoon Bell Hoppy premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.
May
May 1: Robert McKimson's Bugs Bunny cartoon No Parking Hare premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.May 8:- * Friz Freleng's Sylvester cartoon Dr. Jerkyl's Hide premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Spike the Bulldog and Chester the Terrier.
- * Tex Avery's Billy Boy, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, premieres.May 22: Chuck Jones' second Porky Pig and Sylvester cartoon Claws for Alarm premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.May 29: Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Little School Mouse, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, premieres.
June
June 5: Robert McKimson's Foghorn Leghorn cartoon Little Boy Boo premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Miss Prissy & Egghead Jr..June 19: Robert McKimson's Bugs Bunny cartoon Devil May Hare premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. The film marks the debut of the Tasmanian Devil.June 26: Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester cartoon Muzzle Tough premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Granny and Hector the Bulldog.July
July 24: Chuck Jones' Bugs Bunny cartoon Bewitched Bunny premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons which marks the debut of Witch Hazel.July 31: Dick Lundy's Bird-Brain Bird Dog, produced by MGM, premieres. It is the final theatrical Barney Bear cartoon.August
August 7: Friz Freleng's Tweety & Sylvester short Satan's Waitin', produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, is first released.August 13: Jack Hannah's Donald Duck cartoon Grin and Bear It premieres, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It marks the debut of park ranger J. Audubon Woodlore.August 14:- * Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Baby Butch, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, is first released.
- * Chuck Jones' Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner short Stop! Look! And Hasten!, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, is first released.
- August 28: Friz Freleng's Bugs Bunny cartoon Yankee Doodle Bugs premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Clyde Bunny.
September
September 4: Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Mice Follies, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, is first released.October
October 2:- * Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Neapolitan Mouse, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, is first released.
- * Friz Freleng's Sylvester cartoon By Word of Mouse premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.October 10: John Paul's Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy premieres.October 16: Chuck Jones' From A to Z-Z-Z-Z is first released, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.October 27: The first episode of Walt Disney anthology television series airs under the title Walt Disney's Disneyland.
November
November 13: Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Downhearted Duckling, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, is first released.November 20: Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Pet Peeve, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, is first released. This was the first Tom and Jerry cartoon be produced in CinemaScope.November 27: Chuck Jones' Daffy Duck and Porky Pig cartoon My Little Duckaroo premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.December
December 4: Tex Avery's Dixieland Droopy premieres, produced by MGM.December 18:- * Chuck Jones' Bugs Bunny cartoon Baby Buggy Bunny premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.
- * Hanna-Barbera's Tom and Jerry short Touché, Pussy Cat!, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, is first released.December 20: After having left the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio, Tex Avery joins Walter Lantz Productions. He directs his first animated short for this studio, I'm Cold which stars Chilly Willy.December 29: Halas and Batchelor release Animal Farm, an adaptation of George Orwell's eponymous novel. It is the first British animated feature-length film. Specific date unknown:
- * Mikhail Tsekhanovsky's The Frog Princess premieres.
- * Pete Burness' Mr. Magoo short film When Magoo Flew, produced by UPA, premieres.
Films released
- August 19 - The Good Soldier Schweik
- October 10 - Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy
- December - Tsarevna the Frog
- December 22 - ''Animal Farm''
Television series
- October 27 - Walt Disney anthology TV series debuts on ABC, NBC, and CBS.
- Specific date unknown - The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican debuts on ABC.
Births
January
January 6:- * David Sproxton, English animator, director and producer.
- * John Sparkes, Welsh actor and comedian.January 7: Sander Schwartz, American animation producer.January 17: Igor Kovalyov, Russian-born American animator, director and educator.January 19:
- * Katey Sagal, American actress and singer-songwriter.
- * Akira Shigino, Japanese animator,.January 20: Ken Page, American actor and singer,.January 25: Ruth Williamson, American actress.January 26: Sooan Kim, Korean-American animator,.January 28:
- * Richard Sakai, American film and television producer.
- * Simon Templeman, English actor.January 29: Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host, television producer, actress, author and philanthropist.
February
February 1: Bill Mumy, American actor.February 4: Shigeru Chiba, Japanese actor.February 10: Bobbie Page, American producer and production manager.February 15: Matt Groening, American comics artist and animator.February 18: John Travolta, American actor.February 28: Enver Petrovci, Kosovar actor,.March
March 1:- * Ron Howard, American actor and filmmaker.
- * Peter Spellos, American voice actor,.March 4: Catherine O'Hara, Canadian-American actress,. March 7: Pam Carter, American voice actor and voice director,.March 8: James Carter Cathcart, American voice actor,.March 11: David Newman, American composer and conductor.
April
April 3: Bob Onorato, American animator, character designer and storyboard artist,.April 4: Tom Ruegger, American television producer, writer, and animator.April 7: Jackie Chan, Chinese actor and martial artist.April 9: Dennis Quaid, American actor.April 10: Peter MacNicol, American actor.April 13: Glen Keane, American animator.April 14: Katsuhiro Otomo, Japanese manga artist, screenwriter, animator and film director.April 17: Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor,.April 27: John Cygan, American actor and comedian,.April 28: Roy Braverman, American sound supervisor, sound editor, and composer.April 29: Jerry Seinfeld, American actor, comedian, writer and producer.May
May 8: Stephen Furst, American actor,.May 10: Mike Hagerty, American actor,.May 14: Jeffrey Townsend, American director, television writer and composer.May 17: David Zippel, American musical theatre lyricist, director, and producer.May 21:- * Janice Karman, American voice actress, producer and director.
- * Jill Jacobson, American actress,.May 28: Townsend Coleman, American actor.
June
June 2:- * Richard Sala, American comics artist, illustrator and animator,.
- * Mike Svayko, American animator, storyboard artist, background artist, prop designer, technical director, sheet timer and director,.
- * Dennis Haysbert, American actor.June 9: George Pérez, American comic book artist and writer,.June 14: Jan Rabson, American actor,.June 15: Jim Belushi, American actor, comedian and musician.June 19: Kathleen Turner, American actress.June 21: Mike MacDonald, French-born Canadian actor and comedian,.
July
July 2:- * Sue Rose, American cartoonist, animator, voice actress and television writer.
- * Wendy Schaal, American actress.July 7: Ron Jones, American composer.July 17: J Michael Straczynski, American filmmaker and comic book writer.July 19: Steve O'Donnell, American television writer.July 28: Philip Williams, Canadian actor,.
August
August 4: Martin Pasko, Canadian-American comics writer and animation writer,.August 6: John Moschitta Jr., American actor, singer and spokesman.August 13: Peter Hannan, American animator, singer-songwriter, author, illustrator, writer, and producer.August 20:- * Al Roker, American weather presenter, journalist, television personality and author.
- * Theresa Saldana, American actress,.August 23: Danny Mandia, Filipino dubbing director,.August 24: Joe Ochman, American actor.August 28: Bob Bendetson, American television writer and producer.August 30: David Paymer, American actor.
September
September 3: Kevin Petrilak, American animator, storyboard artist, sheet timer and director.September 7: Michael Emerson, American actor.September 8: David Schwartz, American animator, storyboard artist, writer and director,.September 9: Jeffrey Combs, American actor.September 13: Isiah Whitlock Jr., American actor,.September 14: Curtis Cim, American animator and storyboard artist,.September 19: Janet Perlman, Canadian animator.September 22: Shari Belafonte, American actress.September 26: Wayne Moss, Canadian director,.September 28: Stephen James Taylor, American composer.October
October 1: Masahiko Tanaka, Japanese actor.October 2: Frank Budgen, English commercial director and co-founder of Gorgeous Enterprises,.October 3: Paweł Sanakiewicz, Polish actor,.October 6: Howard Hoffman, American actor.October 8: Jim Smith, American animator, storyboard artist, character designer, background artist, musician, writer, director, and producer,.October 9:- * Scott Bakula, American actor.
- * John O'Hurley, American actor.October 10: Patric Zimmerman, American retired voice actor.October 16:
- * Ellen Gerstell, American voice actress.
- * Jeff McCarthy, American actor.October 18: Bob Weinstein, American film and television producer.
November
November 5: Mike Gabriel, American animator and film director.November 7: Unknown Hinson, American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and comedian.November 11: Roger Slifer, American comic book writer, screenwriter, and television producer,.November 13: Chris Noth, American actor.November 18: Carter Burwell, American film composer.November 21: Timothy Stack, American actor, producer and screenwriter.November 25: Dave Alex Riddett, English cinematographer.November 27:- * Kimmy Robertson, American actress.
- * Steven Banks, American actor, musician, comedian and television writer.November 28: Marty Grabstein, American actor.
December
December 4: Tony Todd, American actor,.December 18: Ray Liotta, American actor and producer,.December 20: Dave Simons, American comic book artist, animator and storyboard artist,.December 26:- * Tony Rosato, Italian-Canadian actor and comedian,.
- * Ozzie Smith, American former professional baseball player.December 30: Gordon Goodwin, American composer,.
Specific date unknown
- Nina Elias-Bamberger, American television producer,.
- Mac Torres, American animator,.
- Ellen Lichtwardt Goodchild, American animator, visual effects artist, art director and writer.
- Gordon Kent, American animator, storyboard artist, sheet timer, lip sync artist, recording director, writer, producer and director,.
- Peter Hudecki, Canadian animator.
- Charlie Mills, British animator.
- Kathy Kinney, American actress and comedian.