1980 in animation


Events in 1980 in animation.

Events

January

January 6: The first episode of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer airs, an anime adaptation of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.January 8: The first episode of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils airs, an anime adaptation of Selma Lagerlöf's novel Nils Holgersson. It is the first production of Studio Pierrot.

February

February 1: The Olympic Games special Animalympics, directed by Steven Lisberger, is first broadcast. However, its second part was never broadcast due to Jimmy Carter deciding that the United States would boycott the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow out of protest against the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.February 25: The Peanuts TV special She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown premieres on CBS.

March

March 15:

April

April 14: 52nd Academy Awards: Every Child by Derek Lamb wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

May

May 15: Julien Temple's The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle premieres, a film starring The Sex Pistols which occasionally features animated sequences, produced by Animation City.May 21:

August

August 2: The film Be Forever Yamato premieres.

September

September 6: The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, the second cartoon based on Tom and Jerry, airs on CBS. It was since classified as one of the worst made-for-TV Tom and Jerry series and the only one to be produced by Filmation.

October

October 1: The animated TV series King Rollo, based on David McKee's children's novels, is first broadcast.October 4:

November

November 1: Karel Zeman's The Tale of John and Mary is first released.November 3: Czech animation director Karel Zeman is awarded with the Order of the Republic by president Gustáv Husák.November 8:

Specific date unknown

Hurray for Betty Boop, a compilation film of the Betty Boop franchise, was given a limited theatrical release. Resulting its commercial failure, it remains abandoned after the 1984 VHS release until it was uploaded on social media in 2016.

Films released

Television series

Births

January

January 4:

February

February 12: Christina Ricci, American actress.February 17:

March

March 9: Matthew Gray Gubler, American actor.March 31: Kate Micucci, American actress.

April

April 8: Katee Sackhoff, American actress.April 10: Jasika Nicole, American actress.April 13: Colleen Clinkenbeard, American actress.April 24: Reagan Gomez-Preston, American actress.April 26: Channing Tatum, American actor.

May

May 2:
  • * Vincent Tong, Canadian voice actor.
  • * Ellie Kemper, American actress and comedian.May 4: Lauren Montgomery, American storyboard artist, film and television director, and character designer.May 24: Sabrina Alberghetti, Canadian animator, storyboard artist and director.May 27: Ben Feldman, American actor.

June

June 9: Matthew Margeson, American musician, composer, and arranger.June 10: Jessica DiCicco, American actress.June 12: Kawa Ada, Afghan-Canadian actor, writer and producer.June 13: Abbey McBride, American actress.June 23: Melissa Rauch, American actress.June 26: Jason Schwartzman, American actor and musician.June 27: Ben Bocquelet, French-British animator, writer, producer and director.

July

July 1: Fortune Feimster, American actress and comedian.July 3: Olivia Munn, American actress.July 7: Michelle Kwan, American retired figure skater.July 10: James Rolfe, American filmmaker, actor, producer and internet personality.July 17: Brett Goldstein, British actor, comedian and writer.July 18:
  • * Kristen Bell, American actress.
  • * Mike Yank, American television producer and writer.July 19: Chris Sullivan, American actor and musician.July 20:
  • * Adam Muto, American writer, storyboard artist, animator, and producer.
  • * Beth Chalmers, British voice actress

August

August 4: Daniel Ross, American actor, voice actor and producer.August 19: Aaron Horvath, American animator, television writer, producer, and director.August 26:

September

September 29: Zachary Levi, American actor.

October

October 1: Sarah Drew, American actress.October 3: Nick Cannon, American actor, comedian, rapper, and television host.October 8: Mike Mizanin, American pro wrestler and actor.October 17: Justin Shenkarow, American actor.October 18:

November

November 2: Brittany Ishibashi, Japanese-American actress.November 17: Stuart Stone, Canadian actor.November 29: Janina Gavankar, American actress.

December

December 3: Anna Chlumsky, American actress.December 18:

Specific date unknown

Deaths

January

January 14: Tadao Nagahama, Japanese director, dies at age 43.January 29: Jimmy Durante, American actor, comedian, pianist, and singer, dies at age 86.January 31: Ferdinand Bis, A.K.A. Ferdo Bis, Croatian comics artist and animator, dies at age 69.

February

February 17: Robert Stokes, American animator, dies at age 71.

March

March 18: Jessica Dragonette, American singer and actress, dies at age 80.

May

May 2: George Pal, Hungarian-American animator, film director, special effects maker and film producer, dies at age 72.May 15: Len Lye, New Zealand film director, sculptor, animator and film director, dies at age 78.May 16: Cornett Wood, American animator and lay-out artist, dies at age 74.May 31: Sonny Burke, American composer, dies at age 66.

June

June 16: Bob Nolan, American country singer and actor, dies at age 72.

August

August 26: Tex Avery, American animator, cartoonist, film director, and voice actor, creator or further developer of, dies at age 72.

September

September 12: Lillian Randolph, American actress and singer, dies from cancer at age 81.September 21: Lee Millar, American actor, dies at age 56.

November

November 15: Bill Lee, American playback singer, dies at age 64.November 17: Paul Smith, American animator and film director, dies at age 74.

December

December 8: John Lennon, English musician, singer-songwriter and member of The Beatles, was murdered by Mark David Chapman at age 40.December 20: Ben Sharpsteen, American animation director and film producer,, dies at age 85.December 29: Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya, Russian animator and film director, dies at age 71.