1998 in animation


1998 in animation[] is an overview of notable events, including notable awards, list of films released, television show debuts and endings, and notable deaths.

Events

February

March

March 2: Cartoon Network ends it's "Starburst" era and begins it's very iconic "Powerhouse" era.March 15: The first episode of PB&J Otter airs.March 23: 70th Academy Awards: Geri's Game by Jan Pinkava wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

April

April 1: Season 2 of South Park begins on Comedy Central with the premiere of the episode "Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus", the season's premiere angered a lot of fans of the show as they've been waiting for the reveal of Eric Cartman's father since the end of Season 1's "Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut".April 3: The first episode of Cowboy Bebop airs.April 4: The first episodes of CatDog and Yu-Gi-Oh! air.

May

May 14: The first episode of Celebrity Deathmatch is broadcast.May 15: Quest for Camelot is released.May 17:The Simpsons concludes its ninth season on Fox with the episode "Natural Born Kissers". It was seen by over 14 million viewers that night.King of the Hill concludes its second season on Fox with the episode "Propane Boom", which leaves the show on a major cliffhanger. It was seen by over 16 million viewers that night.May 28: American voice actor Phil Hartman is murdered by his wife who was under the influence of drugs, and committed suicide afterward.May 29: Season 5 of Rugrats begins on Nickelodeon with the premiere of the half-hour special "Vacation".

June

June 19: The Walt Disney Company releases Mulan. One of the pre-2010s Disney films to perceive the LGBT representation, later confirming Mulan's love interest Li Shang to be bisexual, yet condemned by Disney in response of #MeToo Movement.June 22: The first episode of Bob and Margaret is broadcast.

July

July 19: The first episode of Oh Yeah! Cartoons airs.July 21: The first episode of Lascars airs.July 24: Roy O. Disney receives a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

August

August 18: The Rugrats episode "The Word of the Day" premieres on Nickelodeon.August 23: Season 10 of The Simpsons begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "Lard of the Dance". It was seen by over 11.8 million viewers that night.August 31: The first episode of Disney's Hercules is broadcast.

September

September 1: The first episodes of Cousin Skeeter and The Wild Thornberrys premiere on Nickelodeon.September 4: The first episode of Archibald the Koala airs.September 6: The Oh Yeah! Cartoons short "The Fairly OddParents!" premieres on Nickelodeon. The short ended up getting its own series nearly 3 years later.September 12:

October

Specific date unknown: The Japanese animation studio Bones is founded.October 2: DreamWorks Animation's first film, Antz, directed by Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson, is released.October 3: The first episode of Anatole airs.October 4: The first episode of Rolie Polie Olie airs.October 5: The first episode of Ojarumaru airs.October 9: The first episode of The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald airs. October 25: The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror IX" premieres on Fox.

November

November 2: Chris Wedge's Bunny is first released.November 8: The Simpsons episode "When You Dish Upon a Star" premieres, which had a cutaway at the end which showed the 20th Century Fox studio with "A division of The Walt Disney Co." at the bottom of the studio sign. This episode would get renewed attention 21 years later after [Acquisition of 21st Century Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox by Disney|Disney's acquisition of Fox] in 2019.November 10: Rugrats concludes its fifth season on Nickelodeon with the premiere of the thanksgiving special "The Turkey Who Came to Dinner".November 16:

December

December 9: Michel Ocelot's Kirikou and the Sorceress premieres.December 16: The South Park episode "Gnomes" first airs, in which Tweek Meak makes his debut.December 18: The film The Prince of Egypt premieres.December 21: The first episode of Rex the Runt airs. December 22: MGM's The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, the direct-to-video sequel to Don Bluth's The Secret of NIMH, is released. It was brutally panned by audiences and critics for its deliberate neglect of the original source material and is declared to be one of the worst DTV sequels ever made.December 23: Enzo D'Alò's Lucky and Zorba premieres.

Specific date unknown

Films released

Television series debuts

DateTitleChannelYear
January 6The New Chucklewood CrittersN/A1998–1999
February 7Silver SurferFox Kids1998
February 7ToonsylvaniaFox Kids1998–1999
February 7Ned's NewtFox Kids1998–1999
March 1The Country Mouse and the City Mouse AdventuresHBO1998–1999
March 15PB&J OtterPlayhouse Disney1998–2000
April 1TrigunTV Tokyo1998
April 3Cowboy BebopTV Tokyo1998–1999
April 4CatDogNickelodeon1998–2005
May 14Celebrity DeathmatchMTV1998–2007
June 8Invasion AmericaThe WB1998
July 18Bad DogThe Family Channel1998–2000
July 19Oh Yeah! CartoonsNickelodeon1998–2000
August 15Donkey Kong CountryFox Family1998–2000
August 15Monster FarmFox Family1998–1999
August 15Walter MelonFox Family1998–1999
August 18Ohh Nooo! Mr. Bill PresentsFox Family1998–1999
August 31HerculesABC1998–1999
September 1The Wild ThornberrysNickelodeon1998–2004
September 5The Secret Files of the Spy DogsFox Kids1998–1999
September 7RoboCop: Alpha CommandoSyndication1998–1999
September 8Pokémon: Indigo LeagueSyndication, Kids' WB1998–2000
September 12Godzilla: The SeriesFox Kids1998–2000
September 12Mad Jack the PirateFox Kids1998–1999
September 12The Mr. Potato Head ShowFox Kids1998–1999
September 12Oggy and the CockroachesFox Kids1998–2019
September 14Histeria!Kids' WB1998–2000
September 16Shadow RaidersSyndication1998–1999
September 18Voltron: The Third DimensionSyndication1998–2000
September 19Pinky, Elmyra & the BrainKids' WB1998–1999
September 19AnatoleCBS1998–1999
September 19Dumb BunniesCBS1998–1999
September 19Mythic WarriorsCBS1998–2000
September 19The LionheartsSyndication1998
September 30Elliot MoosePBS1998–2000
October 3BirdzCBS1998–1999
October 3Flying Rhino Junior HighCBS1998–2000
October 4Rolie Polie OliePlayhouse Disney1998–2004
October 5NoddyPBS1998–2000
October 9The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonaldVHS1998–2003
October 10Brats of the Lost NebulaKids' WB1998–1999
November 2Jay Jay the Jet PlaneTLC, PBS Kids1998–2005
November 18The Powerpuff Girls Cartoon Network1998–2005
December 21Rex the RuntBBC Two1998–2001

Births

January

January 23: Rachel Crow, American singer and actress.January 28: Ariel Winter, American actress.January 31: Chills, Canadian internet personality and singer.

February

February 9: Isabella Gomez, Colombian-American actress.February 15: Zachary Gordon, American actor.February 21: Zach Aguilar, American actor.

April

April 6: Peyton List, American actress.April 9: Elle Fanning, American actress.

May

May 7: MrBeast, American YouTuber and philanthropist.May 23: Ramona Young, American actress.

June

June 11: Charlie Tahan, American actor.June 19: Atticus Shaffer, American actor.June 24: Soma Chhaya, Canadian-American singer, rapper and actress.

July

July 8:
  • * Maya Hawke, American actress and singer-songwriter.
  • * Jaden Smith, American rapper and actor.July 22: Madison Pettis, American actress.July 24:
  • * Bindi Irwin, Australian television personality, conservationist, zookeeper and actress.
  • * Logan Grove, American actor.July 31: Rico Rodriguez, American actor.

August

August 1: Khamani Griffin, American actor.August 12: Lily Snowden-Fine, British former child actress and daughter of David Fine and Alison Snowden.August 25: China Anne McClain, American actress and singer.

October

October 23: Amandla Stenberg, American actress.October 28: Nolan Gould, American actor.

November

November 4: Darcy Rose Byrnes, Irish-American actress and singer.November 23: Bradley Steven Perry, American actor.

December

December 2: Amber Frank, American actress.December 16: Kiara Muhammad, American actress.December 22: G. Hannelius, American actress and singer.

Deaths

January

January 4: Mae Questel, American actress, dies at age 89.January 7: Eli Bauer, American comics artist and animator, dies at age 69.January 21: Yoshifumi Kondō, Japanese animator and director, dies at age 47.January 28: Shotaro Ishinomori, Japanese manga artist, dies at age 60.

February

February 14: Thomas McKimson, American comics artist and animator, dies at age 90.February 21: Art Seidel, American production manager, dies at age 66.February 23: Philip Abbott, American actor, dies at age 73.February 24: Milicent Patrick, American actress, makeup artist, special effects designer and animator, dies at age 82.February 26: James Algar, American film director, screenwriter, and producer, dies at age 85.

April

April 17: Linda McCartney, American photographer and activist, dies from breast cancer at age 56.April 23: Enrique Riverón, Cuban-American cartoonist, animator and comics artist, dies at age 95 or 96.

May

May 14: Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor, dies from a heart attack at age 82.May 28: Phil Hartman, Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer, was murdered at age 49.May 31: Sherman Labby, American storyboard artist and production illustrator, dies from muscular dystrophy at age 68.

June

June 3: William L. Snyder, American film producer, dies at age 80.June 5: Jeanette Nolan, American actress, dies from a stroke at age 86.June 12:

July

July 6: Roy Rogers, American singer and actor, dies at age 86.July 8: Dušan Vukotić, Yugoslav-Croatian cartoonist and animator, dies at age 71.July 16: Tony Sgroi, American comics artist and animator, dies at age 73.July 17: Joseph Maher, Irish actor, dies at age 64.

August

August 2: Shari Lewis, American ventriloquist, puppeteer, and actress, dies at age 65.August 14: Stanislav Holý, Czech graphic artist, caricaturist, animation designer, children's book illustrator and animator, dies at age 55.August 25:
  • * Lee Gunther, American film editor, dies at age 63.
  • * Marshall Barer, American lyricist, librettist, singer, songwriter and director, dies at age 75.

September

September 6: Whitney Lee Savage, American animator, dies at age 69.September 25: Jeff Moss, American composer, dies at age 56.

October

October 3: Roddy McDowall, British-American actor, dies from lung cancer at age 70.October 15: Jack Boyd, American animator and special effects creator, dies at age 82.

November

November 3: Bob Kane, American comic book writer, animator and artist, dies at age 83.November 24: Jacques Eggermont, Belgian comics artist and animator, dies at age 80.November 30: Ruth Clifford, American actress dies at age 98.

December

December 10: Ray Goossens, Belgian animator and comics artist, dies at age 74.December 12: Don Patterson, American animator and film director and producer, dies at age 88.December 19: Kazuo Harada, Japanese film director and producer, dies at an unknown age.December 21: André LeBlanc, Haitian-American-Brazilian comics artist and animator, dies at age 77.December 25: Richard Paul, American voice actor, dies at age 58.December 30: G. Stanley Jones, Canadian actor, dies at age 72.

Specific date unknown

  • Frank McSavage, Scottish-American comic artist and animator, dies at age 94 or 95.