2001 in animation


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

January 1: The first episode of Horrible Histories airs, which features occasional animated sequences.January 12: The first episode of Lizzie McGuire airs. January 13: The first episode of House of Mouse airs.January 23: Richard Linklater's Waking Life premieres.

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:

March

March 3: The SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II" premiered on Nickelodeon, thus concluding the first season of the show.March 25: 73rd Academy Awards: Father and Daughter by Michaël Dudok de Wit wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.March 30:

April

April 1:

May

May 13:

June

June 2: The first episode of Braceface is broadcast.June 3: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, 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. 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:

August

August 7: Osmosis Jones is first released.August 8: The South Park episode "Towelie" premieres on Comedy Central, featuring the debut of Towelie.August 10: The first episode of Samurai Jack premieres on Cartoon Network.August 24: The first episodes of Grim & Evil premiere on Cartoon Network.

September

September 2: The adult-oriented block Adult Swim is launched and debuts on Cartoon Network. The first episodes of two long-running series air the same day:Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law and Sealab 2021.September 3: The first episode of The Legend of Tarzan, produced by the Walt Disney Company, is broadcast.September 7: The SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Band Geeks", premieres on Nickelodeon, gaining generally positive attention by both fans & critics.September 9: The first official episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force airs, almost over a year after airing the pilot episode.September 14: The film The House of Morecock is released, the first gay pornographic adult animated feature film. It is directed by comics artist Joe Phillips.September 15:

October

October 5: Season 3 of SpongeBob SquarePants begins on Nickelodeon with the premiere of the episodes "Just One Bite/The Bully".

November

November 3: The first episode of Totally Spies! airs.November 5: The final episode of Recess airs. It was supposed to end after the fifth season, but ratings gave the show one more season, which only lasted for 3 half-hours due to the show passing the 65-episode rule.November 6: Season 13 of The Simpsons begins on Fox with the premiere of the latest Treehouse of Horror installment "Treehouse of Horror XII". It was seen by over 13 million viewers that night.November 7: The South Park episode "Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants" first airs, famous for referencing the September 11 attacks and ridiculing Osama bin Laden in the style of World War II propaganda cartoons.November 11: Season 6 of King of the Hill begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "Bobby Goes Nuts", which was the first to be produced entirely in digital ink and paint; but the show would continue to be produced in Cel Animation from up until the eighth season.November 17: The first episode of Justice League is broadcast. November 18:
  • * Dexter's Laboratory revives as Chris Savino took over as series director instead of Genndy Tartakovsky, who moved on to produce the new show Samurai Jack. Unlike the original episodes as the show gained popularity in the 1990s, the new batch was unsuccessful as the popularity of Dexter's Laboratory falls.
  • * The Simpsons episode "Homer the Moe" premieres, guest starring the rock band R.E.M.November 22: Episodes 1 through 14 of Happy Tree Friends as a TV-special premieres on MTV for first time, marking the TV debut of Volume 1 - First Blood.

December

December 5:

Specific date unknown

Awards

Films released

Television series debuts

DateTitleChannelYear
January 12Gary & MikeUPN2001
January 13House of MouseABC/Toon Disney2001–2003
January 27The Zeta ProjectKids' WB2001–2002
February 3Lloyd in SpaceABC/Toon Disney2001–2004
February 11Animated Tales of the WorldHBO Family2001–2003
March 30The Fairly OddParentsNickelodeon2001–2017
March 30Invader ZimNickelodeon2001–2002
April 1The OblongsThe WB2001–2002
April 1UndergradsMTV2001
April 2The Big OCartoon Network2001–2003
June 2BracefaceFox Family2001–2004
June 3Baby Looney TunesKids' WB/Cartoon Network2001–2006
June 8Time SquadCartoon Network2001–2003
June 10Tiny PlanetsNoggin2001–2002
August 10Samurai JackCartoon Network2001–2004
August 11Cubix: Robots for EveryoneKids' WB 2001–2004
August 18Pokémon: Johto League ChampionsKids' WB 2001–2002
August 20OswaldNickelodeon2001–2003
August 24Grim & EvilCartoon Network2001–2002
September 1The Legend of TarzanUPN/ABC2001–2003
September 2Space Ghost Coast to CoastAdult Swim2001–2004
September 2Anne of Green Gables: The Animated SeriesPBS Kids2001–2002
September 3Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese CatPBS Kids2001–2002
September 8MedabotsFox Kids/Jetix 2001–2004
September 8Transformers: Robots in DisguiseFox Kids 2001–2002
September 10The URL with Phred ShowNoggin2001–2002
September 13Sitting DucksCartoon Network2001–2004
September 15Alienators: Evolution ContinuesFox Kids2001–2002
September 15The Ripping FriendsFox Kids2001–2002
September 15The Proud FamilyDisney Channel2001–2005
September 15StanleyPlayhouse Disney2001–2004
September 22What's with Andy?Fox Family 2001–2007
September 29The MummyKids' WB2001–2003
September 29Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel MonstersKids' WB2001–2006
October 20Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!ABC2001–2002
October 24Timber WolfWB Online2001–2002
November 3Totally Spies!Cartoon Network 2001–2010
November 17Justice LeagueCartoon Network 2001–2004
November 19The Popeye ShowCartoon Network 2001–2003

Births

February

February 15: Haley Tju, American actress.February 21: Isabella Acres, American actress.

April

May

May 3: Rachel Zegler, American actress and singer.

June

June 9: Xolo Maridueña, American actor.

July

July 3: Avalon Robbins, American model and actress.July 10: Isabela Merced, American actress.

August

August 5: Josie Totah, American actress.

September

September 4: Tenzing Norgay Trainor, American actor.

October

October 12: Raymond Ochoa, American actor and singer.October 13: Caleb McLaughlin, American actor.October 17: Jake Beale, Canadian actor.October 19: Art Parkinson, Irish actor.October 21: Ashley Liao, American actress.

November

November 12: Hazel Doupe, Irish actress.

December

December 14: Joshua Rush, American actor.December 28: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Canadian actress.

Deaths

January

January 2: Alison de Vere, English animator, background designer and director, dies at age 73.January 25: Sam Singer, American film director and producer, dies at age 89.January 28: Don Brodie, American actor and director, dies at age 96.

February

February 8: Ivo Caprino, Norwegian film director and writer, dies at age 80.February 17: John Sutherland, American animator, voice actor and film producer, dies at age 90.

March

March 1: Torsten Bjarre, Swedish animator and comics artist, dies at age 85.March 8: Edward Winter, American actor, dies from parkinson's disease at age 63.March 9: Richard Stone, American composer, dies at age 47.March 11: Jim P. Dilworth, American animator, designer, and brother of John R. Dilworth, dies at age 41.March 16: Norma MacMillan, Canadian voice actress, dies at age 79.March 22: William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and cartoonist, co-founder of Hanna-Barbera, dies at age 90.

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, dies from lymphoma at age 49.

May

May 18: Maurice Noble, American film director, writer, production designer and background artist, dies at age 90.

June

June 1: Hank Ketcham, American comics artist and animator, dies at age 81.June 15: Hurey, Belgian animator and comics artist, dies at age 63.June 19: Lee Mishkin, American animator, storyboard artist and director, dies at age 74.June 24: Kent Holaday, American animator and lip sync artist, dies at age 49.June 26: Paul Berry, English animator and director, dies at age 40.June 27:
  • * Jack Lemmon, American actor, dies from bladder cancer at age 76.
  • * Joan Sims, English actress, dies at age 71.

July

July 4: Perry Kiefer, American animator, storyboard artist, background artist, prop designer, sheet timer and director, commits suicide at age 41.July 7: Toni Pagot, Italian comics artist, cartoonist and animator, dies at age 79.July 15: Ted Berman, American animator, film director and screenwriter, dies at age 81.July 16: Morris, Belgian comics artist and animation director, dies at age 77.

August

August 4: Lorenzo Music, American actor dies at age 64.
  • August 16: Dave Barry, American radio host and voice actor, dies at age 82.August 23: Kathleen Freeman, American actress, dies from lung cancer at age 78.

September

September 7: Billie Lou Watt, American actress and writer, dies from lung cancer at age 77.September 18: Ernie Coombs, American-Canadian entertainer, dies from a stroke at age 73.September 23: Robert Abel, American visual effects artist, dies at age 64.September 30: Bjørn Frank Jensen, Danish animator and comics artist, dies at age 81.

October

October 5: Jan Lenica, Polish graphic designer, cartoonist, poster illustrator and animator, dies at age 73.October 6: Yuriy Meshcheryakov, Russian-Ukrainian animator, dies at age 55.October 9: Vladimir Danilevich, Russian film director, dies at age 77.

November

November 6: Chris Ishii, American animator and comic artist, dies at age 81.November 12: Albert Hague, German-American songwriter and composer, dies at age 81.November 20: Bob Moore, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 81.November 21: Seymour Reit, aka Sy Reit, American animator, writer, screenwriter, comics writer and comics artist, dies at age 83.November 29: George Harrison, English musician, singer-songwriter and member of The Beatles, dies from lung cancer at age 58.

December

December 2: Chase Craig, American animator, scriptwriter and comics writer, dies at age 91.December 7: Faith Hubley, American animator, storyboard artist, dies at age 77 from breast cancer.December 11: Beverly Hope Atkinson, American actress, dies at age 66.December 26: Nigel Hawthorne, English actor, dies at age 72.December 30: Ray Patterson, American animator and film director and producer, dies at age 90.December 31: David Swift, American writer, film director and producer, dies at age 82.

Specific date unknown

  • Todd Halford, American modeler and production assistant, dies at an unknown age.