2015 in animation


2015 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 18: The first episode of Star vs. the Forces of Evil airs.January 19: Boomerang was rebranded as part of a global rebranding effort, offering original programming for the first time. It continues to emphasize its archival programming, but with a greatly increased emphasis on the archive's most popular brands and an explicitly family-friendly approach. The main aim of the rebranding is for Boomerang to become a "second flagship" on par with Cartoon Network.January 22: Pacific Data Images closes down.January 31: The 42nd Annie Awards are held.

February

February 6: The second SpongeBob SquarePants movie, Sponge Out of Water, premiered in theaters.February 27: 87th Academy Awards:

March

March 8: The Family Guy episode "Stewie Is Enceinte" premieres on Fox. This episode was negatively received by fans due to them finding it as disturbingly gross, poorly written, and uncharacteristically sentimental.March 9: The Gravity Falls episode "Not What He Seems" premiered on Disney XD, the author of the journals is finally revealed in this episode, with it being Stan's lost long brother Ford. This episode brought in a total of 1.58 million viewers at its premiere.March 28: Harvey Beaks premieres on Nickelodeon.

April

April 27: The fifth and final season of The Garfield Show airs, which only consists of the four-part episode "Rodent Rebellion" while consequently ceasing production of the show.

May

May 17:

June

June 1: American Dad! concludes its 12th season on TBS with the episode "Seizures Suit Stanny". The season's finale was seen by over 1.1 million viewers that night.June 12: The Phineas and Ferb hour-long Season 4 finale "Last Day of Summer" premiered simultaneously on Disney Channel and Disney XD, this was the original series finale of the show before it was greenlit for a 2-season revival in January 2023.June 19: [Walt Walt Disney Pictures|Disney Pictures|Disney] and Pixar's Inside Out premieres, becoming one of the most popular CG animated films ever made.

July

August

August 27: Illumination's Minions becomes the first non-Disney animated film to gross over $1 billion.August 30: Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the longest-running Adult Swim show, airs its final episode.

September

September 7: Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race, the first spinoff of Total Drama, premieres. It was broadcast for its home country in the beginning of the following year. Tom McGillis confirmed in 2018 that further plans for anymore seasons of Total Drama would be delayed by focusing on spin-offs at the time.September 16: Season 19 of South Park begins on Comedy Central with the premiere of the episode "Stunning and Brave".September 21:

October

October 5: "The '90s Are All That", a late-night program block featuring Nickelodeon live-action and animated series from the 1990s that has aired on TeenNick since 2011, relaunches as "The Splat" and expands from four hours to eight.October 10: The My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" premieres on Discovery Family, in which the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally get their cutie marks.October 17: Richard Williams' Prologue premieres, which was his final project before his death in 2019.October 19: Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir premieres.

November

November 9: The stand-alone Phineas and Ferb hour-long special "O.W.C.A. Files" premieres on Disney XD, premiered on Disney Channel 2 months later.

December

December 7: The first episode of Supernoobs airs on Cartoon Network.December 9: South Park concludes its 19th season on Comedy Central with the episode "PC Principal Final Justice". It was seen by over 1.8 million viewers that night.December 16: John Henry and the Inky-Poo, The Old Mill and The Story of Menstruation are added to the National Film Registry.December 18: F is for Family debuts as the first Netflix original adult animated series.December 19: The final episodes of The Penguins of Madagascar premiere on Nicktoons.

Specific date unknown

  • In the Flemish TV show, De Ideale Wereld on channel VIER, animated sequences titled Sociaal Incapabele Michiel are broadcast, created by Tom Borremans. These become very popular with viewers.

Awards

Television series debuts

DateTitleChannelYear
January 12Little CharmersNickelodeon, Nick Jr.2015–2016
January 16The Adventures of Puss in BootsNetflix2015–2018
January 18Star vs. the Forces of EvilDisney XD, Disney Channel2015–2019
January 29Like, Share, DieFusion TV2015
February 6Miles from TomorrowlandDisney Junior2015–2018
February 6Wishenpoof!Amazon Video2015–2019
February 7Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos QuestCartoon Network2015
March 14Transformers: Robots in DisguiseCartoon Network2015–2017
March 27Inspector Gadget Netflix, Universal Kids2015–2018
March 28Harvey BeaksNickelodeon2015–2017
April 16Major LazerFXX2015
April 30Talking Tom and FriendsYouTube2015–2021
May 22H2O: Mermaid AdventuresNetflix2015
May 28Chick FiguresFusion
Mondo
YouTube		2015–2016
June 15Fresh Beat Band of SpiesNick Jr.2015–2016
July 6Lego Star Wars: Droid TalesDisney XD2015
July 16Pig Goat Banana CricketNickelodeon2015–2018
July 27We Bare BearsCartoon Network2015–2020
August 1Guardians of the GalaxyDisney XD2015–2019
August 3ALVINNN!!! and the ChipmunksNickelodeon2015–2023
August 10Two More EggsDisney XD2015–2017
August 14DinotruxNetflix2015–2018
August 24Shimmer and ShineNickelodeon2015–2020
August 25VixenCW Seed2015–2016
August 31Da JammiesNetflix2015–present
September 2Pickle and PeanutDisney XD2015–2018
September 7Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous RaceCartoon Network2015
September 9Nina's WorldUniversal Kids2015–2016
September 12Goldie & BearDisney Junior2015–2018
September 16Moonbeam CityComedy Central2015
September 18PJ MasksDisney Channel, Disney Junior, France 5, TF12015–2024
September 18Descendants: Wicked WorldDisney Channel2015–2017
September 21New Looney TunesCartoon Network, Boomerang2015–2020
October 1DC Super Hero GirlsYouTube2015–2018
October 5Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!Cartoon Network, Boomerang2015–2018
October 8SuperMansionSony Crackle2015–2019
October 9The Mr. Peabody & Sherman ShowNetflix2015–2017
October 19Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat NoirTF1, Nickelodeon, Netflix, KidsClick, Disney Channel2015–present
October 30PopplesNetflix2015–2016
November 2SupernoobsCartoon Network, Teletoon2015–2019
November 6Care Bears & CousinsNetflix2015–2016
November 13Blazing Team: Masters of Yo Kwon DoDiscovery Family2015–2017
November 14Bob the Builder PBS Kids2015–2018
November 22The Lion GuardDisney Junior2015–2019
November 25Nature CatPBS Kids2015–2024
November 30Long Live the RoyalsCartoon Network2015
December 13Nexo KnightsCartoon Network2015–2017
December 18F Is for FamilyNetflix2015–2021
December 24Dawn of the CroodsNetflix2015–2017

Deaths

January

January 6: Lance Percival, English actor, comedian and singer, dies at age 81.January 7: Rod Taylor, American actor, dies at age 84.January 10: Taylor Negron, American actor, dies at age 57.January 13: José Luis Moro, Spanish animator and comics artist, dies at age 88.January 16:
  • * Yao Beina, Chinese actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter, dies at age 33.
  • * Walt Peregoy, American artist, dies at age 89.January 22:
  • * René Jodoin, Canadian animation director and producer, dies at age 94.
  • * Norman Henry Mamey, American composer, conductor, music arranger, musician and orchestrator, dies at age 66.January 23: Barrie Ingham, English actor, dies at age 82.January 26: Stephen R. Johnson, American animator, painter, television director and music video director, dies at age 62.January 28: Phil Robinson, American animator, storyboard artist, writer, director and producer, dies from pancreatic cancer at an unknown age.

February

February 1: Monty Oum, American animator, animation director and voice actor, dies at age 33 after an allergic reaction.February 4: Carl Ritchie, American actor, dies at age 91. February 12: Gary Owens, American actor, dies at age 80. February 20: Gérard Calvi, French composer, dies at age 92.February 27:

March

March 5: Gordon Kent, American animator, storyboard artist, sheet timer, lip sync artist, recording director, writer, producer and director, dies at age 61.March 8: Sam Simon, American television director, producer, designer and writer, dies at age 59.March 10: Allan Lurie, American actor, dies at age 91.March 12: Matt Landers, American actor, dies at age 62.March 30: Roger Slifer, American comic book writer, screenwriter, and television producer, dies at age 60.

April

April 1: Robert Walker, Canadian-American animator, storyboard artist, background artist and director, dies from a heart attack at age 54.April 6: Cliff Voorhees, American comic book artist and background artist, dies at age 85.April 7: Stan Freberg, American comedian and actor, dies at age 88.April 9: Al Pabian, American animator, dies at age 97.

May

May 4: Ellen Albertini Dow, American actress and drama coach, dies from pneumonia at age 101.May 10: Anita Gordon, American singer and actress, dies at age 85. May 15: John Stephenson, American actor, dies at age 91–92.

June

June 7: Christopher Lee, English actor, dies at age 93.June 11: Ron Moody, English actor, singer and composer, dies at age 91.June 21: Roland Dupree, American actor, dancer, and choreographer, dies at age 89.June 22: James Horner, American composer and conductor, dies at age 61 in a plane crash.June 27: Jane Aaron, American illustrator and animator, dies at age 67 from cancer.June 28: Jack Carter, American comedian, actor and television presenter, dies at age 93.June 30: Paolo Piffarerio, Italian comics artist and animator and film producer, dies at age 90.

July

July 4: Valerio Ruggeri, Italian actor, dies at age 81.July 10: Roger Rees, Welsh actor and director, dies at age 71.July 17: Alan Kupperberg, American comics artist and animator, dies of thymus cancer at age 62.July 18:

August

August 9: Susan Sheridan, English actress, dies at age 68.August 13: Richard Manginsay, Filipino-born American animator, storyboard artist, character designer and prop designer, dies at age 43.August 17: Yvonne Craig, American actress, dies from cancer at age 78.August 22: Merl Reagle, American crossword constructor, dies from acute pancreatitis at age 65.

September

September 1: Dean Jones, American actor, dies at age 84.September 21: Yoram Gross, Polish-born Australian producer, dies at age 88.

October

October 6: Kevin Corcoran, American child actor, dies at age 66.October 21: Marty Ingels, American actor and comedian, dies from a stroke at age 79.October 27: Miyu Matsuki, Japanese actress, dies from lymphoma at age 38.

November

November 2: Frank Budgen, English commercial director and co-founder of Gorgeous Enterprises, dies from cancer at age 61.November 3: Victor Wilson, American television writer, producer and actor, dies at age 51.November 16: Michael C. Gross, American artist, designer, and film producer, dies at age 70.

December

December 4: Robert Loggia, American actor, dies from Alzheimer's disease at age 85.December 28: Lemmy Kilmister, British singer and member of Motörhead, dies at age 70.December 31:

Specific date unknown