2017 in animation


2017 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 15: Your Name becomes the highest grossing anime film, grossing nearly $300 million.January 16:

February

February 2: Adventure Time concludes its eighth season on Cartoon Network with the final part in the Islands miniseries "Islands Part 8: The Light Cloud".February 4: 44th Annie Awards.February 19: The Simpsons episode "The Cad and the Hat" premieres, guest starring Seth Green.February 20: SpongeBob SquarePants concludes its ninth season on Nickelodeon with the premiere of its 200th episode "Goodbye, Krabby Patty?", Jon Hamm guest stars as the character Don Grouper. The season's finale was seen by over 2.6 million viewers that night.February 26: 89th Academy Awards:

March

March 12: The Simpsons episode "22 for 30" airs, in which the couch gag is animated by Bill Plympton, the fifth time he has done so.

April

April 1: Season 3 of Rick and Morty begins on Adult Swim with the premiere of the episode "The Rickshank Rickdemption". The season's premiere was only seen by 676 thousand viewers that night due to it secretly premiering as an April Fools' Day joke.April 2: The Simpsons episode "The Caper Chase" premieres, guest starring scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson.April 21:
  • * PBS Kids launched "PBS Kids Family Night," a weekly block on Friday evenings that showcase themed programming, premieres or special "movie-length" episodes of new and existing PBS Kids children's programs.
  • * Season 9 of Adventure Time begins on Cartoon Network with the premiere of the episode "Orb".

May

May 11: Steven Universe concludes its fourth season on Cartoon Network with the two-part episodes "Are You My Dad?/I Am My Mom". The season's finale was seen by over 1.1 million viewers that night.May 21:

June

June 11: Bob's Burgers concludes its seventh season on Fox with the episode "Into the Mild", guest starring United States Marine actor Rob Riggle. The season's finale was seen by over 1.5 million viewers that night.June 16: The Walt Disney Company/Pixar film Cars 3 is released. The second sequel to the 2006 Pixar film draws closer to the original Cars movie and dedicates the tribute to Paul Newman’s final character Doc Hudson. June 24: Season 11 of SpongeBob SquarePants begins on Nickelodeon with the premiere of the episodes "Spot Returns/The Check-Up". The season's premiere was seen by over 1.9 million viewers that morning. June 27: The direct-to-video Tom and Jerry film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is released, which marks the latest film in the franchise to be directed by Spike Brandt and the last to be involved with Warner Bros. Animation's founder Hal Geer. The film was brutally panned during the release.

July

July 15: Season 3 of Star vs. the Forces of Evil begins on Disney XD with the premiere of the TV-movie "The Battle for Mewni".July 21:

August

August 12: DuckTales, a reboot of the original 1987 series premiered on Disney XD.August 19: The first episode of Michael Pitts' independent webseries Sheriff Hayseed, titled "Strategically Stupid", is released on YouTube.

September

September 8: Season 4 of BoJack Horseman premiered on Netflix.September 9: Sprout rebrands to Universal Kids which caters to children aged 2–11 in primetime, and features content from NBCU-owned DreamWorks Animation as well as child-specific reality TV shows. However, Sprout's preschool-specific programming will remain a major part of the schedule, as a programming block airing from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m..September 11: American Dad! concludes its 14th season on TBS with the episode "West to Mexico". The season's finale was watched by only 868 thousand viewers that night, marking a new low for the show's viewership.September 13: Season 21 of South Park begins on Comedy Central with the premiere of the episode "White People Renovating Houses".September 17: The tenth & final season of Adventure Time begins on Cartoon Network with the premiere of the following episodes:
  • * "The Wild Hunt"
  • * "Always BMO Closing"
  • * "Son of Rap Bear"
  • * "Bonnibel Bubblegum"
  • September 29: Big Mouth premiered on Netflix.

October

October 1:

November

November 10: The Amazing World of Gumball concludes its fifth season on Cartoon Network with the episode "The News". The season's finale was seen by only 913 thousand viewers that night.November 17: The second Unikitty! episode "Sparkle Matter Matters" premieres on Cartoon Network as another sneak peek.November 22: Disney releases Coco by Pixar.

December

December 1:

Awards

Television series debuts

DateTitleChannelYear
January 7Tarzan and JaneNetflix2017–2018
January 10We're LalaloopsyNetflix2017
January 11Jeff & Some AliensComedy Central2017
January 12Hanazuki: Full of TreasuresYouTube2017–2019
January 15Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up AdventuresDisney Junior2017–2021
January 16Bunsen Is a BeastNickelodeon2017–2018
February 6Nella the Princess KnightNick Jr.2017–2021
February 6School of RoarsUniversal Kids2017–present
February 20Cloudy with a Chance of MeatballsCartoon Network2017–2018
February 24VeggieTales in the CityNetflix2017
February 24Legend QuestNetflix2017–2019
March 10Buddy ThunderstruckNetflix2017
March 11Samurai JackAdult Swim2017
March 24Tangled: The SeriesDisney Channel2017–2020
March 27Stitch & AiCCTV-1, CCTV-142017
March 29Imaginary MaryABC2017
April 3Grizzy and the LemmingsBoomerang2017–2019
April 10Ben 10 Cartoon Network2017–2021
April 14Puppy Dog PalsDisney Junior2017–2023
May 5Spirit Riding FreeNetflix2017–2020
May 12Pokémon the Series: Sun & MoonDisney XD2017
May 27The Ollie & Moon ShowUniversal Kids2017–present
June 3Billy Dilley's Super-Duper Subterranean SummerDisney XD2017
June 3Pat the DogDisney Channel2017–present
June 25Hotel Transylvania: The SeriesDisney Channel2017–2020
June 29Dorothy and the Wizard of OzBoomerang2017–2020
June 30Danger & EggsAmazon Video2017
July 7CastlevaniaNetflix2017–2021
July 9Too Loud!YouTube2017–2019
July 15Kody KapowUniversal Kids2017–present
July 20Niko and the Sword of LightAmazon Video2017–2019
July 24Welcome to the WayneNickelodeon2017–2019
August 1OK K.O.! Let's Be HeroesCartoon Network2017–2019
August 11True and the Rainbow KingdomNetflix2017–2019
August 12DuckTales Disney XD, Disney Channel2017–2021
August 19Sheriff HayseedYouTube2017–2019
August 19Spider-Man Disney XD2017–2020
August 21Sunny DayNick Jr.2017–2020
August 28MysticonsNickelodeon2017–2018
September 22Neo YokioNetflix2017–2018
September 22Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour BusCinemax2017–2018
September 29The Magic School Bus Rides AgainNetflix2017–2018
September 29Big MouthNetflix2017–2025
October 1VampirinaDisney Junior2017–2021
October 13Super MonstersNetflix2017–2019
October 22The Jellies!Adult Swim2017–2019
October 27Unikitty!Cartoon Network2017–2020
November 6Top WingNickelodeon2017–2020
November 7If You Give a Mouse a CookieAmazon Prime Video2017–2021
November 17Stretch Armstrong and the Flex FightersNetflix2017–2018
November 20Big Hero 6: The SeriesDisney XD, Disney Channel2017–2021
December 6Happy!Syfy2017–2019
December 19Tender TouchesAdult Swim2017–2020

Deaths

January

January 1: Alfonso Wong, Chinese comics artist and animator, dies at age 93.January 10: Tony Rosato, Italian-Canadian actor and comedian, dies from a heart attack at age 62.January 13: Dick Gautier, American actor, comedian, singer and caricaturist, dies at age 85.January 19: Miguel Ferrer, American actor, dies from heart failure and complications of throat cancer at age 61.January 20: Sooan Kim, Korean-American animator, dies at age 62.January 25:
  • * John Hurt, English actor, dies at age 77.
  • * Jack Mendelsohn, American writer-artist, dies at age 90.January 26: Hal Geer, American producer, film editor and animator, dies at age 100.

February

February 19: Chris Wiggins, English-born Canadian actor, dies at age 86.February 22: Bill Woodson, American actor, dies at age 99.February 25: Bill Paxton, American actor and filmmaker, dies from a stroke at age 61.

March

March 10: Tony Haygarth, English actor, dies at age 72.March 26: Joe Harris, American illustrator and storybook artist, dies at age 89.

April

April 6: Don Rickles, American comedian and actor, dies at age 90. April 9: Carolyn Kelly, American comics artist, animator and book designer, dies from cancer at an unknown age.April 11: Merle Welton, American animation checker and continuity coordinator, dies at an unknown age.April 13: Ralph Votrian, American actor, dies at age 82.

May

May 13: John Cygan, American actor and comedian, dies from cancer at age 63.May 14:

June

June 2: Peter Sallis, English actor, dies at age 96.June 9: Adam West, American actor, dies from leukemia at age 88.June 13: Jack Ong, American actor, writer, activist and marketing professional, dies from a brain tumor at age 76.June 16: Stephen Furst, American actor, dies from complications related to diabetes at age 63.June 27: Michael Bond, English author, dies at age 91.

July

July 6: Joan Boocock Lee, English-American model, actress, and wife of Stan Lee, dies at age 95.July 9: Wally Burr, American actor, and director, dies at age 93.July 15: Martin Landau, American actor, acting coach, producer and editorial cartoonist, dies from hypovolemic shock at age 89.July 18: Harvey Atkin, Canadian actor, dies at age 74. July 26:

August

August 8: Glen Campbell, American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host, dies at age 81.August 10: Dell Hake, American conductor and orchestrator, dies at age 73.August 13: Joseph Bologna, American actor, dies from pancreatic cancer at age 82.August 20: Jerry Lewis, American comedian, actor, singer, director, producer, writer and humanitarian, dies from cardiovascular disease at age 91.August 24: Jay Thomas, American actor, comedian and radio personality, dies from throat cancer at age 69.August 25: Jack Keil, American advertising executive, dies at age 94.August 27: Rochelle Linder, American office manager, dies at age 59.

September

September 1: Peadar Lamb, Irish actor, dies at age 87.September 5: Hansford Rowe, American actor, dies at age 93.September 10:
  • * Xavier Atencio, American animator and lyricist, dies at age 98.
  • * Len Wein, American comic book writer, editor and television writer, dies at age 69.September 15: Harry Dean Stanton, American actor, musician and singer, dies at age 91.September 22: Fernando Escandon, Mexican-American actor, dies at age 55.September 26: Barry Dennen, American actor, dies from complications from a fall at age 79.September 27: Hugh Hefner, American magazine editor, dies at age 91.September 28: Benjamin Whitrow, English actor, dies at age 80.

October

October 2: Tom Petty, American musician and actor, dies from a drug overdose at age 66.October 16:
  • * Roy Dotrice, English actor, dies at age 94.
  • * Sean Hughes, British-born Irish comedian, writer and actor., dies at age 51.October 24: Robert Guillaume, American actor and singer, dies from prostate cancer at age 89.

November

November 16: Hiromi Tsuru, Japanese actress and narrator, dies at age 57.November 17: Earle Hyman, American actor, dies at age 91.November 19: Della Reese, American singer and actress, dies at age 86.November 21: David Cassidy, American actor and singer, dies at age 67.November 29: Heather North, American actress, dies at age 71.

December

December 8: Josy Eisenberg, French film producer, dies at age 83.December 9: Grant Munro, Canadian animator and film director, dies at age 94.December 10: Bruce Brown, American film director, dies at age 80.December 14: Bob Givens, American animator, character designer, and lay-out artist, dies at age 99.December 28: Rose Marie, American actress, singer, and comedian, dies at age 94.