2019 in animation

Events

January

• * The final episode of Steven Universe, "Change Your Mind", airs on Cartoon Network.
• * The remastered version of The Bruce McMouse Show was released.

February

• * The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is released.
• * Season 3 of Big Mouth premiered on Netflix with the Valentine's Day special "My Furry Valentine".February 22: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the third and final film of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, releases to theatres to critical acclaim.February 24:
• * 91st Academy Awards:
• ** Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, becoming the first non-Disney film since 2012 to do so.
• ** Bao by Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.
• * Urbanus, De Vuilnisheld, an animated film based on the Flemish comic strip Urbanus, premieres.

March

• * The first episode of 101 Dalmatian Street is broadcast. It is the second television show based on the 101 Dalmatians franchise, following 101 Dalmatians: The Series from 1997.
• * Season 2 of Craig of the Creek begins on Cartoon Network with the premiere of the episodes "Memories of Bobby" and "Jacob of the Creek", the season's premiere was seen by a total of 477 thousand viewers that night.March 20: The soundtrack of Schoolhouse Rock! is added to the National Recording Registry.

April

May

• *The Simpsons concludes its 30th season on Fox with the episode "Crystal Blue-Haired Persuasion", featuring guest stars Illeana Douglas, Werner Herzog, and Jenny Slate. The season's finale was seen by exactly 1.5 million viewers that night.
• *Bob's Burgers concludes its ninth season on Fox with the episode "Yes Without My Zeke". The season's finale was seen by over 1.4 million viewers that night.
• *Family Guy concludes its 17th season on Fox with the episode "Adam West High", the episode marks the death of the beloved character Mayor West due to his voice actor & real-life inspiration having actually passed away 2 years prior. The season's finale was seen by 1.7 million viewers that night.May 13: The Arthur 22nd-season episode "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone" premieres. The episode was banned in Alabama and Arkansas for its showcase of same-sex marriage in a children's program. Yet, it was praised by GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming.May 18: The final episode of Milo Murphy's Law premieres on Disney Channel.May 19: The final episode of Star vs. the Forces of Evil premieres on Disney Channel.May 23: Music video for "Starlight Brigade", by TWRP featuring Dan Avidan, was released on YouTube.May 27: Season 4 of The Loud House begins on Nickelodeon with the premiere of the half-hour special "Friended! with the Casagrandes". This episode marks the debut of Ronnie Anne's best friend Sid Chang, who would go on to become a major character in the upcoming spin-off series The Casagrandes.

June

July

• * An arson attack at the Japanese studio Kyoto Animation results in 36 deaths and 33 injuries. The arson is one of the deadliest in Japanese history since the end of World War II; a majority of the victims are women. Among the victims are director Yasuhiro Takemoto, character designer Futoshi Nishiya, animator Yoshiji Kigami, and color designer Naomi Ishida. The late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expresses his condolences, as do other world leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, and Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres. An outpouring of support for the victims and their families results in more than $30 million in donations from domestic Japanese sources, with an estimated additional $2.3 million in donations from international donors.
• * The season 1 finale of Amphibia, titled "Reunion", premieres on Disney Channel to critical acclaim.July 19:
• * Molly of Denali premieres on PBS Kids to high acclaim. It is the first children's animated series with an Alaska Native as the lead character.
• * The Lion King remake, produced by Fairview Entertainment, is released to theaters with mixed reviews from critics. It is the highest-grossing animated film of all time from August 2019 to September 2024.July 23: Disney Channel greenlights a new animated series for its network titled The Curse of Molly McGee.July 25: Glitch Productions' first indie-animated series Meta Runner premieres on YouTube on the channel.

August

September

• * Dragons: Rescue Riders premiered on Netflix.
• * The 5th season of Bubble Guppies premiered on Nickelodeon almost 3 years after the finale of the show's original run.September 29:
• *Season 31 of The Simpsons begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "The Winter of Our Monetized Content", guest starring famed comedian John Mulaney. The season's premiere was seen by over 2.3 million viewers that night.
• *The first episode of Bless the Harts, titled "Hug N' Bugs", premieres on Fox. The series premiere was seen by over 1.8 million viewers that night.
• *Season 10 of Bob's Burgers begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "The Ring ". The season's premiere was seen by over 1.8 million viewers that night.
• *Season 18 of Family Guy begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "Yacht Rocky". The season's premiere was seen by over 1.8 million viewers that night.

October

• * The remaining 10 episodes from Season 3 of Big Mouth premiered on Netflix.
• * South Park is banned in China after the premiere of the episode "Band in China", which mocked the country and its government. Parker and Stone issued a sarcastic apology in response.
• * Season 6 of Teen Titans Go! begins on Cartoon Network with the premiere of the episode "Butt Atoms".October 9: South Parks 300th episode "Shots!!!" premieres on Comedy Central.October 10:
• * Anime series adaptation of Paru Itagaki's Beastars airs its first episode on Japanese television.
• * The Meta Runner season one finale "Shutdown" premiered on YouTube on the channel.October 12: After nine years on the air, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic airs its series finale on Discovery Family.October 13: The season 1 finale of Bluey titled, "Daddy Putdown", premieres to universal acclaim.October 14: The Casagrandes, a spinoff of The Loud House premieres on Nickelodeon.October 25: The first 8 episodes from the sixth & final season of BoJack Horseman premiered on Netflix.October 28: The Hazbin Hotel pilot "That's Entertainment" was released on YouTube to critical acclaim. The pilot ended up getting its own series on Prime Video 4 years later.

November

• * Green Eggs and Ham premieres its first season on Netflix to positive reviews. A second season, which is the final season, was released in 2022.
• * Klaus premiered on Netflix.November 10: Grey DeLisle replaces Russi Taylor as the voice of Martin Prince, Sherri and Terri on The Simpsons starting with the episode "Marge the Lumberjill" due to the latter's death on July 26, 2019.November 11:
• * Blue's Clues & You!, a reboot of the original Blue's Clues premieres on Nickelodeon.
• * Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum premiered on PBS Kids.November 16: Season 2 of Big City Greens begins on Disney Channel, with the premiere of the episodes "Cricket's Kapowie/Car Trouble".November 22: Disney releases Frozen 2.November 24: The Simpsons episode "Thanksgiving of Horror" premieres, guest starring Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker. This was also the last episode featuring Russi Taylor as Martin Prince recorded before her death on July 26, 2019, although Grey DeLisle already took over that character a few episodes prior due to "Thanksgiving of Horror" being a leftover episode from the previous season.November 25: The pilot episode of Vivienne Medrano's independent web series Helluva Boss was released on YouTube. Medrano later confirmed that the pilot was non-canon to the series, a canon remake of the show's pilot titled "Mission: Zero" was released 6 years later.

December

• * Television series Kingdom Force premiered in Canada.
• * Steven Universe Future, a limited epilogue series based on Steven Universe & mostly Steven Universe: The Movie, premiered on Cartoon Network.December 11:
• * Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty is added to the National Film Registry.
• * South Park concludes its 23rd season on Comedy Central with the Christmas special "Christmas Snow". The episode was seen only by only 810 thousand viewers that night, marking another low for the show's episode viewership. This was also the last episode to premiere in the 2010s.December 21: The second episode of Michael Pitts' independent webseries Sheriff Hayseed, titled "Boomerang in a Gun Fight", is released on YouTube.December 25: Spies in Disguise is released as the final Blue Sky Studios film before their shutdown in April 2021.December 26: Beastars airs its first-season finale episode in Japan.

Specific date unknown

• Beginning this year, Disney begin editing several older films, including A Goofy Movie, Toy Story 2, and Lilo & Stitch, to remove scenes that are considered harmful or suggestive to young children in today's standards.

Awards

• Academy Award for Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: Bao
• American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Animated Feature Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Annecy International Animated Film Festival Cristal du long métrage: I Lost My Body
• Annie Award for Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Annie Award for Best Animated Feature — Independent: I Lost My Body
• Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Animated Feature Film: Rezo
• BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• César Award for Best Animated Film: Dilili in Paris
• Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: Isle of Dogs
• European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film: I Lost My Body
• Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film: I Lost My Body
• Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film: Missing Link
• Golden Reel Awards: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Goya Award for Best Animated Film: Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles
• Hollywood Animation Award: Toy Story 4
• Japan Academy Film Prize for Animation of the Year: Mirai
• Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Animated Movie: Incredibles 2
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: I Lost My Body
• Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film: Children of the Sea
• National Board of Review Award for Best Animated Film: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Film: I Lost My Body
• Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Producers Guild of America Award for Best Animated Motion Picture: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film: I Lost My Body
• San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Animated Feature: I Lost My Body
• Saturn Award for Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: Toy Story 4
• Tokyo Anime Award: Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer and Zombieland Saga
• Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Film: Missing Link
• Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature: Missing Link
• Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Feature: ''Toy Story 4''

Television series debuts

Deaths

January

• * Carol Channing, American actress and singer, dies at age 97.
• * Bradley Bolke, American voice actor, dies at age 93.January 26: Michel Legrand, French composer, dies at age 86.January 27: Erica Yohn, American actress, dies at age 90.January 29: James Ingram, American singer and actor, dies at age 66.January 30: Dick Miller, American actor, dies at age 90.

February

• * Ron W. Miller, American businessman, film producer, football player, dies at age 85.
• * Tomi Ungerer, French novelist, illustrator, cartoonist and poster designer, dies at age 87.
• * C. Raggio IV, American character designer and storyboard artist, dies from blunt trauma at age 40.February 15:
• * Werner Hierl, German comics artist, and animator, dies at age 88 or 89.
• * Dave Smith, American archivist and author, dies at age 78.February 21: Antonia Rey, Cuban-born American actress, dies at age 92.February 23: Katherine Helmond, American actress, dies at age 89.February 28: Aron Tager, American actor, dies at age 84.

March

• * Tom Hatten, American cartoonist, TV presenter and actor, dies at age 92.
• * Larry DiTillio, American film and television screenwriter, dies at age 79.March 28: Maury Laws, American composer, dies at age 95.March 29: Shane Rimmer, Canadian actor, dies at age 89.March 31: Don Morgan, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 80.

April

May

June

July

• * Freddie Jones, English actor, dies at age 91.
• * Rip Torn, American actor, dies from complications from Alzheimer's disease at age 88.July 11: Pepita Pardell, Spanish animator, cartoonist, illustrator and painter, dies at age 91.July 18:
• * Naomi Ishida, Japanese color designer and member of Kyoto Animation, dies at age 49 in the Kyoto Animation arson attack.
• * Yoshiji Kigami, Japanese director, animator, and member of Kyoto Animation, dies at age 61 in the Kyoto Animation arson attack.
• * Futoshi Nishiya, Japanese character designer, animator, and member of Kyoto Animation, dies at age 37 in the Kyoto Animation arson attack.
• * Yasuhiro Takemoto, Japanese director and member of Kyoto Animation, dies at age 47 in the Kyoto Animation arson attack.July 23: Gabe Khouth, Canadian voice actor, dies at age 47.July 26: Russi Taylor, American voice actress, dies at age 75.July 29: Daniele Fagarazzi, AKA Dani, Italian animator and comic artist, dies at age 54.

August

• * Valerie Harper, American actress, dies from lung cancer at age 80.
• * Gordon Bressack, American television producer and writer, dies at age 68.August 31: Michael Lindsay, American voice actor, dies at age 56.

September

• * Dai Tielang, Singaporean-Chinese animator and film director, dies at age 88.
• * Ernie Elicanal, American animator and storyboard artist, dies at an unknown age.September 7: Robert Axelrod, American actor, dies at age 70.September 13: Eddie Money, American singer and songwriter, dies from esophageal cancer at age 70.September 22: J. Michael Mendel, American television producer, dies at age 54.September 30: Marshall Efron, American actor, dies at age 81.

October

• * Robert Forster, American actor, dies from brain cancer at age 78.
• * Ram Mohan, Indian animator, director and animation producer, dies at age 88.October 21: Bengt Feldreich, Swedish television presentator, journalist and voice actor, dies at age 94.October 22: Craig Gardner, American background artist, dies at an unknown age.October 26: Robert Evans, American film producer, studio executive and actor, dies at age 89.October 29: John Witherspoon, American actor and comedian, dies from a heart attack at age 77.

November

December

• * René Auberjonois, American actor, dies from lung cancer at age 79.
• * Caroll Spinney, American puppeteer, voice actor, comics artist and animator, dies at age 85.December 12: Albert Jelenic, Croatian-born American voice actor and father of Michael Jelenic, dies at age 75.December 14: Lord Tim Hudson, English DJ and voice actor, dies at age 79.December 25:
• * Patricia Alice Albrecht, American actress, writer and poet, dies at age 66.
• * Lee Mendelson, American animation producer, dies from lung cancer at age 86.December 27: Jack Sheldon, American jazz trumpeter, singer and actor, dies at age 88.