1979 in animation

Years in animation:	1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Years:	1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982

The year 1979 in animation involved some events.

Events

January

• January 5: Yuri Norstein's Tale of Tales premiers.[1][2]

March

• March 21: The first episode of The Perishers is broadcast, based on Maurice Dodd's comic strip The Perishers.[3]

April

• April 1–2: Bill Melendez' TV special The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe premiers.[4]
• April 2: The first episode of Doraemon premiers. It will run uninterrupted until 2005 and then still continue after being revived later that year.[5]
• April 7: The first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam is broadcast.[6]
• April 9: 51st Academy Awards. Walter Lantz receives an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.[7] Special Delivery by Eunice Macauley and John Weldon wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
• April 13: Payut Ngaokrachang's The Adventure of Sudsakorn is first released, the first and only cel-animated feature film made in Thailand.[8][9]

May

• May 10–24: At the 1979 Cannes Film Festival Raoul Servais' Harpya wins a Palme d'Or for Best Short Film.[10]
• May 30: The Chinese animated feature Prince Nezha's Triumph Against Dragon King is first released, directed by Yan Dingxian, Wang Shuchen and Xu Jingda.[11]
• Specific date unknown: Studio Pierrot is founded.

July

• Studio Hibari is founded.

August

• August 17: The film Monty Python's Life of Brian is first released, which features an animated opening sequence by Terry Gilliam.[12]
• August 30: Tim Burton's pencil-animated Stalk of the Celery Monster premiers.

September

• September 22'
  • The animated TV series Casper and the Angels debuts on NBC and will run until 1980. It combines Casper the Friendly Ghost with animated versions of the cast of the TV series Charlie's Angels.[13]
  • Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo debuts on ABC and will run until 1980.[14] It marks the debut of the character Scrappy-Doo.
• September 28: Chuck Jones releases the anthology film The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie.[15]
• Specific date unknown: Eugene Fedorenko's Every Child premiers.[16]

October

• October 1: The first episode of Doctor Snuggles airs.[17]
• October 10: The first episode of The Rose of Versailles (also known as Lady Oscar) is broadcast.[18]

December

• December 21: Frank Zappa releases his concert film Baby Snakes, which contains stop-motion animated sequences by Bruce Bickford.[19]

Specific date unknown

• The first episode of Amigo and Friends premiers.[20]
• Kaj Pindal's animated short Caninabis premiers.[21]
• Pavel Bazhov's The Fire-Fairy premiers.[22]
• Len Lye's Free Radicals premiers.[23]
• Vladimir Samsonov's Very Blue Beard premiers.[24]
• Richard Condie's Getting Started premiers.[25]
• The first episode of Alfie Atkins is broadcast.[26]
• Charlex is founded.
• Pixar is founded as the Graphics Group. It will be renamed Pixar in 1986.

Films released

Main article: List of animated feature films of 1979

Television series

Main article: List of animated television series of 1979

Births

• June 18: Yumiko Kobayashi, Japanese voice actress.

Deaths

January

• January 5: Billy Bletcher, American voice actor (voice of Pete, Big Bad Wolf, the Pincushion Man in Balloon Land, Spike the Bulldog in Tom & Jerry, Papa Bear in The Three Bears), dies at age 84.

February

• February 13: Yuri Merkulov, Russian animator and animated film director (Bratishkin's Adventures), passes away at age 77.[27][28]
• February 15: George Dunning, Canadian animator and film director (The Beatles, Yellow Submarine), dies at age 58.

March

• March 13: Tudor Owen, Welsh actor (voice of Towser in 101 Dalmatians), dies at age 81.[29]

April

• April 1: Barbara Luddy, American actress (voice of Lady in Lady and the Tramp, Merryweather in Sleeping Beauty, Rover in One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Kanga in Winnie the Pooh), dies at age 70.
• April 29: Hardie Gramatky, American novelist, comics artist and animator (Walt Disney Animation Studios), dies at age 72.[30]

June

• June 25: Dave Fleischer, American animator, film producer and director (Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Popeye, Let's All Go to the Lobby), dies of a stroke at age 84.

September

• September 12: Les Clark, American animator and film director (Disney Studios), dies at age 71.

October

• October 30: Oscar Conti, aka Oski, Argentine cartoonist, caricaturist, animator and comics artist (The First Foundation of Buenos Aires), dies at age 65.[31]

November

• November 21: Paul Wexler, American actor (voice of car mechanic in 101 Dalmatians), dies at age 50.
• November 30: Dick Huemer, American animator (Disney Studios) and comics writer, passes away at age 81.

December

• December 27: Nikolai Khodataev, Russian animated film director and animator (worked on Aelita, Interplanetary Revolution, China in Flames, The Samoyed Boy, The Little Organ), passes away at age 87.[32]

Specific date unknown

• Adam Beckett, American animator, special effects artist and teacher (Star Wars), dies at age 28 or 29 in a house fire.[33][34]

See also

• 1979 in anime

Sources

1. "Russian animation in letters and figures | Films | "TALE OF TALES"". www.animator.ru. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
2. "Tale of Tales (1979) - Yuriy Norshteyn, Yuri Norstein | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie". Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via www.allmovie.com.
3. DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "The Perishers Episode Guide -FilmFair". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved May 20, 2020.
4. "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979)". Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
5. ドラえもん (1979～2005). allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
6. "Mobile Suit Gundam (TV) - Anime News Network". www.animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
7. "Olivier, Lantz to get Special Oscars". Beaver County Times. Calkins Media. February 13, 1979. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
8. http://www.thaifilm.com/articleDetail_en.asp?id=54 "Payut Ngaokrachang: The Master of Thai Animations"
9. http://www.thaifilm.com Thai Film Foundation
10. "Raoul Servais". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
11. "35th Anniversary of Nezha Conquers the Dragon King". www.google.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
12. Canby, Vincent (Aug 17, 1979). "Film: 'Monty Python's Life of Brian':Gospel of Lunacy". Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via NYTimes.com.
13. DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "Casper and the Angels Episode Guide -Hanna-Barbera @ BCDB". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved May 20, 2020.
14. DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Episode Guide -Hanna-Barbera". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved May 20, 2020.
15. "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979) - Chuck Jones, Phil Monroe | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie". Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via www.allmovie.com.
16. "Every Child (1979) - Eugène Fedorenko | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie". Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via www.allmovie.com.
17. DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "Doctor Snuggles (Dr. Snuggles) Episode Guide -Polyscope -Alternate: Dr. Snuggles". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved May 20, 2020.
18. "ベルサイユのばら　完全版". Aug 29, 2010. Archived from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
19. "Baby Snakes". Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via www.imdb.com.
20. "Amigo and Friends Description | Retro Junk". www.retrojunk.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
21. Canada, National Film Board of. "Caninabis". Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via www.nfb.ca.
22. "Fire-Jumping". Animator.ru. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
23. Russet, R (1988). Experimental Animation : origins of a new art. New York: De Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80314-3.
24. "Russian animation in letters and figures | Films | "A VERY BLUE BEARD"". www.animator.ru. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
25. "Getting Started". Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via www.imdb.com.
26. "www.alfons.se". Aug 13, 2010. Archived from the original on August 13, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
27. Giannalberto Bendazzi (2016). Animation: A World History: Volume I: Foundations - The Golden Age at Google Books, p. 76—79
28. Sergey Kapkov (2006). Encyclopedia of Domestic Animation, p. 433-434, 14
29. "Who is Tudor Owen (actor)?". Omnilexica. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
30. "Hardie Gramatky". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
31. "Oski". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
32. Giannalberto Bendazzi (2016). Animation: A World History: Volume I: Foundations - The Golden Age at Google Books, p. 76—78
33. Pamela Turner, "Adam Beckett Archived September 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine", 3/10/10
34. "The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences," "Infinite Animation: The Work of Adam Beckett Archived March 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine", 3/10/10