2003 in animation

The year 2003 in animation involved some animation-related events.

Years in animation:	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Centuries:	20th century · 21st century · 22nd century
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years:	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Events

January

• January 5: In The Simpsons episode Special Edna Little Richard is special guest voice.[1]

February

• February 2: The Simpsons reaches its 300th episode.
• February 8: The first episode of the reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is broadcast.[2]
• February 9: The first episode of Monkey Dust, a controversial TV series full of black comedy, airs.[3]
• February 16: The first episode of The Venture Bros. is broadcast.[4]
• February 20: Anime producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki is sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for the illegal possession of firearms, a case which happened in 1999.[5] He is released on 9 December 2007.

March

• March 5: The first episode of Odd Job Jack airs.[6]
• March 9: In The Simpsons episode Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington Krusty the Clown becomes a Republican. The episode satirizes Fox News's news ticker, which causes controversy.[7]
• March 21: The Walt Disney Company releases Piglet's Big Movie, directed by Francis Glebas.[8]
• March 23: 75th Academy Awards:
  • Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.[9] Miyazaki boycots the event because of the U.S. involvement in the Iraq War and stays at home. .[10]
  • The ChubbChubbs! by Eric Armstrong wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.[9]

April

• April 7:
  • The first episode of the stop-motion version of Miffy and Friends airs.
  • The first episode of Moose and Zee airs.[11]
• April 12: The first episode of All Grown Up! is broadcast,[12] before its regular run began on November 9, 2003.[13]

May

• May 7: Ray Harryhausen receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[14]
• May 18: During the Cannes Film Festival Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, a Japanese-French animated feature film directed by Daisuke Nishio, Hirotoshi Rissen, Kazuhisa Takenouchi and Leiji Matsumoto, set to a soundtrack by Daft Punk, is released.[15]
• May 30: The Walt Disney Company releases Finding Nemo, directed by Andrew Stanton.[16]

June

• June 6: The earliest known Eddsworld animation goes online.[17]
• June 11: Sylvain Chomet's The Triplettes of Belleville premiers.[18]
• June 13: The first episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy is broadcast.[19]
• June 25: Philippe Leclerc's The Rain Children premiers.[20]
• June 26 – July 24: Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" airs. It's a comeback of John Kricfalusi's original 1991–1995 Ren & Stimpy series, but with a more mature and darker tone. Both producers, advertisers and viewers dislike it, which leads to its cancellation after only a few episodes.[21]

July

• July 2: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, the final DreamWorks in traditional animation, premiers but becomes a flop.[22]
• July 11: The first episode of Spider-Man: The Animated Series airs, but only lasts a season.[23]
• July 19: The first episode of Teen Titans airs.[24]

August

• August 1: The first episode of My Life as a Teenage Robot is broadcast.[25]

September

• September 1: The first episode of Kid Paddle, an animated series based on the Belgian comics series of the same name, airs.[26]
• September 2: The first episode of Rubbadubbers is broadcast.[27]
• September 3:
  • The first episode of Chilly Beach is broadcast.[28]
  • The first episode of Code Lyoko airs.
• September 7: The first episode of Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks airs.[29][30]
• September 8: The first episode of Connie the Cow is broadcast.[31]
• September 16: The first episode of Auld Ones airs.[32]
• September 28: The first episode of JoJo's Circus is broadcast.[33]

October

• October 10: Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume 1 is released, which features an anime sequence, directed by Kazuto Nakazawa and produced by Production I.G..[34]

November

• November 1:
  • The Walt Disney Company releases Brother Bear, directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker.[35]
  • The first episode of Xiaolin Showdown, Tutenstein airs.[36]
• November 2: In The Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror XIV Jerry Lewis is special guest voice.[37]
• November 7: The first episode of Star Wars: Clone Wars airs.[38]
• November 9: Joe Dante's Looney Tunes: Back in Action is released.[39]
• November 16: In The Simpsons episode The President Wore Pearls Michael Moore is special guest voice.[40]
• November 23: In The Simpsons episode The Regina Monologues the family travels to The United Kingdom. J.K. Rowling, Ian McKellen and Prime Minister Tony Blair are special guest voices.[41]
• November 27: The first episode of Pororo the Little Penguin airs.[42]

December

• December 3: Jacques-Rémy Girerd's Prophétie des Grenouilles (Raining Cats and Frogs) premiers.[43]
• December 7: In The Simpsons episode Today I Am a Clown Mr. T is special guest voice.[44]
• December 16: One Froggy Evening and Tin Toy are added to the National Film Registry.[45][46]

Specific date unknown

• The first episode of Pat & Mat airs.
• The first episode of The Secret World of Benjamin Bear airs.

Awards

• Academy Award for Best Animated Feature: Finding Nemo
• Animation Kobe Feature Film Award: Millennium Actress[47]
• Annecy International Animated Film Festival Cristal du long métrage: My Life as McDull
• Annie Award for Best Animated Feature: Finding Nemo
• Goya Award for Best Animated Film: El Cid: The Legend
• Japan Media Arts Festival Animation Award: Winter Days
• Mainichi Film Awards – Animation Grand Award: Tokyo Godfathers

Films released

Television series debuts

Main article: List of animated television series of 2003

Date	Title	Channel	Year
January 6	The Berenstain Bears (2003)	PBS Kids	2003–04
January 13	Lupin the Third Part II	Adult Swim	2003
February 1	.hack//Sign	Cartoon Network
February 8	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)	Fox Box, The CW4Kids	2003–10
February 10	Reign: The Conqueror	Adult Swim	2003–04
February 16	The Venture Bros.		2003–present
March 1	Stuart Little: The Animated Series	HBO	2003
March 4	Hey Monie!	BET
March 11	The Save-Ums!	Discovery Kids	2003–06
March 31	Trigun	Adult Swim	2003
April 7	Miffy and Friends	Noggin	2003–07
	Moose and Zee		2003–12
April 12	All Grown Up!	Nickelodeon	2003–08
May 17	MegaMan NT Warrior	Kids' WB	2003–05
June 3	Hey Joel	VH1	2003
June 9	Android Kikaider: The Animation	Adult Swim
June 13	The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy	Cartoon Network	2003–08
June 26	Gary the Rat	The New TNN	2003
	Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"
	Stripperella		2003–04
June 30	Cyborg 009	Cartoon Network	2003
July 8	Franny's Feet	PBS Kids	2003–10
July 11	Evil Con Carne	Cartoon Network	2003–04
	Free for All	Showtime	2003
	Spider-Man: The New Animated Series	MTV
July 19	Teen Titans	Cartoon Network	2003–06
August 1	My Life as a Teenage Robot	Nickelodeon	2003–09
August 4	Blue Gender	Adult Swim	2003–04
August 5	FLCL		2003–18
August 23	Funky Cops	Fox Box	2003–04
	Duck Dodgers	Cartoon Network	2003–05
August 30	Shaman King	Fox Box
September 1	Clifford's Puppy Days	PBS Kids	2003–06
September 2	Rubbadubbers	Nick Jr.	2003–05
September 7	Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks	PBS Kids	2003–07
September 8	Connie the Cow	Nick Jr.	2003–05
September 20	Lilo & Stitch: The Series	Disney Channel	2003–06
September 28	JoJo's Circus	Playhouse Disney	2003–07
October 1	The Koala Brothers
October 17	VH1 ILL-ustrated	VH1	2003–04
October 22	Kid Notorious	Comedy Central	2003
November 1	Kenny the Shark	Discovery Kids	2003–05
	Tutenstein		2003–08
	Xiaolin Showdown	Kids' WB	2003–06
November 7	Star Wars: Clone Wars	Cartoon Network	2003–05
November 14	Dragon Ball GT	Cartoon Network, Nicktoons	2003–12

Television series endings

Date	Title	Channel	Year	Notes
January 16	3 South	MTV	2002–03	Cancelled
February 5	The Legend of Tarzan	UPN	2001–03	Ended
February 25	Clifford the Big Red Dog	PBS Kids	2000–03
April 4	Liberty's Kids		2002–03	Cancelled
April 13	Clone High	MTV
April 15	Hey Monie!	BET	2003
May 24	Stuart Little: The Animated Series	HBO
June 17	Hey Joel	VH1
July 24	Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"	TNN
September 12	Free for All	Showtime
	Spider-Man: The New Animated Series	MTV
October 24	Disney's House of Mouse	Toon Disney	2001–03	Ended
October 25	X-Men: Evolution	Kids' WB	2000–03
November 14	Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones?	Cartoon Network	2002–03	Cancelled
November 20	Dexter's Laboratory		1996–03	Ended
November 26	Time Squad		2001–03	Cancelled
December 12	Transformers: Armada		2002–03
December 17	Kid Notorious	Comedy Central	2003
December 31	The Brak Show	Adult Swim	2000–03

Births

Deaths

February

• February 24: Imogene Lynn, American singer (singing voice of Red in Tex Avery's cartoons), dies at age 80.[48][49]

March

• March 9: Stan Brakhage, American film director and animator (Mothlight), dies at age 70.[50]
• March 12: Branco Karabajic, Croatian comics artist and animator (worked on Veliki Mitting), dies at age 77.[51]
• March 28: Bob Matz, American animator (Warner Bros. Animation, DePatie-Freleng, Peanuts specials), dies at age 90.[52]

April

• April 30: Lionel Wilson, American voice actor (voiced all characters in Tom Terrific, Vincent van Gopher and Possible Possum in Deputy Dawg, Eustace Bagge in Courage the Cowardly Dog), dies at age 79.[53]

June

• June 30: Buddy Hackett, American actor and comedian (voice of Pardon-Me-Pete in Jack Frost, Skittle in The Little Mermaid), dies at age 78.[54]

July

• July 4: Barry White, American soul singer and voice actor (voice of Brother Bear in Coonskin, played himself in The Simpsons episodes Whacking Day and Bart's Inner Child), dies at age 58.[55]

September

• September 6: Jules Engel, American sculptor, graphic artist, set designer, animator, animated film director (Walt Disney Studios, Charles Mintz Studios, UPA) and founder of the Experimental Animation Program at the California Institute of Arts) , dies at age 94.[56]
• September 12: Johnny Cash, American country singer (voice of the Coyote in The Simpsons episode El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer), dies at age 71.[57][58]
• September 30: Edwin Gillette, American inventor, cameraman and animator (Cambria Studios, inventor of the Syncro-Vox technique), dies at age 94.[59]

October

• October 16: Carl Urbano, American animator and director (A Is for Atom, Hanna-Barbera), dies at age 92.

November

• November 30: Kin Platt, American caricaturist, radio writer, TV writer, comics artist and animation writer (Walt Disney Animation, Hanna-Barbera, Terrytoons, Milton the Monster), dies at age 91.[60]

December

• December 22: Wah Chang, Chinese-American designer, sculptor, animator and animation producer (made maquettes and models for Walt Disney's Pinocchio and Bambi), dies at age 86.[61]
• December 27: Pete Alvarado, American comics artist and animator (Walt Disney Company, Warner Brothers Animation, DePatie-Freleng, Republic Pictures, Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears Productions, Filmation), dies at age 83.[62]

Specific date unknown

• Specific date in December unknown: Oliver Passingham, British comics artist and animator, dies at age 78.[63]
• Claude Smith, American animator (Walt Disney Company, MGM (worked in Tex Avery's unit)), dies at age 90.

See also

• 2003 in anime

References

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2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at TV.com
3. Monkey Dust, retrieved 2019-11-26
4. The Venture Bros., retrieved 2019-11-26
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8. "Piglet's Big Movie 2003". boxofficemojo.com. May 29, 2003. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
9. "The 75th Academy Awards (2003) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
10. "Miyazaki breaks his silent protest of America". Los Angeles Times. 25 July 2009.
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