2015 in animation

Years in animation:	2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Centuries:	20th century · 21st century · 22nd century
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s
Years:	2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

This is a list of events in animation in 2015.

Events

January

• January 18: The first episode of Star vs. the Forces of Evil is broadcast, which becomes an unexpected success[1]
• January 19: Boomerang was rebranded as part of a global rebranding effort, and will offer original programming for the first time. The relaunched channel will continue 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 that Boomerang can become a "second flagship", on par with the main Cartoon Network channel.
• January 25: In The Simpsons episode The Musk Who Fell to Earth, Elon Musk is a special guest voice, playing himself.[2]
• January 31: The 42nd Annie Awards are held.

February

• February 15: In The Simpsons episode My Fare Lady, the couch gag was animated by Paul Robertson and Ivan Dixon.[3]
• February 27: 87th Academy Awards:
  • Big Hero 6, by Don Hall, Chris Williams, and Roy Conli, wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.[4]
  • Feast, by Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed, wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[4]
  • Hayao Miyazaki receives an Honorary Academy Award.[5]

May

• May 17: The couch gag of The Simpsons episode Mathlete's Feat is animated by the creators of Rick and Morty, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.[6]

September

• September 23: In the South Park episode Where My Country Gone?, Mr. Garrison starts a presidential campaign, directly satirizing Donald Trump. Though intended as a one-shot joke, Garrison and his presidential career are continued in next seasons of the show, when Trump is effectively elected president in 2016.[7][8][9][10]

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 (running from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am.)
• October 25: The couch gag of The Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror XXVI is animated by John Kricfalusi.[11]

November

• November 8: In The Simpsons episode Friend with Benefit, David Copperfield is a special guest voice.[12]

December

• December 16: John Henry and the Inky-Poo, The Old Mill and The Story of Menstruation are added to the National Film Registry.[13][14]

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.[15]

Awards

• Academy Award for Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
• Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: Bear Story
• Animation Kobe Feature Film Award: TBD
• Annecy International Animated Film Festival Cristal du long métrage: TBD
• Annie Award for Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
• Annie Award for Best Animated Feature — Independent: Boy and the World
• Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Animated Feature Film: Miss Hokusai
• BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film: Inside Out
• César Award for Best Animated Film: The Little Prince
• European Film Award for Best Animated Film: Song of the Sea
• Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film: Inside Out
• Goya Award for Best Animated Film: Capture the Flag
• Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year: Stand by Me Doraemon
• Japan Media Arts Festival Animation Grand Prize: TBD
• Mainichi Film Awards - Animation Grand Award: Miss Hokusai

Films released

Main article: List of animated feature films of 2015

Television series debuts

Main article: List of animated television series of 2015

Date	Title	Channel	Year
January 12	Little Charmers	Nickelodeon, Nick Jr.	2015–16
January 16	The Adventures of Puss in Boots	Netflix	2015–18
January 18	Star vs. the Forces of Evil	Disney XD, Disney Channel	2015–19
January 29	Like, Share, Die	Fusion TV	2015
February 6	Miles from Tomorrowland	Disney Junior	2015–18
	Wishenpoof!	Amazon Video	2015–present
March 14	Transformers: Robots in Disguise	Cartoon Network	2015–17
March 27	Inspector Gadget (2015)	Netflix, Universal Kids	2015–18
March 28	Harvey Beaks	Nickelodeon	2015–17
April 16	Major Lazer	FXX	2015
April 30	Talking Tom and Friends	YouTube	2015–present
May 22	H2O: Mermaid Adventures	Netflix	2015
May 28	Chick Figures	Fusion Mondo YouTube	2015–16
June 15	Fresh Beat Band of Spies	Nick Jr.	2015–16
July 6	Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales	Disney XD	2015
July 16	Pig Goat Banana Cricket	Nickelodeon	2015–18
July 27	We Bare Bears	Cartoon Network	2015–present
August 1	Guardians of the Galaxy	Disney XD	2015–19
August 3	ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks	Nickelodeon	2015–present
August 10	Two More Eggs	Disney XD	2015–17
August 14	Dinotrux	Netflix	2015–18
August 24	Shimmer and Shine	Nick Jr.	2015–20
August 25	Vixen	CW Seed	2015–16
August 31	Da Jammies	Netflix	2015–present
September 2	Pickle and Peanut	Disney XD	2015–18
September 7	Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race	Cartoon Network	2015
September 9	Nina's World	Universal Kids	2015–16
September 12	Goldie & Bear	Disney Junior	2015–18
September 16	Moonbeam City	Comedy Central	2015
September 18	PJ Masks	Disney Channel, Disney Junior	2015–present
	Descendants: Wicked World	Disney Channel	2015–17
September 21	New Looney Tunes	Cartoon Network, Boomerang	2015–20
October 1	DC Super Hero Girls	YouTube	2015–18
October 5	Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!	Cartoon Network, Boomerang
October 8	SuperMansion	Sony Crackle	2015–present
October 9	The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show	Netflix	2015–17
October 30	Popples		2015–16
November 6	Care Bears & Cousins
November 13	Blazing Team: Masters of Yo Kwon Do	Discovery Family	2015–17
November 22	The Lion Guard	Disney Junior	2015–19
November 25	Nature Cat	PBS Kids	2015–present
November 30	Long Live the Royals	Cartoon Network	2015
December 6	Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir	Nickelodeon, Netflix, Disney Channel	2015–present
December 7	Supernoobs	Cartoon Network, Hulu	2015–19
December 13	Nexo Knights	Cartoon Network	2015–17
December 18	F Is for Family	Netflix	2015–present
December 24	Dawn of the Croods		2015–17

Television series endings

Date	Title	Channel	Year	Notes
January 10	Black Dynamite	Adult Swim	2012–15	Ended
February 12	Wild Grinders	Nicktoons		Cancelled
February 14	Robot and Monster
	Astroblast!	Universal Kids	2014–15
April 1	Curious George	PBS Kids	2006–15	Ended
April 4	T.U.F.F. Puppy	Nicktoons	2010–15	Cancelled
April 14	Brickleberry	Comedy Central	2012–15
April 24	Team Umizoomi	Nick Jr.	2010–15	Ended
June 12	Phineas and Ferb	Disney Channel, Disney XD	2007–15
June 14	China, IL	Adult Swim	2011–15
June 25	Major Lazer	FXX	2015	Cancelled
June 28	Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.	Disney XD	2013–15	Ended
July 3	Stone Quackers	FXX	2014–15	Cancelled
July 15	H2O: Mermaid Adventures	Netflix	2015
July 27	Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja	Disney XD	2012–15
August 7	WordGirl	PBS Kids	2007–15	Ended
August 9	Julius Jr.	Nick Jr.	2013–15	Cancelled
August 20	Like, Share, Die	Fusion TV	2015
August 30	Aqua Teen Hunger Force	Adult Swim	2001–15	Ended
September 12	Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures	Discovery Family	2010–15
October 9	Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race	Cartoon Network	2015	Cancelled
November 2	Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales	Disney XD		Ended
November 8	Dick Figures	Mondo, YouTube	2010–15
November 30	Henry Hugglemonster	Disney Junior	2013–15	Cancelled
December 3	Long Live the Royals	Cartoon Network	2015	Ended
December 9	Moonbeam City	Comedy Central		Cancelled
December 19	The Penguins of Madagascar	Nicktoons	2008–15

Deaths

January

• January 6: Lance Percival, British actor, comedian and singer (voice of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in The Beatles, voice of Old Fred in Yellow Submarine), dies at age 81.[16]
• January 7: Rod Taylor, American actor (voice of Pongo in 101 Dalmatians), dies at age 84.[17]
• January 13: José Luis Moro, Spanish animator and comics artist (La Familia Telérín), dies at age 88. [18]
• January 22: René Jodoin, Canadian animation director and producer (founder of French Animation Studio), dies at age 94.[19]
• January 26: Stephen R. Johnson, American animator, painter, television director and music video director (the music video of Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel), dies at age 62.[20][21][22]

February

• February 1: Monty Oum, American animator, animation director and voice actor (Rooster Teeth, Red vs. Blue), dies at age 33 after an allergic reaction.[23]
• February 4: Carl Ritchie, American actor (voice of Bert the turtle in Duck and Cover), dies at age 91.
• February 20: Gérard Calvi, French composer (composed music for the Astérix animated feature films), dies at age 92.[24]
• February 27:
  • Richard Bakalyan, Armenian-American actor (voice of Dinky in The Fox and the Hound), dies at age 84.[25]
  • Tod Dockstader, American composer (Terrytoons, Kim Deitch), dies at age 82.[20][26]
  • Leonard Nimoy, American actor (voiced Spock in Star Trek: The Animated Series, Galvatron in The Transformers: The Movie, King Kashekim Nedakh in Atlantis: The Lost Empire and himself in The Simpsons episodes Marge vs. the Monorail and The Springfield Files, as well as the Futurama episodes Space Pilot 3000 and Where No Fan Has Gone Before), dies at age 83.

March

• March 8: Sam Simon, American TV director, producer, designer and writer (The Simpsons), dies at age 59.[27][28][29]

April

• April 1: Robert Walker, Canadian-American animator (Atkinson Film-Arts, Walt Disney Company, co-director of Brother Bear), dies at age 54.[30]
• April 6: Cliff Voorhees, American animator and comics artist (The Walt Disney Company, Filmation, Hanna-Barbera, Film Roman, The Simpsons, The Critic, VeggieTales, Grim and Evil), dies at age 85.[31]
• April 7: Stan Freberg, American comedian, actor and voice actor (voice of the beaver in Lady and the Tramp, Junior Bear and Pete Puma in Looney Tunes), dies at age 88.[32][33]
• April 9: Al Pabian, American animator (Chuck Jones, Peanuts specials), dies at age 97.

May

• May 10: Anita Gordon, American singer and actress (voice of the Harp in Mickey and the Beanstalk in Fun and Fancy Free), dies at age 85.
• May 13: David Anderson, British animator (Dreamland Express, worked on the music video Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel), dies at age 62 or 63.[34]

June

• June 11: Ron Moody, British actor, singer and composer (voice of Badger and Toad in The Animals of Farthing Wood, Noah the polar bear, Rocco the gorilla, Reg the mandrill, Squadron Leader the vulture in Noah's Island), dies at age 91.[35]
• June 30: Paolo Piffarerio, Italian comics artist and animator (La Lunga Calza Verde) and animated film producer (Gamma Film), dies at age 90.[36]

July

• July 17: Alan Kupperberg, American comics artist and animator (Don Bluth), dies of thymus cancer at age 62.[37][38]
• July 18: Alex Rocco, American voice actor (voice of Roger Meyers, Jr. in The Simpsons, Thorny in A Bug's Life), dies at age 79.[39]

Specific date unknown

• David Anderson, British animated film director, dies at age 62 or 63.[34]

See also

• 2015 in anime

References

1. "Disney Tries Something New With 'Star Vs. The Forces of Evil': A Woman Creator". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
2. "The Musk Who Fell to Earth". Retrieved May 5, 2020 – via www.imdb.com.
3. "My Fare Lady". Retrieved May 5, 2020 – via www.imdb.com.
4. "Partial list of Oscar winners". The Boston Globe. John W. Henry. February 23, 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
5. "Harry Belafonte, Hayao Miyazaki, Maureen O'Hara to get honorary Oscars". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
6. "Mathlete's Feat". Retrieved May 5, 2020 – via www.imdb.com.
7. Nicholson, Max (September 24, 2015). "South Park: "Where My Country Gone?" Review". IGN. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
8. Caffrey, Dan (September 24, 2015). ""Where My Country Gone?" - South Park - TV Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
9. Blistein, Jon (September 24, 2015). "'South Park' Murders 'Brash A--hole' Donald Trump". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
10. Parker, Ryan (September 24, 2015). "'South Park' Takes on Caitlyn Jenner's Car Crash & Donald Trump in NSFW Episode". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
11. "Treehouse of Horror XXVI". Retrieved May 5, 2020 – via www.imdb.com.
12. "Friend with Benefit". Retrieved May 5, 2020 – via www.imdb.com.
13. |Morgan, David (December 16, 2015). ""Shawshank Redemption," "Ghostbusters" added to National Film Registry". CBS News. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
14. "Complete National Film Registry Listing | Film Registry | National Film Preservation Board | Programs at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
15. "Tom Borremans". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
16. "Comedy and satire star Percival dies". Jan 9, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2020 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
17. "Rod Taylor, 'The Birds' and 'The Time Machine' Star, Dies at 84". Variety. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
18. https://www.lambiek.net/artists/m/moro_jose_luis.htm
19. Milligan, Mercedes (28 January 2015). "NFB French Animation Founder René Jodoin Dies". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
20. "The Dead Rock Stars Club - January to June 2015". Retrieved 13 February 2015.
21. "Obituary for Stephen Russell Johnson". Cheney-Witt Funeral Chapel. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
22. "Stephen R. Johnson's Obituary on New York Times". New York Times. 2015-02-03. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
23. Slotnik, Daniel E. (February 3, 2015). "Monty Oum, Web-Series Animator, Dies at 33". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
24. "Mort du compositeur et chef d'orchestre Gérard Calvi". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 2015-02-22.
25. "Richard Bakalyan Obituary". Star-Gazette. legacy.com. March 1, 2015.
26. "Musique Concrète Composer Tod Dockstader Has Died | News". Pitchfork. 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
27. Yardley, William (March 9, 2015). "Sam Simon, Who Helped Shape 'The Simpsons,' Dies at 59". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
28. Carmel Dagan (February 9, 2015). "Sam Simon, Co-Creator of 'The Simpsons,' Dies at 59". Variety. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
29. Eleftheriou-Smith, Loulla-Mae (March 9, 2015). "Sam Simon dead: 'The Simpsons' co-creator dies aged 59". The Independent. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
30. Wolfe, Jennifer (April 9, 2015). "Disney Artist & Director Robert Walker Dies at 54". Animation World Network. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
31. "Cliff Voorhees". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
32. Byrge, Duane (April 7, 2015). "Stan Freberg, Acclaimed Satirist, Dies at 88". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
33. Martin, Douglas (April 7, 2015). "Stan Freberg, Madcap Adman and Satirist, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
34. "In Memoriam: David Anderson (1952-2015)". May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
35. "Oliver! actor Ron Moody dies aged 91". BBC News. 11 June 2015.
36. "Paolo Piffarerio". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
37. Johnston, Rich (July 17, 2015). "Alan Kupperberg Dies, Aged 62". BleedingCool.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2015.
38. "Alan Kupperberg". lambiek.net. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
39. Mike Barnes. "Alex Rocco Dead: 'Godfather' Actor Was 79". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 20, 2015.