2014 in animation

2014 in animation is an overview of notable events, including notable awards, list of films released, television show debuts and endings, and notable deaths.

• January 12: The Simpsons episode "Married to the Blob" is first broadcast, in which the couch gag is animated by Bill Plympton, the third time he has done so. In the same episode, the long-time single Comic Book Guy marries manga artist Kumiko Nakamura.

• February 1: The 41st Annie Awards are held.
• February 7: The Lego Movie, by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, is released.
• February 22: During the 86th Academy Awards, Frozen by Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The song "Let It Go" from the same movie, written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Mr. Hublot by Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

• March 9: The Simpsons episode "Diggs" is first broadcast, in which the couch gag is animated by Sylvain Chomet. The same evening, another episode, "The Man Who Grew Too Much" is first broadcast, featuring the last new speaking appearance of Edna Krabappel after Marcia Wallace's death on October 25, 2013. The character was retired after this episode.

• April 1: Cav Bøgelund's Våbenbrødre (Brothers in Arms), an animated short aimed at mature audiences about Danish soldiers during the Afghan War, premiers.
• April 27:
  • The Simpsons episode, "What to Expect When Bart's Expecting" is first broadcast, in which the couch gag is animated by Michael Socha.
  • Nickelodeon celebrates its 35th anniversary.

• May 4: The Simpsons episode "Brick Like Me" is first broadcast, in which large parts of the episode are animated in the style of Lego.

• In Belgium Karolien Raeymaekers makes an animated short, Oma, about her deceased grandmother, as her final exam for the KASK film school in Ghent. The film would be posted on Cartoon Brew later that year and win several awards.

• August 22: The first episode of BoJack Horseman premiered on Netflix.

• September 27: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks is released.
• September 28:
  • Fox replaces its Animation Domination block with a new block called Sunday Funday, which contained an hour of live-action shows and no longer fully had animated shows on its lineup, Animation Domination would return in 2019.
  • The Simpsons episode "Clown in the Dumps" premieres, with the couch gag being animated by Don Hertzfeldt. It had been announced months earlier that a recurring character would die. This character's identity is revealed: Hyman Krustofsky, father of Krusty the Clown.
  • "The Simpsons Guy", a crossover episode between The Simpsons and Family Guy, is first broadcast.

• October 2: Alan Becker releases "Animator vs Animation IV" on YouTube
• October 13: Hub Network is rebranded as Discovery Family; Hasbro remains a minority partner and programs the network's daytime lineup with children's animated programs carried over from Hub Network, while its primetime lineup was replaced with reruns of non-fiction programs from Discovery Channel's library.
• October 20: The 12th season of American Dad! premiered on TBS after airing on Fox for its 11 previous seasons.

• November 7: Disney releases Big Hero 6.
• November 9: "Simpsorama", a crossover episode between The Simpsons and Futurama, is first broadcast.
• Specific date unknown in November: Three animated programs, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Fatherhood, and Little Bill, are pulled from syndication due to actor Bill Cosby facing allegations of sexual assault. Little Bill is one of the programs to be regretted by Nickelodeon as books based on the show were ceased from circulation. Distractify responded "Perhaps Little Bill should be left in the past."

• December 17: Luxo Jr. and Moon Breath Beat are added to the National Film Registry.

• Academy Award for Best Animated Feature: Frozen
• Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film: Mr. Hublot
• Animation Kobe Feature Film Award: Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion
• Annecy International Animated Film Festival Cristal du long métrage: The Boy and the World
• Annie Award for Best Animated Feature: How to Train Your Dragon 2
• Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Animated Feature Film: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
• BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film: The Lego Movie
• César Award for Best Animated Film: Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants
• European Film Award for Best Animated Film: The Art of Happiness
• Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2
• Goya Award for Best Animated Film: Mortadelo and Filemon: Mission Implausible
• Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year: The Wind Rises
• Japan Media Arts Festival Animation Grand Prize: The Wound
• Mainichi Film Awards - Animation Grand Award: Giovanni's Island

• January 5: Carmen Zapata, American actress (voice of Maria Vargas in Batman: The Animated Series, Fairy #7 in the Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child episode "Sleeping Beauty"), dies at age 86.
• January 6: Larry D. Mann, Canadian actor (voice of Yukon Cornelius in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), dies at age 91.
• January 10: Russell Johnson, American actor (voice of Roy Hinkley in The New Adventures of Gilligan and Gilligan's Planet), dies at age 89.
• January 16: Hal Sutherland, American painter, film director and animator (Walt Disney Company, co-founder of Filmation), dies at age 84.
• January 19: Michael Sporn, American animator and film director (Doctor DeSoto, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers) and producer (Michael Sporn Animation), dies at age 67.
• January 21: Bill Kresse, American animator and comics artist (Terrytoons), dies at age 80.
• January 27: Ichiro Nagai, Japanese actor, dies at age 82.
• January 30: Arthur Rankin Jr., American film director and producer (Rankin/Bass), dies at age 89.
• January 31: Don Vanderbeek, American background artist (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, Johnny Bravo, Globehunters: An Around the World in 80 Days Adventure, Make Way for Noddy, Eight Crazy Nights, Candy Land: The Great Lollipop Adventure, The Simpsons), dies from esophageal cancer at age 64.

• February 2: Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor, director and producer (voice of Max Jerry Horowitz in Mary and Max, Will Toffman in the Arthur episode "No Acting, Please"), dies from a drug overdose at age 46.
• February 12: Sid Caesar, American actor and writer (voice of King Goochi in Intergalactic Thanksgiving, Marty Kazoo in Life with Louie, Jacob in Globehunters: An Around the World in 80 Days Adventure), dies at age 91.
• February 16: Jimmy T. Murakami, American film director and animator (Toei Animation, The Snowman, The Magic Pear Tree), dies at age 80.
• February 24: Harold Ramis, American actor, (voice of Zeke in Heavy Metal), comedian, director and writer (Rover Dangerfield), dies at age 69.

• March 18:
  • Jorge Arvizu, Mexican actor (Spanish dub voice of Bugs Bunny, Popeye, Fred Flintstone, and Magilla Gorilla, and Benny and Choo-Choo in Top Cat: The Movie), dies at age 81.
  • Joe Lala, American musician and actor (voice of Mr. Estevez in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, Hector's Dad in Ozzy & Drix, Enrique in the All Grown Up! episode "Dude, Where's My Horse?", Leonardo da Vinci in the Time Squad episode "Daddio DaVinci", additional voices in Monsters, Inc., The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat, and The Legend of Calamity Jane), dies at age 66.
• March 27: Richard Lorenzana, American production accountant (The Simpsons, Futurama, Napoleon Dynamite), dies at age 69.

• April 6: Mickey Rooney, American actor (voice of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in the mid-1930s, Santa Claus in the Rankin/Bass Productions Christmas specials, adult Tod in The Fox and the Hound, Mr. Cherrywood in The Care Bears Movie, Flip in Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, himself in The Simpsons episode "Radioactive Man", and the short producer in the American Dad! episode "A Star is Reborn"), dies at age 93.
• April 29: Bob Hoskins, English actor (portrayed Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, voice of Boris in Balto), dies at age 71.

• May 2: Efrem Zimbalist Jr., American actor (voice of Alfred Pennyworth in the DC Animated Universe, Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man, Justin Hammer in Iron Man), dies at age 95.

• June 9: Rik Mayall, English actor (voice of Prince Froglip in The Princess and the Goblin, Brigand in The Thief and the Cobbler, Cacofonix in Asterix Conquers America, The Robber King in The Snow Queen, Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows, Gerard in Gormless in A Monkey's Tale, Tom Thumb in The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends, Narrator in Jellabies, Kehaar in Watership Down, King Arthur in King Arthur's Disasters, Cufflingk in Valiant, Lord Reginald in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Chimps Ahoy", Seven Dwarfs in Snow White: The Sequel), dies at age 56.
• June 15: Casey Kasem, American actor (voice of Shaggy Rogers in Scooby-Doo, Robin in Super Friends, Cliffjumper in The Transformers, and the titular character in Peter Cottontail), dies at age 82.
• June 23: Steve Viksten, American television writer (Rugrats, Duckman, Hey Arnold!, Recess, Higglytown Heroes, The Simpsons), and actor (voice of Oskar Kokoshka in Hey Arnold!), dies at age 53.
• June 26: Wolf Koenig, Canadian film director and animator (worked for Colin Low), dies at age 86.
• June 28: Meshach Taylor, American actor (voice of Cecil in The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, Doctor Harris in the Static Shock episode "Aftershock"), dies at age 67.
• June 30: Bob Hastings, American actor (voice of Commissioner Gordon in the DC Animated Universe, Superboy in The Adventures of Superboy, Henry Glopp in Jeannie, D.D. in Clue Club), dies at age 89.

• July 6: Tô Hoài, Vietnamese writer, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and animator, dies at age 93.
• July 7: Dick Jones, American actor (voice of the title character in Pinocchio), dies at age 87.
• July 19: James Garner, American actor (voice of God in God, the Devil and Bob, Commander Rourke in Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Shazam in Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam), dies at age 86.
• July 28: James Shigeta, Japanese-American actor (voice of General Li in Mulan, Old Wanderer in the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode "The Spirit World-Winter Solstice, Part 1"), dies at age 85.

• August 4: Walter Massey, Canadian actor (voice of Admiral Zogal and Deathforce Officer in Space Carrier Blue Noah, Captain Perez and The Doctor in The Mysterious Cities of Gold, Papa and Dr. Nose in Adventures of the Little Koala, Uncle Henry in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Polluto in The Smoggies, Plato in The Little Flying Bears, Geppetto in Saban's Adventures of Pinocchio, Piers McMaster in C.L.Y.D.E., Guru Lou in Samurai Pizza Cats, Papa Beaver in Papa Beaver's Storytime, Mr. Gronkle in The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Dentist in The Little Lulu Show, Principal Herbert Haney and Mr. Marco in Arthur, Mr. Tinker in How the Toys Saved Christmas, Dr. Stewart in Lassie, Santa Claus in Caillou's Holiday Movie, Shen-Shen's Great Great Uncle in the Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat episode "Wedding Day Mess", additional voices in Diplodos, Bumpety Boo, Sharky and George, The Adventures of Peter Pan, Saban's Adventures of the Little Mermaid, Bob in a Bottle, Robinson Sucroe, Animal Crackers, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures, Caillou, Patrol 03, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, For Better or For Worse, A Miss Mallard Mystery, Wunschpunsch and Tripping the Rift), dies at age 85.
• August 6: David Weidman, American animator and poster designer (UPA, Hanna-Barbera), dies at age 93.
• August 11:
  • Robin Williams, American actor and comedian (portrayed himself in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Truth or Square", voice of Mork in Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour, Genie in Aladdin, Aladdin and the King of Thieves and Great Minds Think 4 Themselves, The Kiwi in A Wish for Wings That Work, Batty Koda in FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Fender Pinwheeler in Robots, Ramón and Lovelace in Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two), commits suicide at age 63.
  • Liz Holzman, American animator (Alvin and the Chipmunks), storyboard artist (Marvel Productions, Disney Television Animation, Animated Stories from the Bible, Garfield and Friends, Curious George), character designer (Disney Television Animation), prop designer (TaleSpin), art director, writer, director and producer (Warner Bros. Animation), dies from cancer at age 61.
• August 12: Lauren Bacall, American actress and voice actress (voice of Freezelda in HBO Storybook Musicals, Madame Lacroque in Madeline: Lost in Paris, The Grand Witch in Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King, the Witch of the Waste in Howl's Moving Castle, The Grey One in Ernest and Celestine, Evelyn in the Family Guy episode "Mom's the Word"), dies at age 89.
• August 18: Don Pardo, American announcer (voice of the Announcer in Totally Minnie, himself in The Simpsons episodes "Moe Letter Blues" and "Moonshine River"), dies at age 96.

• September 4: Joan Rivers, American actress and comedian (narrator in The Adventures of Letterman segments in The Electric Company, and voice of Zonthara in Dave the Barbarian, Dot Matrix in Spaceballs: The Animated Series, Bubbe in Arthur, Annie Dubinsky in The Simpsons episode "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution", and herself in Shrek 2), dies at age 81.
• September 10: Richard Kiel, American actor (voice of Vladimir in Tangled), dies at age 74.
• September 16: Buster Jones, American actor (voice of Black Vulcan in Super Friends, Doc in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Blaster in The Transformers, Winston Zeddemore in seasons 4-7 of The Real Ghostbusters, and Extreme Ghostbusters), dies at age 70.

• October 8: Heino Pars, Estonian film director, dies at age 88.
• October 9: Jan Hooks, American actress and comedian (voice of Lil in Frosty Returns, Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon in The Simpsons, Angleyne in the Futurama episode "Bendless Love", Nadine in the Game Over episode "Monkey Dearest", Mrs. Kellogg in The Cleveland Show episode "Mr. & Mrs. Brown"), dies from throat cancer at age 57.
• October 14: Elizabeth Peña, American actress, writer and musician (voice of Paran Dul in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, Rosa Santos in Maya & Miguel, Mirage in The Incredibles, Maria and Gold Digger in the Minoriteam episode "Landon in Love", Store Owner in the American Dad! episode "American Dream Factory"), dies from cirrhosis at age 55.

• November 1: Hugues Le Bars, French composer (Oggy and the Cockroaches), dies at age 64.
• November 2: Larry Latham, American animator, artist, producer and director (Hanna-Barbera, Disney Television Animation), dies from cancer at age 61.
• November 3: Tom Magliozzi, American radio host (voice of Click Tappet in the Arthur episode "Pick a Car, Any Car", and Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns, Rusty Rust-eze in Cars and Cars 3) and television writer (Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns), dies from Alzheimer's disease at age 77.
• November 4: Paul Gruwell, American animator (Hanna-Barbera, Heavy Metal, Marvel Productions, Garbage Pail Kids, Bonkers), background artist (The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Mission Hill), storyboard artist (Garbage Pail Kids, Alvin and the Chipmunks, DuckTales, Bonkers, Duckman), sheet timer (The Simpsons) and director (Garfield and Friends), dies at age 80.
• November 10: Gaetano Varcasia, Italian actor (dub voice of Mickey Mouse from 1988 to 1995), dies at age 55.
• November 23: Haunani Minn, American actress (voice of Cinnamon Teal and Sen-Sen in DuckTales, Mrs. Lee and Dr. Dihn in Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dr. Lee in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Blind as a Bat", Mrs. Kim in the Static Shock episode "Tantrum"), dies at age 67.
• November 28: Brumsic Brandon Jr., American comics artist and animator (worked for RCA and J.R. Bray), dies at age 87.

• December 11: Robert Taylor, American animator, producer, writer and film director (The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat), dies at age 69 or 70 from COPD.
• December 13: Martha Sigall, American animator, inker and painter (Warner Bros. Cartoons), dies at age 97.
• December 14: Norman Bridwell, American author and cartoonist (creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog), dies at age 86.
• December 18: Harold M. Schulweis, American rabbi and author (special technical consultant for The Simpsons episode "Like Father, Like Clown"), dies from heart disease at age 89.
• December 22: Christine Cavanaugh, American actress, (voice of Chuckie Finster in Rugrats, Gosalyn Mallard in Darkwing Duck, Dexter in Dexter's Laboratory, Bunnie Rabbot in Sonic the Hedgehog, Oblina in Aaahh!!! Real Monsters), dies at age 51.
• December 27: Gennady Sokolsky, Russian illustrator, animator and film director (Happy Merry-Go-Round, Well, Just You Wait!, The Adventures of Lolo the Penguin), dies at age 77.
• December 29: András Erkel, Hungarian producer (Varga Studio, founder of Studio Baestarts), dies from heart failure and brain cancer at age 52.
• December 31: Chris Moeller, American animator, storyboard artist (The Simpsons, Recess, King of the Hill), director (The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat, King of the Hill) and producer (creator of Tripping the Rift), dies at age 47.

• 2014 in anime

• Animated works of the year, listed in the IMDb