1993 in animation is an overview of notable events, including notable awards, list of films released, television show debuts and endings, and notable deaths.
Events
January January 1: The first episode of The Adventures of Blinky Bill airs. January 6: The first episode of The Animals of Farthing Wood airs.
February February 7: The Flintstones’ TV movie I Yabba-Dabba Do! premieres. It takes place in a later timeline where Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble are grown adults getting married. February 16: Count Duckula airs its final episode. February 28: The first episode of Bonkers airs.
March March 8: The first episode of Beavis and Butt-Head is broadcast. March 16: The first episode of Albert the 5th Musketeer is broadcast. March 29: 65th Academy Awards: Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase by Joan C. Gratz wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. "A Whole New World" from Aladdin by Tim Rice and Alan Menken wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song while its entire soundtrack wins the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
May May 28: Filmation's final project, Happily Ever After, finally releases after the four year hiatus due to distribution problems after Filmation's closure. The film was poorly received for its limited creativity and animation quality, and gained some notoriety for having African-American singer Irene Cara to take the voicing role as the titular character. May 13: The Simpsons concludes its fourth season on Fox with the episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled".
June June 18: The film Once Upon a Forest premieres, but flops at the box office.
September September 5: The first episode of 2 Stupid Dogs airs. September 6: The first episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog airs. It was originally planned to be a Saturday morning series, but got rejected by ABC and became a weekday series for syndication instead. September 11: The first episode of SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron airs. September 13: The first episode of Animaniacs premieres on Fox Kids. September 18: The first episodes of Biker Mice from Mars and Rocko's Modern Life premiere in Syndication (Biker Mice) & on Nickelodeon (Rocko). The first episode of Sonic the Hedgehog airs. It gained a cult following and is acclaimed for its unexpected storylines in a Saturday morning cartoon of its time. Season 6 of Garfield and Friends begins on CBS with the premiere of the following episodes: "A Vacation From His Senses/The Incredibly Stupid Swamp Monster/Dread Giveaway" "The Wright Stuff/Orson Express/Safe at Home" September 23: The Thief and the Cobbler by Richard Williams is released after being in production for a record-breaking 30 years. Unfortunately, it was not well-received due to the changes made after Williams lost all rights of the film in 1992. It would not be released in the US until 1995 when Miramax Films retains its distribution rights while editing the film further, which became a critical failure and is since regarded to be an insult to Richard Williams. September 30: Season 5 of The Simpsons begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet".Groening, Matt (October 28, 2010). Richmond, Ray; Gimple, Scott M.; McCann, Jessie L.; Seghers, Christine; Bates, James W. (eds.). Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20 (1st ed.). HarperCollins. .
October October 7: The Simpsons episode "Cape Feare" premieres on Fox. Sideshow Bob officially begins his obsession for killing Bart in this episode. October 10: A five-year-old boy, Austin Matthews, sets fire to his mother's mobile home in Moraine, Ohio, killing his two-year-old sister Jessica. The mother claims that her son got the idea from watching Beavis and Butt-Head. Although it is later revealed that the family did not have cable television and thus could not watch the show, the controversy led to Beavis and Butt-Head being rescheduled to air later in the evenings and be edited to remove all references to fire. October 21: During a U.S. Senate hearing, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Ernest Fritz Hollings, argues that TV broadcasters have to be pressured to curb violent or otherwise offensive shows, making direct reference to Beavis and Butt-Head. However, he is ridiculed for mispronouncing the characters' names as Buffcoat and Beaver and admitting that he had never watched the show. October 28: The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror IV" premieres on Fox. October 29: Henry Selick's The Nightmare Before Christmas is released. It becomes a cult classic and an unexpected phenomenon on every Halloween.
November November 6: Garfield and Friends concludes its sixth season on CBS with the following episodes: "Knights and Daze/Holiday Happening/Jailbird Jon" "The Third Penelope Episode/Hare Force/Garfield's Garbage Can and Tin Pan Alley Revue" November 14: The Rugrats episode "Angelica Breaks a Leg" premieres on Nickelodeon. November 24: Dick Zondag, Ralph Zondag, Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells's We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story is released.
December December 5: Hollyrock-a-Bye Baby, the sequel to I Yabba-Dabba Do!, premieres. Its availability became limited years after the initial broadcast due to regarding some of its mature subject matter. December 21: The first episode of VeggieTales airs. December 22: Tex Avery's Magical Maestro is added to the National Film Registry. December 25: The film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is first released. December 26: Nick Park's Wallace and Gromit short film The Wrong Trousers is released.
Specific date unknown Digital Domain is founded. Rita Street establishes the organization Women in Animation. Dan Povenmire & Jeff "Swampy" Marsh conceived & created Phineas and Ferb, and they spend the next 13 years trying to pitch the show to various TV networks, until getting it greenlit by Disney for Disney Channel in 2006.
Films released
January 1 - Columbus's Great Adventures (Japan) January 16 - Special Gag Force Robot Twins (South Korea) January 22 - Offside (Japan) January 25 - Al Caral's Legacy (Japan) February 10 - The 1001 Gags of Spiff and Hercules (France) February 24 - Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks (Japan) March 6: Doraemon: Nobita and the Tin Labyrinth (Japan) 'Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (Japan) March 12 - Opera Imaginaire (France) March 13 - Mobile Suit SD Gundam Festival (Japan) March 18 - Sangokushi (dai 2-bu): Chōkō Moyu! (Japan) April 25 - Desert Rose ~ The Snow Apocalypse (Japan) May 5 - Ocean Waves (Japan) June 5 - Ninja Scroll (Japan) June 18 - Once Upon a Forest (United States and United Kingdom) July 10: Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (Japan) Rail of the Star (Japan) July 17 - Soreike! Anpanman Kyōryū Nosshī no Daibōken (Japan) July 23: Lupin III: Voyage to Danger (Japan) Mellow (Japan) July 24: Crayon Shin-chan: Action Kamen vs Leotard Devil (Japan) Rokudenashi Blues 1993 (Japan) July 31 - Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle (Japan) August 7 - Patlabor 2: The Movie (Japan) August 14 - Tama of 3rd Street: Please! Search for Momo-chan!! (Japan) August 27 - The Gigolo - Dochinpira (Japan) September 23 - The Thief and the Cobbler (United States, United Kingdom, and Canada) September 24 - Mermaid's Scar (Japan) September 25: Big Wars: Red Zone, Divine Annihilation (Japan) Suikoden Demon Century (Japan) October 2 - The Halloween Tree (United States) October 29 - The Nightmare Before Christmas (United States) November 13 - Bonobono (Japan) November 24 - We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (United States) December 3 - Oishinbo: Nichibei Kome Sensō (Japan) December 5 - Sailor Moon R: The Movie (Japan) December 10: David Copperfield (Canada) Go Hugo Go (Denmark) The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb (United Kingdom) December 18: Blue Memory: Manmo Pioneers and Boys (Japan) Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Overture to a New War (Japan) December 19 - Coo: Tōi Umi kara Kita Coo (Japan) December 23 - Art of Fighting (Japan) December 25 - Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (United States) December 26 - E.Y.E.S. of Mars (Japan) December 29 - Street Fighter (South Korea) Specific date unknown: The Cat's Mill (Latvia) The Fantastic Voyages of Sinbad (Australia) The History of the Wonderful World (Denmark) Mafalda (Cuba and Spain) Puss in Boots (Australia) Thumbelina (Australia)
Television series debuts
Date Title Channel Year January 1 The Adventures of Blinky Bill Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Seven Network, ABC Kids 1993–2004 January 6 The Animals of Farthing Wood BBC One, Children's BBC 1993–1995 February 28 Bonkers The Disney Channel, CBS, Syndication 1993–1994 March 8 Beavis and Butt-Head MTV 1993–1997; 2011; 2022-present June 23 Family Dog CBS 1993 September 1 The Bots Master Syndication 1993–1994 Mighty Max September 5 2 Stupid Dogs TBS, Syndication 1993–1995 Super Secret Secret Squirrel 1993 September 6 Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Syndication 1993–1996 September 10 The Legends of Treasure Island CITV 1993–1995 September 11 Droopy, Master Detective Fox Kids 1993 SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron TBS 1993–1995 The Pink Panther Syndication September 12 Hurricanes 1993–1997 Double Dragon 1993–1994 Madeline The Family Channel September 13 Animaniacs Fox Kids 1993–1998 September 14 Meena Bangladesh television 1993–2010 September 18 Biker Mice from Mars Syndication 1993–1996 Exosquad 1993–1994 Cro ABC Sonic the Hedgehog Tales from the Cryptkeeper 1993–1999 Rocko's Modern Life Nickelodeon 1993–1996 All-New Dennis the Menace CBS 1993 Cadillacs and Dinosaurs 1993–1994 Marsupilami (1993) 1993 The New Adventures of Speed Racer Syndication September 22 Avenger Penguins CITV 1993–1994 October 31 Problem Child USA Network 1993–1994 November 26 The Moxy Show Cartoon Network 1993–2000 December 5 Twinkle, the Dream Being Syndication 1993–1994 December 21 VeggieTales DVD, TBN 1993–2015
Television series endings Date Title Channel Year Notes May 23 The Pirates of Dark Water ABC, Syndication 1991–1993 Cancelled June 25 The Legend of Prince Valiant The Family Channel June 28 Stunt Dawgs Syndication 1992–1993 June 29 Saban's Gulliver's Travels July 28 Family Dog CBS 1993 October 10 American Heroes & Legends Showtime 1992–1993 November 6 The Addams Family (1992) ABC 1992–1993 November 22 Conan the Adventurer (1992) Syndication Mr. Bogus 1991–1993 November 28 Super Secret Secret Squirrel TBS, Syndication 1993 December 4 Tom & Jerry Kids Fox Kids 1990–1993 Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa ABC 1992–1992 Droopy, Master Detective Fox Kids 1993 December 11 Marsupilami (1993) CBS 1993 All-New Dennis the Menace Unknown Super Dave: Daredevil for Hire Fox Kids 1992–1993
Television season premieres DateTitleSeasonChannelMay 17Beavis and Butt-Head2MTVSeptember 6Beavis and Butt-Head3MTVSeptember 26Doug4NickelodeonRugrats3September 30The Simpsons5FoxNovember 20The Ren & Stimpy Show3Nickelodeon
Television season finales DateTitleSeasonChannelMarch 25Beavis and Butt-Head1MTVMay 13The Simpsons4FoxMay 23The Ren & Stimpy Show2NickelodeonRugratsJuly 11Doug3NickelodeonJuly 15Beavis and Butt-Head2MTV
Births
January January 1: Xavier Pritchett, American former child actor (voice of the title character in Little Bill). January 4: Aaryn Doyle, Canadian actress (voice of Foo in The Save-Ums!, Pansy in Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends). January 18: Mitra Jouhari, American comedian, actress, and writer (voice of Sorority Girl #1 in Big Mouth, Nurse Denise in Ten Year Old Tom, Saltine in Digman!, Cleopatra in Clone High (2023), Waiter in the Human Resources episode "International Creature Convention").
February
February 6: Tinashe, American singer and actress (portrayed Robin Wheeler in Out of Jimmy's Head, voice of Leilani Makani in the Rocket Power episode "Island of the Menhune", On Ji in the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode "The Headband").
March