2010 in animation is an overview of notable events, including notable awards, list of films released, television show debuts and endings, and notable deaths.
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Events
January
January 3: The Simpsons 450th episode "Thursdays with Abie" premieres on Fox, guest starring famed author Mitch Albom as himself. The episode was seen by over 8.5 million viewers that night.Seidman, Robert (January 5, 2010). "TV Ratings: Pro and College Football and Desperate Housewives top weekly viewing". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
February
February 15: The Penguins of Madagascar concludes its first season on Nickelodeon with the half-hour special "Dr. Blowhole's Revenge". The season's finale was seen by nearly 4 million viewers that night."Cable ratings: USA vs. Canada Hockey Tops Weekly Cable Viewing – Ratings". Zap2it. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2012. February 16: The Scooby-Doo direct-to-video film Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo is released on DVD."Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo DVD - Warner Bros.: WBshop.com - The Official Online Store of Warner Bros. Studios". WBshop.com. March 18, 2010. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
March March 7: 82nd Academy Awards: For the second time in the history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an animated feature film is nominated for Best Picture but loses: Up by Pete Docter. However, it did win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the Academy Award for Best Original Score (by Michael Giacchino). Logorama by Nicolas Schmerkin wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. March 13: Season 2 of The Penguins of Madagascar begins on Nickelodeon with the premiere of the episodes "The Red Squirrel/It's About Time". The season's premiere was seen by over 4 million viewers that morning."Cable ratings: Hannah Montana, Sonny With a Chance and Pawn Stars Top Weekly Cable Viewing – Ratings". Zap2it. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012. March 17: Season 14 of South Park begins on Comedy Central with the premiere of the episode "Sexual Healing".Seidman, Robert (March 18, 2010). "South Park Parties Like It's 1999, and Other Wednesday Cable Finals". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2010. This was the first episode to premiere in the 2010s. March 25: The SpongeBob SquarePants episode "One Coarse Meal" premieres on Nickelodeon, fans of the show consider this episode to be the worst one in the entire series due to Mr. Krabs constantly scaring Plankton to the point where the copepod tries to commit suicide. March 26: The DreamWorks film How to Train Your Dragon premieres in theaters to critical acclaim by both fans & critics.
April April 5: The first episode of Adventure Time is broadcast, gaining generally positive attention. This is the first Cartoon Network original series outside Adult Swim to perceive the LGBT representation in general.See page 1 . The first episode of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated airs on Cartoon Network as a sneak peek (officially premiered on July 12th). This marks the first in the pre-2023 Scooby-Doo series where one of the original characters comes out. April 6: Total Drama Action airs its final episode on Cartoon Network in the united states, thus concluding the second season series of Total Drama. April 7: Cartoon Network already renews Adventure Time for a second season due to its instant & high-rated success.Levine, Stuart (April 7, 2010). "Kids Are People Too: 'Adventure Time' Renewed". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on April 11, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2026. April 14: The South Park episode "200" is broadcast, which portrays Muhammad, though as a censored image. The episode leads to serious controversy, riots and death threats. April 21: The South Park episode "201" is broadcast, which continues the Muhammad storyline from "200" but is notably censored, with several lines of dialogue muted. It was revealed in this episode that Scott Tenorman's father, Jack Tenorman was also Cartman's biological father (who Cartman killed & fed him to Scott back in Season 5's "Scott Tenorman Must Die", along with Scott's mother). After their broadcast, both episodes are pulled from syndication, removed from the series' website, and unaired outside the United States. April 25: South Park is banned in Sri Lanka due to controversy over the episode "200", which depicted Gautama Buddha snorting cocaine.
May May 3: The first episode of Everything's Rosie airs. May 6: After more than 12 years of being on the air, King of the Hill aired its final episode in syndication. May 16: American Dad! concludes its sixth season on Fox with the episode "Great Space Roaster". The finale was seen by just nearly 5.9 million viewers that night. May 20: Shrek receives a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. May 23:Calabria, Rosario T. (May 23, 2011). "Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, May 22, 2011". Your Entertainment Now. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2023. The Simpsons concludes its 21st season on Fox with the episode "Judge Me Tender", which includes the following guest stars: Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres, Kara DioGuardi, Ryan Seacrest, & Rupert Murdoch. The finale was seen by over 5.7 million viewers that night. The Cleveland Show concludes its first season on Fox with the episode "You're the Best Man, Cleveland Brown". The finale was seen by over 4.9 million viewers that night. The second episode in the Family Guy Star Wars trilogy parody "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" premiered on Fox. The episode was seen by just over 6.3 million viewers that night. May 21: Shrek Forever After is released. May 26: The final episode of Kabouter Wesley is broadcast.
June June 9: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud's Despicable Me premieres. The Minions characters will prove so popular that they'll eventually receive a spin-off film 5 years later. June 10: Total Drama both concluded its second season (Total Drama Action) and began its third season (Total Drama World Tour) in Canada on Teletoon. Season 3/World Tour later premiered in the US on Cartoon Network on June 21st. June 16: Sylvain Chomet's The Illusionist, based on a script by Jacques Tati, is first released. June 18: Pixar's Toy Story 3 is released in theaters to critical acclaim and became a hard-earned box-office success. June 20: Family Guy concludes its eighth season on BBC Three in the UK with the episode "Partial Terms of Endearment", Fox refused to air this episode & ended up banning it in the US due to the episode's portrayal of abortion, however the episode released on DVD in the US 3 months later."BBC – BBC Three Programmes – Family Guy, Series 8, Partial Terms of Endearment". BBC Three. Retrieved 2010-06-15. This was also the last episode to be produced in Standard-definition. June 24: The Futurama revival premieres on Comedy Central after a seven-year cancellation on Fox. The same evening, another episode, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela", premieres, guest starring actor and comedian Chris Elliott.
July July 1: The Futurama episode "Attack of the Killer App" premieres, guest starring actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. The episode also spawned the "shut up and take my money" meme. July 8: The Futurama episode "Proposition Infinity" premieres, guest starring actor George Takei. This was his third guest star appearance in the series. July 17: Hiromasa Yonebayashi's Arrietty, based on the children's fantasy novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton, is first released. July 22: The Futurama episode "Lethal Inspection" premieres, in which Bender must cope with Hermes to help track down the mysterious Inspector 5. July 29: The Futurama episode "The Late Philip J. Fry" premieres, in which Professor Farnsworth invents a time machine, which only goes forward in time. The series won its second Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (Programming Less Than One Hour) in 2011 and received critical acclaim.
August August 17: Former Disney and Don Bluth animator Jeffrey J. Varab is arrested for fraud. August 19: The Futurama episode "The Prisoner of Benda" premieres, in which Professor Farnsworth and Amy build a machine that allows them to switch minds so that they may each pursue their lifelong dreams. The episode was notable for a theorem created by the episode's writer Ken Keeler that provided a mathematical explanation for how the characters could return to their original bodies. August 23: The first episode of Tayo the Little Bus airs. August 26: The Futurama episode "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences" premieres, guest starring actress Katee Sackhoff, Spanish cartoonist Sergio Aragonés and series creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. August 28: Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 3 becomes the first animated film to gross over $1 billion. August 31: After more than 11 years on the air, Dragon Tales airs for the last time on the PBS Kids block.
September September 6: The first episodes of The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, NFL Rush Zone, Regular Show and Mad air. September 14: The Scooby-Doo direct-to-video film Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare releases on DVD. September 21: Tinker Bell receives a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. September 26:Gorman, Bill (September 28, 2010). "Sunday Finals: Amazing Race Premieres Up; Undercover Boss A Bit Less Bossy vs. Football". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 15, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2023. Season 22 of The Simpsons begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "Elementary School Musical", which features the following guest stars: Flight of the Conchords (Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie), Ira Glass, Stephen Hawking, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, & Amber Riley. The season's premiere brought in a total of over 7.8 million viewers that night. Season 2 of The Cleveland Show begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "Harder, Better, Faster, Browner". The season's premiere brought in a total of just over 6.6 million viewers that night. Season 9 of Family Guy begins on Fox with the premiere of the hour-long special "And Then There Were Fewer", the season's premiere brought in a total of over 9.1 million viewers that night. Beginning with this season, episodes would start being produced in High-definition.
October October 2: The first episodes of the Jimmy Neutron spin-off series Planet Sheen and T.U.F.F. Puppy both premiered on Nickelodeon. October 3: Season 7 of American Dad! begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "100 A.D.". The season's premiere brought in a total of over 6.1 million viewers that night.Seidman, Robert (October 5, 2010). "Sunday Finals: The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives Rise; Undercover Boss A Bit Less Bossy vs. Football". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011. October 8: Discovery Kids's preschool block, Ready Set Learn, is discontinued. October 10: Discovery Kids relaunched to The Hub. The first episode of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic premiered, which becomes an unexpected success. October 25: The first episode of Dragons et Princesses is broadcast.
November November 5: The DreamWorks Animation film, Megamind, premieres. November 7: Anime producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki drowns at age 75 after falling off the research steamboat Yamato.