Events in 1959 in animation.
Events
January January 10: Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow's Bugs Bunny short Baton Bunny, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, premieres. January 29: Clyde Geronimi, Eric Larson and Wolfgang Reitherman's Sleeping Beauty, produced by the Walt Disney Company, premieres.
February
February 14: Robert McKimson's Daffy Duck and Porky Pig cartoon China Jones premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. This short has rarely been aired on TV or re-released on home media due to its negative depictions of Eastern Asians.
March March 9: The first episode of Clutch Cargo is broadcast. March 21: Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester short Trick or Tweet premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Sam Cat.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 152. . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
April April 6: 31st Academy Awards: Friz Freleng's Knighty Knight Bugs wins an Academy Award for Best Animated Short, the only Bugs Bunny cartoon to ever win an Oscar. April 18: Friz Freleng's Bugs Bunny short Apes of Wrath, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, premieres.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 61-62 . Retrieved June 6, 2020. Daffy Duck makes a cameo at the end. The scene where the gorilla pulls on the rope to bring Bugs over to him after threating to cut it if he steps on it became a internet meme decades later.
May
May 9: Chuck Jones' Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner short Hot-Rod and Reel!, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, premieres.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 129 . Retrieved 6 June 2020 – via Archive.org.
June
June 13: Robert McKimson's Bugs Bunny short Backwoods Bunny, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, premieres. June 26: Walt Disney Productions releases Donald in Mathmagic Land. June 27: Chuck Jones' Pepé Le Pew cartoon Really Scent premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.
July
July 4: Friz Freleng's Speedy Gonzales short Mexicali Shmoes, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, premieres. The cartoon was nominated for a Academy Award."9 Shorts Named for Oscars". The New York Times. February 11, 1960. p. 38. Retrieved November 16, 2011. This short marks the debut of Speedy's cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez. July 18: Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester short Tweet and Lovely, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, premieres. Also starring Hector the Bulldog.
August
August 1: Friz Freleng's Bugs Bunny short Wild and Woolly Hare, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. August 15: Robert McKimson's Sylvester short Cat's Paw premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, also starring Sylvester Jr.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 141 . Retrieved 6 June 2020 – via Archive.org. August 29: Friz Freleng's Speedy Gonzales short Here Today, Gone Tamale, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Speedy Gonzales & Sylvester the Cat, premieres.Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 319. .
September September 5: Robert McKimson's Bugs Bunny short Bonanza Bunny premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. September 8: The first episode of Bucky and Pepito is broadcast. September 11: The first episode of Noggin the Nog is broadcast. September 25: Jiří Trnka's A Midsummer Night's Dream premieres. September 26: Robert McKimson's Foghorn Leghorn short A Broken Leghorn premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Miss Prissy. September 28: The first episode of Hanna-Barbera's The Quick Draw McGraw Show is broadcast which also marks the debuts of the segments Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy and Snooper and Blabber.
October October 2: The first episode of Felix the Cat is broadcast. This leads to a revival in popularity for the classic theatrical cartoon character. October 10: Chuck Jones' Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner short Wild About Hurry, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, premieres. October 11: The first episode of Matty's Funday Funnies is broadcast. October 31: Abe Levitow's cartoon A Witch's Tangled Hare premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Bugs Bunny and Witch Hazel.
November November 7: The first episode of Cartoon Party is broadcast. November 19 The first episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle is broadcast.
December December 1: Jack Kinney's 1001 Arabian Nights premieres. December 5: Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester short Tweet Dreams premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. December 19: Robert McKimson's cartoon People Are Bunny premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. December 25: Akira Daikubara and Taiji Yabushita's Magic Boy is first released. December 28: The first episode of Ivor the Engine is broadcast.
Specific date unknown The first episode of Capt'n Sailorbird is broadcast. Yuri Merkulov's I Was a Satellite of the Sun premieres. Ivan Ivanov-Vano, Dmitriy Babichenko and Mikhail Botov's The Adventures of Buratino premieres. Qian Jiajun's Chuang Tapestry premieres. Gene Deitch establishes Gene Deitch Associates, Inc., funded by William L. Snyder's Rembrandt Films.
Films released
January 29 - Sleeping Beauty (United States) February 10 - Hyoutan suzume (Japan) May 5 - I Was a Satellite of the Sun (Soviet Union) September 25 - A Midsummer Night's Dream (Czechoslovakia) December 1 - 1001 Arabian Nights (United States) December 25 - Magic Boy (Japan) December 31 - The Adventures of Buratino (Soviet Union) Specific date unknown - Chuang Tapestry (China)
Television series
March 9 - Clutch Cargo debuts in syndication. September 2 - Herge's Adventures of Tintin debuts on RTB. September 8 - Bucky and Pepito debuts in syndication. September 11 - Noggin the Nog debuts on BBC. September 19 - Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy and Snooper and Blabber debut in syndication. September 27 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show debuts in syndication. October 11 - Matty's Funday Funnies debuts on ABC. November 7 - Cartoon Party debuts on CBC. November 19 - Aesop and Son, Dudley Do-Right, Fractured Fairy Tales, Peabody's Improbable History, and The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show debut on ABC and NBC. December 28 - Ivor the Engine debuts on BBC. Specific date unknown - Capt'n Sailorbird and Mel-O-Toons debut in syndication.
Births
January January 1: Anthony DeRosa, American animator (Walt Disney Animation Studios). January 5: Clancy Brown, American actor (voice of Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Universe, The Batman, and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Eugene H. Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants, Officer Frank Horn in Lloyd in Space, Vice Principal Pangborn in All Grown Up!, Gorrath in Megas XLR, Gonta in Pom Poko, Otto in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Mr. Freeze and Bane in The Batman, Dark Dragon in American Dragon: Jake Long, Long Feng in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Mister Sinister in Wolverine and the X-Men, George Stacy and Rhino in The Spectacular Spider-Man, Destro in G.I. Joe: Renegades, Grune in ThunderCats, Silas in Transformers: Prime, Savage Opress in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Taskmaster in Ultimate Spider-Man, Nibiru in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Red Hulk in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Ryder Azadi in Star Wars Rebels, King Frederic in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, the Big Bad Wolf in The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse episode "The Big Good Wolf"). January 26: Herbert Siguenza, American actor, writer, visual artist, and performer (voice of Tios Oscar and Felipe in Coco). January 31: Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor (voice of Lex Luthor in All-Star Superman, Boss Skua in Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two, Twilight in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole).
February February 4: Pamelyn Ferdin, American voice actress (voice of Lucy Van Pelt from 1969 to 1971, Sally in The Cat in the Hat, Fern Arable in Charlotte's Web). February 12: Billy Frolick, American film director and screenwriter (Madagascar, Monster Island, The Big Trip, PAW Patrol: The Movie). February 22: Kyle MacLachlan, American actor (voice of Mr. Anderson in the Inside Out franchise, Superman in Justice League: The New Frontier, Marius in Free Jimmy, Bus Driver in the Gravity Falls episode "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls", Del in the American Dad! episode "Paranoid Fandroid"). February 26: Michel Gaudelette, French comic book artist and television writer (Oggy and the Cockroaches). February 28: Marcia Mitzman Gaven, American actress (second voice of Maude Flanders, Helen Lovejoy and Miss Hoover in The Simpsons).
March March 6: Tom Arnold, American actor and comedian (voice of Cupid in Hercules, Mr. Wilson in Dennis the Menace: Cruise Control, Ringo the Rat in The Race Begins, Mac Bear in The Goldilocks and 3 Bears Show, Fritz in Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night, Tony Zeal in The Replacements, Shifu in Legend of Kung Fu Rabbit, Dalliwog the Wizard in A Mouse Tale, Coati King in Jungle Shuffle, Rip Van Winkle in the Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child episode "Rip Van Winkle", Corporate Santa in The Fairly OddParents episode "Christmas Every Day!", Norm Glidewell in the King of the Hill episode "Megalo Dale", himself in The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror X" and the Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode "Joshua"). March 7: Donna Murphy, American actress and singer (voice of Mother Gothel in the Tangled franchise). March 12: Luenell, American actress (voice of DMV Lady in Lucas Bros. Moving Co., Nellie Ruckus in The Boondocks episode "The Color Ruckus", Moms Mabley in the Black Dynamite episode "Sweet Bill's Badass Singalong Song or Bill Cosby Ain't Himself"). March 18: Irene Cara, American singer, songwriter and actress (voice of Snow White in Happily Ever After, Marilyn in The Magic Voyage), (d. 2022). March 23: Catherine Keener, American actress (voice of Ugga in The Croods franchise, Evelyn Deavor in Incredibles 2). March 28: Joel McNeely, American arranger, musician, lyricist, record producer and composer (Tiny Toon Adventures, Darkwing Duck, Disneytoon Studios, American Dad!).
April April 3: David Hyde Pierce, American actor (voice of Dr. Doppler in Treasure Planet, Buttons the Chimp in The Adventures of Hyperman, Baron von Lichtenstamp in Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series, Slim in A Bug's Life, Cecil Terwilliger in The Simpsons, Daedalus in Hercules, Puss in the Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child episode "Puss in Boots", Addison in the Gary the Rat episode "Strange Bedfellows", Felix in The Simpsons episode "Clown in the Dumps"). James Gelfand, Canadian jazz pianist and composer (CINAR, Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat, Pinocchio 3000, The Mysteries of Alfred Hedgehog). April 4: Phil Morris, American actor (voice of Dr. Sweet in Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Atlantis: Milo's Return, Doc Saturday in The Secret Saturdays, Vandal Savage in Justice League, Justice League: Doom, and Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Cosmic Clash, Imperiex in Legion of Super Heroes, General Zod in Young Justice, Jonah Hex in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Colonel Hank Carter in American Dragon: Jake Long, Saint Walker in Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Earl Williams in Craig of the Creek, George in Bravest Warriors). April 8: Mark Baker, English animator (The Hill Farm, The Village, Jolly Roger, Peppa Pig). April 11: Oscar González Loyo, Mexican animator and comics artist (Plaza Sésamo), (d. 2021). April 15: Emma Thompson, English actress (voice of Captain Amelia in Treasure Planet, Queen Elinor in Brave, Dora in Missing Link). Jim P. Dilworth, American animator, designer and brother of John R. Dilworth (Courage the Cowardly Dog), (d. 2001).