2019 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 5: The second & final season of Milo Murphy's Law began simultaneously on Disney Channel & Disney XD with the premiere of the hour-long Phineas and Ferb crossover special "The Phineas and Ferb Effect". This special marks the debut of Ferb Fletcher's new voice actor David Errigo Jr. (replacing Thomas Brodie-Sangster). January 6: The Simpsons 650th episode "Mad About the Toy" premieres on Fox, guest starring Bryan Batt as the character Philip Hefflin, and Bill de Blasio & Lawrence O'Donnell as themselves.Goodman, J. David (January 6, 2019). "Why De Blasio Loves 'The Simpsons' (and Where He'd Take Homer in New York City)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2023. January 13: The Family Guy episode "Trump Guy" first airs, in which the Griffin family meet U.S. President Donald Trump. The episode became controversial for satirizing Trump and his administration. January 21: The final episode of Steven Universe, "Change Your Mind", airs on Cartoon Network. The remastered version of The Bruce McMouse Show was released. January 25: Paw Patrol concludes its fifth season on Nickelodeon in the US with the half-hour special "Pups Save Ace's Birthday Surprise/Pups Save a Tower of Pizza"."Paw Patrol Episode Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
February February 2: 46th Annie Awards. February 5: The Scooby-Doo direct-to-video film Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost releases on DVD and Digital services.Trumbore, Dave (November 7, 2018). "Exclusive 'Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost!' Trailer Teases a New Mystery". Collider. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2026. The movie is a follow-up to the franchise's 1985 short series The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo. February 8: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is released. Season 3 of Big Mouth premiered on Netflix with the Valentine's Day special "My Furry Valentine". February 22: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the third and final film of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, releases to theatres to critical acclaim. Season 6 of Paw Patrol begins on Nickelodeon in the US with the premiere of the episodes "Save the Jungle Penguins/Pups Save a Freighter". February 24: 91st Academy Awards: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, becoming the first non-Disney film since 2012 to do so. Bao by Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Urbanus, De Vuilnisheld, an animated film based on the Flemish comic strip Urbanus, premieres.
March March 7: The Loud House concludes its third season on Nickelodeon with the episode "Antiqued Off". The season's finale was seen by over 1.2 million viewers that night. March 8: Following the release of the controversial 2019 documentary film Leaving Neverland, which details allegations against the late pop singer Michael Jackson of child sexual assault, The Simpsons producer James L. Brooks announces that the Simpsons episode "Stark Raving Dad", which guest starred Jackson, will be pulled from circulation. He explains to The Wall Street Journal: "This was a treasured episode. There are a lot of great memories we have wrapped up in that one, and this certainly doesn't allow them to remain. I'm against book-burning of any kind. But this is our book, and we're allowed to take out a chapter." Simpsons showrunner Al Jean says he believed Jackson had used the episode to groom boys for sexual abuse. March 9: Big City Greens concludes its first season on Disney Channel with the episodes "Cricket's Place/Volunteer Tilly". Paw Patrol concludes its fifth season on TVO in Canada with the half-hour special "Pups Save Ace's Birthday Surprise/Pups Save a Tower of Pizza". March 10: The fourth & final season of Star vs. the Forces of Evil begins on Disney Channel with the episodes "Butterfly Follies/Escape from the Pie Folk"."Shows A–Z – Star vs. the Forces of Evil on Disney". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 13, 2016. March 11: Craig of the Creek concludes its first season on Cartoon Network with the episode "Alone Quest", the season's finale was seen by a total of 414 thousand viewers that night.Metcalf, Mitch. "Updated: Showbuzzdaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.11.2019". Showbuzzdaily. Archived from the original on March 12, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019. March 15: The first volume of Love, Death & Robots concludes on Netflix. March 18: The first episode of 101 Dalmatian Street is broadcast. It is the second television show based on the 101 Dalmatians franchise, following 101 Dalmatians: The Series from 1997. Season 2 of Craig of the Creek begins on Cartoon Network with the premiere of the episodes "Memories of Bobby" and "Jacob of the Creek", the season's premiere was seen by a total of 477 thousand viewers that night.Metcalf, Mitch. "Updated: Showbuzzdaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.18.2019". Showbuzzdaily. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019. March 20: The soundtrack of Schoolhouse Rock! is added to the National Recording Registry.
April April 1: Anime series adaptation of Ultraman premiered on Netflix. April 8: American Dad! concludes its 15th season on TBS with the episode "The Future Is Borax". The season's finale was watched by only 749 thousand viewers that, marking another low in the show's viewership.Rejent, Joseph (April 9, 2019). "Monday cable ratings: 'Monday Night Raw' demolishes competition, 'Vanderpump Rules' holds". Tvbythenumbers. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019. April 15: Season 16 of American Dad! begins on TBS with the premiere of the episode "Fantasy Baseball". The season's premiere was watched by only 768 thousand viewers that, marking another low in the show's viewership.Rejent, Joseph (April 16, 2019). "Monday cable ratings: NBA Playoffs dominate competition, WWE falls back". Tvbythenumbers. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2019. April 17: Anime-inspired music video for "You Should See Me in a Crown", by Billie Eilish, was released on YouTube. It was directed and animated by Takashi Murakami. April 26: The second season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power premieres on Netflix. April 28: The Simpsons episode "D'oh Canada" premieres, where the family travels to Canada. The episode caused controversy among New Yorkers because of a satirical parody song mocking the city.
May May 12:Welch, Alex (May 14, 2019). "'American Idol' adjusts up, 'The Red Line' adjusts down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019. The Simpsons concludes its 30th season on Fox with the episode "Crystal Blue-Haired Persuasion", featuring guest stars Illeana Douglas, Werner Herzog, and Jenny Slate. The season's finale was seen by exactly 1.5 million viewers that night. Bob's Burgers concludes its ninth season on Fox with the episode "Yes Without My Zeke". The season's finale was seen by over 1.4 million viewers that night. Family Guy concludes its 17th season on Fox with the episode "Adam West High", the episode marks the death of the beloved character Mayor West due to his voice actor & real-life inspiration having actually passed away 2 years prior. The season's finale was seen by 1.7 million viewers that night. May 13: The Arthur 22nd-season episode "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone" premieres. The episode was banned in Alabama and Arkansas for its showcase of same-sex marriage in a children's program. Yet, it was praised by GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids and Family Programming. May 18: The final episode of Milo Murphy's Law premieres on Disney Channel. Season 6 of Paw Patrol begins on TVO in the Canada with the premiere of the episodes "Save the Jungle Penguins/Pups Save a Freighter". May 19: The final episode of Star vs. the Forces of Evil premieres on Disney Channel. May 23: Music video for "Starlight Brigade", by TWRP featuring Dan Avidan, was released on YouTube. May 27: Season 4 of The Loud House begins on Nickelodeon with the premiere of the half-hour special "Friended! with the Casagrandes"."The Loud House Episode Listings". The Futon Critic. This episode marks the debut of Ronnie Anne's best friend Sid Chang, who would go on to become a major character in the upcoming spin-off series The Casagrandes.
June June 7: Illumination's The Secret Life of Pets 2 was released. June 10: Love, Death & Robots is renewed for a second volume. June 10-20: New episodes of The Loud House focusing on Ronnie Anne, Bobby, & their extended family all premiere on Nickelodeon. These episodes serve as the backdoor pilots to the upcoming spin-off series The Casagrandes. June 14: Particular Crowd's Spycies premieres at the Shanghai International Film Festival. June 16: The final episode of The Powerpuff Girls reboot aired as the series ended quickly after 3 seasons since it was poorly received by fans of the original 1998 series. June 17: The first episode of Amphibia is broadcast on Disney Channel to positive reviews. June 21: Toy Story 4 premiered in theaters to critical acclaim & was a box-office success."Toy Story 4". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 3, 2025."Toy Story 4". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 11, 2024. June 24: The final episode of the original The Amazing World of Gumball series, "The Inquisition", premieres on Cartoon Network to mixed reviews due to the series ending on an unresolved cliffhanger. However, a feature film based on the series was announced in 2021, but is still shelved as of 2025, but a revival of the show premiered that same year. June 30: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes concludes its second season on Cartoon Network with the half-hour special "Dark Plaza". The season's finale was seen by a total of 29 thousand viewers that night.Mitch Metcalf (July 2, 2019). "Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals and Network Finals: 6.30.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
July July 1: The first episode of Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart airs on Cartoon Network. July 7: The third & final season of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes begins on Cartoon Network with the premiere of the episodes "We Are Heroes" & "K.O., Rad, and Enid!". The season's premiere was seen by a combined total of 705 thousand viewers that night.Mitch Metcalf (July 10, 2019). "Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals and Network Finals: 7.7.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019. July 12: SpongeBob SquarePants celebrates its 20th anniversary with a television special titled "SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout" that premiered on Nickelodeon to positive reviews. July 18: An arson attack at the Japanese studio Kyoto Animation results in 36 deaths and 33 injuries. The arson is one of the deadliest in Japanese history since the end of World War II; a majority of the victims are women. Among the victims are director Yasuhiro Takemoto, character designer Futoshi Nishiya, animator Yoshiji Kigami, and color designer Naomi Ishida. The late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expresses his condolences, as do other world leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, and Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres. An outpouring of support for the victims and their families results in more than $30 million in donations from domestic Japanese sources, with an estimated additional $2.3 million in donations from international donors.