Events in 1968 in animation.
Events
February February 12: The first episode of The Herbs airs. February 14: The Peanuts TV special He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown premieres on CBS.
March
March 9: Alex Lovy's Speedy Gonzales and Daffy Duck cartoon Skyscraper Caper premieres, produced by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 137. . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
April April 10: 40th Academy Awards: The Box by Fred Wolf wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. April 29: The first episode of Les Shadoks airs.
June June 29: Alex Lovy's cartoon See Ya Later Gladiator premieres, produced by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation. It marks the final appearances of Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales in the original Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series.
July July 17: George Dunning's animated feature based on The Beatles, Yellow Submarine, is first released. The innovative designs are done by Heinz Edelmann.
September September 7: The Road Runner Show airs solely for the final time on CBS, as the show would become merged with ABC's The Bugs Bunny Show the following week to become The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour.McCorry, Kevin (2007). "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour Page." September 8: The Bugs Bunny Show ends its first run on ABC as the show would move over to CBS and be merged with the The Road Runner Show to become The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour. September 14: The first episode of Hanna-Barbera's Wacky Races airs. It marks the debut of Penelope Pitstop and villainous characters Dick Dastardly and Muttley the dog. The first episode of The Batman/Superman Hour airs. The first episode of The Archie Show airs. September 29: The first episode of Joe 90 airs.
October October 31: Bruno Bozzetto's VIP, mio fratello superuomo premieres.
December December 6: Per Åhlin and Tage Danielsson's Out of an Old Man's Head premieres which mixes live-action with animation. December 19: Belvision releases the second Astérix film, Asterix and Cleopatra. December 23: Roberto Gavioli's The Magic Bird premieres.
Specific date unknown The first episode of The Mézga Family airs. Ray Goossens's animated TV series Musti first airs. Eleven classic animated shorts are banned from broadcasting: the Censored Eleven. Pringles' mascot makes a brief animated appearance in the Pringles ads during the chip's marketing debut.
Films released
January 1 - Sun Wukong (South Korea) March 19 - The World of Hans Christian Andersen (Japan) July 17 - Yellow Submarine (United Kingdom) July 21 - The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun (Japan) July 25 - The Golden Iron Man (South Korea) October 19 - Tobimaru and the Nine-tailed Fox (Japan) October 31 - The SuperVips (Italy) November 23 - The Mouse on the Mayflower (United States and Japan) December 6 - Out of an Old Man's Head (Sweden) December 19 - Asterix and Cleopatra (Belgium and France) December 22 - The Mickey Mouse Anniversary Show (United States) December 23 - The Magic Bird (Italy) Specific date unknown - Adam 2 (West Germany)
Television series
January 3 - GeGeGe no Kitaro debuts on Fuji TV. February 1 - Wanpaku Tankentai debuts on Fuji TV. February 12 - The Herbs debuts on BBC1. March 30 - Star of the Giants debuts on Yomiuri Television. April 1 - Animal 1 debuts on Fuji TV. April 4 - Akane-chan debuts on Fuji TV. April 5 - Cyborg 009 debuts on NET. April 6 - Fight Da!! Pyûta debuts on Mainichi Hôso. April 21 - Kaibutsu-kun debuts on TBS. April 29 - Les Shadoks debuts on ORTF. September 3 - Sasuke debuts on TBS. September 7 - Arabian Knights, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, and The Three Musketeers debut on NBC. September 14: Fantastic Voyage and The Adventures of Gulliver debut on ABC. The Adventures of Batman, The Archie Show, The Batman/Superman Hour, and Wacky Races debut on CBS. September 15 - The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn debuts on NBC. September 29 - Joe 90 debuts on ATV. September 30 - Yuuyake Banchō debuts on Nippon Television. October 2 - Dokachin debuts on Fuji TV. October 3 - Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae debuts on NET and MBS. October 5 - The Vampires debuts on Fuji TV. October 7 - Yôkai Ningen Bem debuts on Fuji TV. November 9 - Micro Ventures debuts on NBC. Specific date unknown - Mézga család debuts on M1, M2, and Minimax.
Births
January January 2: Cuba Gooding Jr., American actor (voice of Buck in Home on the Range, Loofah in The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends). January 4: Marc Ceccarelli, American animator (The Haunted World of El Superbeasto), storyboard artist (Phineas and Ferb, The Drinky Crow Show, Uncle Grandpa), writer (Phineas and Ferb, Uncle Grandpa), director and producer (SpongeBob SquarePants, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, The Patrick Star Show). January 9: Joey Lauren Adams, American actress (voice of Catt in Stripperella, Rachel in the What's New, Scooby-Doo? episode "A Scooby-Doo Valentine", Electra in the Hercules episode "Hercules and the Complex Electra"). January 12: Farrah Forke, American actress (voice of Big Barda/Barda Free in Batman Beyond and Justice League Unlimited, herself in the Duckman episode "Aged Heat 2: Women in Heat"), (d. 2022). Rachel Harris, American actress and comedian (voice of Deanna in Wreck-It Ralph, Female Knight in Serial Experiments Lain, A.L.E.X. in Frisky Dingo, Adam's Date in The Life & Times of Tim, Melissa in the Glenn Martin, DDS episode "Step-Brother", Cardigan Burke in the BoJack Horseman episode "Hank After Dark", Margalo in the Stuart Little episode "A Model Driver"). January 15: Chad Lowe, American actor (voice of Captain Marvel in Young Justice, Cosmic Boy in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "New Kids in Town", Wade Pennington in The Zeta Project episode "Crime Waves"). January 19: Matt Hill, Canadian actor (voice of the title character in Captain N: The Game Master, Ed in Ed, Edd n Eddy, Ryo Sanada in Ronin Warriors, Kero in Cardcaptors, Bankotsu in InuYasha, Kira Yamamoto in Gundam Seed, Tyler Bowman in Supernoobs). January 20: Chris Miller, American animator, storyboard artist, actor, writer and director (DreamWorks Animation). January 28: DJ Muggs, American DJ, audio engineer, record producer and member of Cypress Hill (voiced himself in The Simpsons episode "Homerpalooza"). Glenn Slater, American lyricist (Walt Disney Animation Studios). January 30: Donovan Cook, American cartoonist and director (2 Stupid Dogs, Nightmare Ned, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). January 31: Tracy Berna, American television writer (The Mask, The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police, Disney Television Animation, Sonic Underground, Sabrina: The Animated Series, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Gladiator Academy, Make Way for Noddy, The Invisible Man, George of the Jungle, Action Dad).
February February 1: Pauly Shore, American actor, comedian and filmmaker (voice of George in Bobby's World, Bobby Zimmeruski in A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie, Snivel in Casper: A Spirited Beginning, The Oracle in Casper Meets Wendy, MIC-MIC in The Big Trip, Pinocchio in Pinocchio: A True Story, Deejay in the King of the Hill episode "Escape from Party Island", Justin in the Father of the Pride episode "One Man's Meat Is Another Man's Girlfriend", Johnny Blowhole in the Star vs. the Forces of Evil episode "The Bounce Lounge", Pat in the Animals episode "Squirrels.", Prince Jan Roll in The Midnight Gospel episode "Blinded By My End", himself in the Futurama episode "The Cryonic Woman"). February 4: Theodore Ushev, Bulgarian animator, film director and screenwriter (Tower Bawher, Drux Flux, Lipsett Diaries, Demoni, Gloria Victoria, The Sleepwalker, Blind Vaysha, The Physics of Sorrow). February 6: Erik Moxcey, American animator (The Simpsons) and storyboard artist (The Story of Santa Claus, The Simpsons, Rugrats, As Told by Ginger, Family Guy). February 8: Gary Coleman, American actor and comedian (voice of Andy Le Beau in The Gary Coleman Show, Kevin and 42nd Street in Waynehead, various characters in Robot Chicken, voiced himself in The Simpsons episodes "Grift of the Magi", "A Tale of Two Springfields" and "Day of the Jackanapes", and Night of the Living Doo), (d. 2010). February 11: Mo Willems, American children's author and illustrator (Creator of The Pigeon series and Elephant & Piggie), animator (Sesame Street, creator of The Off-Beats and Sheep in the Big City), storyboard artist, television writer (Sesame Street, Big Bag, Codename: Kids Next Door, LazyTown), director, producer and voice actor (voice of September and Grubby Groo in The Off-Beats, Angry Scientist in Sheep in the Big City and The Pigeon in the animated adaptations of The Pigeon books). February 13: Kelly Hu, American actress (voice of Stacy Hirano in Phineas and Ferb, Karai in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Adira in Tangled: The Series, Cheshire, Paula Crock and Lian Nguyen-Harper in Young Justice, Sha Shan Nguyen in The Spectacular Spider-Man, Lady Shiva in Batman: Soul of the Dragon, Okiku in the Afro Samurai episode "The Dream Reader"). February 16: Warren Ellis, English comic book and television writer (Marvel Anime, Castlevania, G.I. Joe: Resolute). February 17: Aaron Blaise, American painter, animator, film director and art instructor (Brother Bear). February 24: Eric Coleman, American television producer (Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Disney Television Animation).
March March 1: Kat Cressida, American voice actress (voice of Dee Dee in Dexter's Laboratory, Kala in Tarzan, Natsuki "Natalie" Mogi in Initial D, Mrs. Darling in Tinker Bell, Uta in Archer, Portia in the Jackie Chan Adventures episode "Into the Mouth of Evil", additional voices in Men in Black: The Series, The Cat Returns, Phineas and Ferb, and Solar Opposites). March 2: Fumi Kitahara, American animation publicist (DreamWorks Animation, Aardman Animations, Laika LLC, Walt Disney Animation Studios), (d. 2025).Fumi Kitahara, Longtime Animation Publicity Executive for DreamWorks, Aardman and More, Dies at 56 March 4: Kazuto Nakazawa, Japanese character designer and director (Samurai Champloo). March 6: Moira Kelly, American actress (voice of Nala in The Lion King franchise). March 10: Philip Anthony-Rodriguez, American actor (voice of Mano in Justice League vs. the Fatal Five, Fifth Brother in Star Wars Rebels, Furnish Repairman in the Higglytown Heroes episode "All Warm Inside"). March 11: Lisa Loeb, American singer-songwriter, musician author and actress (voice of Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, Winger in Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Newborn Baby in The Rugrats Movie, Laura in Firebuds, Millie the Microphone in the Doc McStuffins episode "A Good Case of the Hiccups" and Princess Leia in the Robot Chicken episode "May Cause Random Wolf Attacks"). March 12: Aaron Eckhart, American actor (voice of Cary Duval in Pantheon). March 17: Mathew St. Patrick, American actor (voice of Skulker in season 1 of Danny Phantom, Policeman Hero in Higglytown Heroes). March 21: Greg Ellis, English actor (voice of Rocket Raccoon in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Gentleman Ghost in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Jet-Vac in Skylanders Academy, Mzingo in The Lion Guard, Manfred in Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Synaptak in Ben 10 and Ben 10: Alien Force, Malchior in the Teen Titans episode "Spellbound", Drax in the Legion of Super Heroes episode "Phantoms"). March 25: Michael Reisz, American actor (voice of Mizuki in Naruto, Colin Weasler in The Mummy, Matt Ishida in the Digimon franchise, Kevin Levin in the Ben 10 episode "Kevin 11"). March 26: James Iha, American rock musician, guitarist, and member of The Smashing Pumpkins (voiced himself in The Simpsons episode "Homerpalooza").