Events in 1956 in animation.
Events
January January 14: Chuck Jones' Bugs' Bonnets premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. January 27: William Hanna & Joseph Barbera's Tom and Jerry cartoon The Flying Sorceress, produced by MGM's Cartoon Studio, premieres.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The encyclopedia of animated cartoons. Internet Archive. New York : Facts on File. p. 150. . January 28: Robert McKimson's Sylvester and Hippety Hopper cartoon Too Hop to Handle premieres, produced 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.
February February 24: Jack Kinney's Donald Duck cartoon Chips Ahoy premieres, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Also starring Chip 'n' Dale (making their final appearance in the Golden Age of Animation).Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 76. . Retrieved June 6, 2020. February 25: Chuck Jones' Broom-Stick Bunny is first released, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Bugs Bunny and Witch Hazel.
March March 10: Chuck Jones' Rocket Squad premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons and starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. March 21: 28th Academy Awards: Speedy Gonzales, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. March 23: William Hanna & Joseph Barbera's Tom and Jerry cartoon The Egg and Jerry, produced by MGM's Cartoon Studio, premieres. It is a CinemaScope remake of the 1949 Tom and Jerry short Hatch Up Your Troubles. March 24: Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester cartoon Tweet and Sour premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Granny & Sam Cat.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 152. . Retrieved June 6, 2020. March 31: Chuck Jones' Pepé Le Pew cartoon Heaven Scent premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Penelope Pussycat.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 117. . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
April Gene Deitch becomes head of animation at Terrytoons until August 1958. April 28: Friz Freleng's Rabbitson Crusoe premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam.
May May 4: William Hanna & Joseph Barbera's Tom and Jerry cartoon Busy Buddies, produced by MGM's Cartoon Studio, premieres. May 5: Chuck Jones' Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 129. . Retrieved 6 June 2020 – via Archive.org. May 19: Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester cartoon Tree Cornered Tweety premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. The short is a parody of the popular police procedural franchise Dragnet. May 27: Peter Foldes and Joan Foldes' A Short Vision airs during an episode of The Ed Sullivan Show and causes controversy over its anti-atomic power message.
June June 2: Robert McKimson's Sylvester cartoon The Unexpected Pest premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. June 16: Friz Freleng's Bugs Bunny cartoon Napoleon Bunny-Part premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. June 23: Friz Freleng's Tweety and Sylvester cartoon Tugboat Granny premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Granny (as the short title implies).
July July 7: Robert McKimson's Daffy Duck cartoon Stupor Duck, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons is released. July 21: Chuck Jones' Bugs Bunny cartoon Barbary Coast Bunny premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Nasty Canasta. July 26: Pete Burness' Mr. Magoo cartoon Magoo's Puddle Jumper, produced by UPA, premieres.
August August 18: Robert McKimson's Bugs Bunny cartoon Half-Fare Hare premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. The short features caricatures of Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton from the TV series The Honeymooners.
September September 1: Robert McKimson's Sylvester and Hippety Hopper cartoon The Slap-Hoppy Mouse premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Sylvester Jr. September 7: William Hanna & Joseph Barbera's Tom and Jerry cartoon Muscle Beach Tom, produced by MGM's Cartoon Studio, premieres. September 15: Friz Freleng's A Star Is Bored premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, and Elmer Fudd. September 29: Chuck Jones' Deduce, You Say! premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.
October October 13: Friz Freleng's cartoon Yankee Dood It premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Elmer Fudd and Sylvester (marking the last time that the two are paired-up together in the Golden Age of Animation). October 21: William Hanna & Joseph Barbera's Tom and Jerry cartoon Down Beat Bear, produced by MGM's Cartoon Studio, premieres. October 27: Robert McKimson's cartoon Wideo Wabbit premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.
November November 10: Chuck Jones' Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon There They Go-Go-Go! premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. November 16: The Tom and Jerry cartoon Blue Cat Blues is first released, produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. It features a controversial ending in which the duo commit suicide by waiting on a railroad track for the train to come. Contrary to urban legend, though, it is not the final episode of the series. The final short produced at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was Tot Watchers in 1958, and the final short overall was Purr-Chance to Dream, produced by Chuck Jones in 1967.
December December 8: Robert McKimson's The Honey-Mousers, a spoof of The Honeymooners, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, premieres. December 14: William Hanna & Joseph Barbera's Tom and Jerry cartoon Barbecue Brawl, produced by MGM's Cartoon Studio, premieres. December 15: Chuck Jones' Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote cartoon To Hare Is Human premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 61-62 . Retrieved June 6, 2020. December 16: The first episode of The Gerald McBoing-Boing Show airs on CBS. Broadcast at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday evenings, it was a showcase for UPA's cartoons, including Dusty of the Circus, The Twirlinger Twins, and Punch and Judy. The program proved too expensive to continue and lasted only three months.
Specific date unknown Ivan Ivanov-Vano's The Twelve Months is released. Te Wei's The Proud General is released.Toon Zone. "Toon Zone ." "The Conceited General." Retrieved on 2007-01-11. Walt Disney Productions shuts down its shorts division. Disney shorts would only be produced on a sporadic basis from this point on.
Films released
October 24 - The Heavenly Creation (Soviet Union) December 31 - The Twelve Months (Soviet Union)
Television series
May 1 - The Gumby Show debuts on CBS and in syndication. Specific date unknown - The Gerald McBoing-Boing Show debuts on CBS.
Births January January 3: Mel Gibson, American actor (voice of John Smith in Pocahontas, Rocky in Chicken Run, himself in The Simpsons episode "Beyond Blunderdome"). January 9: Imelda Staunton, English actress and singer (voice of Bunty in Chicken Run, and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Mrs. Santa in Arthur Christmas, Aunt Lucy in the Paddington franchise, Queen Victoria in The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!, Ivy and Angorra in The Snow Queen, and Elspeth and Rowena in The Snow Queen's Revenge). January 12: Ellen Byron, American television writer and producer (The Fairly OddParents, The Tom and Jerry Show, Bunsen Is a Beast). January 21: Robby Benson, American actor and singer (voice of Beast in the Beauty and the Beast franchise, House of Mouse, and Once Upon a Studio, the title character in The Legend of Prince Valiant, Blaze in P.J. Sparkles, Drake in Dragonheart: A New Beginning, young Santa Claus in The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus, Wilkes in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "P.O.V.", Archibald Seedplot in The Magic School Bus episode "Goes to Seed", David in The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible episode "David and Goliath"). Geena Davis, American actress (voice of Huntara in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Yorito Sasaki in When Marnie Was There, Persephone in the Doc McStuffins episode "Sir Kirby and the Plucky Princess"). January 22: Michael Kopsa, Canadian actor (voice of Beast in X-Men: Evolution, Roger Baxter in Littlest Pet Shop, Char Aznable in Mobile Suit Gundam), (d. 2022). January 24: Peter Woodward, English actor (voice of Ra's al Ghul in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Dick Dastardly in Wacky Races, Edwin Carbunkle in Postman Pat: The Movie). January 26: Pat Musick, American voice actress (voice of Tony in the An American Tail franchise, Harold Frumpkin in Rugrats and All Grown Up!, Ursa Gummi in Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Fiddler Pig in House of Mouse, Janine Melnitz in Extreme Ghostbusters, Fluffy, Uranus and Charles in Duckman, Snuffy in A Troll in Central Park, Snappy Smurfling in The Smurfs, April in Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, Elsa Frankenteen in Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School and the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Monster Party", Mary Ann in The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries episode "A Chip Off the Old Castle", Mrs. Osgood in the Static Shock episode "Jimmy", Martha Wayne in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Dawn of the Dead Man!", Aldo in the ThunderCats episode "The Forever Bag", Dolphina in the Sofia the First episode "The Secret Library: Tale of the Eternal Torch"). January 27: Susanne Blakeslee, American actress (voice of Wanda in The Fairly OddParents, Lady Tremaine in Cinderella II: Dreams Come True and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure and House of Mouse, Kala in The Legend of Tarzan, Sayd in Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Valeriana in Amphibia, the Evil Queen in Shrek the Third).
February February 3: Nathan Lane, American actor (voice of Timon in The Lion King franchise and Once Upon a Studio, Preed in Titan A.E., Spot Helperman/Scott Leadready II in Teacher's Pet). Lee Ranaldo, American musician and member of Sonic Youth (voiced himself in The Simpsons episode "Homerpalooza"). February 7: Bob Camp, American animator, writer, cartoonist, comic book artist, storyboard artist, director, and producer (The Ren & Stimpy Show). Emo Philips, American comedian and actor (voice of Cuber in Adventure Time, Meeks Servant in Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, Emo in Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, Shannon in Home Movies, Dooper in Slacker Cats, Karl in TripTank, Dennis O'Bannon in Welcome to the Wayne). February 12: Arsenio Hall, American actor, comedian, talk show host, film producer and writer (voice of Winston Zeddemore in The Real Ghostbusters, Dr. Carver and Bobby Proud in The Proud Family Movie, Captain Crothers in Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!, Carl Cristall in Igor, Vernell Lewis in the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur episode "Roller Jam!"). February 15: Olga Merediz, American actress (voice of Maestra Beatriz in the Dora the Explorer episode "School Pet", Mrs. Marquez in the Go, Diego, Go! episode "Diego Saves the Humpback Whale", Felicia in the Elena of Avalor episode "Flower of Light", singing voice of Alma Madrigal in Encanto). February 25: Thomas W. Lynch, American television writer and producer (co-creator of Class of 3000). February 28: Lloyd Sherr, American actor (voice of Banutu Jibolba in Tak and the Power of Juju, Father in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Captain Dread in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episode "Escape from the Planet of the Turtleoids", continued voice of Fillmore in the Cars franchise).
March