Chronology of Animation 1954
Return to 1953
United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
January
Warner Bros. repopens its animation studio.








February
Shigeru Chiba (Chiba Shigeru 千葉繁, Masaharu Maeda, Maeda Masaharu 前田正治) (February 4, 1954- ) (voice actor, sound director) born in Kikuchi, Kumamoto.





March
Kousagi Monogatari [子うさぎものがたり] ("Story of the Little Rabbit") (ss), Yasuji Mori /Nihon Doga.
(drawn animation)

Kazuhiko Inoue (Inoue Kazuhiko 井上和彦) (March 26, 1954- ) (voice actor) born in Kanagawa.

Minoru Maeda (Maeda Minoru, 前田実) (March 24, 1954- ) (animator, character designer, mecha designer) born in Hokkaido.


April
Glen Keane (April 13, 1954- ) (animator, character designer) born in Abington, Pennsylvania.



April
Katsuhiro Otomo (Otomo Katsuhiro 大友 克洋) (April 14, 1954- ) (director, writer, character designer) born in Tome-gun, Miyagi.


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
May
Pigs Is Pigs (ss), Jack Kinney /Disney.
(drawn animation)

Townsend Coleman (May 28, 1954- ) (voice actor) born in New York, New York.

May
Dig That Dog (ss), Grant Simmons and Ray Patterson /Grantray-Lawrence. (Canada)
(drawn animation)
(one of two cartoons made for Walter Lantz)




June
Devil May Hare (ss), Robert McKimson /Warner Bros.
(drawn animation)
first appearance of the Tasmanian Devil

Jim Belushi (James Belushi) (June 15, 1954- ) (voice actor) born in Chicago, Illinois.





July
J. Michael Straczynski (Joseph Michael Straczynski) (July 17, 1954- ) (writer, composer) born in Patterson, New Jersey.








August
Yuko Mita (Mita Yuko) [三田 ゆう子] (voice actress) born in Tokyo.


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
September
Hy Mayer (Henry Mayer) (1868-September 27, 1954) (director, animator, writer, producer) dies of a heart attack in South Norwalk, Connecticut.





October
From A to Z-Z-Z-Z (ss), Charles M. Jones /Warner Bros.
(drawn animation)

Hansel and Gretel (f), John Paul /Reeves.
(model animation)





November
Lumber Jack Rabbit (ss), Charles M. Jones /Warner Bros.
(drawn animation)
experimental 3-D cartoon





December
Dixieland Droopy (ss), Tex Avery /MGM.
(drawn animation)

Touche Pussy Cat (ss), William Hanna and Joseph Barbera /MGM.
(drawn animation)


December
Belvision studio founded by Raymond Leblanc in Brussels. (Belgium)

December
Kazunori Itou (Itou Kazunori) (writer) born in Yamagata.

Sumi Shimamoto (Shimamoto Sumi) (voice actress) born in Kouchi.


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
no date
first Speedy Alka-Seltzer series (tvss)/(adv), Five Star.
(model animation)

no date
Grantray-Lawrence Animation studio founded by Grant Simmons, Ray Patterson, and Robert Lawrence. (Canada)


no date
Cesta Do Praveku ("Journey to the Beginning of Time") (f), Karel Zeman /Filmové Studio Gottwaldov. (Czechoslovakia [Czech Republic])
(live action; some model animation)

Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten ("The State Musicians of Bremer") (ss), Bruno J. Bottge /DEFA Animation. (People's Republic of Germany [Germany])
(silhoutte animation)

Dobry Vojak Svejk ("The Good Soldier Schweik") (f), Jiri Trnka /Studio Loutkového Filmu. (Czechoslovakia [Czech Republic])
(model animation)

The Grasshopper and the Ant (ss), Lotte Reiniger /Primrose. (Great Britain)
(silhouette animation)

Watch the Birdie (ss), Bob Godfrey, Keith Learner, Vera Linnecar, and Richard Taylot /Biographic. (Great Britain)
(drawn animation)

Zolotaya antilopa [Золотая Антилопа] ("The Golden Antelope") (sf), Lev Atamanov /Soyuzmultifilm. (Soviet Union [Russia])
(drawn animation)

Paul Films founded in Modena by Paolo Campani and Giorgio Massimino-Garniér. (Italy)

Igor Kovalyov (director, art director, character designer, writer) born in Kiev. (Soviet Union [Ukraine])


no date
Bimbo's Auto (ss), Eric Porter /Porter. (Australia)
(drawn animation)


Note: Unfortunately I lack the time or resources to help people find copies of animated films and television programs. I have put together a web List of Online Video and Book Stores that will be useful to find copies in the United States. There are other similar stores on the Internet around the world that might be able to supply the DVDs, LDs, or video tapes that are desired. Check my Animation on the World Wide Web pages for links to animation studios and other Internet resources that may have further information. I am not involved in trading materials from my own collection. I am still waiting to see most of the programs in this Chronology and would be happy to find sources for many of them.

Because of these circumstances I will not respond to requests for help to find these types of materials.


Continue to 1955 Last update: August 27, 2011
Comments to: Richard Llewellyn
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