Chronology of Animation 1980
Return to 1979
United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
January
The Puppy's Amazing Rescue (tvsp), Rudy Larriva /Ruby-Spears.
(drawn animation)

Greg Cipes (January 4, 1980- ) (voice actor) born in Coral Springs, Florida.


January
Captain Kremmen (tvss), Chris Taylor /Cosgrove-Hall. (Great Britain)
(drawn animation)

January
Kirin Ashita no Calendar [キリンあしたのカレンダー] ("Kirin, Tomorrow's Calendar") (tvss), Office Uni.
(drawn animation)
(1980-1984)

Maeterlinck no Aoi no Tori Tyltyl Mytyl no Boken Ryoko [メーテルリンクの青い鳥 チルチルミチルの冒険旅行] ("Maeterlinck's Blue Bird: Tyltyl and Mytyl Adventurous Journey") (tv), Office Academy.
(drawn animation)

Mori no Yogi na Shojintachi: Belfy to Lilbit [森の陽気な小人たち ベルフィーとリルビット] ("Cheerful Dwarves of the Forest, Belfy and Lilbit") (tv), Tatsunoko.
(drawn animation)

Nils no Fushigina Tabi [ニルスのふしぎな旅] ("Wonderful Adventures of Nils") (tv), Hisayuki Toriumi /Studio Peirrot.
(drawn animation)

Tom Sawyer no Boken [トム・ソーヤの冒険] ("Adventures of Tom Sawyer") (tv), Hiroshi Saito /Nippon Animation.
(drawn animation)

Tadao Nagahama (Akira Aoi, Nagahama Tadao 長浜忠夫) (September 26, 1932-January 14, 1980) (director, art director, composer) dies.


February
Animalympics (f), Stephen Lisberger /Lisberger.
(drawn animation)

Animalympics: Winter Games (tvsp), Steven Lisberger /Lisberger.
(drawn animation)

Pink Panther in "Olympinks" (tvsp), Friz Freleng /DePatie-Freleng.
(drawn animation)

She's A Good Skate, Charlie Brown (tvsp), Phil Roman /Mendelsohn-Melendez.
(drawn animation)

The Trouble With Miss Switch (tvsp), Charles A. Nichols /Ruby-Spears.
(drawn animation)



February
Futago no Monchichi [ふたごのモンチッチ] ("The Monchichi Twins") (tvss), Ashi Pro.
(drawn animation)

Mahou Shojo Lalabell [魔法少女ララベル] ("Lalabelle the Magic Girl") (tv), Hiroshi Shidara /Toei Doga.
(drawn animation)

Muteki Robot Trider G7 [無敵ロボ トライダーG7] ("Invincible Robot Trider G7") (tv), Katsutoshi Sasaki /Nippon Sunrise.
(drawn animation)

Nodoka Mori no Dôbutsu Daisakusen ("The Big Scheme of the Animals of Nodoka Forest"; "Back to the Forest") (tvsp), Masao Kuroda /Nippon Animation.
(drawn animation)

Time Bokan Series Time Patrol Tai Otasukeman [タイムボカンシリーズ タイムパトロール隊オタスケマン] ("Time Machine Series: Time Patrol Team Rescueman") (tv), Hiroshi Sasagawa /Tatsunoko.
(drawn animation)


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
March
The World of Strawberry Shortcake (tvsp), Charles Swenson /Murakami-Wolf-Swenson.
(drawn animation)

March
Easter Fever (tvsp), Clive A. Smith /Nelvana. (Canada)
(drawn animation)

March
Le Roi et l'oiseau ("The King and Mr. Bird") (f), Paul Grimault /Films Paul Grimault. (France)
(drawn animation)
revision of La Bergere et le Ramoneur (1953)

Trois themes ("Three Themes") (ss), Alexandre Alexeieff and Claire Parker. (France)
(pin screen animation)

March
Doraemon: Nobita no Kyouryu [ドラえもん のび太の恐竜] ("Doraemon: Nobita's Dinosaur") (f), Hiroshi Fukutomi /Shin'ei.
(drawn animation)

Ginga Tetsudo 999 Claire no Glass [銀河鉄道999 ガラスのクレア] ("Galaxy Express 999: Glass Claire") (ss), Nobutaka Nishizawa /Toei.
(drawn animation)

Hana no Ko LunLun Konnichi wa Sakaru no Kuni ("Lunlun the Flower Child: Hello Village of the Cherries") (ss), Toei.
(drawn animation)

Hi no Tori 2772 Ai no Cosmo Zone [火の鳥2772 愛のコスモゾーン] ("Firebird 2772: Cosmo Zone of Love"; "Phoenix 2772") (f), Osamu Tezuka and Taki Sugiyama /Tezuka.
(drawn animation)

Mori wa Ikiteiru ("The Forest That Lives") (f), Toei.
(drawn animation)

Time Bokan Series--Zendaman ("Time Machine Series--Zendaman") (ss), Tatsunoko.
(drawn animation)

Uchu Taitei God Sigma [宇宙大帝ゴッドシグマ] ("Space Emperor God Sigma") (tv), Takeyuki Kanda and Katsuhiko Taguchi /Toei.
(drawn animation)

Maaya Sakamoto (Sakamoto Maaya 坂本 真綾) (March 31, 1980- ) (voice actress, singer) born in Itabushi, Tokyo.


April
The Last of the Red-Hot Dragons (tvsp), Shamus Culhane /Shamus Culhane Production.
(drawn animation)


April
Joe aux Merveilleux Royaumes des Mouches ("Joe in the Wonderful Kingdoms of the Flies") (tv), Jean Image /Image. (France)
(drawn animation)

April
Captain (tvsp), Eiken.
(drawn animation)

Ganbare! Gonbe [がんばれゴンベ] ("Come On! Gonbe") (tvss), Hiroyoshi Mitsunobu and Eisuke Kondou /Tsuchida.
(drawn animation)

Ginga Tetsudo 999 Eien no Tabito Emeraldas ("Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Traveler Emeraldas") (tvsp), Toei.
(drawn animation)

Hoero! Bun Bun [ほえろ! ブンブン] ("Bark! Bun Bun") (tvsp), Wako.
(drawn animation)

Moero Arthur Hakuba no Oji [燃えろアーサー 白馬の王子] ("King Arthur: Prince on the White Horse") (tv), Toei.
(drawn animation)

Mu no Hakugei [ムーの白鯨] ("Mu the Whale") (tv), TMS.
(drawn animation)

Sue Cat [スーキャット] (tvss), Takao Yotsuji /Knack Productions.
(drawn animation)

Tera e... [地球へ...] ("Toward the Terra") (f), Hideo Onchi /Toei.
(drawn animation)

Tsurikitchi Sanpei [釣りキチ三平] ("Sanpei the Fisherman") (tv), Nippon Animation.
(drawn animation)
(1980-1982)

Zukkoke Knight: Don De La Mancha [ずっこけナイト ドンデラマンチャ] ("The Crazy Knight, the Don of Mancha"; "Don Quixote") (tv), Ashi Pro.
(drawn animation)


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
May
Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back) (f), Lee Mendelsohn and Bill Melendez /Mendelsohn-Melendez.
(drawn animation)

Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over (tvsp), Chuck Jones /Chuck Jones Enterprises.
(drawn animation)
collection of new made for tv cartoons of classic Warner Bros. characters

Carlton Your Doorman (tvsp), Charles Swenson and Fred Wolf /Murakami-Wolf-Swenson.
(drawn animation)

Dr. Seuss' Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? (tvsp), Gerard Baldwin /DePatie-Freleng.
(drawn animation)

The Return of the King (tvsp), Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass /Rankin-Bass.
(drawn animation)

George Pal (Gyorgy Pal Marczincsak) (February 1, 1908–May 2, 1980) (director, producer, animator) dies in Los Angeles, California of a heart attack.

Len Lye (director, animator) dies in Warwick, Rhode Island.


May
La chainon manquant ("The Missing Link") (f), Jean-Paul Picha /Pils Films and S.N.D. Production. (Belgium/France)
(drawn animation)

Cockleshell Bay (tvss), Jackie Cockle /Cosgrove-Hall. (Great Britain)
(model animation)
(1980-1986)

May
Densetsu Kyojin Ideon [伝説巨神イデオン] ("Legendary Giant God Ideon") (tv), Yoshiyuki Tomino /Nippon Sunrise.
(drawn animation)

Ganbare! Tabuchi-kun! Gekito Pennant Race ("Come On! Tabuchi! The Difficult Pennant Race") (f), TMS.
(drawn animation)

Manga Nihon Mukashi Banashi--Hi no Kuni Monogatari ("Animated Japanese Tales--The Story of the Land of Fire") (tvsp), Group TAC.
(drawn animation)

Wakakasu Monagatari ("Story of Young Shoots" or "Little Women") (tvsp), Yugo Serakawa /Toei.
(drawn animation)


June
The Incredible Book Escape (tvsp), Sam Weiss and Seth Pinsker (live action) /Bosustow Enterprises.
(drawn animation, part live action)



June
Bochan [坊っちゃん] (tvsp), Osamu Dezaki /TMS.
(drawn animation)

Uchu Senshi Baldios [宇宙戦士バルディオス] ("Space Warrior Baldios") (tv), Kazuyuki Hirokawa /Ashi Productions.
(drawn animation)


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)



July
11 Piki no Neko [11ぴきのねこ] ("The Eleven Cats") (f), Yasuo Maeda (animation director) /Group TAC.
(drawn animation)

Ganbare! Genki [がんばれ元気] ("Come On! Genki") (tv), Rintaro /Toei.
(drawn animation)

Mahou Shojo Lalabell--Umi ga Yobu Natsuyasumi ("Lalabelle the Magic Girl: Invitation to the Sea for Summer Vacation") (ss), Toei.
(drawn animation)

Makoto-chan [まことちゃん] ("Little Makoto") (f), TMS.
(drawn animation)


August
I Go Pogo ("Pogo for President") (f), Marc Paul Chinoy /Stowar Enterprises.
(model animation)

Tex Avery (Fred Avery, Frederick Bean Avery) (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) (director, animator, voice actor) dies in Burbank, California of lung cancer.



August
Captain II (tvsp), Eiken.
(drawn animation)

Fumoon (tvsp), Osamu Tezuka and Hiroshi Nishimura (animation director) /Tezuka.
(drawn animation)

Ikkuysan--Obare Yancha Hime ("Ikkusan--Princess Putiferio") (tvsp), Toei.
(drawn animation)

Marine Snow no Densetsu [マリンスノーの伝説] ("The Legend of Marine Snow") (tvsp), Leiji Matsumoto /Now Kikaku.
(drawn animation)

Uchû Senkan Yamato: Towa ni ("Space Battleship Yamato: Be Forever"; "Be Forever Yamato") (f), Toshio Masuda /Office Academy.
(drawn animation)

Yami no Teio Kyuketsuki Dracula ("The Emperor of Darkness, Vampire Dracula"; "Dracula: Soverign of the Damned"; Dracula: Emperor of Darkness") (tvsp), Minoru Okazaki and Akinori Nagaoka /Toei.
(drawn animation)


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
September
Drak Pack (tv), Hanna-Barbera.
(drawn animation)

The Flintstones' New Neighbors (tvsp), Carl Urbano /Hanna-Barbera.
(drawn animation)

September
Take Me Up to the Ballgame (tvsp), Ken Stephenson /Nelvana. (Canada)
(drawn animation)

September
Les Aventures de Plume d'Elan (tvss), Claude Clément /Belokapi. (France)
(drawn animation)

September
Kaibutsu-kun [怪物くん] ("Little Kaibutsu") (tv)/(tvss), Hiroshi Fukutomi /Shin'ei.
(drawn animation)
(1980-1982)

Nijushi no Hitomi [二十四の瞳] ("Twenty-four Eyes") (tvsp), Akio Jissoji and Shigetsugu Yoshida /TMS.
(drawn animation)

Ojamanga Yamada-kun ("Troublemaker of Cartoons, Little Yamada") (tv), Hiroyoshi Mitsunobu /Tsuchida Production.
(drawn animation)
(1980-1982)

Tondemo Senshi Muteking [とんでも戦士ムテキング] ("Muteking, The Dashing Warrior") (tv), Tatsunoko.
(drawn animation)

September
The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone (tvsp), Ray Patterson and Chris Cuddington /Hanna-Barbera Australia. (Australia)
(drawn animation)

October
The Heathcliff and Dingbat Show (tv), Ruby-Spears.
contains Heathcliff (tvss) and Dingbat and the Creeps (tvss)

Life Is A Circus, Charlie Brown (tvsp), Phil Roman /Mendelsohn-Melendez.
(drawn animation)

The Plastic Man/Baby Plas Super Comedy Show (tv), Ruby-Spears.
(drawn animation)
contains Plastic Family (tvss) and Baby Plas (tvss)

Scruffy (tvsp), Charles A. Nichols /Ruby-Spears.
(drawn animation)

Thundarr the Barbarian (tv), Charles A. Nichols, et al. Ruby-Spears.
(drawn animation)
(1980-1982)


October
The Amazing Adventures of Morph (tvss), Peter Lord and David Sproxton /Aardman. (Great Britain)
(clay animation)

King Rollo (tvss), Clive Juster and Leo Beltoft /King Rollo. (Great Britain)
(drawn animation)

October
Ashita no Joe 2 [あしたのジョー2] ("Tomorrow's Joe 2") (tv), Osamy Dezaki /Tokyo Movie Shinsha.
(drawn animation)

Ginga Tetsudo 999 Kimi wa Haha no Yo ni Aiseru Ka ("Galaxy Express 999: Can You Love As A Mother?") (tvsp), Toei.
(drawn animation)

Hoero! Bun Bun [ほえろ! ブンブン] ("Bark! Bun Bun") (tv), Shigeru Omachi /Wako.
(drawn animation)

Manga Kotowaja Jiten [まんがことわざ事典] ("The Animated Encyclopedia of Proverbs") (tv)/(tvss)/(edu), Eisuke Kondo /Tsuchida.
(drawn animation)

Tetsujin 28-go ("Iron Man 28" or "The New Adventures of Gigantor") (tv), Tetsuo Imazawa /TMS.
(drawn animation)

Tetsuwan Atom [鉄腕アトム] ("Mighty Atom"; "Astro Boy") (tv), Noboru Ishiguro /Tezuka Productions.
(drawn animation)

Uchu Senkan Yamato III [宇宙戦艦ヤマトIII] ("Space Cruiser Yamato III"; "Star Blazers: The Bolar Wars") (tv), Leiji Matsumoto /Office Academy.
(drawn animation)


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
November
The Berenstain Bears Meet Big Paw (tvsp), Mordecai Gerstein and Al Kouzel /Perpetual Motion Pictures.
(drawn animation)

Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (tv), Ray Patterson, George Gordon and Rudy Zamora /Hanna-Barbera.
(drawn animation)
(1980-1982)

Gnomes (tvsp), Jack Zander /Zanders Animation.
(drawn animation)

The Richie Rich/Scooby Doo-Hour (tv), Ray Patterson, George Gordon, and Rudy Zamora /Hanna-Barbera.
(drawn animation)
contains Richie Rich (tvss) and reruns of Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (tv)

Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz ("Dorothy in the Land of Oz") (tvsp), Fred Wolf /Murakami-Wolf-Swenson.
(drawn animation)

A Snow White Christmas (tvsp), Kay Wright /Filmation.
(drawn animation)

Yogi's First Christmas (tvsp), Ray Patterson /Hanna-Barbera.
(drawn animation)





December
Pinocchio's Christmas (tvsp), Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass /Rankin-Bass.
(model animation)

Ben Sharpsteen (Benjamin Sharpsteen) (November 4, 1895-December 20, 1980) (director, producer, animator) dies in Calistoga, California.

December
The Christmas Raccoons (tvsp), Kevin Gillis and Paul Schibili /Atkinson Film-Arts. (Canada)
(drawn animation)


December
Cyborg 009 Chou Ginga no Densetsu [サイボーグ009 超銀河伝説] ("Cyborg 009 Super Galaxy Legend") (f), Toei.
(drawn animation)

Ganbare! Tabuchi-kun! A Tsuppari Jinsei [がんばれ!!タブチくん!!・ぁツッパリ人生] ("Come On! Tabuchi! This Is Your Life") (f), Tsutomu Shibayama /TMS.
(drawn animation)


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
no date
Canon: Best Seller (tvss)/(adv), Tom Barron and Clark Anderson /Robet Abel.
(cgi animation)

Dimension: Green Giant (tvss)/(adv), Bill Kovacs /Robet Abel.
(cgi animation)

Warner Bros. opens up a new animation studio with Friz Freleng as head. The studio is designed to produce feature-length packages of its old shorts, with new animation to provide bridges between the older segments.

Haim Saban founds Saban Entertainment (California).

Michael Sporn founds Michael Sporn Animation in New York.

Carl Rosendahl, Glenn Entis, and Richard Chuang found Pacific Data Images (PDI) in Sunnydale, California to create computer animated graphics for television.

no date
Filminuto No. 1 (ss), Juan Padron /ICAIC. (Cuba)
(drawn animation)
first Filminuto series (1980 to the present)

Getting Started // Faut se grouiller (ss), Richard Condie /NFB.
(drawn animation)

The History of the World in Three Minutes Flat (ss), Michael Mills /Michael Mills Productions. (Canada)
(drawn animation)

Libro gordo de Petete ("Petete's Large Book") (tvss), García Ferré. (Argentina)
(drawn animation)

Premiers Jours // Beginnings (ss), Clorinda Warny, Linda Gagnon, and Suzanne Gervaise /NFB. (Canada)
(drawn animation)

Sing Beast Sing (ss), Marv Newland /International Rocketship. (Canada)
(drawn animation)

no date
I fantastici viaggi di Ty e Uan ("The Fantastic Voyage of Ty and Uan") (tv), Marco Pagot and Gi Pagot /Rever.
(drawn animation)

Hattytown Tales (tvss), Ivor Woods /Filmfair. (Great Britain)
(model animation)

Kaj Nazar ("Brave Nazar") (ss), Robert Sahakiants /Hayfilm. (Soviet Union [Armenia])
(drawn animation)

A Legy ("The Fly") (ss), Ferenc Rofusz /Pannoniafilm. (Hungary)
(drawn animation)
Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Animation


A Legy image
A Legy
Liliput (tvss), Bruno Bozzetto /Bozzetto. (Italy)
(drawn animation)

Moto Perpetuo (ss), Bela Vajda /Pannoniafilm. (Hungary)
(drawn animation)

Pohádka o Honzíkovi a Mařence ("The Tale of John and Mary") (f), Karel Zeman /Filmové Studio Gottwaldov. (Czechoslovakia [Czech Republic])
(drawn animation)

Rui, el pequeño Cid // Little El Cid no Boken [リトル・エド・シドの冒険] ("Adventures of Little El Cid") (tv), Fumio Kurokawa /BRB Internacional and Nippon Animation. (Spain/Japan)
(drawn animation)

Skazka Skazok [Сказка сказок] ("The Tale of Tales") (ss), Yuri Norstein /Soyuzmultifilm. (Soviet Union [Russia])
(cut-out animation)

Spiel mit Leho ("Playing with Clay") (ss), Walter Später /DEFA Animation. (People's Republic of Germany [Germany])
(clay animation)
(series 1980-1988)

Suur Tõll [Большой Тылл] ("The Great Toll") (ss), Rein Raamat /Tallinfilm. (Soviet Union [Estonia])
(drawn animation)

BRB Internacional starts producing its own animated television programs. (Spain)


no date
De Men Phieu Luu Ky ("The Adventures of the Cricket") (sf), Truong Qua / Ho Chi Minh City Multi-branched. (North Viet Nam)
(drawn animation)

"Little Inspector Ddoli" [꼬마 어사 똘이] (f), Kim Cheong-Gi. (Republic of Korea)
(drawn animation)

Nezha Nao Hai [哪吒闹海] ("Nezha Conquers the Dragon") (sf), Wang Shuchen, Yang Dingxian, and A Da /Shanghai Animation. (China)
(drawn animation)

Sarah (f), Yoram Gross and Athol Henry /Yoram Gross. (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 1981 Last update: July 26, 2012
Comments to: Richard Llewellyn
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