2021 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 3: The Great North's first episode "Sexi Moose Adventure" premieres on Fox.
January 7: Season 2 of Paru Itagaki's Beastars airs its first episode on Japanese television.
The first ten episodes of season 2 of Disenchantment are released on Netflix.
January 25: Disney+ removes Dumbo, Peter Pan, and The Aristocats, from their kids profiles due to certain scenes containing old-fashioned racial stereotypes. They remain available to adult viewers.[3]
January 26: Go, Dog. Go!, a series based on the children's books of the same name, premiered on Netflix.
New York Times Columnist, Charles M. Blow, claims that the Looney Tunes character Pepé Le Pew, "normalized rape culture". Following the publication of the article, it was reported that he was cut out of Space Jam: A New Legacy after Malcolm D. Lee took over directing. The character was reported to not be slated in current and future Warner Bros. projects. However, he appeared in the Animaniacs reboot episode, "Yakko Amakko" which premiered on November 5, 2021.[9][10][11][12][13]
April 19: Season 18 of American Dad! begins on TBS with the premiere of the episode "Who Smarted?". The season's premiere was watched by only 560 thousand viewers that night, marking a new low in the show's viewership.[21]
The Great North concludes its first season on Fox with the episode "My Fart Will Go on Adventure". The season's finale was watched by only 812 thousand viewers that night.
Family Guy concludes its 19th season on Fox with the episode "Tales of Former Sports Glory". The season's finale was seen by over 1.1 million viewers that night.
May 17: Deadline Hollywood reported that The Owl House was renewed for a third season comprising three 44-minute specials, ahead of the premiere of the second season the following month.[24]
May 22: The second-season finale of Amphibia, "True Colors", finally premiered on Disney Channel three weeks after being delayed and subsequently leaked by iTunes.
Season 2 of Duncanville begins on Fox with the premiere of the following episodes:
"Das Banana Boot" (viewership: 0.80 million)
"Duncan's New Word" (viewership: 0.71 million)
Bob's Burgers concludes its 11th season on Fox with the episode "Vampire Disco Death Dance". The season's finale was watched by only 980 thousand viewers that night, marking a new low in the show's viewership.
May 27: The first episode of the rebooted series Rugrats is broadcast on Paramount+.
June: During the annual Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Austria's first animated feature film, Rotzbub, directed by Marcus H. Rosenmüller & Santiago López Jover, is released. The plot and design are based on cartoonist Manfred Deix's life and cartoons.[28]
June 4: Season 2 of Amphibia released on Disney+, just a month after the season concluded.[29]
June 7: The Molly of Denali season one finale, a one-hour special titled "Molly and the Great One", premiered on PBS Kids.
Rainbow High premieres its season 1 finale on YouTube.
June 12: The second season of The Owl House premiered on Disney Channel.
June 17: An upcoming Disney Channel series titled Kiff was revealed to be greenlit for the network at this year's Annecy Film Festival.[30]
June 18: Luca premiered on Disney+ instead of being released theatrically in the United States.[31]
June 20: Bless the Harts' final episode, "Betty's Birthday", premieres on Fox. The show's finale was only watched by 370 thousand viewers that night sadly.[32]
Craig of the Creek concludes it's third season on Cartoon Network with the final part of the "Capture the Flag" special event. The season's finale was seen by a total of 482 thousand viewers that morning.[33]
Kirk DeMicco's Vivo, produced by Sony Pictures Animation, premieres in select theaters in the United States. It marks Sony Pictures Animation's first musical film. The film is later released on Netflix on August 6.
The final episode of Sunset Paradise, "Rebirth" premiered on YouTube on the Glitch channel, Meggy returned to SMG4 the next day.[35]
July 31: The Owl House episode titled, "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door" premieres on Disney Channel to critical acclaim. In it, the characters Luz and Amity begin officially dating, making them one of the few explicitly queer couples in a Disney animated series.[36]
August
August 1: The third series of Bluey premieres to critical acclaim.
August 30: Duncanville concludes its second season on Fox with the episode "Witch Day 2". The season's finale was watched by only 701 thousand viewers that night.[40]
Season 2 of The Great North begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "Brace/Off Adventure". The season's premiere was seen by over 1.8 million viewers that night.
Season 12 of Bob's Burgers begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "Manic Pixie Crap Show". The season's premiere was seen by exactly 1.6 million viewers that night.
Season 20 of Family Guy begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "LASIK Instinct". The season's premiere was seen by over 1.5 million viewers that night.
October 6: The first 5 episodes of The Ghost and Molly McGee were released on Disney+ (episodes 3-5 were released before their premiere airings on Disney Channel).[45]
October 10: Animaniacs reveals a sneak peek of the show's upcoming second season at New York Comic Con during a virtual event and is later released on YouTube by Hulu.[46]
American Dad! concludes its 18th season on TBS with the Halloween special "Steve's Franken Out". The season's premiere was watched by only 365 thousand viewers that night, marking a new low in the show's viewership.[50]
Season 4 of Craig of the Creek begins on Cartoon Network with the premiere of the episode "The Legend of the Library". The season's premiere was seen by 189 thousand viewers that night.[51]
October 30: The pitch trailer for an animated series titled Pibby is released on YouTube. Creator Dodge Greenley said it may become a full series depending on the viewers' reactions, and the reception has been positive from fans and critics alike.[52][53][54]
October 31: Part 1 of a two-part season 1 finale of Helluva Boss, titled "Ozzie's", was released on YouTube. Part 2, titled "Queen Bee", was released in June 2023, almost twenty months after "Ozzie's".
November
November 3: The first 5 episodes from Season 3 of Amphibia were released on Disney+.[55]
November 8: The final season of Squidbillies premiered.
November 27: The season 3 mid-finale of Amphibia, "Froggy Little Christmas", premieres, with Rebecca Sugar guest-starring.
November 29: The second season of Animaniacs premieres.
December
December 2: The miniseries Santa Inc. was released on HBO Max to critical disdain.
December 4: The Bluey episode, "Pass The Parcel" airs to positive reviews, but sparked controversy due to the episode's message about competitive parenting.[56]
December 7: The second season of Go, Dog. Go! premieres on Netflix.
December 22: Episodes 6-9 from Season 3 of Amphibia were released on Disney+.[60]
December 23: After more than 14 years on the air, Comedy Central aired Futurama for the final time due to Adult Swim regaining the syndication rights from Comedy Central. However, the series was added back on May 2, 2022.
December 24: Encanto was released on Disney+ 30 days after its theatrical release.
January 28: Cicely Tyson, American actress (voice of Mrs. Maureen Parker in The Proud Family episode "Behind Family Lines" and Great Aunt Shirley Hero in the Higglytown Heroes episode "Wayne's 100 Special Somethings"), dies at age 96.[98]
April 9: DMX, American rapper and actor (voiced himself in the South Park episode "Chef Aid"), dies from a cocaine-induced heart attack at age 50.[140]
May 7: Tawny Kitaen, American actress, model and media personality (voice of Annabelle in Eek! The Cat), dies from dilated cardiomyopathy at age 59.[162]
