Chronology of Animation 1941
Return to 1940
United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
January
Western Daze (ss), George Pal /Pal.
(model animation)
first Puppetoon in the United States (1941-1947), series originally called Madcap Models


January
Long John Baldry (January 12, 1941-July 21, 2005) (voice actor, singer) born in Derbyshire. (Great Britain)

January
Hayao Miyazaki (Miyazaki Hayao) [宮崎 駿] (January 5, 1941- ) (director, animator, producer, writer) born in Tokyo.

Rintaro (Rin Taro, Shigeyuki Hayashi, Hayashi Shigeyuki [りんたろう (Rintaro)] [林重行 (Hayashi Shigeyuki)]) (January 22, 1941- ) (director, animator, art director, supervisor, writer, producer, inbetweener) born in Tokyo.


March
Tortoise Beats Hare (ss), Tex Avery /Schlesinger.
(drawn animation)

B. J. Ward (Betty Jean Ward) (March 14, 1941- ) (voice actress) born in New York City.



March
Tsutomu Shibayama (Shibayama Tsutomu 芝山努) (March 9, 1941- ) (director, producer, animator, character designer) born in Tokyo.






April
Kim Cheong-Ki (김청기) (April 18, 1941- ) (director) born in Korea.

May
Rookie Bear (ss), Rudolph Ising /MGM.
(drawn animation)

Many Disney employees go on strike. The strike lasted until September.


May
Jannik Hastrup (director, writer, animator) born in Naestved. (Denmark)

Nicole Van Goethem (director) born in Antwerp. (Belgium)



June
Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt (ss), Friz Freleng /Schlesinger.
(drawn animation)

The Reluctant Dragon (f), Alfred L. Werker (live action) and Hamilton Luske (animation) /Disney.
(drawn animation, live action)
film consists of a tour of the Disney studios and several shorts (Baby Weems (ss), Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, John P. Miller; How to Ride a Horse (ss), Jack Kinney; and, The Reluctant Dragon (ss), Hamilton Luske)



June
Masao Maruyama (Maruyama Masao 丸山正雄) (June 19, 1941- ) (producer, planner, writer, background artis) born in Shiogama, Miyagi.


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
July
Cracked Nut (ss), Walter Lantz /Lantz.
(drawn animation)
first Woody Woodpecker series (1941-1972)

July
Peter Cullen (July 28, 1941- ) (voice actor) born in Montreal, Quebec. (Canada)




August
Truant Officer Donald (ss), Jack King /Disney.
(drawn animation)




August
Chinese Cartoon Association founded. (Hong Kong)

September
The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B (ss), Walter Lantz /Lantz.
(drawn animation)

The Mad Scientist ("Superman") (ss), Dave Fleischer /Fleischer.
(drawn animation)
first Superman series (1941-1943), later episodes made by Famous Studios


The Mad Scientist imageThe Mad Scientist
First Botany Lamb series (tvss)/(adv), Otto Messmer /Leigh.
(drawn animation)
first series of animated advertisements created for television (1941-1948)

Tex Avery leaves Schlesinger and goes to MGM.


September
Yuri Norstein (September 15, 1941- ) (director, animator) born in Andreyevka, Penzenskaya Oblast. (Soviet Union [Russia])



United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
October
Dumbo (f), Ben Sharpsteen /Disney.
(drawn animation)

Lend A Paw (ss), Clyde Geronimi /Disney.
(drawn animation)
Academy Award: Best Short Subjects, Cartoons


Lend A Paw imageLend A Paw
October
Marcell Jankovics (October 21, 1941- ) (director, animator) born in Budapest. (Hungary)



November
How War Came (ss)/(edu), Paul Fennell /Cartoon Films.
(drawn animation)


November
Eduard Nazarov (Eduard Vasilyevich Nazarov) (director, art director, voice actor) born in Moscow. (Soviet Union [Russia])

November
Yoshiyuki Tomino (Tomino Yoshiyuki) (director, writer, storyboards) born in Odawara City, Kangawa.


December
The Fox and the Grapes (ss), Frank Tashlin /Screen Gems.
(drawn animation)
first Fox and the Crow series (1941-1950)

Mr. Bug Goes to Town (f), Dave Fleischer /Fleischer.
(drawn animation)
(Rereleased in 1942 as Hoppity Goes to Town.)

The Night Before Christmas (ss), William Hanna and Joseph Barbera /MGM.
(drawn animation)

Rhapsody in Rivets (ss), Friz Freleng /Schlesinger.
(drawn animation)

Rhythm in the Ranks (ss), George Pal /Pal.
(model animation)



December
Karita Boushi [かりた帽子] ("Borrowed Hat") (ss), Kenzo Masaoka.
(drawn animation)


United States The Americas (excluding U.S.) Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
Japan
 
Australasia (excluding Japan)
no date
Stop That Tank (ss)/(edu), Disney.
(drawn animation)
First of several cartoons made by Disney for the NFB of Canada. The series used some of Disney's major characters.

Hugh Harman leaves MGM.

no date
V for Victory (ss), Norman McLaren /NFB. (Canada)
(drawn animation)

Norman McLaren joins the NFB. (Canada)

no date
The Brave Tin Soldier (ss), John Halas and Joy Batchelor /Halas & Batchelor. (Great Britain)
(drawn animation)

Un dia de feria (ss), Fernando Morales. (Spain)
(drawn animation)

Don Cleque va de pesca (ss), Baguñá Gili Jaime and Tur Francisco /Dibsono. (Spain)
(drawn animation)
first Don Cleque series (1941-1945)

Dustbin Parade (edu), John Halas and Joy Batchelor /Halas & Batchelor. (Great Britain)
(drawn animation)

Max und Moritz ("Max and Moritz") (ss), Ferdinand Diehl and Paul Diehl /Diehl-Film. (Germany)
(model animation)

No es tan fiero el leon (ss), Salvador Mestres /Hispano Grafic Films. (Spain)
(drawn animation)

Ne toptat' fasistkomu sapogu nasej rodiny [Не топтать фашистскому сапогу нашей Родины] ("We Won't Let Our Homeland Be Tramped On by Fascist Boots") (ss) Ivan Ivanov-Vano and Alexander Ivanov /Soyuzmultfilm. (Soviet Union [Russia])
(drawn animation)

Fernando Morales founds a studio in Madrid. (Spain)

no date
Ari-chan ("Ant Boy") (ss), Mitsuse Seo /Geijutsu Eigasha.
(drawn animation)
This film used the first multi-plane camera made in Japan.

Umi no Kaiheidan ("The Sea Sailing Gang") (ss), Yoshitaro Kataoka /Nihon Manga Film Kenkyujo.
(drawn animation)

no date
"The Hunger of the Old Stupid Dog" (ss), Chinese Cartoon Association. (Hong Kong)
(drawn animation)

Tieshan gongzhu [铁扇公主] ("The Princess With the Iron Fan") (f), Wan Laiming and Wan Guchan /Shinhwa. (China)
(drawn animation)
first Chinese feature 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 1942 Last update: August 19, 2011
Comments to: Richard Llewellyn
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