2004 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 4: The King of the Hill episode "Rich Hank, Poor Hank" premieres on Fox, this was the final episode to be produced entirely in cel animation, the show officially switches over to digital ink and paint afterwards. The episode was seen by over 7.5 million viewers that night. January 5: The first episode of Dragon airs. The first episode of Little Red Tractor airs. January 16: Teacher's Pet, produced by the Walt Disney Company, is released. It serves as the series finale. Also, this is Disney's return of their PG-rated cartoons since Treasure Planet in 2002 after their failed attempt of "bringing back" the G-rated cartoons owing to the compromised character deaths in Brother Bear that was released last November. January 25: The Simpsons episode "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife" is first broadcast, guest starring the Olsen Twins and novelists Tom Clancy and Thomas Pynchon. January 28: Winx Club first airs on the Italian television channel Rai 2.
February February 1: Futari wa Pretty Cure, the first installment of the Pretty Cure franchise, first airs. February 7: The 31st Annie Awards are held. February 11: Jean-François Laguionie's Black Mor's Island premieres.. February 29: 76th Academy Awards: Finding Nemo directed by Andrew Stanton wins Best Animated Feature Film. Harvie Krumpet directed by Adam Elliot wins Best Animated Short Film.
March March 4: The first episode of Tripping the Rift airs. March 6: Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence premieres. March 17: Season 8 of South Park begins on Comedy Central with the premiere of the episode "Good Times with Weapons"."Watch South Park Episodes Online Season 8 (2004)". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019. March 20: Immortal, directed by and based on Enki Bilal's comic book La Foire aux immortels premieres. The Danish film Terkel in Trouble airs.
April April 2: Home on the Range, produced by the Walt Disney Company, is released. It flops at box office as Disney would focus working on CG animated feature films while suspending the traditional hand-drawn animated films for 5 years. April 3: The first episode of Danny Phantom airs. April 12: The first episode of Peep and the Big Wide World airs to positive acclaim. April 17: Bill Plympton's Hair High is first released. April 18: The Simpsons episode "My Big Fat Geek Wedding" is first broadcast, guest starring creator Matt Groening. April 25: Season 3 of Aqua Teen Hunger Force begins on Adult Swim with the premiere of the episode "Video Ouija". April 28: The earliest known Eddsworld animation goes online.
May May 7: The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius and The Fairly OddParents hour-long crossover special event, "Jimmy Timmy Power Hour" premieres on Nickelodeon, reeling in a total of nearly five million viewers for its premiere. May 10: Voice actor Greg Burson is arrested after barricading himself inside his home, holding three female roommates hostage while being drunk and carrying a gun. May 11: The pilot for Invader Zim makes its debut on DVD. May 12–31: 2004 Cannes Film Festival: Jonas Geirnaert, a young Belgian film student, sends in an unfinished animated short, Flatlife, to the festival, which promptly wins the Jury Prize for Best Short Film. This launches his media career in Flanders. May 15: Shrek 2 premiers during the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. May 17: The Simpsons episode Bart-Mangled Banner premieres on Fox, and became controversial in the United States for satirizing the U.S. Patriot Act. May 23:"Weekly Program Rankings (May 17–23, 2004)". ABC Medianet. May 25, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2023. King of the Hill concludes its eighth season on Fox with the episode "Talking Shop". The episode was watched by over 6.1 million viewers that night. The Simpsons concludes its 15th season on Fox with the episode "Fraudcast News". The episode was watched by over 9.4 million viewers that night. May 24: The first episode of Kikoriki aired. May 31: The first episode of Peppa Pig aired.
June June 11: Season 2 of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy begins on Cartoon Network with the premiere of the episodes "Spider's Little Daddy/Tricycle of Terror". This was the first season of the show to not be related to its parent series Grim & Evil. June 14: Cartoon Network ends its "Powerhouse" era and begins its "CN City" era, the channel's logo was also rebranded for the first time, giving it the "CN" look. Both eras are considered by fans to be the Golden Age of Cartoon Network. June 17: Kim Jun-ok's Tentacolino, a sequel to the notorious animated film The Legend of the Titanic, was released. June 19: The first episode of Winx Club airs. June 22: The Scooby-Doo direct-to-video film Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster releases on VHS and DVD."Jinkies! Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster to Surface on DVD and VHS June 22". Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. 19 April 2004. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
July Unknown date in July: Happy Tree Friends Volume 3 - Third Strike makes its first theatrical debut with episodes 8 to 18 of Season 2. July 2: The Fairly OddParents half-hour special "Crash Nebula" premieres on Nickelodeon, this was the first episode from Season 5 to premiere. It was intended as a pilot episode for a planned spin-off series. This episode ran a few times before it was removed from reruns. Nickelodeon rejected the spin-off attempt for many reasons. July 9: The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius concludes its second season on Nickelodeon with the TV movie "Win, Lose and Kaboom!". July 17: Katsuhiro Otomo's Steamboy airs.Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. , 2008, page 433. July 23: The Fairly OddParents TV movie "Channel Chasers" premieres on Nickelodeon, its premiere reeled in a total of over 3 million viewers that night."Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending July 25, 2004" . Ratings Ryan. February 13, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2023. Despite it not being the final episode, fans of the show see this film as the perfect series finale. July 30: The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy concludes its second season on Cartoon Network with the episodes "Which Came First?/Substitute Teacher". July 31: The first episode of Justice League Unlimited airs.
August August 1: The final episode of Rugrats airs. August 9: Donald Duck receives a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. August 13: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends makes its premiere on Cartoon Network with the TV movie "House of Bloo's"."Fridays (and beyond) Schedule: 8/13/2004 - 11/5/2005". ToonZone. Archived from the original on November 1, 2005. Retrieved August 10, 2025. August 16: The first episode of LazyTown airs. August 29: The first episode of Atomic Betty airs.
September September 5: Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle was first released. September 6: The first episodes of The Tofus airs. September 7: The first episode of Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends airs. September 9: SIP Animation and the newly rebranded Jetix Europe announce the work of a new co-production tentatively titled The Insiders. The show would eventually premiere as A.T.O.M. - Alpha Teens on Machines in 2005. September 11: The first episode of The Batman airs. September 13: The first episode of Higglytown Heroes airs. September 19: Laura's Star by Piet De Rycker and Thilo Graf Rothkirch premieres. September 22: The first episode of Bro'Town airs. September 25: Samurai Jack airs its final episode of its original run.
October October 1: The first episode of The Koala Brothers aired. DreamWorks Animation's Shark Tale premieres in theaters. It originally gained some controversy for the inclusion of potentially offensive stereotypes of Italian-Americans as the Italian American One Voice Coalition demanded these results to be censored. Season 3 of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy begins on Cartoon Network with the premiere of the episodes "Super Zero/Sickly Sweet". October 3: Cartoon Network ceased from airing classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts after today due to Looney Tunes: Back in Action being a box-office bomb. Though Looney Tunes/Merries Melodies reruns would later air on the network between 2009 & New Year's Day of 2010, and then officially return in March of 2011. October 11: The first episode of The Backyardigans aired. The first episode of Maya & Miguel airs. The SpongeBob SquarePants episodes "SpongeBob Meets the Strangler/Pranks a Lot" premiere on Nickelodeon, thus concluding the third season of the show. These were intended to be the final episodes before the first movie; but in September, the show was renewed for a fourth season. The first episode of Postcards from Buster airs. PBS Kids GO! was launched. October 12: Episodes 21-26 of Invader Zim make their debut on DVD in the U.S. October 21: Robert Zemeckis' The Polar Express was first released. October 22: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends concludes its first season on Cartoon Network with the episode "Bloooo". The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy episode "Five O' Clock Shadows" premieres on Cartoon Network. This was the final episode to be associated with its parent series Grim & Evil. October 24: The first Nicktoons Film Festival aired and organized. Aqua Teen Hunger Force concludes its third season on Adult Swim with the episode "Carl (Spacegate World)". October 27: The first episode of Drawn Together airs as it features extremely kid-unfriendly parodies of classic cartoon characters.
November November 5: The first episode of Cartoon Alley airs. The Walt Disney Company and Pixar released The Incredibles in theaters. November 7: The first episode of Perfect Hair Forever aired. The first episode of 6teen aired. Season 9 of King of the Hill begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "A Rover Runs Through It", which guest stars Henry Winkler as himself. The episode was seen by over 6.8 million viewers that night."Weekly Program Rankings Report (Nov. 1-7, 2004)". ABC Medianet. November 9, 2004. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2023. Season 16 of The Simpsons begins on Fox with the latest Treehouse of Horror installment "Treehouse of Horror XV", The episode was seen by nearly 11.3 million viewers that night. November 8: The first episode of ToddWorld airs. November 9: The Walt Disney Company and Disneytoon Studios released Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas is a direct-to-video film was released. November 11: The third and final season of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius begins on Nickelodeon with the premiere of the hour-long special "Attack of the Twonkies". November 14: 9th Animation Kobe was held. November 19: The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie was first released. It received mixed to positive reviews. The re-animated collab Rehydrated version was released on YouTube in 2022. The first episode of Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi airs.
December December 1: The first episode of Poko aired. December 9: Áron Gauder's The District! premiered. December 12: Happy Tree Friends - Winter Break movie premieres on MTV. It adds episodes 22 to 24 of Season 2. The current release date of episode 24 is wrong, because its written January 4, 2004, the current is December 15th 2003. December 15: South Park concludes its eighth season on Comedy Central with the Christmas special "Woodland Critter Christmas". This would be the final Christmas special of the show until Season 18's "#HappyHolograms".