Events in 1962 in animation.
Events
January January 6: The first episode of Beany and Cecil is broadcast. January 20: Robert McKimson's Bugs Bunny cartoon Wet Hare premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 61-62 . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
March
March 23: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon High Steaks premieres. March 31: Arthur Davis' final Daffy Duck cartoon Quackodile Tears premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 71-72. . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
April April 9: 34th Academy Awards: Surogat by Dušan Vukotić wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. April 13: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon Mouse into Space premieres. April 21: Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt's Crows' Feat produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons is released, It marks the final appearance of Elmer Fudd in the Golden age of American animation. April 27: The Flintstones concludes its second season on ABC with the episode "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".
March
March 10: Robert McKimson's Sylvester cartoon Fish and Slips premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Sylvester Jr.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 141 . Retrieved 6 June 2020 – via Archive.org.
May
May 12: Friz Freleng's short Mexican Boarders premieres; starring Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester the Cat, & the former's cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez. Was produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 337. . May 18: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon Landing Stripling premieres.
June
June 9: Robert McKimson's Bugs Bunny and Tasmanian Devil cartoon Bill of Hare premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. June 22: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon Calypso Cat premieres. June 30: Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble's Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon Zoom at the Top premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 129 . Retrieved 6 June 2020 – via Archive.org.
July July 20: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon Dicky Moe premieres. July 21: Robert McKimson's Foghorn Leghorn cartoon The Slick Chick premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. July 23: Chuck Jones is fired by Warner Bros. Cartoons after they find out that he secretly worked for a rival cartoon studio, UPA, on the upcoming film Gay Purr-ee. Jones will go to establish his own animation studio.
August
August 7: The Bugs Bunny Show aired its final episode on ABC, but still continued to air in reruns.Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. pp. 373–376. . August 10: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit premieres. August 18: Chuck Jones' Pepé Le Pew cartoon Louvre Come Back to Me! premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. Also starring Penelope Pussycat (named Felice) & Claude Cat (named Pierre).Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 117. . Retrieved June 6, 2020. This marks the final appearances of Claude, Penelope, & Pepé in the Golden Age of Animation.
September September 3: The first episode of Wally Gator is broadcast. September 14: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon Tall in the Trap premieres. Season 3 of The Flintstones begins on ABC with the premiere of the episode "Dino Goes Hollyrock". September 21: Karel Zeman's The Fabulous Baron Munchausen is first released. September 22: Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt's Tweety and Sylvester cartoon The Jet Cage premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. This was Freleng's final short starring Tweety.Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pg. 152. . Retrieved June 6, 2020. September 23: The first episode of The Jetsons is broadcast. Specific date unknown: Lou Scheimer, Norm Prescott and Hal Sutherland co-found the animation studio Filmation.
October October 12: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon Sorry Safari premieres. This short marks the final appearance of Tom's owner (nicknamed Clint Clobber) from this era, due to him being negatively-received by fans for his constant abuse towards the titular cat. October 19: Tatsuo Yoshida, Kenji Yoshida and Ippei Kuri establish Tatsunoko Productions. October 20: Robert McKimson's Foghorn Leghorn and Barnyard Dawg cartoon Mother Was a Rooster premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. October 28: The first episode of Fireball XL5 is broadcast.
November November 1: Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoon Buddies Thicker Than Water premieres. This features the debut of the thin lady as Tom's owner who would be used by Chuck Jones, replacing his previous owner. November 10: Robert McKimson's Daffy Duck cartoon Good Noose premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. November 23: Poul Ilsøe's Svinedrengen og prinsessen på ærten premieres.
December December 8: Friz Freleng's Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam cartoon Shishkabugs premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons. December 17: Abe Levitow's Gay Purr-ee premieres. December 18: Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol first airs on television. It will become a holiday season classic. December 21: Carmen Get It!, the final Tom and Jerry cartoon by Gene Deitch, premieres. Deitch failed to produce anymore Tom and Jerry short films for MGM as Chuck Jones would take over production, which returned to Hollywood after five years. December 29: Chuck Jones' Martian Through Georgia premieres, produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons.
Specific date unknown Nippon Animation is founded. Vera Tsekhanovskaya and Mikhail Tsekhanovsky's The Wild Swans premieres.
Films released
January 1 - Heaven and Earth Magic (United States) June 16 - Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad (Japan) August 14 - The Bath (Soviet Union) August 25 - Otogi's Voyage Around the World (Japan) November 23 - The Pig Boy and The Princess and the Pea (Denmark) December 17 - Gay Purr-ee (United States) December 18 - Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (United States) Specific date unknown: Joseph and the Dreamer (Israel) The Wild Swans (Soviet Union)
Television series
January 6 - Beany and Cecil debuts on ABC. February 6 - Space Angel debuts in syndication. August 28 - Bolek i Lolek debuts on Telewizja Polska. September 3: The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series, Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har, Touché Turtle and Dum Dum, and Wally Gator debut in syndication. September 5 - Deputy Dawg debuts on CBS. September 23 - The Jetsons debuts on ABC and in syndication. Specific date unknown - Snuffy Smith and Barney Google debuts in syndication.
Television specials
December 18 - Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol debuts on NBC.
Births
January January 4: Robin Kohn, American former child actress (voice of Lucy Van Pelt from 1972 to 1973). January 6: Karen Malach, American television writer (Vor-Tech: Undercover Conversion Squad, Ned's Newt) and producer (The Adventures of T-Rex, Nickelodeon Animation Studio). January 10: C. Martin Croker, American animator (Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Cartoon Planet, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Brak Show, Assy McGee) and voice actor (voice of Zorak and Moltar in Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Dr. Weird and Steve in Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Young Man in Perfect Hair Forever), (d. 2016). January 17: Jim Carrey, Canadian-American actor and comedian (portrayed Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, voice of Horton in Horton Hears A Who!, Ebenezer Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol, the Exterminator in Itsy Bitsy Spider). January 23: Steve Box, English animator and director (Aardman Animations). Richard Roxburgh, Australian actor and filmmaker (voice of Boron in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Flip in Maya the Bee Movie, and Maya the Bee: The Honey Games, William Bill in Blinky Bill the Movie). January 29: Nicholas Turturro, American actor (voice of Deadman in Justice League Dark, Melager in Hercules, Cop #1 in Recess: School's Out, Anthony's dad in Leo).
February February 2: Michael T. Weiss, American actor (voice of Etrigan in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, Nizam Toth in The Mummy, Captain Atom in Young Justice, Adam Strange in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Mountain Rescue Hero in Higglytown Heroes, continued voice of Tarzan in the Tarzan franchise). February 5: Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress (voice of Tempest in Hercules, Lily in Todd McFarlane's Spawn, Cetea in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Absolute Power", Eunice in the Mission Hill episode "Kevin Loves Weirdie", Amy in the King of the Hill episode "I Remember Mono", Alexandra in the Adventures from the Book of Virtues episode "Gratitude", Bridget in Hey Arnold!: The Movie). February 6: Axl Rose, American singer and songwriter (voiced himself in the New Looney Tunes episode "Armageddon Outta Here" and the Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? episode "Dark Diner of Route 66!"). February 7: Guy Moon, American composer (Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, Hanna-Barbera, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Grim & Evil, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Johnny Test), (d. 2026). Eddie Izzard, English actor and comedian (voice of Miles Axelrod in Cars 2, Voldemort in The Lego Batman Movie, Dr. Schadenfeude in Igor, Nigel in The Wild, Angus Scattergood in Rock Dog, Snerz in Green Eggs and Ham, Burnish in Abominable, Cadia in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance). February 12: András Erkel, Hungarian producer (Varga Studio, founder of Studio Baestarts), (d. 2014). February 14: Russ Leatherman, American actor and co-founder of Moviefone (voice of Mr. Moviefone in the Futurama episode "Raging Bender" and the Family Guy episode "I Dream of Jesus"). February 17: Lou Diamond Phillips, Filipino-American actor and director (voice of Victor Delgado in Elena of Avalor, Surak in The Lion Guard, Chief Bill Bayani in Firebuds, Coatl in the Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child episode "The Shoemaker and the Elves", Martin in the Adventures from the Book of Virtues episode "Charity", Narragansett Tribe Leader in the Family Guy episode "Pawtucket Pat", Rusty in the American Dad! episode "There Will Be Bad Blood"). February 20: Dwayne McDuffie, American comic book writer, television producer and writer (Warner Bros. Animation), (d. 2011).McLellan, Dennis. "Dwayne McDuffie dies at 49; comic book and animation writer", Los Angeles Times, February 24, 2011. WebCitation archive. February 22: Steve Irwin, Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife expert and environmentalist (voice of Trev in Happy Feet), (d. 2006). February 27: Adam Baldwin, American actor (voice of Finn in Jackie Chan Adventures, York in Static Shock, Superman in Superman: Doomsday, Hal Jordan, Jonah Hex, and Rick Flag in Justice League Unlimited, Breakdown in Transformers: Prime, Metamorpho in Beware the Batman, Vance Astro in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and Guardians of the Galaxy, Sven in The Zeta Project episode "Crime Waves").
March March 9: Mike Kazaleh, American comic book artist, animator (Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, The Butter Battle Book, The Simpsons, Camp Candy, Cool World, Battletoads), storyboard artist (Camp Candy, The Simpsons, Tiny Toon Adventures, The Lionhearts, The Brothers Flub, Teamo Supremo, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Johnny Test, Alpha and Omega, Mighty Magiswords) and writer (Tiny Toon Adventures, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Mighty Magiswords).