2022 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 1: We Baby Bears, a prequel/spin-off series to We Bare Bears, premiered on Cartoon Network. A new anime series based on Urusei Yatsura was announced. January 10: Smiling Friends premiered on Adult Swim to critical acclaim. January 14: Dark anthology stop-motion film The House premiered on Netflix. Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, the final Hotel Transylvania film, premiered on Amazon Prime Video after numerous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second season of Deer Squad was released on iQIYI. January 21: The following announcements for Big City Greens were revealed:D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 21, 2022). "'Big City Greens' Tunes Up With Disney Channel & Disney+ Movie Musical; Animated Series Lands Season 4 Order". Deadline. Retrieved May 2, 2025. A 4th season renewal. A television movie based on the show. January 23: Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness made its world premiere at the Gaumont Champs-Élysées theater in Paris, followed by its Netflix debut on June 10. January 24: Season 19 of American Dad! begins on TBS with the premiere of the episode "Langley Dollar Listings". The season's premiere was watched by only 518 thousand viewers that night, marking another low in the show's viewership.Metcalf, Mitch (January 25, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Monday 1.24.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals and Network Finals". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022. January 28: Mitsuo Iso's The Orbital Children was released simultaneously as a theatrical film in Japan and as a 6-episode miniseries on Netflix internationally, with the last 3 episodes being released on February 11. The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, a spin-off of Ice Age, premiered on Disney+. The Legend of Vox Machina premiered on Amazon Prime Video. January 31: After more than 10 years on the air, the NickRewind block aired for the final time on TeenNick.
February February 1: The fourth season of Gabby's Dollhouse premiered on Netflix. February 2: Season 25 of South Park begins on Comedy Central with the premiere of the episode "Pajama Day"."Comedy Central's South Park returns for historic 25th Season Wednesday, February 2nd". Comedy Central (Press release). January 14, 2022. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022. February 3: The third and final season of Kid Cosmic premiered on Netflix. February 8: Liden Films' Child of Kamiari Month started streaming on Netflix worldwide. February 9: Alice's Wonderland Bakery, a spin-off of the 1951 Disney film Alice in Wonderland, premiered on Disney Junior. The final 10 episodes of season 2 of Disenchantment premiered on Netflix. A second revival of Futurama was announced for Hulu. February 17: Big Nate premiered on Paramount+. February 18: The Cuphead Show!, based on the video game Cuphead, premiered on Netflix to generally positive reviews. Glitch Productions officially greenlights Murder Drones for a full series. February 21: The series finale of Arthur aired on PBS and PBS Kids, concluding the show's run after 25 years. February 23: The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, a sequel series to The Proud Family, premiered on Disney+.
March March 4: Doraemon: Nobita's Little Star Wars 2021, the 41st film in the Doraemon franchise, was released in Japanese cinemas by Toho. The Loud House concludes its fifth season on Nickelodeon with the episodes "Runaway McBride/High Crimes"."The Loud House Episode Listings". The Futon Critic. March 6: Toei Animation's systems are hacked, leading to a temporary shutdown of their systems and delays of their series such as One Piece, Digimon Ghost Game, and Delicious Party Pretty Cure, as well as the next Dragon Ball Super film. March 11: Turning Red was released on Disney+ instead of being released theatrically. It gained much notoriety upon its premiere owing to the mature themes in a Disney film and was banned in two Asian areas. Season 6 of The Loud House begins on Nickelodeon with the premiere of the episodes "Don't Escar-go/Double Trouble". March 12: 49th Annie Awards. March 13: The Simpsons episode "You Won't Believe What This Episode Is About – Act Three Will Shock You!" premieres, being the first episode to have all-female creative leads. March 16: South Park concludes its 25th season on Comedy Central with the episode "Credigree Weed St. Patrick's Day Special"."TV Review | South Park: Season 25 Finale (Credigree Weed St. Patrick's Day Special)". Future of the Force. March 17, 2022. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2022. The first 5 episodes from Season 3 of Big City Greens released on Disney+. March 17: The fifteenth and final season of Curious George premiered on Peacock. March 25: Season 9 of Paw Patrol begins on Nickelodeon in the US with the premiere of the episodes "Liberty Makes a New Friend/Pups Save the Pup Pup Boogie Contest"."Paw Patrol Episode Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 22, 2018. March 27: 94th Academy Awards: Encanto, directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard and produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The Windshield Wiper, directed by Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. March 29: The season 15 finale of Upin & Ipin premiered on MNCTV. March 30: Bruce Willis, American actor (voice of the title character in Bruno the Kid, Muddy Grimes in Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, Spike in Rugrats Go Wild, and RJ in Over the Hedge) was announced to be retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia. March 31: The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, the live-action sequel series for The Fairly OddParents, premiered on Paramount+.
April April 1: Adult Swim's April Fool's Day prank features Pibby and Bun-Bun from the pitch trailer for an animated series, Learning with Pibby, created by Dodge Greenley, with Nikki Castillo reprising the role of Pibby. The characters and antagonistic glitching force are transported into the night's lineup of shows and make appearances throughout, depicting the events of the pilot from the perspective of the television series the characters would be passing through. The live broadcast received universal critical acclaim and positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The last 2 episodes from Season 8 of Paw Patrol released on Netflix in Canada, the season later concluded on TVO on May 7. April 3: Season 16 of Upin & Ipin premiered on MNCTV. April 6: Episodes 11-15 from Season 1 of The Ghost and Molly McGee released on Disney+. April 8: The second and final season of Green Eggs and Ham premiered on Netflix. The live-action/animated sequel film Sonic the Hedgehog 2, from Paramount Pictures, is released. April 9: Spy × Family broadcasts its first episode. April 10: The Simpsons episode "The Sound of Bleeding Gums" premieres, guest-starring John Autry II and Kathy Buckley, marking the first deaf actors to guest star in the show. April 11: After the closure of Blue Sky Studios in 2021, it was announced that Nimona had resumed production after being picked up by Annapurna Pictures. It was released on Netflix in June 2023. April 12: The Creature Cases premiered on Netflix. April 13: Ice Age: Scrat Tales premiered on Disney+ as the final production of Blue Sky Studios following its closure in 2021. April 14: Season 2 of the anime series adaptation of Ultraman premiered on Netflix. April 18: The season finale of Elinor Wonders Why titled, "A Wonderful Journey", premiered on PBS Kids. April 19: The second and final season of Pacific Rim: The Black premiered on Netflix. Interactive series Battle Kitty premiered on Netflix. April 21: The Wrap reported that Phil Rynda, Netflix's Director of Creative Leadership and Development for Original Animation, was let go this week, along with several of his staff, and several high-profile animated projects under development had been cancelled, such as an adaptation of the Jeff Smith comic Bone, and Toil & Trouble, an original cartoon by Lauren Faust (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic). News of the cancellation of more shows that had previously been under development would come out over the coming weeks, such as Boons and Curses (an Indian-themed animated action comedy from Jaydeep Hasrajani and Jake Goldman), Kung Fu Space Punch (a miniseries from Jorge R. Gutierrez set in the same universe as his previous Netflix work Maya and the Three), an Ava DuVernay-produced adaptation of the Wings of Fire novels, and Dino Daycare from Chris Nee (Doc McStuffins). April 22: DreamWorks Animation's The Bad Guys premiered in theaters. April 24: The Simpsons episode "My Octopus and a Teacher" premieres, marking the debut of Bart's new teacher Ms. Peyton, voiced by Kerry Washington. April 27: Studio Colorido signed a multi-year co-production deal with Netflix. Episodes 10-14 from Season 3 of Amphibia released on Disney+ Episodes 11-16 from Season 2 of The Owl House released on Disney+. April 28: Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, a series loosely based on the Usagi Yojimbo comic books, premiered on Netflix. April 29: The SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Kwarantined Krab" finally premiered on Nickelodeon after being postponed from 2020 due to its similarities to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time.
May May 1: The 3rd & final season of Duncanville begins on Fox with the premiere of the episode "Gamer vs. Gamer". The season's premiere was watched by only 565 thousand viewers that night. May 6: Marmaduke, based on Brad Anderson's comic strip, premiered on Netflix to critical disdain. May 14: Amphibias series finale "The Hardest Thing" premiered on Disney Channel. Season 9 of Paw Patrol begins on TVO in Canada with the premiere of the episodes "Liberty Makes a New Friend/Pups Save the Pup Pup Boogie Contest". May 15: The Bob's Burgers episode "Eighth Grade Runner" premieres on Fox, this is the first part of the two-part special "Some Like It Bot". May 16: The second half of the third series of Bluey premieres to universal acclaim. May 18: Pokémon: Hisuian Snow premiered on the Pokémon YouTube channel and Pokémon TV. May 20: Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, based on the animated series of the same name, premiered on Disney+. May 22:Metcalf, Mitch (May 24, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 5.22.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022. The Simpsons concludes its 33rd season on Fox with the episode "Poorhouse Rock", featuring the guest stars Hugh Jackman, Megan Mullally, and Robert Reich. The season's finale was watched by only 927 thousand viewers that night, marking a new low in the show's viewership. The Great North concludes its second season on Fox with the episode "Papa Don't Fiend Adventure". The season's finale was watched by only 691 thousand viewers that night. Bob's Burgers concludes its 12th season on Fox with the episode "Judge-bot Day", which is the second and final part of the two-part special "Some Like It Bot". The season's finale was watched by only 926 thousand viewers that night, marking a new low in the show's viewership. Family Guy concludes its 20th season on Fox with the episode "Jersey Bore". The season's finale was seen by over 1.1 million viewers. May 26: My Little Pony: Make Your Mark, the TV series sequel to My Little Pony: A New Generation, premiered on Netflix to mixed-to-negative reviews. May 27: The Bob's Burgers Movie, based on the animated series Bob's Burgers, was theatrically released. May 28''': The Owl Houses Season 2 finale "King's Tide" premiered on Disney Channel.