List of theatrical animated short film series

The following is a list of theatrical short animated cartoon series ordered by the decade and year their first episode was released. Most notable animated film series were produced during the silent era and the Hollywood golden era. All series below are from the United States except as noted. A real time interval of movie releases can be wider than it is listed due to incomplete reliable information about a series.

1910s

 * Animated Weekly (1913)
 * The Newlyweds (1913—1915)
 * Travelaughs (1913, 1915—1918, 1921—1923)
 * Doc Yak (1913—1915)
 * Colonel Heeza Liar (1913—1917, 1922—1924)
 * Joe Boko (1914—1916)
 * The Police Dog (1914—1916)
 * The Animated Grouch Chasers (1915)
 * Dreamy Dud (1915—1916)
 * Otto Luck (1915)
 * Bobby Bumps (1915—1925)
 * Mile-a-Minute Monty (1915)
 * Keeping Up with the Joneses (1915—1916)
 * Vernon Howe Bailey's Sketchbook (1915—1916)
 * Phables (1915—1916 (initial name), 1916—1919 (Joys and Gloom))
 * Sammie Johnsin (1916—1917)
 * Mr. Nobody Holme (1916)
 * Farmer Al Falfa (1916—1917, 1920—1923 (silent episodes), 1931—1937 (sound episodes))
 * Maud the Mule (1916)
 * Parcel Post Pete (1916)
 * Mutt and Jeff (1916—1926)
 * Miss Nanny Goat (1916—1917)
 * Krazy Kat (1916—1917, 1920—1921, 1925—1929 (silent episodes), 1929—1934 (sound black-and-white episodes), 1935—1940 (sound episodes in color))
 * The Trick Kids (1916)
 * Historical cartoons (1916—1919)
 * Toyland (1916)
 * Inbad the Sailor (1916)
 * The Boob Weekly (1916)
 * Fuller Pep (1916—1917)
 * Charlie (1916, 1918—1919)
 * Hans and Fritz (1916)
 * Kapten Grogg (1916—1922, from Sweden)
 * Happy Hooligan (1916—1921)
 * Jerry on the Job (1916—1920)
 * Bringing Up Father (1916—1918)
 * The Katzenjammer Kids (1916—1918 (initial name, silent episodes), 1920 (The Shenanigan Kids, silent episodes), 1938—1939 (Captain and the Kids, sound episodes))
 * Boomer Bill (1917)
 * Hardrock Dome (1917)
 * Quacky Doodles (1917)
 * Picto Puzzles (1917)
 * Terry Feature Burlesques (1917)
 * Terry Human Interest Reels (1917)
 * Les Aventures des Pieds Nickelés (1917—1918, from France)
 * Box Car Bill (1917)
 * Abie the Agent (1917)
 * Rhyme Reels (1917)
 * Goodrich Dirt (1917—1919)
 * Flambeau (1917—1923, from France)
 * Out of the Inkwell (1918—1927 (initial name), 1927—1929 (Inkwell Imps))
 * Von Loon (1918)
 * Judge Rummy (1918—1921)
 * Tad Cartoons (1918—1920)
 * Us Fellers (1919—1920)
 * Felix the Cat (1919—1928 (silent episodes), 1929—1930 (sound black-and-white episodes), 1936 (sound episodes in color))
 * Becassotte (1919—1920, 1923, from France)

1920s

 * Aesop's Fables (1920—1929 (silent episodes), 1928—1933, 1945, 1950—1953, 1955, 1960 (sound episodes))
 * Le Canard en ciné (1921—1923, from France)
 * Mécanicas (1921, 1923—1925, from France)
 * Toby (1921, from France)
 * Toto (1921—1924, from France)
 * Potiron (1921—1922, from France)
 * Alice Comedies (1924—1927)
 * Dinky Doodle (1924—1926)
 * Song Car-Tunes (1924—1926)
 * Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (1927—1938)
 * Mickey Mouse (1928—1953, 1983—present)
 * Screen Songs (1929—1938, 1947—1951)
 * Silly Symphonies (1929—1939)
 * Talkartoons (1929—1930s)

1930s

 * Flip the Frog (1930—1933)
 * Looney Tunes (1930—1969, 1987—present)
 * Toby the Pup (1930—1931)
 * Merrie Melodies (1931—1969, 1988)
 * Scrappy (1931—1939)
 * Tom and Jerry (1931—1933)
 * Betty Boop (1932—1939; 1981—present)
 * Puppetoons (1932—1947)
 * Pooch the Pup (1932—1933)
 * ComiColor Cartoons (1933—1936)
 * Cubby Bear (1933—1934)
 * The Little King (1933—1934)
 * Norakuro (1933—c. 1939; from Japan)
 * Popeye the Sailor (1933—1957)
 * Willie Whopper (1933—1934)
 * Amos & Andy (1934)
 * Burt Gillett's Toodle Tales (1934)
 * Color Classics (1934—1941)
 * Happy Harmonies (1934—1938)
 * Rainbow Parade (1934—1936)
 * Walter Lantz Cartune Specials (1934—1961)
 * Color Rhapsodies (1934—1949)
 * Puddy the Pup (1935—1942)
 * Mish Mish Effendi (1936—1951)
 * Kiko the Kangaroo (1936—1937)
 * Meany, Miny, and Moe (1936—1937)
 * Nicky Nome (1936—1939)
 * Donald Duck (1937—1961)
 * Pluto (1937—1951)
 * Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Cartoons (1937—1967)
 * Baby-Face Mouse (1938—1939)
 * The Captain and the Kids (1938—1939)
 * Gandy Goose (1938—1955)
 * Walt Disney Specials (1938—present)
 * Andy Panda (1939—1949)
 * Barney Bear (1939—1945, 1948—1949, 1952—1954)
 * Count Screwloose (1939)
 * Goofy (1939—1965, 2007)
 * Lil' Eightball (1939)
 * Three Bears (1939—1940)
 * Dinky Duck (1939—1957)

1940s

 * Animated Antics (1940—1941)
 * Stone Age Cartoons (1940—1941)
 * Tom and Jerry (1940—1967)
 * Gabby (1940—1941)
 * Woody Woodpecker (1941—1972)
 * Paramount Cartoon Specials (1941—1992)
 * Superman (1941—1943)
 * Swing Symphonies (1941—1945)
 * Nancy (1942)
 * Abu (1943—1945; from the United Kingdom; by Halas and Batchelor)
 * Figaro (1943—1947)
 * Noveltoons (1943—1967)
 * Little Lulu (1943—1948, 1961—1962)
 * Droopy (1943—1958)
 * Red (1943—1949)
 * The Fox and the Crow (1943—1946)
 * Screwy Squirrel (1944—1946)
 * Li'l Abner (1944)
 * Flippity and Flop (1945—1947)
 * Charley (1946—1947; from the United Kingdom)
 * George and Junior (1946—1948)
 * Heckle and Jeckle (1946—1966)
 * Musical Miniatures (1946—1948)
 * Bubble and Squeek (1947—1948; from the United Kingdom)
 * Charlie Horse (1947)
 * Animaland (1948—1949; from the United Kingdom)
 * Little Audrey (1948—1958)
 * Musical Paintbox (1948—1949; from the United Kingdom)
 * Spike (1949—1957)
 * Jerky Journeys (1949)
 * Jolly Frolics (1949—1953)

1950s

 * The Nearsighted Mister Magoo (1950—1959)
 * Casper the Friendly Ghost (1950—1959)
 * Little Roquefort (1950—1955)
 * Chip 'n' Dale (1951—1954)
 * Kartunes (1951—1953)
 * Terry Bears (1951—1956)
 * Herman and Katnip (1952—1959)
 * Chilly Willy (1953—1972)
 * Maw and Paw (1953—1955)
 * UPA Cartoon Specials (1953—1956)
 * Gerald McBoing-Boing (1954—1956)
 * Maggie and Sam (1955—1957)
 * Mole (1956—present; from Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic)
 * Spike and Tyke (1957)
 * Ham and Hattie (1958—1959)
 * Modern Madcaps (1958—1967)
 * Sidney the Elephant (1958—1963)
 * Hector Heathcote (1959—1971)
 * Hickory, Dickory, and Doc (later Doc, 1959—1962)
 * Loopy De Loop (1959—1965)

1960s

 * Jeepers and Creepers (1960)
 * The Cat (1961)
 * Inspector Willoughby (1961—1965)
 * Comic Kings (1962—1963)
 * Deputy Dawg (1962—1963)
 * The Beary Family (1962—1972)
 * Swifty and Shorty (1964—1965)
 * Pink Panther (1964—1980, 1995)
 * Honey Halfwitch (1965—1967)
 * The Inspector (1965—1969)
 * Nudnik (1965—1967; from Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic)
 * James Hound (1966—1967)
 * Winnie the Pooh (1966—1983)
 * Mortadelo y Filemón, Agencia de Información (Mort and Phil, Information Agency) (1966—1970; from Spain)
 * Mighty Heroes (1966—1967)
 * Merry Makers (1967)
 * GoGo Toons (1967)
 * Fractured Fables (1967)
 * Roland and Rattfink (1968—1971)
 * Warner Bros. Cartoon Specials (1968)
 * The Ant and the Aardvark (1969—1971)
 * Tijuana Toads/Texas Toads (1969—1972)
 * Nu, pogodi! (1969—2006; from the Soviet Union/Russia)
 * Vinni Pukh (1969—1972; from the Soviet Union/Russia)

1970s

 * The Three Fools (1970—1990; from Bulgaria)
 * The Blue Racer (1972—1974)
 * Hoot Kloot (1973—1974)
 * The Dogfather (1974—1976)

1980s

 * Doraemon (1981—present; from Japan)
 * Roger Rabbit (1989—1993)
 * Wallace and Gromit (1989—present; from the United Kingdom)

1990s

 * Let's Go! Anpanman (1990—present; from Japan)
 * Pikachu shorts (1998—present; from Japan)
 * Astro Boy (1999—2004; from Japan)

2000s

 * Dahov (2007—2010; from Russia)
 * Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008—2012)

2010s

 * Toy Story Toons (2011—2012)
 * Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs (2013—2014)
 * SparkShorts (2019—2024)
 * Short Circuit (2020—2022)