A list of animated feature films first released in 1981.
| Title | Country | Director | Studio | Technique | Format | Notes | Release | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Emon: Uchū e Irasshai! | Japan | August 1, 1981 | 92 minutes | ||||||
| 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother | South Korea | Sunwoo Production Co., Ltd. Sidus | Fourth and final installment of the Dreamland Cartoon Theater series; Unauthorized reanimated remake of 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1980). | January 5, 1981 | 78 minutes | ||||
| Adieu Galaxy Express 999 | Japan | August 1, 1981 | 130 minutes | ||||||
| American Pop | Columbia Pictures Bakshi Productions, Inc. | February 13, 1981 | 96 minutes | ||||||
| Anime-ban Toukaidou Yotsuya Kaidan | Japan | August 16, 1981 | 46 minutes | ||||||
| Around the World with Dot a. k. a. Dot & Santa Claus | Australia | June 23, 1981 | 80 minutes | ||||||
| Blizkata Dalechina | Bulgaria | Boyana Film | Traditional | First animated Bulgarian feature. | July 9, 1981 | 65 minutes | |||
| Bokura Mangaka: Tokiwa-sou Monogatari | Japan | Fifteenth animated special produced for Fuji TV's "Nissei Family Special" program. | October 3, 1981 | 72 minutes | |||||
| Bremen 4: Angels in Hell | Japan | Fourth animated special produced for Nippon TV's 24 Hour TV "Love Saves the Earth" telethon. | August 23, 1981 | 90 minutes | |||||
| The Call of the Wild: Howl, Buck | Japan | Tenth animated special produced for Fuji TV's "Nissei Family Special" program. | January 3, 1981 | 85 minutes | |||||
| Captain | Japan | July 18, 1981 | 95 minutes | ||||||
| Chie the Brat | Japan | April 11, 1981 | 110 minutes | ||||||
| Chiisana Love Letter: Mariko to Nemunoki no Kodomo-tachi | Japan | Yuzo Ishida | TV Asahi NOW Planning | Fictionalisation of the life story of Mariko Miyagi (March 21, 1927 – March 21, 2020), a Japanese singer, actress and advocate who founded a school for disabled children, the Kusunoki Gakuen. | December 22, 1981 | 1 hour, 24 minutes | |||
| The Donbee Story | Japan | Fictionalisation based on the life of Masanori Hata (born April 17, 1935) and one of the animals his family kept, a brown bear named Donbee. | April 26, 1981 | 84 minutes | |||||
| | Japan | Hideo Nishimaki | March 14, 1981 | 90 minutes | |||||
| Enchanted Journey | Japan | July 21, 1981 | 85 minutes | ||||||
| The Fantastic Adventures of Unico | Japan | March 14, 1981 | 90 minutes | ||||||
| The Fox and the Hound | United States | July 10, 1981 | 83 minutes | ||||||
| Frankenstein | Japan | July 27, 1981 | 98 minutes | ||||||
| Furiten-kun | Japan | Takashi Sugiyama | April 11, 1981 | 78 minutes | |||||
| Gongnyong Baengmannyeon Ttori | South Korea | Namyang Planning | August 7, 1981 | 75 minutes | |||||
| Grendel Grendel Grendel | Australia | Alexander Stitt | Victorian Film | July 9, 1981 | 88 minutes | ||||
| Gugugui taeyang seongung isunsin | South Korea | Hana Film Namyang Planning | July 22, 1981 | 71 minutes | |||||
| Heavy Metal | Canada | August 7, 1981 | 90 minutes | ||||||
| Helen Keller Monogatari: Ai to Hikari no Tenshi | Japan | TV Asahi NOW Planning | May 5, 1981 | 81 minutes | |||||
| Kabo-Encho no Dobutsuen Nikki | Japan | Fourteenth animated special produced for Fuji TV's "Nissei Family Special" program. | August 23, 1981 | 67 minutes | |||||
| Kaibutsu-kun: Kaibutsu Land e no Shoutai | Japan | March 14, 1981 | 75 minutes | ||||||
| Kaitei Daisensō: Ai no 20,000 Miles | Japan | January 3, 1981 | 75 minutes | ||||||
| The Little Fox | Hungary | December 10, 1981 | 76 minutes | ||||||
| The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie | United States | November 20, 1981 | 79 minutes | ||||||
| Lupin tai Holmes | Japan | Twelfth animated special produced for Fuji TV's "Nissei Family Special" program. | May 5, 1981 | 68 minutes | |||||
| Manga Hana no Kakarichō | Japan | November 28, 1981 | 60 minutes | ||||||
| Manzai Taikouki | Japan | November 28, 1981 | 100 minutes | ||||||
| Maria, Mirabela a. k. a. The Magical Forest | Romania Soviet Union | [1] | December 21, 1981 | 68 minutes | |||||
| Minoïe | France | Jean Jabely Philippe Landrot | Dovidis Antenne-2 Les Productions du Tigre Marubeni | December 20, 1981 | 80 minutes | ||||
| The Great Muppet Caper | United States | 26 June 1981 | 97 minutes | ||||||
| Mobile Suit Gundam I | Japan | Film compiled from TV series episodes | March 14, 1981 | 139 minutes | |||||
| Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow | Japan | Film compiled from TV series episodes | July 11, 1981 | 133 minutes | |||||
| Mister Giants Glory Number 3 | Japan | Tameo Kohanawa Hiromichi Horikawa | Fictionalisation of the life of Shigeo Nagashima (born February 20, 1986), a Japanese former professional baseball player and manager. | March 1, 1981 | 71 minutes | ||||
| The Mystery of the Third Planet a. k. a. The Secret of the Third Planet | Soviet Union | January 1, 1981 | 50 minutes | ||||||
| Natsu e no Tobira | Japan | Mamoru Masaki Toshio Hirata | March 20, 1981 | 59 minutes | |||||
| Old Master Q | Hong Kong | Xie Jintu Cai Zhizhong Hu Shuru | Hong Kong Film Company Far East Cartoon Company | First Hong Kong animated feature. | July 16, 1981 | 80 minutes | |||
| Peter-No-Tail | Sweden | Sandrews Svenska Filminstitutet Teamfilm AS Treklövern | December 25, 1981 | 81 minutes | |||||
| Rennyo and His Mother | Japan | "Rennyo and His Mother" Movie Production Promotion Committee | October 7, 1981 | 93 minutes | |||||
| Renshenguo | China | Yan Dingxian | 45 minutes | ||||||
| Robot King | South Korea | Sun Production | August 9, 1981 | 67 minutes | |||||
| Run Melos! | Japan | Eleventh animated special produced for Fuji TV's "Nissei Family Special" program. | February 7, 1981 | 68 minutes | |||||
| The Sea Prince and the Fire Child a. k. a. The Legend of Syrius | Japan | July 18, 1981 | 108 minutes | ||||||
| Shunmao Monogatari Taotao | Japan | December 26, 1981 | 90 minutes | ||||||
| Son of the White Mare | Hungary | Marcell Jankovics[2] | October 22, 1981 | 90 minutes | |||||
| Sonyeon 007 Jihajeguk | South Korea | Geumyong Film Studio | July 18, 1981 | 75 minutes | |||||
| Space Warrior Baldios | Japan | Kazuyuki Hirokawa | December 29, 1981 | 117 minutes | |||||
| Sugata Sanshiro | Japan | Thirteenth animated special produced for Fuji TV's "Nissei Family Special" program. | June 8, 1981 | 72 minutes | |||||
| Swan Lake | Japan Soviet Union | Fourth film in the anthology film series Sekai Meisaku Dōwa ("World Masterpiece Fairy Tales"); Co-production with Soyuzmultfilm. | March 14, 1981 | 75 minutes | |||||
| Tomorrow's Joe 2 | Japan | Film compiled from TV series episodes | July 4, 1981 | 152 minutes | |||||
| Toshishun | Japan | Takeichi Saito | TBS DAX International Inc. | Based on the 1920 short story of the same title by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. | April 12, 1981 | 73 minutes | |||
| Yuki | Japan | August 9, 1981 | 89 minutes |