This is a list of animated feature films first released in 1997.
Title | Country | Director | Studio | Technique | Format | Notes | Release | Duration | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philippines | Geirry A. Garccia | Guiding Light Productions, Inc. FLT Films International | Traditional | Theatrical | First feature-length theatrical animated film produced in the Philippines.[1] | December 25, 1997 | 78 minutes | ||
Ali Baba and the Pirates | Italy | Zlata Potancokova Belli | Airone Cinematografica | Traditional | Theatrical | October 10, 1997 | 80 minutes | ||
Alien from the Darkness | Japan | Norio Takanami | PP Project Pink Pineapple | Traditional | Direct-to-video OVA | January 24, 1997 | 45 minutes | ||
Anastasia | United States | Don Bluth Gary Goldman | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Animation Fox Animation Studios | Traditional | Theatrical | First Don Bluth film to use digital ink and paint, and the first production of Fox Animation Studios and the inaugural release from 20th Century Fox Animation. | November 21, 1997 | 94 minutes | |
Anastasia | United States Japan | Diane Eskenazi | Traditional | Direct-to-video | May 20, 1997 | 48 minutes | |||
Annabelle's Wish | United States | Roy Wilson | Ralph Edwards Productions | Traditional | Direct-to-video | October 21, 1997 | 54 minutes | ||
Babes in Toyland | United States | Charles Grosvenor Toby Bluth Paul Sabella | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation | Traditional | Direct-to-video | October 14, 1997 | 74 minutes | ||
Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! WGP Bōsō Miniyonku Dai Tsuiseki! | Japan | Tetsurō Amino | Xebec | Traditional | Theatrical | July 5, 1997 | 80 minutes | ||
The Batman/Superman Movie: World's Finest | United States | Toshihiko Masuda | Warner Bros. Animation | Traditional | Television film | Originally aired as a part of the second season of , the plot is set inbetween episodes 28 and 32 of the overall series. | October 4, 1997 | 64 minutes | |
Beauty and the Beast | United States | Diane Eskenazi | Traditional | Television film | Golden Films' second adaptation of the Beauty and the Beast story after the 1992 film. | July 13, 1997 | 49 minutes | ||
United States Canada | Andy Knight | Walt Disney Video Premiere | Traditional | Direct-to-video | Sequel to Beauty and the Beast (1991); first Disney direct-to-video film to use digital ink and paint. | November 11, 1997 | 72 minutes | ||
Benjamin Bluemchen | Germany Luxembourg | Hahn Film AG | Traditional | Theatrical | December 4, 1997 | 75 minutes | |||
The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue | United States | Robert C. Ramirez | Hyperion Animation The Kushner-Locke Company | Traditional | Direct-to-video | Sequel to The Brave Little Toaster (1987). | May 20, 1997 | 74 minutes | |
| Japan | Kenji Kodama | Traditional | Theatrical | First installment of the Case Closed film series. | April 19, 1997 | 94 minutes | ||
Cats Don't Dance | United States | Mark Dindal | Turner Feature Animation | Traditional | Theatrical | Second and last film produced by Turner Feature Animation, which was later absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation after the Time Warner merger with parent company Turner Entertainment. | March 28, 1997 | 77 minutes | |
| Hong Kong | Andrew Chan | Film Workshop Triangle Staff | Traditional | Theatrical | July 26, 1997 | 82 minutes | ||
A Christmas Carol | United States | Stan Phillips | DIC Entertainment | Traditional | Direct-to-video | October 11, 1997 | 72 minutes | ||
City Hunter: The Motion Picture | Japan | Kazuo Yamazaki Kenji Kodama | Sunrise | Traditional | Television film | April 25, 1997 | 88 minutes | ||
The Count of Monte Cristo | Canada United States | Rick Allen Laura Shepherd | Blye Migicovsky Productions Phoenix Animation Studios | Traditional | Direct-to-video | May 15, 1997 | 45 minutes | ||
| Japan | Keiichi Hara | Traditional | Theatrical | April 19, 1997 | 100 minutes | |||
The Day the Earth Moved | Japan | Toshio Gotō | Tama Production | Traditional | Theatrical | Fictionalised account of the aftermath of the Great Hanshin earthquake, which took place on January 17, 1995. | July 22, 1997 | 76 minutes | |
Deep Sea Fleet: Submarine 707 | Japan | Teruo Kogure | Knack Productions | Traditional | Direct-to-video OVA | January 10, 1997 | 45 minutes | ||
| Argentina | Carlos Olivieri Alejandro Stoessel | Patagonik Film Group | Traditional/Live action | Theatrical | July 10, 1997 | 105 minutes | ||
The Dog of Flanders: The Movie | Japan | Yoshio Kuroda | Shochiku Nippon Animation | Traditional | Theatrical | Feature film remake of the 1975 animated television series Dog of Flanders, based on the same source material, which originally ran from January 5 to December 28 of that year and produced by the same studio that made the earlier TV series. | March 15, 1997 | 104 minutes | |
| Japan | Tsutomu Shibayama | Traditional | Theatrical | March 8, 1997 | 99 minutes | |||
| Japan | Yoshihiro Ueda Hidehiko Kadota | Toei Animation | Traditional | Television special | March 26, 1997 | 46 minutes | ||
Droids: The Pirates and the Prince | United States Canada | Traditional | Direct-to-video Compilation film | Compilation film of the second story arc of the animated series (1985–1986), covering the first four episodes of the plot and leaving out the concluding episode ("Coby and the Starhunters") from the duration of the narrative. | February 11, 1997 | 85 minutes | |||
| Japan | Masami Hata | Shochiku | Traditional | Theatrical | July 5, 1997 | 98 minutes | ||
The End of Evangelion | Japan | Kazuya Tsurumaki Hideaki Anno | Kadokawa Shoten TV Tokyo Sega Corporation Production I.G Movic Starchild Gainax Co., Ltd. | Traditional | Theatrical | July 19, 1997 | 87 minutes | ||
Ewoks: The Haunted Village | United States Canada | Traditional | Direct-to-video Compilation film | Compilation film of episodes 1 ("The Cries of the Trees"), 2 ("The Haunted Village"), 3 ("Rampage of the Phlogs") and 9 ("Sunstar vs. Shadowstone") from season one of the animated series Ewoks (1985–1986) that ran for two seasons and 26 episodes from September 7, 1985, to December 13, 1986. | February 11, 1997 | 75 minutes | |||
The Fearless Four | Germany United States | Michael Coldewey Eberhard Junkersdorf Jürgen Richter | Warner Bros. Family Entertainment Munich Animation | Traditional | Theatrical | October 2, 1997 | 87 minutes (German, original release) 81 minutes (English dubbed version) | ||
Fujimi Orchestra | Japan | Akira Nishimori | AIC Bee Media Brain's Base | Traditional | Direct-to-video OVA | July 22, 1997 | 60 minutes | ||
Go to Hell!! | Australia | Ray Nowland | Traditional | Theatrical | 1997 | 73 minutes | |||
Hercules | United States | Ron Clements John Musker | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Feature Animation | Traditional | Theatrical | The eighth Disney animated feature of the Disney Renaissance. | June 27, 1997 | 93 minutes[2] | |
Hercules | United States | Diane Eskenazi | Traditional | Direct-to-video | February 11, 1997 | 48 minutes | |||
Herkules | Germany | Roswitha Haas | Dingo Pictures | Traditional | Direct-to-video | December 31, 1997 | 45 minutes | ||
Hermes – Winds of Love | Japan | Tetsuo Imazawa | Happy Science Studio Junio Arts Pro Animation Staff Room Sony PCL | Traditional | Theatrical | April 12, 1997 | 117 minutes | ||
Home of Acorns | Japan | Ajia-do Animation Works Japanese Federation of the Deaf Kyosaren | Traditional | Theatrical | The film won the Excellence Award in the 1997 Japan Media Arts Festival (Animation Division). | 100 minutes | |||
Hua Mulan | Italy | Orlando Corradi | Mondo TV | Traditional | 87 minutes | ||||
I Married a Strange Person! | United States | Bill Plympton | Italtoons | Traditional | Theatrical | September 8, 1997 | 73 minutes | ||
Jiang de Kailaban jue | China Germany | Manfred Durniok Hong Hu Zhao | Shanghai Animation Film Studio | Stop motion | Theatrical | Based on the 1883 novel Kéraban the Inflexible (Keraban-le-têtu) by Jules Verne. | May 11, 1997 | 90 minutes | |
Jigoku Sensei Nūbē: Gozen 0 toki Nūbē Shisu | Japan | Yukio Kaizawa | Toei Animation | Traditional | Theatrical | March 8, 1997 | 45 minutes | ||
Journey Beneath the Sea | United States Canada | Stephen Anderson Roman Arambula Keith Ingham | Hyperion Pictures | Traditional | Direct-to-video Compilation film | Seventh compilation film of the animated television series The Oz Kids (1996). | March 11, 1997 | 66 minutes | |
Jungle Emperor Leo | Japan | Yoshio Takeuchi | Shochiku Tezuka Productions | Traditional | Theatrical | August 1, 1997 | 99 minutes | ||
Katharina & Witt, Fiction & Reality | Germany | Mariola Brillowska Charles Kissing | Interpol Studios Hamburg | Traditional | 100 minutes | ||||
Kigyō Senshi Yamazaki: Long Distance Call | Japan | Tsuneo Tominaga | Ripple Film Bandai Music Entertainment Happinet Pictures | Traditional | Direct-to-video OVA | October 25, 1997 | 45 minutes | ||
Kikansha Sensei | Japan | Kōzō Kusuba | Traditional | Theatrical | March 29, 1997 | 133 minutes | |||
King David | Italy | Orlando Corradi | Mondo TV | Traditional | Television film Compilation film | 88 minutes | |||
Germany | Michael Schaack Veit Vollmer | Hahn Film AG Senator Film Produktion TCB Toon Company Berlin TFC Trickompany Filmproduktion | Traditional | Theatrical | March 6, 1997 | 82 minutes | |||
United States | Charles Grosvenor | Universal Cartoon Studios | Traditional | Direct-to-video | Fifth installment in The Land Before Time film series. | December 9, 1997 | 74 minutes | ||
Lapitch the Little Shoemaker | Croatia Germany | Milan Blažeković | Croatia Film HaffaDiebold ProSieben | Traditional | Theatrical | Croatian's highest grossing animated film. | June 23, 1997 | 83 minutes | |
Licca-chan to Yamaneko Hoshi no Tabi | Japan | Tsutomu Shibayama | Traditional | Direct-to-video OVA | Originally completed in 1994 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Licca-chan dress-up doll (1964-1994), produced and owned by Takara, and the franchise it spawned out. | September 12, 1997 | 78 minutes | ||
Lupin III: Island of Assassins | Japan | Toshiyasu Shinohara Hiroyuki Yano | Tokyo Movie Shinsha Nippon TV | Traditional | Television special | August 1, 1997 | 93 minutes | ||
Megasónicos | Spain | Javier González de la Fuente, José Martínez Montero | Baleuko S.L. | Computer | Direct-to-video | 85 minutes | |||
Merry Christmas Little Moonky! | Belgium France | André Moons Pierre Urbain | Odec Kid Cartoons Moonkys Co G3 Productions TF1 Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) Les Films de la Perrine | Traditional | Television film | 48 minutes | |||
United States | Doug Murphy | Walt Disney Television Animation | Traditional | Direct-to-video | Reedited alternate version of the eponymous two-part storyline "The First Face Off", the pilot of the television series that aired from September 6, 1996 to January 17, 1997 for a total of 26 half-hour episodes. | April 8, 1997 | 66 minutes | ||
Mondo Plympton | United States | Bill Plympton | Plymptoons | Traditional | Theatrical Compilation film | A "best of..." compilation of animator Bill Plympton's classic shorts, including "Your Face", "How to Kiss", "One of Those Days", "25 Ways to Quit Smoking", "Plymptoons", "Nosehair" and "How to Make Love to a Woman". In between, an animated version of Bill answers questions about his life and career. | March 28, 1997 | 53 minutes | |
Monsieur Seguin's Goat | France | Eveline Fouché Vladimir Goncharov | Traditional | Television special | Based on the 1866 book of the same title by Alphonse Daudet. | February 4, 1997 | 54 minutes | ||
| Japan | Hideaki Anno Masayuki Kazuya Tsurumaki | Kadokawa Shoten TV Tokyo Sega Corporation Production I.G Movic Starchild Gainax Co., Ltd. | Traditional | Theatrical | March 15, 1997 | 72 minutes 28 minutes 68 minutes 68 minutes | ||
Neznayka on the Moon | Russia | Yuriy Butyrin Andrey Ignatenko Aleksandr Lyutkevich | FAF Entertainment Russkoye zoloto | Traditional | Based on the 1965 novel Dunno on the Moon by Nikolay Nosov. | 151 minutes | |||
Perfect Blue | Japan | Satoshi Kon | Madhouse | Traditional | Theatrical | Directorial debut of Satoshi Kon. | August 5, 1997 | 81 minutes | |
The Purfume of the Invisible One | France United States | Francis Nielsen | Blue Dahlia Productions Canal+ M6 Oranton Ltd. Pipangaï Production Provision | Traditional | Television film | Baseed on the 1986 comic Le Parfum de l'invisible by Milo Manara. | 68 minutes | ||
Pippi Longstocking | Sweden Germany Canada | Clive A. Smith | Nelvana Limited AB Svensk Filmindustri | Traditional | Theatrical | August 22, 1997 | 77 minutes | ||
Pocahontas and the Spider Woman | Italy | Kim Jun Ok | SEK Studio Mondo TV | Traditional | Television film Compilation film | 79 minutes | |||
United States | Karl Geurs | Walt Disney Video Premiere | Traditional | Direct-to-video | August 5, 1997 | 85 minutes | |||
Princess Mononoke | Japan | Hayao Miyazaki | Traditional | Theatrical | Japan's highest grossing anime film until Spirited Away (2001). | July 12, 1997 | 133 minutes | ||
Psycho Diver: Soul Siren | Japan | Mamoru Kanbe | Madhouse Studio Junio Filmlink International Goodhill Vision Toei Video Co., Ltd. | Traditional | Direct-to-video OVA | May 21, 1997 | 49 minutes | ||
The Quest for the Key to Heaven | Sweden | Karl Gunnar Holmqvist | Home Made and Lean Productions | Stop motion | January 24, 1997 | 73 minutes | |||
The Secret of Anastasia | United States | Lee Lan | Schwartz & Company UAV Corporation Animation Ink Hong Long Studio Hong Ying Animation Company Suzhou Hong Ying Animation Company | Traditional | Direct-to-video | Second film in the UAV The Secret of... series. | December 25, 1997 | 57 minutes | |
Slayers Great | Japan | Kunihiko Yuyama Hiroshi Watanabe | J.C.Staff | Traditional | Theatrical | Third installment in the Slayers film series. | August 2, 1997 | 64 minutes | |
Soreike! Anpanman: Niji no Piramiddo | Japan | Shunji Ōga | Traditional | Theatrical | [3] | July 28, 1997 | 56 minutes | ||
Spacibo at the End of the Edo Period | Japan | Tetsu Dezaki | Magic Bus | Traditional | Theatrical | September 20, 1997 | 85 minutes | ||
Spur to Glory: The Igaya Chiharu Story | Japan | Masaharu Okuwaki | Mushi Production | Traditional | Theatrical | Fictionalisation based on the life of Chiharu Igaya (born May 20, 1931), a Japanese alpine skier. | September 13, 1997 | 90 minutes | |
Spy of Darkness | Japan | Hisashi Tomii | PP Project Pink Pineapple | Traditional | Direct-to-video OVA | March 28, 1997 | 43 minutes | ||
United States | Richard Rich | Nest Family Entertainment Rich Animation Studios | Traditional | Direct-to-video | Sequel to The Swan Princess (1994). | July 18, 1997 | 71 minutes | ||
| Japan | Tetsu Kimura | Anime International Company Pioneer LDC Toei Company | Traditional | Theatrical | Second installment in the Tenchi Muyo! film series. | August 2, 1997 | 65 minutes | |
Tiny Heroes | Hungary Germany United States | József Gémes Jenõ Koltai | Pannónia Filmstúdió | Traditional | Sequel to The Seventh Brother (1991). | April 19, 1997 | Israel: 76 min. Germany: 78 min. | ||
Tom and Fluffy | Estonia | Heiki Ernits Leo Lätti Janno Põldma | Eesti Joonisfilm Yleisradio (YLE) | Traditional | First Estonian animated feature. | May 1997 | 73 minutes | ||
Twilight of the Dark Master | Japan | Akiyuki Shinbo | Madhouse | Traditional | Direct-to-video OVA | November 11, 1997 January 21, 1998 | 45 minutes | ||
The Ugly Duckling | United Kingdom | David Elvin Martin Gates | Martin Gates Productions Carrington Productions International Fil-Cartoons | Traditional | September 13, 1997 | 81 minutes | |||
Underground Adventure | United States Canada | Stephen Anderson Bert Ring Rhoydon Shishido | Hyperion Pictures | Traditional | Direct-to-video Compilation film | Sixth compilation film of the animated television series The Oz Kids (1996). | February 18, 1997 | 64 minutes | |
Violin in the Starry Sky | Japan | Setsuo Nakayama | Space Eizô Takahashi Studio | Traditional | Theatrical | Originally first shown at the 1997 Nichieikyo Film Festival. | May 4, 1997 | 82 minutes |
Rank | Title | Studio | Worldwide gross | Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hercules | Walt Disney Feature Animation | $252,712,101 | [4] | |
2 | Princess Mononoke | Studio Ghibli | $159,375,308 (¥14.5 billion) | [5] | |
3 | Anastasia | Fox Animation Studios | $139,804,348 | [6] | |
4 | Asatsu | $17,966,000 (¥2 billion) | [7] [8] | ||
5 | The End of Evangelion | Gainax Co., Ltd. | $13,025,350 (¥1.45 billion) |