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| Founded | March 15, 1980; 45 years ago (March 15, 1980)[1] |
| Founder | Hal Geer |
| Headquarters | 15301 Ventura Blvd,Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles,California, U.S.(1989–2007) 411 North Hollywood Way,Burbank, California, U.S.(2007–2023) 100 South California Street, Burbank, California, U.S.(2023–present) |
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Warner Bros. Animation Inc.[2] (abbreviated asWBA) is an Americananimation studio which is part of theWarner Bros. Television Group, a division ofWarner Bros., which is a subsidiary ofWarner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation division and label of Warner Bros.
As the successor toWarner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1933 to 1969, the studio is closely associated with theLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies characters, among others. Warner Bros. re-established its animation division in 1980 to produceLooney Tunes–related works, andTurner Broadcasting System merged with WBD predecessorTime Warner in 1996.[1] In March 2001,Hanna-Barbera was absorbed into the studio.
In recent years, Warner Bros. Animation has specialized in producingtelevision and direct-to-video animation featuring characters from other properties owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, includingTurner Entertainment (which owns the rights to properties originally created by theMGM cartoon studio), Hanna-Barbera,Ruby-Spears, andDC Entertainment.
The originalWarner Bros. Cartoons studio, as well as all ofWarner Bros.'s short subject production divisions, closed its doors on October 10, 1969, due to the rising costs and declining returns of short subject production. Outside animation companies were hired to produce newLooney Tunes-related animation for TV specials and commercials at irregular intervals. In 1975, Warner Bros. Cartoon alumnusChuck Jones began producing a series ofLooney Tunes specials at hisChuck Jones Productions animation studio, the first of which wasCarnival of the Animals. These specials, and a 1975Looney Tunes retrospective feature film titledBugs Bunny: Superstar (distributed byUnited Artists, the previous owner of the pre-1950 Warner Bros. library), led Jones to produceThe Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie for Warner Bros. in 1979. This film blended classicLooney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts with newly produced wraparounds ofBugs Bunny introducing each cartoon. Warner Bros. responded to the success of this film by reestablishing its own cartoon studio.
Warner Bros. Animation opened its doors on March 15, 1980, to produce compilation films and television specials starring theLooney Tunes characters. The studio's initial head wasHal Geer, who had been the original studio's sound effects editor during its final days, and he was soon joined byFriz Freleng, who leftDePatie–Freleng (which becameMarvel Productions after being sold toMarvel Comics), and returned to Warner as executive producer. The new wraparounds forThe Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981),Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982) andDaffy Duck's Fantastic Island (1983) featured footage by a new Warner Bros. Animation staff, composed mainly of veterans from the golden age of WB cartoons, including writersJohn Dunn and Dave Detiege.
By 1986, Freleng had departed, and Hal Geer also stepped down the following year. Geer was briefly replaced by Steven S. Greene, who in turn was replaced by Freleng's former secretary Kathleen Helppie-Shipley, who would spearhead a major revival of theLooney Tunes brand in the years that followed. The studio continued production on special projects starring theLooney Tunes characters, sporadically producing newLooney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts for theaters such asThe Duxorcist (1987),Night of the Living Duck (1988),Box-Office Bunny (1990), andCarrotblanca (1995). Many of these shorts, as well as the new footage in the compilation filmDaffy Duck's Quackbusters (which includesThe Duxorcist), were directed byGreg Ford and Terry Lennon, as well asDarrell Van Citters.
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| Company type | Label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television animation Television production |
| Founded | 1986; 39 years ago (1986) inBurbank, California |
| Defunct | 2003; 22 years ago (2003) |
| Fate | Reverted back to Warner Bros. Animation |
| Successor | Warner Bros. Animation |
Area served | Worldwide |
Beginning in 1986, Warner Bros. moved into regular television animation production. Warners' television division was established by WB Animation PresidentJean MacCurdy, who brought in producerTom Ruegger and much of his staff fromHanna-Barbera Productions'A Pup Named Scooby-Doo series (1988–1991). A studio for the television unit was set up in the office tower of the Imperial Bank Building adjacent to theSherman Oaks Galleria northwest ofLos Angeles. Darrell Van Citters, who used to work atDisney, would work at Warner Bros. on the newerBugs Bunny shorts, before leaving to formRenegade Animation in 1992. The first Warner Bros. original animated TV seriesTiny Toon Adventures (1990–1995) was produced in conjunction withAmblin Entertainment, and featured young cartoon characters based upon specificLooney Tunes stars, and was a success. Later Amblin/Warner Bros. television shows, includingAnimaniacs (1993–1998), its spin-offPinky and the Brain (1995–1998), andFreakazoid! (1995–1997) followed in continuing theLooney Tunes tradition of cartoon humor.
Warner Bros. Animation also began developing shows based uponcomic book characters owned by sister companyDC Comics. These programs, includingBatman: The Animated Series (1992–1995),Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000),The New Batman Adventures (1997–1999),Batman Beyond (1999–2001), andJustice League/Justice League Unlimited (2001–2006) proved popular among both children and adults. These shows were part of theDC animated universe. ABatman spin-off feature,Mask of the Phantasm, was produced in 1993 and bumped up to theatrical release. The film was near universally-well received by critics but performed poorly at the box-office, though it eventually became a commercial success through its subsequent home video releases. In 2003, Warner Bros. Television Animation was folded and was subsequently merged with Warner Bros. Animation.
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| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Feature animation |
| Predecessor | Turner Feature Animation |
| Founded | 1994; 31 years ago (1994) inBurbank, California |
| Defunct | 2004; 21 years ago (2004) |
| Fate | Folded into Warner Bros. Animation |
| Successor | Warner Bros. Pictures Animation |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Parent | Warner Bros. |
During the rise of the animation renaissance in the early 1990s, Warner Bros. distributed its first animated films:The Nutcracker Prince[3][4] in 1990, which is a Canadian-produced feature film based onE. T. A. Hoffmann's classic holiday taleThe Nutcracker and the Mouse King; andRover Dangerfield[5] in 1991, whose title character is a dog whose look and mannerisms are inspired by his voice actorRodney Dangerfield. Both films received negative reviews and under-performed at the box office due to lack of promotion.[3][6][7][8] Three years later after the release ofRover Dangerfield, Warner distributedDon Bluth'sThumbelina, which also received mixed reviews from critics and under-performed at the box office.[3]
That same year, Warner Bros., as well as several otherHollywood studios, moved into feature animation following the success ofWalt Disney Feature Animation'sThe Lion King.Max Howard, aDisney alumnus, was brought in to head the new division, which was set up in Sherman Oaks near the television studio in nearbyGlendale.[9] Turner Feature Animation, later merged and named Warner Bros. Feature Animation, like all of the in-house feature animation studios, proved an unsuccessful venture, as five of the six films, under-performed during its original theatrical releases (due to lack of promotion).[citation needed]
The first of Warner's animated features wasSpace Jam (1996), a live-action/animated hybrid which starredNBA starMichael Jordan andBugs Bunny (Jordan had previously appeared with the Looney Tunes in a number ofNike commercials). The film featured live-action sequences directed byJoe Pytka and animated sequences directed byBruce W. Smith andTony Cervone.Space Jam received mixed reviews from critics but proved to be a success at the box office. Animation production forSpace Jam was primarily done at the new Sherman Oaks studio, although much of the work was outsourced to animation studios around the world.
Before the success ofSpace Jam, aTurner Entertainment-run studio that spun off fromHanna-Barbera were already producing animated features following the success of the Disney features. The first wasThe Pagemaster, a fantasy adventure directed byJoe Johnston (live-action) andMaurice Hunt (animation) that starred the performances ofMacaulay Culkin andChristopher Lloyd with the live-action segments serving as bookends for the film's story. Released by20th Century Fox, the film under-performed and received negative reviews from critics during its holiday release of 1994. After the merger with Turner and Warner Bros.'s parent company Time Warner in 1996, Turner Feature Animation completed its second and last feature,Cats Don't Dance (1997), directed byMark Dindal, which was met with warm critical and audience reception but under-performed due to little marketing and fanfare.[citation needed] By the time of the film's release, however, Turner Feature Animation had merged with Warner Bros. Feature Animation and transferred a majority of its staff from said studio, makingCats Don't Dance the second film from Warner Bros. Feature Animation.
The following year, its third film,Frederik Du Chau'sQuest for Camelot (1998), underwent production difficulties and also received mixed reviews from critics. However, its soundtrack (such as one of the songs, "The Prayer") received some praise and accolades, including an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win.
The fourth animated feature from Warner Bros. Feature Animation,Brad Bird'sThe Iron Giant (1999), received widespread acclaimed reception from critics and audiences. However, the studio decided to rush its release to theend of the summer with a rushed marketing push.[citation needed]
The studio's next film,Osmosis Jones (2001), was another animated/live-action mix that suffered through another troubled production. This time, the animation sequences, directed by Piet Kroon andTom Sito, were completed long before the live-action parts were filmed, eventually directed byBobby andPeter Farrelly and starringBill Murray. The resulting film received mixed reviews and underperformed, although it was successful enough on home video for Warner's Television Animation department to produce a related Saturday morning cartoon,Ozzy & Drix (2002–2004) for itsWB broadcast network.
Following the releases ofThe Iron Giant andOsmosis Jones, the feature animation staff was scaled back, and the entire animation staff – feature and television – were moved to the larger Sherman Oaks facility.
Warner Bros. Feature Animation's sixth and final project,Looney Tunes: Back in Action was released in 2003. It was intended to be the starting point for a reestablishment of the classic cartoons brands, including a planned series of newLooney Tunes theatrical shorts, produced byBack in Action writer and producerLarry Doyle.[citation needed] AfterBack in Action, directed byJoe Dante (live-action) andEric Goldberg (animation), received mixed reviews from critics and under-performed at the box office, production was shut down on the new shorts, and, in 2004, Warner Bros. Feature Animation was folded into Warner Bros. Animation, andLooney Tunes has been mostly relegated on television until 2021'sSpace Jam: A New Legacy.
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| Title | Release date | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Co-production with | Animation services | Budget | Gross | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story | Screenplay | ||||||||
| Space Jam[S] | November 15, 1996 | Live Action: Joe Pytka Animation: Bruce W. Smith Tony Cervone | Leo Benvenuti Steve Rudnick Timothy Harris Herschel Weingrod | Joe Medjuck Daniel Goldberg Ivan Reitman | Warner Bros. Family Entertainment Northern Lights Entertainment | Main facility Bardel Entertainment Stardust Pictures Heart of Texas Productions Character Builders Chuck Gammage Animation Premier Films Ltd. Rees / Leiva Productions Spaff Animation Uli Meyer Features | $80 million | $250.2 million | |
| Cats Don't Dance | March 26, 1997 | Mark Dindal | Rick Schneider Robert Lence Mark Dindal Kelvin Yasuda Brian McEntee David Womersley | Roberts Gannaway Cliff Ruby Elana Lesser Theresa Pettengill | David Kirschner Paul Gertz | Warner Bros. Family Entertainment Turner Feature Animation[a] David Kirschner Productions | — | $32 million | $3.6 million |
| Quest for Camelot | May 15, 1998 | Frederik Du Chau | Kirk DeMicco William Schifrin Jacqueline Feather David Seidler | Dalisa Cohen | Warner Bros. Family Entertainment | California and London WBFA facility Yowza! Animation A. Film A/S Heart of Texas Productions | $40 million | $38.1 million | |
| The Iron Giant | August 6, 1999 | Brad Bird | Tim McCanlies | Allison Abbate Des McAnuff | — | Main faculties A. Film A/S (uncredited) Duncan Studios (Signature Edition) | $70–80 million | $31.3 million | |
| Osmosis Jones[S] | August 10, 2001 | Live-action: Bobby Farrelly Peter Farrelly Animation: Piet Kroon Tom Sito | Marc Hyman | Dennis Edwards Bobby Farrelly Peter Farrelly Zak Penn Bradley Thomas | Conundrum Entertainment | Main faculties A. Film A/S (uncredited) Yowza! Animation | $70 million | $14 million | |
| Looney Tunes: Back in Action[S] | November 14, 2003 | Live-action: Joe Dante Animation: Eric Goldberg | Larry Doyle | Paula Weinstein Bernie Goldman | Baltimore Spring Creek Productions Goldmann Pictures Lonely Film Productions GmbH & Co. KG | Main faculties Yowza! Animation Mercury Filmworks | $80 million | $68.5 million | |
Warners' parent companyTime Warner merged withTurner Broadcasting System in 1996, not only regaining the rights to the previously soldLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies shorts but also taking on two more animation studios: Turner Feature Animation andHanna-Barbera Productions. Turner Feature was immediately folded into Warner Bros. Feature Animation, while Hanna-Barbera merged with Warner Bros. Animation itself. Until 1998, Hanna-Barbera operated on its original lot at 3400 Cahuenga Boulevard inHollywood, California, one of the last "big name" studios with a Hollywood zip code. Studio operations, archives, and its extensive animation art collection were then moved northwest to Sherman Oaks. Hanna-Barbera occupied space in the office tower adjacent to theSherman Oaks Galleria along with Warner Bros. Animation.
Following the death ofWilliam Hanna in 2001, Warner fully took over production of H-B related properties such asScooby-Doo, producing a steady stream ofScooby direct-to-video films and two new series,What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002–2006) andShaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! (2006–2008). The Turner merger also gave WB access to the pre-May 1986Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer library, which included its classic cartoon library (including such characters asTom and Jerry (originally created by the H-B duo),Droopy,Barney Bear,Screwy Squirrel, andGeorge and Junior). WBA has since co-produced a series of direct-to-video films with Turner which starred Tom and Jerry. Besides producing content for the daytime market, Warner Bros. Animation also producedBaby Blues with sister company Warner Bros. Television and3-South withMTV Animation for primetime.
The series which Hanna-Barbera had been producing for Turner'sCartoon Network before and during the Time Warner/Turner merger were shifted to production atCartoon Network Studios, a sister company to Warner Bros. Animation. WBA is today exclusively involved in the production of animated television programming and direct-to-video features. It produced many of the shows airing on theKids' WBSaturday morning programming block ofThe CW until May 24, 2008. These programs includedShaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!,Krypto the Superdog,Xiaolin Showdown,The Batman,Loonatics Unleashed, andTom and Jerry Tales. By 2007, the studio had downsized significantly from its size during the late 1990s. Warner Bros. downsized the studio further in June, shut down the Sherman Oaks studio, and had Warner Bros. Animation moved to the Warner Bros. Ranch inBurbank, California. In early 2008 after the demise of Kids' WB!, Warner Bros. Animation became almost dormant with onlyBatman: The Brave and the Bold in production at the time.
To expand the company's online content presence, Warner Bros. Animation launched the new KidsWB.com (announced as T-Works) on April 28, 2008. The website gathers its core animation properties in a single online environment that is interactive and customizable for site visitors. The Kids' WB website offers both originally produced content along with classic animated episodes, games, and exploration of virtual worlds. Some of the characters to be used in the project from the Warner libraries include those of Looney Tunes,Hanna-Barbera, pre-1986MGM animated characters andDC Comics.
In 2009, sister network Cartoon Network announcedScooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated in the Fall 2009–2010 season by Warner Bros. Animation.[citation needed] Warner Bros. Animation recently announced several new projects, such asThe Looney Tunes Show (formerly calledLaff Riot); a reboot ofThunderCats, and several series based on DC Comics properties such asMAD,Green Lantern, andYoung Justice.[citation needed]
Warner Bros. Animation is also producingDC Showcase, a series of short subjects featuring lesser-known comic book superheroes, to be released in tandem with direct-to-video films based on DC Comics properties.
On July 30, 2010,Coyote Falls, a 3D cartoon featuringWile E. Coyote and the Road Runner was released, being the first time WB Animation produced theatrically released content sinceThe Karate Guard (the lastTom and Jerry short) in 2005, and the first time the animation studio used full CGI and stereoscopic 3D. Two more theatrical Wile E./Road Runner cartoons have followed during the year (Fur of Flying andRabid Rider). On June 8, 2011, three more shorts were announced:I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat withSylvester,Tweety, andGranny, which was released withHappy Feet Two;Daffy's Rhapsody withDaffy Duck andElmer Fudd, which was released withJourney 2: The Mysterious Island; andFlash in the Pain starringWile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. All of these 6 shorts, directed byMatthew O'Callaghan and produced byReel FX Creative Studios are available on the official Warner Bros. AnimationYouTube channel.[10]
On October 27, 2014, Warner Bros. Animation collaborated with sister studioWilliams Street for the first time for its first production forAdult Swim,Mike Tyson Mysteries, which satirizes the style and conventions of cartoons from the 1970s (such asScooby-Doo) and celebrity-driven series such asMister T.[11][12] Warner Bros. Animation also producedElf: Buddy's Musical Christmas—a stop-motion animated adaptation of theNew Line Cinema filmElf and itsmusical adaptation—as a Christmas special forNBC, starringJim Parsons.[13]
On June 11, 2018, a new series of shorts,Looney Tunes Cartoons, was announced by Warner Bros. Animation. Set for release in 2019 on both linear and streaming television platforms, its first "season" would feature 1,000 minutes (or 16 hours and 40 minutes) of new one-to-six minute cartoons featuring the brand's marquee characters, voiced by their current voice actors in "simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories" that are rendered by multiple artists employing "a visual style that will resonate with fans."Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation, andPeter Browngardt, creator ofSecret Mountain Fort Awesome andUncle Grandpa, would serve as executive producers.[14]
In August 2021, it was announced that Jason DeMarco had been named SVP Anime & Action Series/Longform for Warner Bros. Animation andCartoon Network Studios.[15]
On May 11, 2022, Warner Bros. Animation was moved underWarner Bros. Television after the dissolution of theWarner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics division by new ownerWarner Bros. Discovery.[16]
On October 11, 2022, Warner Bros. Animation merged its development and production teams with Cartoon Network Studios as part of a further restructuring by Warner Bros. Discovery; the merger would not affect the studios' output or branding.[17]
In July 2023, the staff at Warner Bros. Animation are leaving theWarner Bros. Ranch to move to the new Warner Bros. Second Century building.[18]
Media related toWarner Bros. Animation at Wikimedia Commons
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