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Looney Tunes Cartoons

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For a list of the original Looney Tunes films, see Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography.
Looney Tunes Cartoons
File:Looney Tunes Cartoons poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Genre
Based onLooney Tunes
Developed byPeter Browngardt
Directed by
  • David Gemmill
  • Ryan Kramer
  • Kenny Pittenger
  • Pete Browngardt
Voices of
Music by
  • Carl Johnson
  • Joshua Moshier
Opening themeMerry Go Round Broke Down by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin
Merrily We Roll Along by Charlie Tobias, Murray Mencher and Eddie Cantor
Ending themeWhat's Up, Doc? by Carl W. Stalling
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes21 (63 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Rebecca Palatnik
  • Alex Kirwan (supervising)
Editors
  • Tommy Meehan
  • Nick Simotas
Running time11- 29 minutes
Production companyWarner Bros. Animation
Original release
NetworkHBO Max[1]
ReleaseMay 27, 2020 (2020-05-27)[2] –
present

Looney Tunes Cartoons is an American animated streaming television series developed by Peter Browngardt and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the characters from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.[3] The series made its worldwide debut at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 10, 2019,[4] and premiered on HBO Max on May 27, 2020.[1][5]

Production

Peter Browngardt came up with the idea with rebooting the Looney Tunes in its classic 1940s form.

In 2017, after Browngardt finished Uncle Grandpa, he met with Audrey Diehl, the creative executive at Warner Bros., at a lunch meeting. They discussed a project in which he wasn't interested, and as they wrapped up lunch, Pete said, "You know, what I really want to do is to direct a Looney Tunes short." She was surprised that he was a fan of Looney Tunes and booked him a meeting with studio president, Sam Register. Browngardt expressed that he wanted to direct it in the spirit of the classic 1940s cartoons. He then began casting, hiring Eric Bauza, and as an admirer of Jim Soper's art on Instagram, hired him as a character designer.[6]

On June 11, 2018, Warner Bros. Animation announced that a new series, which would "consist of 1,000 minutes spread across 1–6 minute shorts", would be released in 2019 and that it would feature "the brand's marquee characters voiced by their current voice actors in simple gag-driven and visually vibrant stories". The style of the series is reminiscent of the classic Looney Tunes shorts made by Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson and others. Warner Bros. Animation president Register (creator of Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and The Looney Tunes Show) and Browngardt serve as executive producers for the series.[4][7] The characters are designed by Jim Soper, with the model sheets copyright dating back to 2018.[8][9][10][11] The initial designs for Looney Tunes Cartoons were previewed in the Warner Bros. Animation logo that was first shown before Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.[12]

The series will bring all of the Looney Tunes together under one roof, with Season 1 having already reintroduced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Sylvester, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, The Gashouse Gorillas, Yosemite Sam, Granny, Beaky Buzzard, Mama Buzzard, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Cecil Turtle, Taz, Sam Sheepdog, Ralph Wolf, Gossamer, Dr. Frankenbeans, Rocky, Mugsy, the Irish Cop, Miss Glory and Marvin the Martian as more original characters have been confirmed to appear along the way.[13]

The animation for the series was outsourced to different studios, including Yowza! Animation, Yearim Productions, Snipple Animation and Tonic DNA.[citation needed] A trailer for the series was released on April 21, 2020. The short Pest Coaster was released on May 5, 2020 on the WB Kids YouTube channel as a sneak preview ahead of the release date.[14]

Producers included copious amounts of cartoon violence and Acme Corporation weaponry, but excluded any depictions of firearms; Elmer Fudd, for example, now uses a scythe and other non-firearm weapons to hunt Bugs Bunny instead of his shotgun.[15][16]

On October 16, 2020, Browngardt confirmed production has resumed on more episodes.[17] Five new segments were released under the umbrella title Bugs Bunny's 24-Carrot Holiday Special on December 3, 2020.[18]

Voice cast

See also: List of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters

Other characters confirmed to appear include Foghorn Leghorn (Bergman), Pepe le Pew (Bauza), Hubie and Bertie (presumably Bauza), The Gremlin, Petunia Pig,[13] Pete Puma,[13] and Cicero "Pinky" Pig.[13] Several archival recordings of Mel Blanc are used from numerous miscellaneous characters, such as the tiny Daffys in "Bubble Dum". Wile E. Coyote appears, but has yet to gain a speaking role.

Shorts

Main article: List of Looney Tunes Cartoons shorts
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast releasedNetwork
13110May 27, 2020 (2020-05-27)HBO Max
1December 3, 2020 (2020-12-03)
10January 21, 2021 (2021-01-21)
10April 29, 2021 (2021-04-29)
211July 8, 2021 (2021-07-08)August 19, 2021 (2021-08-19)
39November 25, 2021 (2021-11-25)
410January 20, 2022 (2022-01-20)
511February 3, 2022 (2022-02-03)April 6, 2023 (2023-04-06)
610July 27, 2023 (2023-07-27)June 13, 2024 (2024-06-13)Max

Home media

Ten episodes of the show (all centering around Bugs) were released as bonus features for the Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray set on December 1, 2020.[19]

International

In Canada, the series premiered on Teletoon on October 11, 2020.[20][21]

Reception

The first ten shorts debuted at Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June 2019 and were met with very positive reactions, being described as true to the spirit of the original Looney Tunes shorts. Film reviewing site Oneofus.net noted "While only time will tell if these shorts will become classics, they decidedly will be seen as a noble attempt to bring the “Looney” back into Looney Tunes. The cartoons are manic, beautifully animated, and feature amazing voice acting. Even the music tries to recapture the spirit of the originals." Even the characters are doing like what they did in old 30s and 40s shorts.[13]

The official launch of the first ten episodes with HBO Max was also met with positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 88% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The critics consensus reads: "A vibrantly goofy return to form, Looney Tunes Cartoons is perfectly calibrated cartoon comedy."[22] Metacritic gave the series a weighted score of 71 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23]

References

  1. ^ a b "Warner Bros. Looney Tune "Curse Of The Monkey Bird" Begins Qualifying Theatrical Engagement". Animation Scoop. September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  2. ^ "Tweet". twitter.com. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  3. ^ "New Looney Tunes Cartoons Debuting in 2019". CBR.com. June 11, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Annecy > News". Annecy.org. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Porter, Rick (October 29, 2019). "'Looney Tunes' Update, Hanna-Barbera Series Set at HBO Max". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. ^ Plummer, Alan (May 26, 2020). "TALKING LOONEY TOONS CARTOONS WITH PRODUCER PETER BROWNGARDT". Nuke The Fridge. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  7. ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 11, 2018). "'Looney Tunes' Getting Short-Form Revival At WB Animation". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  8. ^ "Jim Soper on Twitter". October 1, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Warner Bros. Animation on Twitter:"Bugs Bunny Character Development: First visual development sketches to final design from character designer Jim Soper. #LooneyTunes Cartoons premieres today on @HBOMax ! #WBAnimation"". May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Warner Bros. Animation on Twitter: "Breaking down Bugs. #LooneyTunes Cartoons streaming now on @HBOMax ! #WBAnimation"". May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  11. ^ "Jim Soper on Twitter: "Warm up sketch of the day."". June 18, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Warner Bros. Animation (2018)". YouTube. October 9, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e Kur, Maciej (June 25, 2019). "Infestation: Annecy Animation Festival 2019: The New Looney Tunes Cartoons". One of Us. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  14. ^ "Looney Tunes Cartoons Pest Coaster".
  15. ^ "Bugs Bunny is back, and so is the 'Looney Tunes' mayhem". The New York Times. May 29, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  16. ^ Polowy, Kevin (June 9, 2020). "'Looney Tunes' strips Elmer Fudd of trademark guns to acclaim — and controversy". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  17. ^ "Production has been resumed!". Peter Browngardt. Instagram. October 16, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  18. ^ Mercedes Milligan (November 24, 2020). "HBO Max Gifts Bugs Bunny's 24-Carrot Holiday Special in Festive lineup". Animation Magazine. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray (UPDATED)". Retrieved September 11, 2020 – via www.blu-ray.com.
  20. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (June 23, 2020). "Corus Ent. Bolsters Specialty Portfolios, Including Toons for All Ages". Animation Magazine. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  21. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (August 26, 2020). "Corus Plans Fall Harvest of Animated Premieres on YTV, Teletoon & Treehouse". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  22. ^ Looney Tunes Cartoons: Season 1 - Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved July 26, 2020
  23. ^ Looney Tunes Cartoons - Metacritic, retrieved June 6, 2020
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