''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American
animated comedy
An animated sitcom is a subgenre of the sitcom that is animated instead of live action and is generally made or created for adult audiences in most cases. ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', ''The Simpsons'', ''South Park'', and ''Family Guy'' are four of ...
television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
's
Amblin Television
Amblin Television is the television production division of Amblin Partners. It was established in 1984 by Amblin Entertainment as a small-screen production arm for Steven Spielberg's ''Amazing Stories'' anthology series for NBC. The company ha ...
and
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...
after being conceived in the late 1980s by
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
.
The show follows the adventures of a group of young cartoon characters who attend
Acme Looniversity to become the next generation of characters from the ''
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. '' series.
The pilot episode, "The Looney Beginning", aired as a prime-time special on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
on September 14, 1990,
while the series itself was featured in first-run syndication for the first two seasons. The final season was aired on
Fox Kids
Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) was an American children's block programming, programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channel ...
. The series ended production in 1992 in favor of ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...
'', which premiered a year later; however, two specials were produced in 1994.
A
reboot series, ''Tiny Toons Looniversity'', was announced in October 2020.
Premise
Setting
''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is a cartoon set in the fictional town of "Acme Acres", where most of the ''Tiny Toons'' and ''
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. '' characters live. The characters attend "Acme Looniversity", a school whose faculty primarily consists of the mainstays of the classic
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
cartoons, such as
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
,
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon fictional character, character created for Warner Bros. Cartoons, Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic American black duck, black ...
,
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created ma ...
,
Sylvester the Cat
Sylvester Pussycat, Sr. is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic tuxedo cat in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. Most of his appearances have him often chasing Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper. He appea ...
,
Wile E. Coyote
Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short ''Fast and Furry-ous''. In each episode, t ...
and
Elmer Fudd
Elmer J.''Hare Brush'' (1956) Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes''/'' Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon pantheo ...
. In the series, the university is founded to teach cartoon characters how to become funny. The school is not featured in every episode, as not all of its storylines revolve around the school.
Like the
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. , the series makes use of
cartoon violence
Cartoon violence is the representation of violent actions involving animated characters and situations. This may include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted. Animated violence is sometimes partitioned into c ...
(e.g.
anvils
An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually forged or cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked").
Anvils are as massive as practical, because the higher th ...
falling on someone, liberal use of explosives) and
slapstick
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
. The series parodies and references the current events of the early 1990s and
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
culture. Occasionally, episodes delve into veiled ethical and morality stories of
ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
,
self-esteem
Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...
, and
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
.
Characters
The series centers on a group of young cartoon characters who attend a school called
Acme Looniversity to be the next generation of ''Looney Tunes'' characters. Most of the Tiny Toons characters were designed to resemble younger versions of Warner Bros.' most popular Looney Tunes animal characters by exhibiting similar traits and looks. The four main characters are
Babs Bunny
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, a pink female rabbit,
Buster Bunny
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, a blue male rabbit not related to Babs, Plucky Duck, a green male duck and Hamton J. Pig, a pink male pig. Other major characters in the cast are generally nonhuman as well. These include
Fifi La Fume
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and show ...
, a purple-and-white female skunk;
Shirley the Loon
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and show ...
, a white female
loon
Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order Gavi ...
;
Dizzy Devil
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, a purple tasmanian devil;
Furrball
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, a blue cat;
Sweetie Pie, a pink canary;
Calamity Coyote
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and show ...
, a bluish-gray coyote;
Little Beeper, a red-orange roadrunner; and
Gogo Dodo
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, a zany green dodo. Two human characters,
Montana Max
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and show ...
and
Elmyra Duff
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, are regarded as the main villains of the series and also are students of Acme Looniversity. As villains, Elmyra is seen as an extreme pet lover while Montana Max is a spoiled rich brat who owns either many toys or polluting factories. Supporting characters included
Li'l Sneezer
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and show ...
, a gray mouse with powerful sneezes;
Concord Condor
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, a purple condor;
Byron Basset, a usually sleeping basset hound;
Bookworm
Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books.
Profile
The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...
, a pink worm with glasses;
Arnold the Pit Bull
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, a muscular white pit bull;
Fowlmouth
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, a white rooster with horrid language;
Barky Marky
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and show ...
, a brown dog, and
Mary Melody
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, an African American girl.
Feeding off the characters are the more traditional Looney Tunes such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig among others. Most of the adults teach classes at Acme Looniversity and serve as mentors to the Tiny Toons while others fill secondary positions as needed.
Production
Development
According to writer
Paul Dini
Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American screenwriter and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) ...
, ''Tiny Toons'' originated as an idea by
Terry Semel
Terence Steven Semel (born February 24, 1943) is an American corporate executive who was the chairman and CEO of Yahoo! Incorporated from 2001 to 2007. He resigned as CEO due in part to pressure from shareholders' dissatisfaction over his compen ...
, the then-president of
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
, who wanted to "inject new life into the
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...
department", and at the same time create a series with junior versions of
Looney Tunes characters
Looney or loonie may refer to:
People
* Looney (surname)
* Looney or lunatic, antiquated term for mentally ill person
* LoOney (born 1980), Serbian singer-songwriter, actor, director and comic artist
* Looney, nickname of William Hinde (1900– ...
. Semel proposed that the new series would be a show based on ''
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. '' where the characters were either young versions of the original ''
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. '' and ''
Merrie Melodies
''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...
'' characters or new characters as the offspring of the original characters.
The idea of a series with the basis of younger and junior versions of cartoon characters was common at the time; the era in which ''Tiny Toons'' was produced for had such cartoons as ''
Muppet Babies'', ''
A Pup Named Scooby-Doo
''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated mystery comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera. It is the eighth incarnation of the studio's ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise and depicts younger versions of the title character and his human companions ...
'' (which Ruegger worked on), ''
Tom & Jerry Kids
''Tom & Jerry Kids'' (formerly known as ''Tom & Jerry Kids Show'' in the first season) is an American animated comedy television series co-produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment Co., and starring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry a ...
'' and ''
The Flintstones Kids''.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
chose to do the same because Spielberg wanted to make a series similar to ''
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. '', as series producer/show-runner Tom Ruegger explained: "Well, I think in
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
case, they had the opportunity to work with Steven Spielberg] on a project
..But he didn't want to just work on characters that
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...
,
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
,
Bob McKimson
Robert Porter McKimson Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later D ...
and
Bob Clampett
Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer. He was best known for his work on the '' Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the television shows '' ...
made famous and created. He wanted to be involved with the creation of some ''new'' characters." The result was a series similar to ''Looney Tunes'' without the use of the same characters.
On January 20, 1987,
the Warner Bros. Animation studio approached
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
to collaborate with Semel and
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
head of licensing Dan Romanelli on Semel's ideas.
They eventually decided that the new characters would be similar to the ''
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. '' characters with no direct relation. However, ''Tiny Toons'' did not go into production then, nor was it even planned to be made for television; the series initially was to be a
theatrical
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
feature-length film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
.
On December 27, 1988, ''Tiny Toons'' was changed from a film to a television series, with
Jean MacCurdy
Jean H. MacCurdy is an American television executive, best known for her role as president of Warner Bros. Animation from 1989 to 2001.
Career
MacCurdy began her career as a secretary in the Children's Programming Department at the NBC Televis ...
overseeing production of the first 65 episodes.
MacCurdy said that ''Tiny Toons'' was changed to a television series to "reach a broader audience".
For the series, MacCurdy hired
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
, who previously wrote cartoons for
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and pr ...
and
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
, to be a producer.
In January 1989, Ruegger and writer
Wayne Kaatz
Wayne Kaatz (also credited as Wayne Katz) is an American writer and actor. His credits include episodes of the animated series '' Problem Child'', ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' (on which he was also story editor), ''The Completely Mental Misadventur ...
began developing the characters and the setting of "Acme Acres" with Spielberg.
On January 9, 1989,
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...
chose its voice actors from over 1,200 auditions and put together its 100-person production staff.
On April 13, 1989, full production of series episodes began with five overseas animation houses and a total budget of $25 million.
The first 65 episodes of the series aired in syndication on 135 stations, beginning in September 1990.
During that time, ''Tiny Toons'' was a huge success and got higher ratings than its ''
Disney Afternoon
The Disney Afternoon (later known internally as the Disney-Kellogg Alliance when unbranded), sometimes abbreviated as TDA, was a created-for-syndication two-hour programming block of animated television series. It was produced by Walt Disney Tel ...
'' competitors in some markets. After a successful run in syndication, Fox attained the rights for season 3. Production of the series halted in late 1992 to make way for ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...
'' to air the following year.
Writers
The series and the show's characters were developed by series producer, head writer and cartoonist
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
, division leader
Jean MacCurdy
Jean H. MacCurdy is an American television executive, best known for her role as president of Warner Bros. Animation from 1989 to 2001.
Career
MacCurdy began her career as a secretary in the Children's Programming Department at the NBC Televis ...
, associate producer and artist Alfred Gimeno and story editor/writer
Wayne Kaatz
Wayne Kaatz (also credited as Wayne Katz) is an American writer and actor. His credits include episodes of the animated series '' Problem Child'', ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' (on which he was also story editor), ''The Completely Mental Misadventur ...
. Among the first writers on the series were
Jim Reardon
Jim Reardon is an American animator, storyboard artist, television writer, television director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his work on the animated TV series ''The Simpsons''. He has directed over 30 episodes of the series and was cr ...
,
Tom Minton
Tom Minton is an American animator, producer, writer, and storyboard artist. He created and wrote the "Toby Danger" episode of ''Freakazoid!'', wrote the lyrics to the song "Brainstem" and served as head model for the Warner Bros. character th ...
, and Eddie Fitzgerald. Other writers included
Arleen Sorkin
Arleen Sorkin (born October 14, 1955) is a retired American actress, screenwriter, presenter and comedian. Sorkin is known for portraying Calliope Jones on the NBC daytime serial ''Days of Our Lives'' and for inspiring and voicing the DC Comics ...
. The character and scenery designers included Alfred Gimeno, Ken Boyer,
Dan Haskett
Daniel A. Haskett (born August 20, 1952) is an American veteran animator who, according to ''Variety'', was one of a "group of young animators trained by Disney's 'Nine Old Men' that were confined to one small room in the Disney Feature Animatio ...
, Karen Haskett, and many other artists and directors. The series was actually planned to be a feature film. Once Steven Spielberg was attached, numerous things changed, including the idea of turning the movie into a television series.
"Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian" was co-written by three then-teenage girls who were fans of the show.
Casting info
Voice director
Andrea Romano Andrea Romano may refer to:
* Andrea Romano (voice director) (born 1955), American casting director, voice director and voice actress
* Andrea Romano (politician) (born 1967), Italian politician
* Andrea Romanò
Andrea Romanò (born 23 July 1 ...
auditioned over 1,200 voices for the series and chose more than a dozen main voice actors.
The role of Buster Bunny was given to
Charlie Adler
Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Ed and Bev Bighead on ''Rocko's Modern Life'' and Ickis on ''Aaahh!!! Real Monst ...
, who gave the role, as producer
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
said, "a great deal of energy".
The role of Babs Bunny was given to
Tress MacNeille
Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...
. Writer
Paul Dini
Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American screenwriter and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) ...
said that MacNeille was good for the role because she could do both Babs' voice and the voices of her impressions.
Voice actors
Joe Alaskey
Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian.
Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his deat ...
and
Don Messick
Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...
were given the roles of Plucky Duck and Hamton J. Pig, respectively.
Danny Cooksey
Daniel Ray Allen Cooksey Jr. (born November 2, 1975) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his roles in television shows, such as ''Diff'rent Strokes'' (during the final three seasons), '' The Cavanaughs'', ''Xiaolin Showdown'' ...
played Montana Max and, according to
Paul Dini
Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American screenwriter and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) ...
, was good for the role because he could do a "tremendous mean voice." Cooksey was also the only voice actor in the cast who was not an adult.
Cree Summer
Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is a American-Canadian actress and singer. She has worked extensively in animation, voicing long-running characters such as Susie Carmichael in ''Rugrats'' and Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and r ...
played the roles of Elmyra Duff and Mary Melody; former ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' cast member
Gail Matthius
Gail Matthius (born December 14, 1953) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member of NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' during its critical and ratings low point at the time (the 1980–1981 season, produced by Jean Doumanian), and ...
played Shirley the Loon, and
Kath Soucie Kath or KATH may refer to:
* Kath (city), the historical capital of Khwarezm
* Kath (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
* KATH-TV, the NBC TV station in Juneau, Alaska
* KATH (AM)
KATH (910 kHz) is an ...
had the roles of Fifi La Fume and Li'l Sneezer. Other actors for the series included
Maurice LaMarche
Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...
as the voice of Dizzy Devil;
Candi Milo
Candyce Anne Rose "Candi" Milo (born January 9, 1961) Timestamps: (00:27:12-00:27:45) Milo states that she is "firmly 51". (00:06:40-00:06:47) Milo states that she was born in Palm Springs. (00:16:23-00:16:25) She says her birthday is in Januar ...
as the voice of Sweetie,
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
as the voice of Gogo Dodo, Furrball, Byron Basset, Calamity Coyote, Little Beeper, Barky Marky, and other voices; and
Rob Paulsen
Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and three Anni ...
as the voice of Fowlmouth, Arnold the Pit Bull, Concord Condor, and other characters. The legendary original voice actor behind the Looney Tunes,
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...
, was initially set to reprise his roles as the classic characters, but due to his death in July 1989, his characters were recast to Alaskey,
Jeff Bergman
Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with ''Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera.
Bergman was the first to repla ...
,
Greg Burson
Gregory Lewis Burson (June 29, 1949 – July 22, 2008) was an American voice actor. He was best known as a replacement for voice actors Daws Butler and Mel Blanc following their deaths in 1988 and 1989, respectively.
Career
Burson was trained ...
,
Bob Bergen
Robert Bergen (born March 8, 1964) is an American voice actor. He voices Warner Bros. cartoon characters Porky Pig and Tweety and has voiced characters in the English dubs of various anime. He formerly hosted the children's game show '' Jep!'', ...
, and Mel's son,
Noel Blanc
Noel Barton Blanc (born October 19, 1938) is an American commercial producer and retired voice actor. He is the son of the late cartoon voice actor, Mel Blanc.
Early life and career
Blanc was born on October 19, 1938 in Los Angeles, California ...
.
During production of the series' third season, Adler left the show due to a feud with the producers. Adler was angry that he had not been offered a role in ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...
'' while voice actors with smaller roles in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' such as Paulsen, LaMarche, and Welker were given starring roles in the new series.
John Kassir
John Kassir (born October 24, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as the voice of the Cryptkeeper in HBO's ''Tales from the Crypt'' franchise. He is also known for his role as Ralph in the off-Broadway show ''Reef ...
replaced Adler for the remainder of the show's run (although Adler would eventually return to voice Buster in the cancelled video game, ''
Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universe''). Alaskey, the voice of Plucky Duck, briefly left ''Tiny Toons'' for financial reasons, but returned when an agreement was reached with the studio.
Animation
In order to complete 65 episodes for the first season,
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...
and
Amblin Television
Amblin Television is the television production division of Amblin Partners. It was established in 1984 by Amblin Entertainment as a small-screen production arm for Steven Spielberg's ''Amazing Stories'' anthology series for NBC. The company ha ...
contracted several different
North American
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
and international animation houses. These animation studios included Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now known as
TMS Entertainment
, formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946.
TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as ''Lupin the Third'', ...
),
Wang Film Productions
Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd. (also known as Hong Guang Animation (宏廣) and Cuckoos' Nest Studio) is one of the oldest and most prolific Taiwanese-American animation studios since 1978. The company, based in Xindian, Taipei and Los Angeles, ...
, Morning Sun Animation,
AKOM
AKOM Production, Ltd. (Animation KOrea Movie 애이콤 프로덕션) is a South Korean animation studio in Songpa-gu, Seoul that has provided much work since its conception in 1985 by Nelson Shin. Its biggest claim to fame is the overseas animati ...
,
Freelance Animators New Zealand
Freelance Animators was an animation studio based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Shows
They worked on the following TV shows:
*''Tiny Toon Adventures'' (1990–1992) - 3 half-hour episodes: ''Rainy Daze, Brave Tales of Real Rabbits'' and ''Toons Ta ...
, Encore Cartoons,
StarToons
StarToons International, LLC. was an animation studio located in the Chicago, Illinois area. It was founded by Jon McClenahan, an animator who had previously worked for other studios like Hanna-Barbera. The initial founding of StarToons was in Octo ...
,
and Kennedy Cartoons. Tokyo Movie Shinsha also animated the series' opening sequence. Some of the Warner Bros. staff disliked working with Kennedy Cartoons due to the animation studio's inconsistent quality, and episodes that they animated were often subject to multiple re-takes. In other cases, such as the debut episode "The Looney Beginning", portions of Kennedy Cartoons-animated episodes were re-animated by another animation studio.
Kennedy Cartoons was actually dropped after the end of the series' first season.
''Tiny Toon Adventures'' was made with a higher production value than standard television animation. It had a
cel
A cel, short for celluloid, is a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or painted for traditional, hand-drawn animation. Actual celluloid (consisting of cellulose nitrate and camphor) was used during the first half of the 20th century, but ...
count that was more than double that of most animated television shows then.
The series had about 25,000 cels per episode instead of the standard 10,000, making it unique in that characters moved more fluidly.
Pierre DeCelles
Pierre DeCelles (born 14 December 1951) is a Canadian animator, best known for directing 1988's ''Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw''. He was also the supervising director for the ''Spiral Zone'' animated series. In the 1990s, he did Ren Hö ...
, an animation producer, described storyboarding for the series as "fun but a big challenge because I always had a short schedule, and it's not always easy to work full blast nonstop".
Music
During the development of the show
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
said that
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
would use a full orchestra, which some thought too expensive and impossible, but they ended up agreeing.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
selected
Bruce Broughton
Bruce Harold Broughton (born March 8, 1945) is an American orchestral composer of television, film, and video game scores and concert works. He has composed several highly acclaimed soundtracks over his extensive career and has contributed man ...
to write the theme tune (for which he would win a
Daytime Emmy
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...
along with
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
and
Wayne Kaatz
Wayne Kaatz (also credited as Wayne Katz) is an American writer and actor. His credits include episodes of the animated series '' Problem Child'', ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' (on which he was also story editor), ''The Completely Mental Misadventur ...
, who both worked with Broughton on the lyrics) and serve as
music supervisor
A music supervisor is a person who combines music and visual media. According to The Guild of Music Supervisors, a music supervisor is “a qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games ...
. Screen credits for the composers were given based on the amount of music composed for, or composed and reused in, the episode.
Twenty-six other composers were contracted to create original dramatic underscore for each different episode during the series run: Julie and
Steve Bernstein,
Steven Bramson
Steven (Steve) Bramson is a professional composer who has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, and has won one Daytime Emmy Award and three ASCAP Awards. He has written music to George Lucas' ''Young Indiana Jones'' and the CBS series ...
,
Don Davis,
John Debney
John Cardon Debney (born August 18, 1956) is an American composer and conductor of film, television, and video game scores. His work encompasses a variety of mediums and genres including comedy, horror, thriller, and action-adventure. He is a ...
, Ron Grant,
Les Hooper
Les Hooper (born 27 February 1940 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a composer in Los Angeles, US. His music ranges from classical to blues and jazz; from commercials to concert commissions. His credits include films, television, commercials, live pe ...
, Carl Johnson, Elliot Kaplan, Arthur Kempel, Ralph Kessler, Albert Lloyd Olson,
Hummie Mann
Hummie Mann (born October 29, 1955) is a Canadian-born American film score composer. His credits include the Mel Brooks films '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' and '' Dracula: Dead and Loving It''.
Mann was awarded an Emmy for arranging Billy Crys ...
,
Dennis McCarthy,
Joel McNeely
Joel McNeely (born March 28, 1959) is an American composer, arranger, musician, lyricist, and record producer. A protégé of composer Jerry Goldsmith, he is best known for his film and television scores. He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outst ...
, Peter Myers,
Laurence Rosenthal
Laurence Rosenthal (born November 4, 1926) is an American composer, arranger, and conductor for theater, television, film, and the concert hall.
Biography
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Rosenthal attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New ...
,
William Ross,
Arthur B. Rubinstein
Arthur Benjamin Rubinstein (March 31, 1938 – April 23, 2018) was an American Emmy Award-winning composer. He composed several television series soundtracks and songs for film scores. He was frequently hired by film director John Badham, and the ...
, J. Eric Schmidt, David Slonaker,
Fred Steiner
Frederick Steiner (February 24, 1923 – June 23, 2011) was an American composer, conductor, orchestrator, film historian and arranger for television, radio and film. Steiner wrote the theme music for ''The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show'' an ...
,
Morton Stevens
Morton Stevens (January 30, 1929 – November 11, 1991) was an American film score composer. In 1965, he became director of music for CBS West Coast operations. He is probably best known for composing the theme music for ''Hawaii Five-O'', a C ...
,
Richard Stone
Sir John Richard Nicholas Stone (30 August 1913 – 6 December 1991) was an eminent British economist, educated at Westminster School and Gonville and Caius College and King's College at the University of Cambridge. In 1984, he was awarded t ...
,
Stephen James Taylor
Stephen James Taylor (born 28 September 1954) is an American composer best known for his film and TV scores with four Emmy nominations, two Annie nominations, and a DVD-X Award on "Best Original Score (for a DVD Premiere Movie) to date ('05).
F ...
and
Mark Watters
Mark Watters (born May 25, 1955) is an American composer of music for film and television.
Biography
Watters is a six-time Emmy award-winning composer, conductor and arranger. He was born in Irving, Texas and majored in Saxophone at the Univers ...
. The composers conducted their own music. Of these composers, Broughton, Bramson, Davis, Olson, Stone, Taylor and Watters wrote the score to ''
Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation''.
These composers would later write the musical scores for shows including ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...
'' and ''
The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries
''The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation which aired from September 9, 1995 to February 5, 2000 on Kids' WB. The final episode, containing the segments "The Tail End?" and ...
.''
Episodes
Films and television specials
A feature-length
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
was released
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
in 1992, entitled ''
Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation''.
This was later re-edited and aired as part of the series. The length of the movie is 73 minutes.
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
aired ''It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special'' in prime time on December 6, 1992.
This episode is a parody of ''
It’s a Wonderful Life
''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern self-published in 1943 and is in turn loo ...
''. Although the Christmas episode is called a special, it is only called this as it is Christmas-themed and is just a regular episode. ''The Tiny Toon Spring Break Special''
was aired on Fox during prime time on March 27, 1994.
Fox aired ''Tiny Toons' Night Ghoulery''
in prime time on May 28, 1995.
Spin-offs
In 1992, ''
The Plucky Duck Show
''Steven Spielberg Presents The Plucky Duck Show'' (often shortened to ''The Plucky Duck Show'') is an American animated television series created by Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Entertainment. It is a short-lived spin-off of ''Tiny Toon Adve ...
'' was produced as a spin-off for
Fox Kids
Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) was an American children's block programming, programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channel ...
, based on the character Plucky Duck. Except for the premiere episode, "The Return of Batduck", the show was consisted entirely of recycled Plucky-centric episodes from ''Tiny Toon Adventures''.
In 1998, a second spin-off, entitled ''
Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain
''Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain'' is the retooling of the American animated television series ''Pinky and the Brain'' (itself being a spin-off from ''Animaniacs''), with the title characters being joined by Elmyra Duff from ''Tiny Toon Adventures''. T ...
'', premiered on
Kids' WB
Kids' WB (stylized as Kids' WB!) was an American children's programming service and brand of The WB that aired on the network from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006. The block moved to The CW (a result of the merger of Time Warner's The WB ...
. This series featured the character Elmyra Duff as well as Pinky and the Brain, two other characters who were originally on ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...
'' before receiving their own spin-off series, also entitled ''
Pinky and the Brain
''Pinky and the Brain'' is an American animated television series that was created by Tom Ruegger that premiered on Kids' WB on September 9, 1995. It was the first animated television series to be presented in Dolby Surround and the fourth col ...
''. ''Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain'' picks up after ''Pinky and the Brain'' leaves off where Pinky and the Brain become Elmyra's pets after Brain accidentally destroys their original home, ACME Labs, during an experiment. ''Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain'' lasted for 13 episodes.
Reception
The show was received with positive reviews; the Philadelphia Daily News remarked "It's the most cinematic first-run animated show on TV, mixing long shots, extra-tight closeups and odd perspectives for comic effect..." Citizens' Voice noted "Combining the animation of Warner Bros. and the creative direction of Spielberg, the collection of 65 half-hour cartoons is sure to make a big impression during the weekday late afternoon viewing period..." However, The Journal News criticized about the series "Adults looking for the smart-aleck attitude and wit of the old Warner Bros. classics will be disappointed, however; these are aimed squarely at kids and reflect a '90s sensibility, sneaking pro-social messages into madcap adventure stories."
Awards and nominations
, -
, rowspan="3" ,
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
, rowspan="8" ,
Daytime Emmy Awards
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
,
Outstanding Animated Program
,
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
,
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
, Ken Boyer, Art Leonardi, Art Vitello,
Paul Dini
Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American screenwriter and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) ...
, and
Sherri Stoner
Sherri Lynn Stoner is an American actress, animator, and writer. She also voiced Slappy in the children’s television series ''Animaniacs''.
Biography
She has worked extensively in animation. She was a writer and producer for such 1990s animat ...
,
,
, -
, Outstanding Music Direction and Composition
,
William Ross for "Fields of Honey"
,
,
, -
, Outstanding Original Song
,
Bruce Broughton
Bruce Harold Broughton (born March 8, 1945) is an American orchestral composer of television, film, and video game scores and concert works. He has composed several highly acclaimed soundtracks over his extensive career and has contributed man ...
,
Wayne Kaatz
Wayne Kaatz (also credited as Wayne Katz) is an American writer and actor. His credits include episodes of the animated series '' Problem Child'', ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' (on which he was also story editor), ''The Completely Mental Misadventur ...
, and
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
for the main title theme
,
,
, -
, rowspan="3" ,
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
,
Outstanding Animated Program
,
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
,
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
,
Sherri Stoner
Sherri Lynn Stoner is an American actress, animator, and writer. She also voiced Slappy in the children’s television series ''Animaniacs''.
Biography
She has worked extensively in animation. She was a writer and producer for such 1990s animat ...
, Rich Arons, and Art Leonardi
,
,
, -
, Outstanding Music Direction and Composition
,
Mark Watters
Mark Watters (born May 25, 1955) is an American composer of music for film and television.
Biography
Watters is a six-time Emmy award-winning composer, conductor and arranger. He was born in Irving, Texas and majored in Saxophone at the Univers ...
for "The Love Disconnection"
,
,
, -
, Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program
, Nicholas Hollander,
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
,
Paul Dini
Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American screenwriter and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) ...
, and
Sherri Stoner
Sherri Lynn Stoner is an American actress, animator, and writer. She also voiced Slappy in the children’s television series ''Animaniacs''.
Biography
She has worked extensively in animation. She was a writer and producer for such 1990s animat ...
,
,
, -
, rowspan="2" ,
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
,
Outstanding Animated Program
,
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
,
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
,
Sherri Stoner
Sherri Lynn Stoner is an American actress, animator, and writer. She also voiced Slappy in the children’s television series ''Animaniacs''.
Biography
She has worked extensively in animation. She was a writer and producer for such 1990s animat ...
, Rich Arons, Byron Vaughns, Ken Boyer, Alfred Gimeno, and David West
,
,
, -
, Outstanding Music Direction and Composition
,
Steven Bramson
Steven (Steve) Bramson is a professional composer who has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, and has won one Daytime Emmy Award and three ASCAP Awards. He has written music to George Lucas' ''Young Indiana Jones'' and the CBS series ...
for “The Horror of Slumber Party Mountain”
,
,
, -
, 1992
, rowspan="2" ,
Annie Awards
The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desig ...
, rowspan="2" , Animated Television Program
,
,
,
, -
, 1993
,
,
,
, -
,
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
,
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
,
Outstanding Animated Program
,
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
,
Tom Ruegger
Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', ''Pinky and the Brain'', and ''Histe ...
,
Paul Dini
Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American screenwriter and comic creator. He has been a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably '' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) ...
,
Sherri Stoner
Sherri Lynn Stoner is an American actress, animator, and writer. She also voiced Slappy in the children’s television series ''Animaniacs''.
Biography
She has worked extensively in animation. She was a writer and producer for such 1990s animat ...
, Dave Marshall, Glen Kennedy, Rich Aarons (for episode "The Looney Beginning")
,
,
, -
,
1989/1990
, rowspan="2" ,
Young Artist Awards
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
, Best New Cartoon Series
, ''Tiny Toon Adventures''
,
,
, -
,
1991–1992
, Outstanding Young Voice-Over in an Animated Series or Special
,
Whitby Hertford
Whit Hertford (born November 2, 1978) is an American theatre director, writer, and actor.
Film and television
Hertford's film career spans three decades and began at an early age, most notably with his appearance in Steven Spielberg's ''Juras ...
,
,
, -
, 1991
,
Environmental Media Awards
The Environmental Media Awards have been awarded by the Environmental Media Association since 1991 to the best television episode or film with an environmental message.
The Environmental Media Association (EMA) is a non-profit organization crea ...
, Children’s Television Program – Animated
, episode "Whales Tales"
,
,
In January 2009, IGN named ''Tiny Toons'' as the 41st in their Top 100 Animated TV Shows list.
Merchandise
Print
''Tiny Toon Adventures Magazine'', a quarterly children's magazine based on the series, debuted in October 1990. Issues #1–4 were published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
, and issues #5–7 were released by Welsh Publishing Group. The final issue was cover-dated Spring 1992. Also, various storybooks were published by the
Little Golden Book
Little Golden Books is a series of children's books, published since 1942.
''The Poky Little Puppy'', the eighth release in the series, is the top-selling children's book of all time in the United States.. Many other Little Golden Books have b ...
company, including a few episode adaptations and some original stories (''Lost in the Fun House'' and ''Happy Birthday, Babs!''). ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' also had a comic book series made by
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
and DC. The characters also made occasional cameo appearances in the ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...
'', ''
Freakazoid!
''Freakazoid!'' is an American superhero comedy animated television series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and developed by Tom Ruegger for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title characte ...
'' and ''
Pinky and the Brain
''Pinky and the Brain'' is an American animated television series that was created by Tom Ruegger that premiered on Kids' WB on September 9, 1995. It was the first animated television series to be presented in Dolby Surround and the fourth col ...
'' comic books.
Toys and video games
Since its debut, numerous
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s based on ''Tiny Toons'' have been released. There have been no less than nine titles based on the series released after its original television run and as recently as 2002. Many companies have held the development and publishing rights for the games, including
Konami
, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
(during the 1990s),
Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...
,
NewKidCo
NewKidCo International Inc. ( TSE:NKC; OTC BB: NKCIF) was an American video game publisher of children's titles based on popular licensed characters, for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft consoles. It went out of business in 2005.
The publisher was ac ...
,
Conspiracy Games
Conspiracy Entertainment (formerly Conspiracy Games) is an American third-party developer video game publisher, publishing games from smaller companies that would face difficulties distributing games themselves. The company has also developed a fe ...
,
Warthog
''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly cons ...
,
Terraglyph Interactive Studios
''TerraGlyph Interactive Studios'' was a multi-platform game development studio located in Schaumburg, IL and was founded in 1994. The company was the game development division of the TerraGlyph group of companies, which also includes a feature an ...
, and
Treasure
Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...
. Toys for the series included plush dolls and plastic figures, primarily made by
Playskool
Playskool is an American company that produces educational toys and games for children. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
History
The Playskool Institute was established by Lucille King in 192 ...
.
Home media
''
Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation'' was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
on August 21, 2012. There are currently no plans to release the two specials (''Spring Break'' and ''Night Ghoulery'') on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
. In the early to mid-1990s, Warner Bros. had released several videos, including ''Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation'' (a direct-to-video release which later aired as a four-part TV episode), ''Best of Buster and Babs'', ''Two-Tone Town'', ''Tiny Toons: Big Adventures'', ''Tiny Toons: Island Adventures'', ''Tiny Toons: Music Television'', ''Tiny Toons: Fiendishly Funny Adventures'', ''Tiny Toons: Night Ghoulery'' and ''It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special''.
''Tiny Toons Looniversity''
A
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
, ''Tiny Toons Looniversity'', was announced on October 28, 2020 through the
Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions and Steven Spielberg Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshal ...
website. It was ordered for two seasons, with each episode running 30 minutes.
As with the original series,
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
will return to his role as executive producer.
Sam Register
Samuel Barnard Register (born June 16, 1969) is an American television producer, animator, and businessman. He is the president of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.
Career
Formerly Vice President o ...
, Darryl Frank, and Justin Falvey will also be serving as executive producers, while Erin Gibson will be showrunner and co-executive producer. The series will premiere on
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
, and simulcast on
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
.
The reboot's first piece of concept art showed
Buster Bunny
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
and
Babs Bunny
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
, redesigned with different clothes and a new art style.
Tom Ascheim
Tom Ascheim is an American television producer and executive. He most recently served president of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics from July 2020 until May 2022. From 1998 to 2003, Ascheim was the general manager of Noggin, whi ...
, then-current president of Cartoon Network, was quoted saying. "''Tiny Toons Looniversity'' will capture all the clever, subversive and smart humor that made ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' such a standout series. Fans old and new will love to laugh at and with these characters all over again."
Shortly after the reboot's announcement, it was reported that several of the original voice actors were not going to be involved in the series.
Cree Summer
Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is a American-Canadian actress and singer. She has worked extensively in animation, voicing long-running characters such as Susie Carmichael in ''Rugrats'' and Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and r ...
had revealed she was informed that Elmyra Duff was excluded. Additionally,
Charlie Adler
Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Ed and Bev Bighead on ''Rocko's Modern Life'' and Ickis on ''Aaahh!!! Real Monst ...
was not approached to reprise his role as Buster, nor was
Maurice LaMarche
Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...
as
Dizzy Devil
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
.
However, during an interview on July 12, 2021,
Candi Milo
Candyce Anne Rose "Candi" Milo (born January 9, 1961) Timestamps: (00:27:12-00:27:45) Milo states that she is "firmly 51". (00:06:40-00:06:47) Milo states that she was born in Palm Springs. (00:16:23-00:16:25) She says her birthday is in Januar ...
said she would be returning to voice
Granny but it currently remains uncertain if she will be reprising Sweetie Bird. A few days later, on July 15,
Jeff Bergman
Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with ''Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera.
Bergman was the first to repla ...
confirmed that he would be returning to the series as well, voicing
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
,
Sylvester
Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...
and
Foghorn Leghorn
Foghorn Leghorn is a cartoon rooster who appears in ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons and films from Warner Bros. Animation. He was created by Robert McKimson, and starred in 29 cartoons from 1946 to 1964 in the golden age of A ...
. He went into detail on the characters' roles in the series, explaining Foghorn would occupy as Acme Looniversity's coach, while Bugs would take on a "
Dumbledore
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts. As part of his backstory, it is revealed that he is ...
-like" personality. He also confirmed recording sessions had begun.
On July 9, 2022, it was announced that ''Tiny Toons Looniversity'' would be part of the ''Looney Tunes'' panel at
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
2022. On July 22, it was revealed that Ashleigh Crystal Hairston would be voicing Babs, instead of
Tress MacNeille
Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...
. Numerous pieces of concept art were shown, revealing a revamped Acme Looniversity and its interiors. This also confirmed many of the original series' major characters would be returning, some with updated appearances. Most notably, Elmyra was included in one of these pictures, disproving the claims of her removal. Some have suggested this meant Elmyra was added back at some point or was always intended to appear, but will be recast with a different voice actress, instead of Summer. Spielberg referred to the series as "the best iteration of ''Tiny Toons'' he'd ever seen".
[
Len Kiraly and showrunner Erin Gibson confirmed that Buster and Babs would be presented as twin siblings in the reboot, as opposed to best friends. This decision was criticized by fans of the original series.Tiny Toons' Controversial Babs Bunny Retcon Is All Sorts Of Weird]
/ref> A July 2022 interview had crew members giving more details. They revealed the series was going to bring back all of the characters from the original show, "down to Arnold the Pit Bull
The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on Looney Tunes characters from earlier films and shows. ...
". They also hinted at an episode which takes place in outer space. Gibson provided an explanation behind the choice to make Buster and Babs related, saying, "They’re fraternal twins, which was not an original plot point. I wanted to dive into a brother/sister relationship that looked really symbiotic and collaborative and supportive, not antagonistic. Seeing two people who are really on the same page, and then how do people who are so close make new friends? You know, find out who they are by these new relationships — these new college experiences while still having fun and doing the dumbest stuff you’ll ever see on TV, but having story and plot points and character development." Nate Cash
Nathan Shawn "Nate" Cash (born March 31, 1976) is an American writer, artist and director. He was born in Utah, and his most well-known works are ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', ''Adventure Time'', and ''Over the Garden Wall''. In addition to that, ...
added, "And they look up to the faculty, they’re established Tunes who are like their gods, but then they’re like, 'Who am I?' and 'What’s my voice?' — which is a cool place to develop them as their own characters and not just mini versions of their counterparts."
References
External links
*
''Tiny Toon Adventures''
at The Big Cartoon DataBase
The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows, and cartoon shorts.
The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated featu ...
* at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
{{Authority control
1990s American animated television series
1990s American daily animated television series
1990s American satirical television series
1990 American television series debuts
1992 American television series endings
American children's animated adventure television series
American children's animated comedy television series
American children's animated fantasy television series
American children's animated musical television series
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program winners
English-language television shows
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Fox Kids
Kids' WB original shows
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes television series
Self-reflexive television
1990s American surreal comedy television series
Television series by Amblin Entertainment
Television series by Warner Bros. Animation
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television series created by Tom Ruegger
Television shows adapted into comics
Television shows adapted into video games
Animated television series about rabbits and hares
Animated television series about teenagers
Metafictional television series