''Looney Tunes Cartoons'' is an American

animated television series An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...

developed by Peter Browngardt and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the characters from ''

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 ...

''. The series made its worldwide debut at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 10, 2019, and premiered on HBO Max on May 27, 2020.

Production

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 was not 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

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, hired him as a character designer. Warner Bros. Animation announced a new series in June 2018, to "consist of 1,000 minutes spread across 1–6 minute shorts each season", be released in 2019 and featuring "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 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 '' ...

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 '' ...

Robert 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 DePa ...

and others. Register and Browngardt serve as executive producers for the series. The characters are designed by Jim Soper, with the model sheets copyright dating back to 2018. 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''. The animation was directed by Joey Capps, who also did animation work on

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swimand often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

's '' Superjail!''. The series brings all of the ''Looney Tunes'' together under one roof, having already reintroduced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety,

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 ...

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 ...

, The Gremlin,

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 ...

, The Gashouse Gorillas, Yosemite Sam, Granny, Doctor Quack, Beaky Buzzard,

Mama Buzzard Beaky Buzzard is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is a young turkey vulture (sometimes called a "buzzard" in the United States) with black body feathers and a white ...

, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote,

Cecil Turtle Cecil Turtle is a fictional character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of films. Though he made only three theatrical appearances, Cecil has the unusual distinction in that he is one of the very few characters w ...

, Sam Sheepdog,

Ralph Wolf Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog are characters in a series of animated cartoons in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons. The characters were created by Chuck Jones. Ralph Wolf has virtually the same character design as a ...

, the Fly, Cicero Pig, Taz,

Gossamer Gossamer most commonly refers to: * Fine spider silk used by spiderlings for Ballooning (spider), ballooning or kiting * Gossamer (fabric), very light, sheer, gauze-like fabric Gossamer may also refer to: Technology * Gossamer Condor, the fi ...

, Dr. Frankenbeans, Witch Hazel, Petunia Pig, the French Horse, Rocky, Mugsy, Clancy Cop, the Russian Dog, the Rich Lady, Foghorn Leghorn,

Barnyard Dawg Barnyard Dawg is a '' Looney Tunes'' character. A feisty anthropomorphic basset hound, he is the archenemy of Foghorn Leghorn. He was created by Robert McKimson, who also created Foghorn, and was voiced by Mel Blanc. Dawg also feuds with othe ...

, The Weasel, Hector the Bulldog, Marvin the Martian, the Dead End Kid, the Judge, Pete Puma, Hubie, Bertie,

Claude Cat Claude Cat is an animated cartoon character in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Brothers. Character biography Claude Cat had his origins in several other cat characters used by animator Chuck Jones ...

, Fred Sheepdog, George Wolf,

Gruesome Gorilla ''Gorilla My Dreams'' is a Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' theatrical animated short directed by Robert McKimson and written by Warren Foster. The short was released on January 3, 1948, and stars Bugs Bunny. The story is a parody of the many jung ...

, Mrs. Gruesome Gorilla,

Charlie Dog Charlie Dog (also known as Rover, Charlie, and sometimes Charles the Dog) is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers ''Looney Tunes'' series of cartoons. The character was featured in nine cartoons between 1941 and 1958. Development ...

, and the Instant Martians as more original characters have been confirmed to appear along the way. The animation for the series was outsourced to different studios, including Yowza! Animation,

Yearim Productions Yearim Productions Co., Ltd., ( ko, (주)예림프로덕션) founded in 1991, is a full service 2D (including digital animation) Korean animation studio located in Seoul, South Korea with a satellite office in Los Angeles. Shows Films *''T ...

, Snipple Animation and Tonic DNA. A trailer for the series was released on April 21, 2020. The short ''Pest Coaster'' was released on May 5 on the WB Kids YouTube channel as a sneak preview ahead of the release date. Producers included copious amounts 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 ...

and Acme Corporation weaponry, but excluded any depictions of

firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

in the first season; Elmer Fudd, for example, used different non-firearm weapons (e.i. a scythe or an axe) to hunt Bugs Bunny instead of his shotgun. With the release of '' Space Jam: A New Legacy'', the restriction was removed. Browngardt confirmed production had resumed on more episodes in 2020. Five new segments were released under the umbrella title ''Bugs Bunny's 24-Carrot Holiday Special'' on December 3, 2020. Jim Soper stated in May 2021 that the series had wrapped up its first 1000 minutes worth of content, with the remaining episodes to be released on HBO Max at later dates. On July 9, 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that there will be a ''Looney Tunes'' themed panel at San Diego Comic-Con called ''Looney Tunes for Everyone'', which had the crew from ''Looney Tunes Cartoons'' and the two upcoming shows, including supervising producer Alex Kirwan and voice actor Eric Bauza. The panel commenced at 10 am on July 22. On July 22, 2022, it was announced that a Halloween special titled ''Bugs Bunny’s Howl-O-Skreem Spooktacula'' and a new season will be released. The special was released on September 29, 2022. On November 22, 2022, Browngardt announced that the production was finally finished, with 209 shorts produced.

Voice cast

* Eric Bauza as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck,

(''The Day the Earth Blew Up''), Tweety,

Pepé Le Pew Pepé Le Pew is an animated character from the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons, introduced in 1945. Depicted as a French striped skunk, Pepé is constantly on the quest for love. However, his offensive ...

, Marvin the Martian,

, Henery Hawk, The Weasel, The Do-Do, Doctor Quack, and The French Horse * Bob Bergen as Porky Pig, Cicero Pig, The Gremlin, and The Dead End Kid * Jeff Bergman as

, Foghorn Leghorn, and

* Paul Julian as Road Runner (archival recording) * Fred Tatasciore as Yosemite Sam, Taz,

, Sam Sheepdog, Mugsy,

, Mrs. Gruesome Gorilla, The Judge, The Mummy, and The Grim Reaper * Candi Milo as Granny and Witch Hazel * Michael Ruocco as Beaky Buzzard * Keith Ferguson as

* Lara Jill Miller as Petunia Pig * Stephen Stanton as Pete Puma * Sean Kenin as Hubie and Bertie * James Adomian as Rocky *

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

as The Gashouse Gorillas * Rachel Butera as

* Carlos Alazraqui as Clancy Cop and The Leprechaun * Tom Kenny as Mad Scientist and Alabaster "Kookoo" Kirwan * James Arnold Taylor as Russian Dog * Kari Wahlgren as Rich Lady, Bear * Steve Blum as Goon and Proctor * Corey Burton as Norm Macabre *

Roger Craig Smith Roger Craig Smith (born 11 August 1975) is an American voice actor. He is well known for his video game voice roles as Chris Redfield in the ''Resident Evil'' series (2009–2017), Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series ( ...

as Dunk Ellington * John DiMaggio as Pilgrim * Jennifer Hale as Additional Voices Several archival recordings of Paul Julian as Road Runner and

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 ...

are used for numerous characters, such as the tiny Daffys in "Bubble Dum". Wile E. Coyote appears, but does not talk. Other characters that are confirmed to appear are Marc Antony and Pussyfoot,

The Three Bears "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" (originally titled "The Story of the Three Bears") is a 19th-century English fairy tale of which three versions exist. The original version of the tale tells of an obscene old woman who enters the forest home ...

, and Ralph Phillips.

Shorts

Home media

Ten episodes of the show (all centering around Bugs) were released as bonus features for the ''

Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection ''Looney Tunes: Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection'' is a Blu-ray Disc box-set released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on December 1, 2020. It contains 60 Bugs Bunny shorts and numerous bonus features and supplementary content. The set's ...

'' Blu-ray set on December 1, 2020. The first three seasons became available to iTunes on August 29, 2021.

Release

Following its Annecy premiere, the series' first 10 episodes was released on HBO Max on May 27, 2020, with the next 20 episodes releasing through April 29, 2021. The series also premiered 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 ...

on July 5, 2021, to promote '' Space Jam: A New Legacy''. On April Fools Day, ACME Night aired a marathon of selected shorts with segments of Bugs Bunny pulling pranks on illusionist Kevin Parry.

International broadcast

In Canada, the series premiered on Teletoon on October 11, 2020. In Australia and New Zealand, the series premiered on

on April 23, 2021. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the series premiered on Boomerang on June 7, 2021. In Japan, the series premiered on

on August 15, 2021.

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". 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 25 reviews, with an average rating of 8.00/10. The critics' consensus reads: "A vibrantly goofy return to form, ''Looney Tunes Cartoons'' is perfectly calibrated cartoon comedy". Metacritic gave the series a weighted score of 71 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Accolades

Feature film

A television film based on the series named "The Day the Earth Blew Up" is currently in development and is set to be written by ''Tom & Jerrys 2021 movie writer Kevin Costello, centering on Daffy Duck and Porky Pig trying to stop an alien invasion. The film is set to air on

's ''ACME Night'' programming block. It was set to be released on HBO Max, however, on August 22, 2022, it was announced the film will not be moving forward on HBO Max and will be shopped elsewhere.

References

External links

*
''Looney Tunes Cartoons''
on HBO Max {{Portal bar, Cartoon, Animation, Comedy, Television, United States 2020s American animated television series 2020s American children's comedy television series 2020s American surreal comedy television series 2020 American television series debuts American children's animated comedy television series Animated television series reboots Slapstick comedy Television shows adapted into films Looney Tunes television series Bugs Bunny Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner English-language television shows HBO Max original programming Cartoon Network original programming Animated television series about rabbits and hares Animated television series about ducks Animated television series about pigs Animated television series about cats Animated television series about birds Television shows set in the United States Television series impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Television series created by Peter Browngardt Television series by Warner Bros. Animation Annie Award winners Children's and Family Emmy Award winners