''Looney Tunes Cartoons'' is an American

animated television series An animated series is a set of 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 have eith ...

developed by

Peter Browngardt Peter Browngardt is an American animator, storyboard artist, voice actor, writer and producer currently working as executive producer and creative director behind ''Looney Tunes Cartoons''. He is perhaps best known for being the creator of Carto ...

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

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American 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 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 1970s to the ...

''. The series made its worldwide debut at the

Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...

on June 10, 2019, and premiered 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 Ne ...

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 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 ...

. Browngardt expressed that he wanted to direct it in the spirit of the classic 1940s cartoons. He then began casting, hiring Eric Bauza, and as an admirer of Jim Soper's art on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, 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 Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...

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, pro ...

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 DeP ...

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 ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies'' is a 2018 American animated superhero comedy film based on the television series '' Teen Titans Go!'', which is based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. This film is directed by Peter Rida ...

''. The animation was directed by Joey Capps, who also did animation work on

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

's ''

Superjail! ''Superjail!'' is an American adult animated television series produced by Williams Street. It follows the events that take place in an unusual prison. The pilot episode aired on television on May 13, 2007, and its first season began on Septembe ...

''. The series brings all of the ''Looney Tunes'' together under one roof, having already reintroduced

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 ''Merr ...

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created for Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Mel ...

Tweety Tweety is a yellow canary in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being an English onomatopoeia for t ...

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 ...

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 star power, and the animators created many criti ...

, 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 panthe ...

, The Gashouse Gorillas,

Yosemite Sam Yosemite Sam ( /joʊˈsɛmɪti/ ''yoh-SEM-ih-tee'') is a cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park. He is an adversary of Bugs ...

, Granny, Doctor Quack,

Beaky 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 w ...

, Mama Buzzard, Road Runner,

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, ...

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 wh ...

, Sam Sheepdog, Ralph Wolf, the Fly, Cicero Pig, Taz,

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

, Dr. Frankenbeans, Witch Hazel,

Petunia Pig Petunia Pig is an animated cartoon character in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. She looks much like her significant other, Porky Pig, except that she wears a dress and has pigtailed black hair. ...

, the French Horse,

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burges ...

, Mugsy, Clancy Cop, the Russian Dog, the Rich Lady,

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 ...

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 other e ...

, The Weasel,

Hector the Bulldog Hector the Bulldog is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. Hector is a muscle-bound bulldog with gray fur (except in ''A Street Cat Named Sylvester'' and '' Greedy for Twee ...

Marvin the Martian Marvin the Martian is an extraterrestrial character from Warner Bros.' '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons. He frequently appears as a villain in cartoons and video games, and wears a helmet and skirt. The character has been voic ...

, 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 fro ...

, Fred Sheepdog, George Wolf, Gruesome Gorilla, 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, 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 and

Acme Corporation The ACME Corporation is a name for the fictional corporation appearing in various Warner Bros. cartoon shorts, where it was used as a running gag due to their wide array of products that are dangerous, unreliable or preposterous. Origin The ...

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 ...

in the first season; Elmer Fudd, for example, used different non-firearm weapons (e.i. a

scythe A scythe ( ) is an agriculture, agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It is historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely ...

or an

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

) 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 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 ...

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 Eric Bauza (born December 7, 1979) is a Canadian-American voice actor and comedian. His most-known roles include Stimpy on '' Ren and Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"'', Foop on '' The Fairly OddParents'' and its reboot '' Fairly Odder'', Thunderbol ...

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

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 ...

Henery Hawk Henery Hawk is an American cartoon character who appears in twelve comedy film shorts produced in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series. His first appearance is in the 1942 theatrical release '' The Squawkin' Hawk'', which was direct ...

, The Weasel, The Do-Do, Doctor Quack, and The French Horse *

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!'', ad ...

as Porky Pig, Cicero Pig, The Gremlin, and The Dead End Kid *

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 rep ...

, and Ralph Wolf * Paul Julian as Road Runner (archival recording) *

Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy in various DC ...

, Taz,

, Sam Sheepdog, Mugsy, Gruesome Gorilla, Mrs. Gruesome Gorilla, The Judge, The Mummy, and The Grim Reaper * Candi Milo as Granny and Witch Hazel * Michael Ruocco as

Keith Ferguson Keith Ferguson may refer to: *Keith Ferguson (voice actor) (born 1972), American voice actor *Keith Ferguson (American football) (born 1959), former American football defensive end *Keith Ferguson (musician) Keith Ferguson (July 23, 1946 – Apr ...

* Lara Jill Miller as

* Stephen Stanton as Pete Puma * Sean Kenin as

Hubie and Bertie Hubie and Bertie are animated cartoon rodent characters in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. Hubie and Bertie represent some of animator Chuck Jones' earliest work that was intended to be funny rather ...

James Adomian James Adomian (born January 31, 1980) is an Armenian-American stand-up comedian, actor, and impressionist. He is best known for his work on ''Comedy Bang! Bang!'', ''Chapo Trap House'', '' Last Comic Standing'', ''The Late Late Show with Craig F ...

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 Mama Buzzard *

Carlos Alazraqui Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Deputy James Garcia on '' Reno 911!'' and for his voice acting roles. His extensive ...

as Clancy Cop and The Leprechaun *

Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in '' ...

Mad Scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly am ...

and Alabaster "Kookoo" Kirwan *

James Arnold Taylor James Arnold Taylor (born July 22, 1969), also known by his initials JAT, is an American voice actor, writer, producer and podcaster. He is known for portraying Ratchet in the '' Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, the main character Tidus in '' Final ...

as Russian Dog *

Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American actress who has provided English-language voices for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as Haruko Haruhara in '' FLCL'', and would later land ma ...

as Rich Lady, Bear *

Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his most well-known roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series '' Cowboy Bebop'', Garazeb Orrelios from the animated series '' ...

as Goon and Proctor *

Corey Burton Corey Gregg Weinberg (born August 3, 1955), known professionally as Corey Burton, is an American voice actor. He is the current voice of Captain Hook, Ludwig Von Drake, Dale and others for The Walt Disney Company, Shockwave on '' The Transformer ...

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 John William DiMaggio (; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on ''Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the ''Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on ''Kim Possible'', H ...

as Pilgrim *

Jennifer Hale Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', '' Mass Effect'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' BioShock Infinite'', '' Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Sta ...

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 r ...

are used for numerous characters, such as the tiny Daffys in "Bubble Dum".

appears, but does not talk. Other characters that are confirmed to appear are

Marc Antony and Pussyfoot Marc Antony and Pussyfoot are animated characters in four Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts. Three cartoons focus on the dog and kitten pair: ''Feed the Kitty'' (1952), '' Kiss Me Cat'' (1953) and ''Cat Feud'' (1958). ...

, The Three Bears, 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, ...

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 Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...

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 A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

on June 7, 2021. In Japan, the series premiered on

on August 15, 2021.

Reception

The first ten shorts debuted at

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 Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

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 Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

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

, 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

{{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