Hanna–Barbera
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American
animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animation, animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales ...
and
production company A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...
, which was active from 1957 until its absorption into
Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...
in 2001. Founded on July 7, 1957 by ''
Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...
'' creators and former MGM Cartoons employees
William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, voice actor, and musician who is best known for co-creating ''Tom and Jerry'' and providing the vocal effects for the series' title characters. Alongside Joseph B ...
and
Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian Americans, Italian immigrants in New York City, Bar ...
along with
George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and '' Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive back ...
, it was headquartered in Los Angeles at the Kling Studios from 1957 to 1960, then on Cahuenga Boulevard from 1960 to 1998, and subsequently at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Sherman Oaks from 1998 to 2001. Notable among the cartoons that the company produced include ''
The Huckleberry Hound Show ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the second series produced by the studio following '' The Ruff and Reddy Show''. The show first aired in syndication on Septembe ...
'', the incarnations, feature films and other media of ''
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...
'', '' Yogi Bear'' and ''
Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', for Hanna-Barbera (which wa ...
'' and ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
''. With these productions, Hanna-Barbera may have usurped
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
as the most successful animation studio in the world, with its characters becoming ubiquitous across different types of media and myriad consumer products. By the 1980s, however, the company's fortunes were in decline, as the profitability of
Saturday-morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...
s was eclipsed by weekday afternoon syndication.
Taft Broadcasting Taft Broadcasting Company (also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated) was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was rooted in the Taft family, family of William Howard Taft, the 27th President ...
acquired Hanna-Barbera in 1966 and retained ownership until 1991. It was in this year when
Turner Broadcasting System Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. was an American television and media conglomerate founded by Ted Turner in 1965. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (later WarnerMedia) on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its asse ...
acquired the company, using the back catalog to establish
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
the following year. By the time Hanna died in 2001, Hanna-Barbera as a standalone company and studio were absorbed into
Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...
in the same year; however, the brand is still active, and it is used for copyright, marketing and branding purposes for former properties now produced by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...


History


''Tom and Jerry'' and birth of a company (1938–1957)

William Denby "Bill" Hanna and Joseph Roland "Joe" Barbera met at the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
(MGM) studio in 1938, while working at its animation unit. Having worked at other studios since the early 1930s, they solidified a six-decade working partnership. ''
Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...
'' came about in 1941, but the title characters originally debuted in '' Puss Gets the Boot'', the team's first collaborative success, in 1940. The series centered on the madcap comical adventures of a cat and a mouse. Hanna supervised the animation, while Barbera did the stories and pre-production. Seven of the 114 cartoons won seven Oscars for "Best Short Subject (Cartoons)" between 1943 and 1953, and five additional shorts were nominated for twelve awards during this period. However, they were awarded to producer Fred Quimby, who was not involved in the development of the shorts. Sequences for '' Anchors Aweigh'', '' Dangerous When Wet'' and '' Invitation to the Dance'' and shorts ''Swing Social'', '' Gallopin' Gals'', ''The Goose Goes South'', '' Officer Pooch'', '' War Dogs'' and '' Good Will to Men'' were also made. With Quimby's retirement in May 1955, Hanna and Barbera became the producers in charge of the MGM animation studio's output. In addition to continuing to write and direct new ''Tom & Jerry'' shorts, now in
CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic format, anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its cr ...
, Hanna and Barbera supervised the last seven shorts of
Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (; February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of America ...
's ''
Droopy Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer c ...
'' series and produced and directed the short-lived '' Spike and Tyke'', which ran for two entries. In addition to their work on the cartoons, the two men moonlighted on outside projects, including title sequences and commercials for ''
I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...
''. MGM decided in mid-1957 to close its cartoon studio, as it felt it had acquired a reasonable backlog of shorts for re-release. While contemplating their future, Hanna and Barbera began producing additional animated television commercials. During their last year at MGM, they had developed a concept for a new animated television program about a cat and a dog. After failing to convince the studio to back their venture,
George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and '' Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive back ...
, who had worked with Hanna and Barbera on several of his movies for MGM, offered to serve as their business partner and convinced
Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American film production company owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. ''Screen Gems'' has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the de ...
to make a deal with the producers. A coin toss gave Hanna precedence in naming the new studio.
Harry Cohn Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891 – February 27, 1958) was a co-founder, president, and production director of Columbia Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation. Life and career Cohn was born to a working-class Jewish family in New York City. His fath ...
, president and head of Columbia Pictures, took an 18% ownership in H-B Enterprises, and provided working capital. Screen Gems became the new distributor and its licensing agent, handling merchandizing of the characters from the animated programs as the cartoon firm officially opened for business in rented offices on the lot of Kling Studios (formerly
Charlie Chaplin Studios The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, t ...
) on July 7, 1957, one year after the MGM animation studio closed. Sidney and several Screen Gems alumni became members of the studio's board of directors and much of the former MGM animation staff—including animators Carlo Vinci, Kenneth Muse, Lewis Marshall, Michael Lah and Ed Barge and layout artists Ed Benedict and Richard Bickenbach—became the new production staff while
Hoyt Curtin Hoyt Stoddard Curtin (September 9, 1922 – December 3, 2000) was an American composer, music producer and the primary musical director for Hanna-Barbera from its beginnings with '' The Ruff & Reddy Show'' from 1957 to 1965, and again from 1972 to ...
was in charge of providing the music.


Success with animated series (1957–1969)

'' The Ruff and Reddy Show'', the company's first television series, premiered on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
on December 14, 1957, then ''
The Huckleberry Hound Show ''The Huckleberry Hound Show'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, and the second series produced by the studio following '' The Ruff and Reddy Show''. The show first aired in syndication on Septembe ...
'' debuted one year later, in 1958, airing in most markets, and was also the first cartoon to win an
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
. Several animation alumni joined – in particular former Warner Bros. Cartoons storymen
Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American screenwriter and storyboard artist for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director ...
and
Warren Foster Warren Foster (October 24, 1904 – December 13, 1971) was an American writer, cartoonist and composer. He was best known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons, contributing prominently (mostly stories) towards the Looney Tunes, ''Looney ...
as head writers,
Joe Ruby Joseph Clemens Ruby (March 30, 1933 – August 26, 2020) was an American animator, writer, television producer, and music editor. He was best known as a co-creator of the animated ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise, together with Ken Spears. In 1977, they ...
and
Ken Spears Charles Kenneth Spears (March 12, 1938 – November 6, 2020) was an American animator, writer, television producer and sound editor. He was best known as a co-creator of the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise, together with Joe Ruby. In 1977, they co-foun ...
as film editors and
Iwao Takamoto Iwao Takamoto (April 29, 1925 – January 8, 2007) was a Japanese-American animator, character designer, television producer, and film director. He began his career as a production and character designer for Walt Disney Animation Studios films ...
as character designer. After reincorporating as Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., '' The Quick Draw McGraw Show'' and the theatrical cartoon short series '' Loopy De Loop'' followed in 1959.
Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
laid off several of its animators after ''
Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...
'' (1959) bombed on the box-office during its initial theatrical run, with many of them moving to Hanna-Barbera shortly afterwards. In August 1960, it moved into a window-less, cinder block building at 3501 Cahuenga Boulevard West. Though too small to house the staff, some of its employees worked at home. ''
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...
'' premiered on ABC on September 30, 1960, becoming so the first animated series airing in prime time. It is loosely based on ''
The Honeymooners ''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It f ...
'' and is set in a fictionalized Stone Age of cavemen and dinosaurs.
Jackie Gleason Herbert John Gleason (born Herbert Walton Gleason Jr.; February 26, 1916June 24, 1987), known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, and composer also known as "The Great One". He developed a style and characters from growin ...
considered suing Hanna-Barbera for
copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of Copyright#Scope, works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the c ...
, but decided not to because he did not want to be known as "the man who yanked
Fred Flintstone Fred Flintstone is the main character of the animated sitcom '' The Flintstones'', which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960 to 1966. Fred is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintst ...
off the air". For six seasons, it became the longest-running animated show in American prime time at the time (until ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' beat it in 1997), a ratings and merchandising success and the top-ranking animated program in syndication history. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, but its reputation eventually improved and it is now considered a classic. '' The Yogi Bear Show'', ''
Top Cat ''Top Cat'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and originally broadcast in prime time on the ABC network. It aired in a weekly evening time slot from September 27, 1961, to April 18, 1962, for a single season ...
'', '' The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series'' (consisting of '' Wally Gator'', '' Touché Turtle and Dum Dum'', and '' Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har'') and '' The Jetsons'' soon followed in 1961 and 1962. Several animated television commercials were produced as well, often starring their own characters (including the Pebbles cereal commercials for Post) and the opening credits for '' Bewitched'', in which animated caricatures of Samantha and Darrin appeared. These characterizations were reused in ''The Flintstones sixth season episode "Samantha". In 1963, Hanna-Barbera's operations moved to 3400 Cahuenga Boulevard West in
Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills is a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It borders Studio City, Universal City and Burbank on the north, Griffith Park on the north and east, Los Feliz on the southeast, Hollyw ...
/ Studio City. This contemporary office building was designed by architect Arthur Froehlich. Its ultra-modern design included a sculpted latticework exterior, moat, fountains, and a ''Jetsons''-like tower. '' The Magilla Gorilla Show'', '' Jonny Quest'', '' The Peter Potamus Show'', '' Atom Ant'' and '' Secret Squirrel'' followed in 1964 and 1965. The partnership with Screen Gems would last until 1965 when Hanna and Barbera announced the sale of their studio to
Taft Broadcasting Taft Broadcasting Company (also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated) was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was rooted in the Taft family, family of William Howard Taft, the 27th President ...
.Rogers, Lawrence H. (2000).
History of U. S. Television: A Personal Reminiscence
'. Bloomington. IN. USA: AuthorHouse. pg. 444-447
Taft's acquisition of Hanna-Barbera was delayed for a year by a lawsuit from Cohn's family, wife Joan Perry and sons John and Harrison Cohn, who felt the studio undervalued the Cohns' 18% share in when it was sold a few years previously.Shostak, Stu (November 3, 2011).
Interview with Jerry Eisenberg, Scott Shaw!, and Earl Kress
. ''Stu's Show''. Retrieved March 18, 2013. Jerry Eisenberg, Scott Shaw!, and Earl Kress were all former employees of Hanna-Barbera over the years, and relate the history of the studio to host Stu Shostak
In 1966, ''
Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles ''Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It premiered on September 10, 1966 on CBS, and ran on Saturday mornings. Characters and overview The program contained tw ...
'' and '' Space Ghost'' debuted, and by December of that year the litigation had been settled, Taft finally acquired Hanna-Barbera for $12 million and folded the studio into its corporate structure in 1967 and 1968, becoming its distributor. Hanna and Barbera stayed on while Screen Gems retained licensing and distribution rights to their previous produced cartoons and trademarks to the characters into the 1970s and 1980s. '' Shazzan'', ''
The Banana Splits ''The Banana Splits'' is an American children's television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red helmets with ...
'', ''
Wacky Races ''Wacky Races'' is a media franchise containing five animated series, several video games, and a comic book, with most centered on the theme of various Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters primarily engaged in auto racing (although occasionally employ ...
'', and its spin-offs (''
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines ''Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines'' (or simply ''Dastardly and Muttley'' in the UK and Ireland) is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, and a spin-off of ''Wacky Races (1968 ...
'' and '' The Perils of Penelope Pitstop'') and '' Cattanooga Cats'' followed from 1967 to 1969. The studio's record and music label, Hanna-Barbera Records, was headed by
Danny Hutton Daniel Anthony Hutton (born September 10, 1942) is an Irish-American singer, best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the band Three Dog Night. Hutton was a songwriter and singer for Hanna-Barbera Records from 1965 to 1966. Hutton had a ...
and distributed by Columbia. Children's records featuring its characters were released by Colpix. Hanna-Barbera teamed up with the National Catholic Office for Radio and Television to produce 26 half-hour animated films in 1970, which never materialized.


Mysteries, spin-offs, and more (1969–1979)

''
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera for CBS. The series premiered as part of the network's Saturday morning cartoon schedule on Septem ...
'' debuted on CBS on September 13, 1969; it is a mystery-based program which blended comedy, action, and elements from '' I Love a Mystery'' and '' The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis''.Shostak, Stu (February 5, 2012).
Interview with Joe Ruby and Ken Spears
. ''Stu's Show.'' Retrieved March 18, 2013.
For two seasons, it centered on four teenagers and a dog solving supernatural mysteries, and became one of Hanna-Barbera's most successful creations, spawning several new spin-offs, such as '' The New Scooby-Doo Movies'', '' Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo'' and many others, which were regularly in production at Hanna-Barbera into the 1990s. Referred to as "The
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
of animation", Hanna-Barbera produced nearly two-thirds of all
Saturday-morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...
s in a single year. '' Josie and the Pussycats'', '' The Funky Phantom'', ''
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan ''The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''The Amazing Chan Clan'') is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, animated by Eric Porter Studios in Australia and broadcast on CBS from ...
'', '' Speed Buggy'', '' Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids'', '' Goober and the Ghost Chasers'', '' Inch High, Private Eye'', '' Clue Club'', '' Jabberjaw'', ''
Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels ''Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels'' is an American animated mystery comedy series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for ABC. The series aired during the network's Saturday morning schedule from ...
'' and '' The New Shmoo'' built upon the mystery-solving template set by ''Scooby-Doo'', with further shows built around teenagers solving mysteries with a comic relief pet of some sort. Starting in 1971, many new spin-offs, such as ''
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show ''The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired for one season on CBS Saturday morning from September 11, 1971, to January 1, 1972. With an ensemble voice ...
'', featuring Fred and Barney's now teenaged children along with '' The Flintstone Comedy Hour'', '' The Tom and Jerry Show'', '' The New Fred and Barney Show'' and "all-star" shows '' Yogi's Gang'', ''
Laff-A-Lympics ''Laff-A-Lympics'' is an American animated comedy television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series premiered as part of the Saturday-morning cartoon program block '' Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'', which consists of 24 e ...
'', '' Yogi's Space Race'' and ''
Galaxy Goof-Ups ''Galaxy Goof-Ups'' (also known as ''Yogi's Galaxy Goofs-Ups'') is a 30-minute American Saturday-morning cartoon, animated television series, a spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Yogi's Space Race'' and the fourth incarnation of the ''The Yogi Bear S ...
'' came to the airwaves. Hanna-Barbera teamed up with Avco Broadcasting Corporation in 1971, a company that was once a rival to its owner Taft at that time, who maintains rivalry in the Columbus and
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
markets, to produce two holiday specials for the syndicated market by way of its syndicated division. In 1972, H-B opened an animation studio in Australia, with the Hamlyn Group acquiring a 50% stake in 1974. Hamlyn was acquired by James Hardie Industries. Hanna-Barbera Australia bought itself out from Hardie and Taft in 1988, changing its name to Southern Star Group, since becoming Endemol Shine Australia, a division of
Banijay Entertainment Banijay Entertainment S.A. (formerly Banijay Group and later Banijay) is a French multinational television production and distribution company which is the world's largest international content producer and distributor with over 130 production co ...
. '' Super Friends'', an action-adventure show adapted from
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
' ''
Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...
'' and the first of many iterations of the '' Super Friends'' series, premiered on ABC on September 8, 1973. It returned to production in 1976, remaining on ABC through 1985 with '' The All-New Super Friends Hour'', '' Challenge of the Superfriends'' and '' The World's Greatest Super Friends''. While '' Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!'', '' Sealab 2020'', '' Wait Till Your Father Gets Home'' and '' Hong Kong Phooey'' aired, ''
Charlotte's Web ''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. It tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his frie ...
'', an adaptation of the novel of the same name, was released on March 1, 1973 by
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
, to moderate critical and commercial success, and was the first of only four Hanna-Barbera films not to be based upon one of their famous television cartoons (the other three being '' C.H.O.M.P.S.'', '' Heidi's Song'' and '' Once Upon a Forest''). With the majority of American television animation during the second half of the 20th century made by Hanna-Barbera and more cartoons like '' CB Bears'', '' Buford and the Galloping Ghost'', '' The All New Popeye Hour'', ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' and '' Casper and the Angels'', major competition was coming from Filmation and DePatie–Freleng. Then-ABC president
Fred Silverman Fred Silverman (September 13, 1937 – January 30, 2020) was an American television executive and producer. He worked as an executive at all of the Big Three television networks, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as '' ...
gave its Saturday-morning time to them after dropping Filmation for its failure of '' Uncle Croc's Block''. New live-action material was produced, as well as new live-action/animated combos since the mid-1960s. In 1975, former MGM executive Herbert F. Solow joined the company to start a live-action unit, Hanna-Barbera Television, to produce prime time programming, which later spun off and became Solow Production Company in 1976.Shostak, Stu (12-20-2006).
Interview with Mark Evanier
. ''Stu's Show.'' Retrieved June 17, 2014.
Along with the animation industry in the U.S., it moved away from producing in-house in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While '' The Great Grape Ape Show'' and '' The Mumbly Cartoon Show'' aired, Ruby and Spears worked with Hanna-Barbera in 1976 and 1977 as ABC network executives to create and develop new cartoons before leaving in 1977 to start their company, Ruby-Spears Enterprises, with
Filmways Filmways, Inc. (also known as Filmways Pictures and Filmways Television) was a television and film production company founded by American film executive Martin Ransohoff and Edwin Kasper in 1952. It is probably best remembered as the production c ...
as its parent division. In 1979, Taft bought Worldvision Enterprises, which became Hanna-Barbera's new distributor.


Control decrease and ''Smurfs''-era (1980–1991)

'' Super Friends'', '' The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang'', '' Richie Rich'', ''
The Flintstone Comedy Show ''The Flintstone Comedy Show'' is an American Saturday-morning cartoon, animated television series revival and spin-off (media), spin-off of ''The Flintstones'' produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired on NBC from November 22, 1980, to October 24, ...
'', ''
Space Stars ''Space Stars'' is a 60-minute Saturday morning animated program block produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and broadcast on NBC from September 12, 1981, to January 8, 1982. ''Space Stars'' was narrated by Keene Curtis and featured five c ...
'', ''
The Kwicky Koala Show ''The Kwicky Koala Show'' is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Hanna Barbera Pty, Ltd. that aired on Saturday-mornings on CBS from September 12 to December 26, 1981. The show is notable for being among car ...
'', '' Trollkins'' and '' Laverne and Shirley in the Army'' debuted in 1980 and 1981, while Taft purchased Ruby-Spears from Filmways (which was eventually absorbed into
Orion Pictures Orion Releasing, LLC (Trade name, doing business as Orion Pictures) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon (company), Amazon. It was founded in 1978 as Ori ...
the following year), making it a sister company to Hanna-Barbera and as a result, several early-1980s series were shared between both companies.Shostak, Stu (01-16-2013).
''Program 305'' (TV animation producers JOE RUBY and KEN SPEARS return to discuss the formation of their own company and creating such series as "Fangface", "Rickety Rocket", "Goldie Gold" and many others. Also - animation writer MARK EVANIER talks about working on "Thundarr" and "Plastic Man" for the team.)
. ''Stu's Show''. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
While Filmation, Sunbow Productions,
Marvel Productions Marvel Productions Ltd., later known as New World Animation, was an American production company owned by the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of News Corporation which was founded in 1981 as the television and film studio subsidiary of the Mar ...
, Rankin/Bass, DIC,
Saban Entertainment BVS Entertainment, Inc., previously known as Saban Productions, Saban Entertainment and Saban International, is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. Founded on April 24, 1980, as a music production company by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, it ...
and other Hollywood animation studios introduced successful animated series syndicated, including some based on licensed properties, Hanna-Barbera fell behind, as it no longer dominated the TV animation market as it did years earlier and lost control over children's programming, going down from 80% to 20%. ''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...
'', adapted from the Belgian comic by
Peyo Pierre Culliford (; 25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo (). His best-known works are the comic book series ''The Smurfs'' and '' Johan and Peewit'', in the latter of ...
and centering on a group of tiny blue creatures led by Papa Smurf, debuted on NBC on September 12, 1981, and ran for nine seasons until December 2, 1989, becoming so the longest-running
Saturday-morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...
series in broadcast history, a significant ratings success, the top-rated program in eight years and the highest for an NBC show since 1970. '' The Gary Coleman Show'', '' Shirt Tales'', ''
Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...
'', ''
The Little Rascals ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...
'', '' The Dukes'', '' Monchhichis'' and '' The Biskitts'' followed in 1982 and 1983. Following a 1982 strike, more cartoons were outsourced to Cuckoo's Nest Studios, Mr. Big Cartoons,
Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch'', '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'', '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
and Fil-Cartoons in Australia and Asia, which provided production services to the studio from 1982 to the end of its existence. '' Challenge of the GoBots'', '' Pink Panther and Sons'', '' Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'', '' Snorks'', '' The New Scooby & Scrappy-Doo Show, The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries'', '' The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible'', '' Yogi's Treasure Hunt'', '' Galtar and the Golden Lance'', '' Paw Paws'', '' The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians'' and '' The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo'' debuted in 1984 and 1985. '' Pound Puppies'', '' The Flintstone Kids'', '' Foofur'', ''
Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...
'', '' Sky Commanders'' and '' Popeye and Son'' arrived in 1986 and 1987. After its financial troubles affected Hanna-Barbera, the American Financial Corporation acquired Taft in 1987 and renamed it Great American Broadcasting. ''
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 companions as ...
'', ''
The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley ''The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring Martin Short's fictional character Ed Grimley (with Short reprising his role as Grimley). The sh ...
'', '' Fantastic Max'', '' The Further Adventures of SuperTed'' and ''
Paddington Bear Paddington Bear (though his name is just Paddington; the "Bear" simply serves to confirm his species; and also known as Paddington Brown for some sources) is a fictional character in British children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October ...
'' followed in 1988 and 1989. Hanna-Barbera Poland, a Polish branch of the company, opened up and dealt with the promotion and distribution of the studio's animated content and is most well known for releasing VHS tapes with Polish music distributor P.P. Polskie Nagrania, which mostly consisted of numbered compilation releases of Hanna-Barbera shows on one tape. This would last until 1993, when the company separated and reincorporated itself as Curtis Art Productions. Great American sold Worldvision to Aaron Spelling Productions, while Hanna-Barbera and its library remained with them. Hanna-Barbera split off from Worldvision Home Video in early 1989 to start out its own home video division, Hanna-Barbera Home Video. In January 1989, while working on ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'',
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 '' H ...
got a call from
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
to resurrect its animation department. Ruegger, along with several of his colleagues, left Hanna-Barbera at that time to develop ''
Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It originally aired from September 14, 1990 to December 6, 1992, airing in syndication before eventually settling a ...
'' at Warner Bros. David Kirschner, known for ''
An American Tail ''An American Tail'' is a 1986 American animated musical adventure comedy-drama film directed by Don Bluth and written by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss from a story by David Kirschner, Freudberg and Geiss. The film stars the voices of Phi ...
'' and '' Child's Play'', was later appointed as the studio's new CEO. Later that year, the company had a licensing agreement with MicroIllusions, a video game publisher, to produce video games based on its properties, namely ''Jonny Quest'' and others. In 1990, while Kirschner and the company formed Bedrock Productions and Great American putting Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears up for sale, '' Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone'', '' Rick Moranis in Gravedale High'', '' Tom & Jerry Kids'', '' Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures'', ''
The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'' and ''
Wake, Rattle, and Roll ''Wake, Rattle, and Roll'' (retitled ''Jump, Rattle, and Roll'' when it aired on The Disney Channel on weekday afternoons in 1991''The Disney Channel Magazine'', Vol. 9, no. 5, September/October 1991: pp. 20, 36, 45.) is an American live-action/ ...
'' debuted that year. ''
The Pirates of Dark Water ''The Pirates of Dark Water'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by David Kirschner and produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series premiered as a five-part miniseries on Fox Kids early 1991, simply entitled ''Dark Water''. The ...
'', '' Yo Yogi!'' and '' Young Robin Hood'' would follow in 1991.


Acquisition by Turner Broadcasting System and absorption into Warner Bros. Animation (1991–2001)

Turner Broadcasting System Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. was an American television and media conglomerate founded by Ted Turner in 1965. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (later WarnerMedia) on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its asse ...
outbid MCA (then-parent company of
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
),
Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a Privately held company, privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of greeting cards in the United ...
and other major companies in acquiring Hanna-Barbera while also purchasing Ruby-Spears as well. The two companies were acquired in a 50-50 joint venture between Turner Broadcasting System and Apollo Investment Fund for $320 million. Turner purchased these assets to launch a then-new all-animation network aimed at children and younger audiences. Scott Sassa hired
Fred Seibert Frederick G. Seibert is an American television producer and media proprietor. Seibert began his professional career as a jazz and blues record producer and audio engineer in the 1970s. He co-founded the record label Oblivion Records by 1972 an ...
to head Hanna-Barbera, who filled the gap left by Great American's crew with new animators, directors, producers and writers, including
Craig McCracken Craig McCracken (born March 31, 1971) is an American cartoonist, animator, director, writer, and producer known for creating Cartoon Network's ''The Powerpuff Girls'' and ''Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends'', Disney Channel and Disney XD's ''W ...
, Donovan Cook,
Genndy Tartakovsky Gennady Borisovich "Genndy" Tartakovsky (; born January 17, 1970) is a Soviet-born American animation, animator, screenwriter, film producer, and film director, director. He is best known as the creator of various animated television series on ...
, David Feiss,
Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orvill ...
, Van Partible and Butch Hartman. After being newly named as H-B Production Co., '' Capitol Critters'' and '' Fish Police'' followed in 1992.
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
launched on October 1 of that year, and became the first 24-hour all-animation channel to air its library of cartoon classics, of which Hanna-Barbera was the core contributor. In 1993, the company again renamed itself to Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. (though the Hanna-Barbera Productions name was still used in regards to the pre-1992 properties) and, while Turner acquired its remaining interests from Apollo Investment Fund for $255 million, '' 2 Stupid Dogs'', '' Droopy, Master Detective'', '' The New Adventures of Captain Planet'' and '' SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron'' debuted that year. Turner refocused the studio to produce new shows exclusively for its networks. In 1995, while Bruce Johnson would leave the company, '' Dumb and Dumber'' debuted, while Seibert launched '' What a Cartoon!'' for Cartoon Network. During 1996, '' Dexter's Laboratory'', '' The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'' and ''
Cave Kids ''Cave Kids'' (also known as ''Cave Kids Adventures'' or ''Cave Kids: Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm'') is an American animated preschool television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and a spin-off of ''The Flintstones''. The show was syndicated ...
'' debuted, while Turner merged with
Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warne ...
(now
Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (WBD) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Outline of entertainment, entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It was formed from WarnerMedi ...
). While '' Johnny Bravo'' and '' Cow and Chicken'' aired, the Hanna-Barbera studio faced demolition after many of its staff vacated the facilities in 1997, despite the efforts of preserving it. In 1998, following '' The Powerpuff Girls'', Hanna-Barbera moved from Cahuenga Blvd. to Sherman Oaks Galleria in
Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks (founded in 1927) is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles, California within the San Fernando Valley region. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density ...
, where Warner Bros. Animation was located. '' I Am Weasel'' would be its final show in 1999. After the company's absorption into Warner Bros. Animation, Hanna died of throat cancer on March 22, 2001, at the age of 90 years old.


Aftermath and Barbera's final years (2001–2006)

While
Cartoon Network Studios Cartoon Network Studios Inc. (abbreviated as CNS or CN Studios) is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the producti ...
took over production of programming, the Los Angeles City Council approved a plan to preserve the Cahuenga Blvd. headquarters in May 2004, while allowing retail and residential development on the site. Barbera died of natural causes on December 18, 2006, at the age of 95. Warner Bros. Animation continues to produce new productions based on the Hanna-Barbera properties since then. Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, Cartoon Network Studios Europe was renamed Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe paying tribute to the company in April 2021.


Production


Production process changes

The small budgets that television animation producers had to work within prevented Hanna-Barbera from working with the full theatrical-quality animation that Hanna and Barbera had been known for at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. While the budget for MGM's seven-minute ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts was about $35,000, the Hanna-Barbera studios were required to produce five-minute ''Ruff and Reddy'' episodes for no more than $3,000 apiece.Hanna, William and Ito, Tom (1999). ''A Cast of Friends''. New York: Da Capo Press. 0306-80917-6. Pg. 81–83 To keep within these tighter budgets, Hanna-Barbera furthered the concept of limited animation (also called "planned animation") practiced and popularized by the United Productions of America (UPA) studio, which also once had a partnership with Columbia Pictures. Character designs were simplified, and backgrounds and animation cycles (walks, runs, etc.) were regularly re-purposed. Characters were often broken up into a handful of levels so that only the parts of the body that needed to be moved at a given time (i.e. a mouth, an arm, a head) were animated. The rest of the figure remained on a held animation cel. This allowed a typical seven-minute short to be done with only nearly 2,000 drawings instead of the usual 14,000. Dialogue, music, and sound effects were emphasized over action, leading Chuck Jones—a contemporary who worked for Warner Bros. Cartoons and whose short ''The Dover Boys'' practically invented many of the concepts in limited animation — to disparagingly refer to the limited television cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera and others as "illustrated radio". In a story published by ''The Saturday Evening Post'' in 1961, critics stated that Hanna-Barbera was taking on more work than it could handle and was resorting to shortcuts only a television audience would tolerate. An executive who worked for Walt Disney Productions said, "We don't even consider [them] competition".(December 2, 1961)
TV'S Most Unexpected Hit – ''The Flintstones''
" ''The Saturday Evening Post''
Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman argues that Hanna-Barbera attempted to maximize their Net income, bottom line by recycling story formulas and characterization instead of introducing new ones. Once a formula for an original series was deemed successful, the studio reused it in subsequent series. Besides copying their own works, Hanna-Barbera drew inspiration from the works of other people and studios. Lehman considers that the studio served as the main example of how animation studios that focused on TV animation differed from those that focused on theatrical animation. Theatrical animation studios tried to maintain full and fluid animation and consequently struggled with the rising expenses associated with producing it. Limited animation as practiced by Hanna-Barbera kept production costs at a minimum. The cost in quality of using this technique was that Hanna-Barbera's characters only moved when necessary. Its solution to the criticism over its quality was to go into films. It produced six theatrical feature films, among them are higher-quality versions of its television cartoons and adaptations of other material. It was also one of the first animation studios to have their work produced overseas. One of these companies was a subsidiary began by Hanna-Barbera in November 1987 called Fil-Cartoons in the Philippines, with Jerry Smith as a consultant for the subsidiary. Wang Film Productions got its start as an overseas facility for the studio in 1978.


Digital innovation

Hanna-Barbera was among the first animation studios to incorporate digital tools into their pipeline. As early as the 1970s, they experimented with using Scanimate, a video synthesizer, to create an early form of digital cutout animation, cutout style. A clip of artists using the machine to manipulate scanned images of ''Scooby-Doo'' characters, scaling and warping the artwork to simulate animation, is available at the Internet Archive. Likewise, Hanna-Barbera was perhaps the first proponent of digital ink and paint, a process wherein animators' drawings were scanned into computers and colored using software. Led by Marc Levoy, Hanna-Barbera began developing a computerized digital ink and paint system in 1979 to help bypass much of the time-consuming labor of painting and photographing cels. The process was implemented on a third of Hanna-Barbera's animated programs, televised feature films and specials from 1982 through 1996.


Sound effects

Hanna-Barbera was known for its large library of sound effects that modern audiences are now used to, which have been featured in exhibitions at the Norman Rockwell Museum.


Ownership

After Hanna-Barbera's partnership with Screen Gems ended in 1966, it was sold to Taft Broadcasting, where it remained its owner until 1991 when Turner Broadcasting System acquired the company and its library for its flagship network, Cartoon Network. In 1996, Turner merged with Time Warner, then WarnerMedia, now Warner Bros. Discovery.


Filmography


See also

* List of Hanna-Barbera characters * List of films based on Hanna-Barbera cartoons * List of Hanna-Barbera-based video games * Hanna-Barbera in amusement parks * ''List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions#Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection, Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection'' * Boomerang (TV network), Boomerang * Golden age of American animation * Animation in the United States in the television era * Laugh track * List of animation studios owned by Warner Bros. Discovery


References


Bibliography

* * * * * Lawrence, Guy (2006)
Yogi Bear's Nuggets: A Hanna-Barbera 45 Guide
Spectropop.com. *


External links


Hanna-Barbera
at
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
*
The Big Cartoon Database: Hanna-Barbera Studios Directory
* {{authority control Hanna-Barbera, 1957 establishments in California 2001 disestablishments in California 1966 mergers and acquisitions 1987 mergers and acquisitions 1991 mergers and acquisitions 1996 mergers and acquisitions American animation studios American companies disestablished in 2001 American companies established in 1957 Annie Award winners Companies based in Los Angeles Entertainment companies based in California Entertainment companies disestablished in 2001 Entertainment companies established in 1957 Film production companies of the United States Filmmaking duos Mass media companies disestablished in 2001 Mass media companies established in 1957 Taft Broadcasting Turner Broadcasting System Television production companies of the United States Warner Bros. Warner Bros. divisions Warner Bros. Discovery Warner Bros. Discovery brands Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiaries