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Warner Bros. Cartoons

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Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAnimation
PredecessorLeon Schlesinger Productions
Founded1933
FounderLeon Schlesinger
Defunct1969
FateClosed; production outsourced to DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (1964–1967); briefly restarted as Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation (1967–1969)
SuccessorWarner Bros. Animation (formed 1980)
Headquarters
Burbank, California
,
United States
Key people
Leon Schlesinger, Edward Selzer, David H. DePatie, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, Tex Avery
ProductsLooney Tunes, Merrie Melodies

Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. served as the internal animation studio for Warner Bros. throughout the Golden Age of American animation. As a significant contributor to the American animation landscape, it was responsible for creating the influential Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies franchises, which introduced legendary figures such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. The studio's artistic direction was shaped by prominent directors and animators including Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, and Tex Avery, whose work greatly influenced both the creative and commercial realms of classic animation.

Established in 1933 by businessman and founder Leon Schlesinger under the name Leon Schlesinger Productions, the studio was purchased by Warner Bros. in 1944 and renamed Warner Bros. Cartoons. It continued operations until 1963, after which production of its main series was outsourced to Freleng's DePatie–Freleng Enterprises from 1964 to 1967. Warner Bros. Cartoons briefly restarted under Warner Bros.-Seven Arts from 1967 until its closure in 1969. The studio’s heritage persisted through the formation of Warner Bros. Animation in 1980, ensuring the company’s ongoing prominence in animation production.

1930–1933: Harman-Ising Productions

The animated series Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were originally created by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising in 1930 and 1931 for Leon Schlesinger at their Harman-Ising Studio located in Hollywood, with distribution handled by Warner Bros. Pictures. Their initial character, Bosko, was positioned as a competitor to Disney’s Mickey Mouse. However, financial disagreements in 1933 prompted Harman and Ising to depart from Schlesinger, taking Bosko with them to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. To meet his contractual obligations with Warner Bros., Schlesinger established a new studio on the Warner lot at Sunset Boulevard, occupying the former Vitaphone building.

1933–1944: Leon Schlesinger Productions

The newly formed Schlesinger studio faced early challenges, continuing to produce Merrie Melodies shorts while introducing a new Looney Tunes protagonist named Buddy. The operation was organized into three primary units led initially by Ben "Bugs" Hardaway and later Jack King. After Buddy failed to gain significant popularity, Friz Freleng introduced Porky Pig in the short I Haven't Got a Hat in 1935. Subsequently, Fred "Tex" Avery elevated Porky Pig’s prominence through a series of successful cartoons. By 1935, Schlesinger had shifted Merrie Melodies to full three-strip Technicolor production, although Looney Tunes remained in black-and-white until 1943.

Due to space constraints at the Van Ness building on the Warner lot, Avery’s group—which included animators like Robert Clampett and Chuck Jones—relocated to a smaller workspace known as "Termite Terrace," which became synonymous with Warner Bros.’ animation efforts. While some cartoons were contracted out to the Ub Iwerks studio, Clampett eventually assumed directorial responsibilities for those projects, impressing Schlesinger enough to warrant establishing a fourth unit under his leadership.

Between 1936 and 1944, influential directors such as Freleng, Avery, Clampett, Jones, Arthur Davis, Robert McKimson, and Frank Tashlin developed enduring characters including Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Bugs Bunny, and Tweety. Avery departed in 1941 following disagreements with Schlesinger; shortly after, a strike coupled with a "Looney Tune Lockout" led many unionized staff members to leave. Clampett took over Avery’s unit; Norm McCabe succeeded Clampett at the Schlesinger-Katz studio before military conscription resulted in Frank Tashlin returning.

By 1942, Leon Schlesinger Productions had overtaken Walt Disney as America’s foremost producer of animated shorts. During World War II from 1942 to 1945, the studio contributed to the war effort by creating military training and morale-boosting films such as Private Snafu, produced under the U.S. Air Force’s First Motion Picture Unit led by Major Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), who also collaborated on Mr. Hook cartoons alongside Walter Lantz Productions.

1944–1963: Warner Bros. Cartoons

On July 1, 1944, Schlesinger sold his animation studio to Warner Bros. for $700,000, which was subsequently renamed Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.. Following Schlesinger's retirement, Edward Selzer was appointed as the new head of the studio. By 1945, prominent directors Frank Tashlin and Bob Clampett had departed; their departments were taken over by Robert McKimson and Arthur Davis. However, Davis’ unit operated with the smallest budgets and held a less significant role. In 1947, Davis' unit was disbanded, and he transitioned to an animator role under Freleng. The studio relocated in 1948 to a larger facility on Sunset Boulevard.

Each of the studio’s four divisions cultivated unique styles shaped by their respective budgets: Jones’ productions, benefiting from higher funding, emphasized refined narratives and artistic quality; Freleng’s unit specialized in precise comedic timing paired with musical elements; McKimson adhered to classic screwball humor executed through full animation techniques; while Davis, constrained by limited resources, focused more on animation and gags than on story development.

After Schlesinger’s departure, Warner Bros. introduced several iconic characters including Pepé Le Pew (1945), Sylvester the Cat (1945), Yosemite Sam (1945), Foghorn Leghorn (1946), Marvin the Martian (1948), Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (1949), Granny (1950), Speedy Gonzales (1953), and Tasmanian Devil (1954). Additionally, secondary characters like Rocky and Mugsy, Gossamer, and Michigan J. Frog gained recognition in later years.

The landmark 1948 antitrust decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. ended block booking practices, compelling Warner Bros. to sell cartoon shorts individually. This shift led to diminished revenues and tighter budgets by the late 1950s. Under Selzer’s leadership, a rigorous five-week production timeline per cartoon was enforced, prompting directors such as Chuck Jones to be more selective with their projects. Story artists began aligning exclusively with particular directors: Maltese collaborated solely with Jones, Foster with Freleng, and Pierce with McKimson.

In 1953, despite only producing one 3-D cartoon—Jones’ Lumber Jack-Rabbit—Warner Bros., wary of the high costs associated with 3-D production, temporarily shut down its cartoon studio. During this hiatus, many staff members moved to other studios. The studio reopened five months later in 1955 at a new location in Burbank. That same year marked the sale of Warner Bros.’ black-and-white Looney Tunes collection of 191 cartoons to Guild Films for television broadcast.

By 1958, Selzer retired and was succeeded by production manager John Burton. The studio experienced the loss of key story writers Foster and Maltese to Hanna-Barbera, while Pierce freelanced with Bill Danch; replacements included former Disney writers John Dunn and Dave Detiege.

Under Burton’s guidance, Warner Bros. expanded into television with the debut of The Bugs Bunny Show on ABC in 1960. This program repackaged theatrical shorts complemented by newly created introductions. The show aired on major networks until 2000 but excluded pre-1948 Technicolor cartoons that had been sold to Associated Artists Productions in 1956.

In 1961, executive David H. DePatie took over leadership of Warner Bros. Cartoons. That year also saw Chuck Jones dismissed following a breach of exclusivity due to his involvement in scripting UPA's Gay Purr-ee. Consequently, most of Jones’ team moved to MGM Animation/Visual Arts to work on Tom and Jerry projects.

Facing declining cinema attendance and the growing popularity of television animation, DePatie was informed late in 1962 that the cartoon studio would be closed; operations ceased by 1963. The last assignment involved animating sequences for the 1964 feature film The Incredible Mr. Limpet, directed by McKimson. After closure, Hal Seeger Productions in New York produced opening and closing credits for The Porky Pig Show on ABC in 1964—marking one of the earliest instances of Looney Tunes animation being produced outside Los Angeles.

This era illustrates Warner Bros.’ strategic adaptations amid evolving industry conditions that influenced its operational model, competitive position within animation markets, and international entertainment activities.

1964–1967: DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and Format Productions

In 1963, David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng established DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, setting up operations in the former Warner Bros. Cartoons studio. Between 1964 and 1967, Warner Bros. contracted this company to create Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, predominantly featuring Daffy Duck in opposition to Speedy Gonzales. While Friz Freleng initially directed these cartoons, Robert McKimson took over direction for the majority.

At the same time, the independent outfit Format Productions, under Herbert Klynn's leadership, was responsible for producing new episodes of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. These were directed by experienced animator Rudy Larriva along with Bob Bransford and Ernie Nordli, both former collaborators of Chuck Jones. However, Larriva’s Road Runner shorts generally received unfavorable comparisons to Jones’ earlier work. McKimson also directed two Road Runner cartoons for DePatie–Freleng, which were met with a more positive response.

After three years of outsourcing production, Warner Bros. terminated its agreement with DePatie–Freleng—who had relocated to the San Fernando Valley—and assigned Format Productions to create three interim cartoons featuring Daffy and Speedy before resuming animation work internally.

1967–1969: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation

Following Warner Bros.’ acquisition by Seven Arts Associates, the animation division was reactivated as Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation under the leadership of William L. Hendricks. Former Walter Lantz and Hanna-Barbera animator Alex Lovy was appointed director, bringing in notable talent such as chief animator Laverne Harding and Disney alumni Volus Jones and Ed Solomon. This team introduced a noticeable stylistic departure from the studio’s traditional "Golden Age" aesthetic. Lovy also recruited Ted Bonnicksen and layout artist Bob Givens to support production.

Initially concentrating on Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales shorts, Lovy’s group also launched new characters like Cool Cat and Merlin the Magic Mouse, along with experimental projects such as Norman Normal (1968). Despite these efforts, Lovy’s output was generally criticized and regarded as some of the studio’s least successful work.

After Lovy left, Robert McKimson returned to helm production, focusing on Lovy’s introduced characters alongside his own creations like Bunny and Claude. Classic characters were largely confined to commercials and bumpers during this period. McKimson’s shorts featured more mature humor but production ceased on October 10, 1969, when Warner Bros.-Seven Arts was acquired by Kinney National Company, resulting in the studio’s closure.

Nevertheless, the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies library continued to generate revenue through Warner Bros. Television syndication well into the 21st century. Warner Bros. eventually regained distribution rights for pre-1948 cartoons that had previously been sold to Associated Artists Productions.

Studio heads

Directors


Storyboard artists/writers

Layout/Background artists/designers

Animators

[*Elmer Wait] [*Ben Washam] [*Volney White] [*Bob Wickersham] [*Don Williams]

Voice Talent

Music

Musical Directors

Orchestration

Sound Effects and Film Editing

Editors specializing in film sound effects:

Related Topics

References

Notes


Bibliography


External Links

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