Warner Bros. Cartoons
The former Warner Bros. animation studio responsible for the classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical shorts.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Warner Bros. Cartoons was Warner Bros.’ in-house animation studio during the Golden Age of American theatrical animation. Its direct corporate predecessor was Leon Schlesinger Productions, an independent studio established by producer Leon Schlesinger after Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising left their earlier production arrangement in 1933. Warner Bros. distributed the studio’s films, while Schlesinger managed production from the Warner lot in Hollywood. The operation ultimately became one of the most influential American animation houses, principally through the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. The studio’s early years were marked by experimentation with characters, formats and production structures. Buddy briefly served as the leading Looney Tunes character, but Porky Pig emerged as a durable star after appearing in I Haven’t Got a Hat in 1935. During the later 1930s and 1940s, directors and animators including Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, Arthur Davis and Frank Tashlin developed distinct comic styles and introduced or refined many of the studio’s enduring characters. Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Speedy Gonzales and the Tasmanian Devil all became part of the studio’s durable creative legacy. Schlesinger sold the studio to Warner Bros. on July 1, 1944, for a reported $700,000. The company was renamed Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc., and Edward Selzer became its head. The studio retained several production units, each associated with different directors and approaches. Jones generally emphasized elaborate visual storytelling and characterization; Freleng was known for precise timing, music and gag construction; McKimson continued a more traditional slapstick approach; and Davis worked with smaller budgets and a style influenced by Clampett. This variety helped distinguish Warner cartoons from the more uniform house styles of rival studios. The studio also produced wartime material, including Private Snafu shorts made for military audiences. After the 1948 antitrust decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. weakened the practice of selling theatrical shorts together with feature films, cartoon budgets and production schedules came under pressure. Warner Bros. Cartoons experienced a temporary closure during the 1953 3-D craze, reopening later that year. Television became increasingly important: The Bugs Bunny Show, launched in 1960, repackaged theatrical shorts with newly produced linking material and brought the characters to successive generations of viewers. Warner Bros. Cartoons closed in 1963, after which production of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies was subcontracted to DePatie–Freleng Enterprises. The studio reopened in 1967 under Warner Bros.-Seven Arts but closed again in 1969. Warner Bros. Animation was established in 1980 as a later successor organization. Although the original studio no longer operates, its shorts, characters, production methods and creative personnel remain central to Warner Bros.’ animation identity and to the history of American popular culture.
History
The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies concepts originated in the early 1930s through the work of Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, with Leon Schlesinger arranging production and Warner Bros. handling theatrical distribution. After Harman and Ising departed in 1933, Schlesinger established his own production unit on the Warner lot. The resulting studio inherited the series framework but developed its own staff, characters and production culture. The first Schlesinger years were uneven. Buddy was introduced as a replacement star for Looney Tunes, but the character did not achieve lasting success. Porky Pig, introduced in a 1935 Merrie Melodies film, rapidly became the studio’s principal early star. The studio also expanded its use of color: Merrie Melodies moved from black-and-white to limited color and then full Technicolor, while Looney Tunes remained black-and-white for longer. Creative units formed around directors including Friz Freleng, Ben Hardaway, Earl Duvall, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones. The informal name “Termite Terrace,” originally associated with one of the studio’s cramped facilities, became a lasting nickname for the classic Warner animation environment. By the late 1930s and early 1940s, the studio had assembled a major group of directors, animators and writers. Their work introduced or popularized Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, while later Warner Bros. productions added characters such as Tweety, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Speedy Gonzales and the Tasmanian Devil. During World War II, the studio also produced military cartoons, most notably the Private Snafu series, for servicemen and instructional purposes. Schlesinger sold the studio to Warner Bros. on July 1, 1944. Under Edward Selzer, the renamed Warner Bros. Cartoons continued operating through several director-led units. The directors’ contrasting approaches created a broad creative range, from Jones’s carefully staged visual narratives to Freleng’s economical musical comedy and McKimson’s energetic slapstick. The studio’s characters became increasingly recognizable internationally through theatrical distribution, reissues, television sales and licensing. Economic conditions changed after the 1948 Paramount antitrust ruling made it harder for studios to package shorts with feature films. Warner cartoons consequently faced tighter budgets and accelerated schedules. The studio briefly shut down in 1953 during the 3-D boom, reopening after the craze subsided. It moved into a newer Burbank facility in 1955. By the end of the decade, several important writers had left, but the established characters and directors continued to sustain the series. Television became a critical distribution channel. Warner Bros. sold packages of older shorts and launched The Bugs Bunny Show in 1960, using new introductions and transitions around theatrical material. The original studio closed in 1963, and DePatie–Freleng Enterprises produced Warner shorts under subcontract from 1964 to 1967. Warner Bros. Cartoons reopened in 1967 after the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts transaction, but the revival was brief; the studio closed again in 1969. Warner Bros. Animation, founded in 1980, later served as the principal successor for new television and feature animation. The original studio’s library and characters continue to be exploited through broadcasts, home entertainment, streaming, merchandise and new productions.
- 1980
Warner Bros. Animation is established as successor
[1]Warner Bros. later created Warner Bros. Animation to develop new animated television and film projects.
- 1969
Final closure of the original studio
[1]Warner Bros. Cartoons ceased operations as an active studio.
- 1967
Studio reopens briefly
[1]Operations resumed under Warner Bros.-Seven Arts before the final closure in 1969.
- 1963
Studio closes
[1]Warner Bros. ended the original studio’s operations and moved production to external arrangements.
- 1960
The Bugs Bunny Show premieres
[1]A television package assembled Warner theatrical shorts with new wraparound segments.
- 1949
Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote debut
[1]Chuck Jones’s Fast and Furry-ous introduced the enduring desert-chase pairing.
- 1944
Warner Bros. acquires and renames the studio
[1]Warner Bros. purchased Schlesinger’s studio and adopted the Warner Bros. Cartoons name.
- 1942
Studio reaches leading position in theatrical shorts
[1]The Schlesinger operation was described as having surpassed Disney in the United States market for animated short production.
- 1935
Porky Pig becomes a major star
[1]Porky Pig emerged from I Haven’t Got a Hat and quickly displaced Buddy as the leading Looney Tunes personality.
- 1933
Leon Schlesinger establishes his own studio
[1]After separating from Harman and Ising, Schlesinger set up the independent production operation that became the direct predecessor of Warner Bros. Cartoons.
Products and positioning
A creator-led American theatrical animation studio distinguished by fast comic timing, irreverent humor, musical scoring, expressive character animation and a large ensemble of enduring cartoon personalities.
Theatrical animated short series · 1930
Looney Tunes
A Warner Bros. series of animated theatrical shorts that began in the early 1930s. Initially associated with characters such as Bosko and later Porky Pig, it became the principal home of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Sylvester, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote and many other characters. Its films combined music, verbal comedy, visual gags and highly expressive animation.
Theatrical animated short series · 1931
Merrie Melodies
A companion series originally designed around musical themes and flexible character casting. It helped establish Porky Pig and later hosted many of Warner’s most influential shorts. The series became increasingly similar in format to Looney Tunes while retaining its separate title and historical identity.
Military animated short series · 1943
Private Snafu
A wartime cartoon series produced for the United States military. The shorts used a recurring serviceman character to communicate training, security and conduct lessons through accessible comedy. Production involved Warner personnel and military film units, including work associated with Theodore Geisel.
Television package program · 1960
The Bugs Bunny Show
A television format built around selected Warner theatrical shorts, connected by newly produced introductions and transitions. It premiered in 1960 and continued under changing titles and network arrangements, substantially extending the audience and commercial life of the original cartoon library.
Brand decisions
1963
Close the original studio and subcontract productionStrategyBackground
The economics of theatrical shorts had deteriorated, while television and external production arrangements were becoming more important.
Action taken
Warner Bros. closed Warner Bros. Cartoons and subcontracted Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies production to DePatie–Freleng Enterprises from 1964 to 1967.
Aftermath
The studio briefly reopened in 1967 but closed permanently in 1969; Warner Bros. Animation later became the principal successor organization.
1953
Temporarily suspend cartoon production during the 3-D boomStrategyBackground
Warner Bros. feared that producing cartoons for the short-lived 3-D theatrical trend would be too expensive.
Action taken
The cartoon studio was closed in June 1953 and reopened approximately five months later after the 3-D craze weakened.
Aftermath
The studio resumed conventional production; Lumber Jack-Rabbit was the only Warner cartoon produced in 3-D.
1944
Sell the studio to Warner Bros.M&ABackground
Leon Schlesinger’s independent animation operation was producing Warner Bros. theatrical shorts but was not itself owned by the distributor.
Action taken
Schlesinger sold the studio to Warner Bros.; the company was renamed Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. and Edward Selzer was appointed to lead it.
Aftermath
The acquisition integrated production into Warner Bros. and preserved the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies pipeline under direct studio ownership.
Reported acquisition price. $700,000 (July 1, 1944)
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