Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies (franchise)

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Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies
"Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-That's all, Folks!"
Genre: Comedy Slapstick Musical (Merrie Melodies) Running Time: 6–10 minutes Country: United States Release Date: Original Series: April 19, 1930 – September 20, 1969 Revival Series: November 27, 1979 – June 10, 2014 Distributed by: Harman-Ising Productions (1930–1933) Leon Schlesinger Productions (1933–1944) Warner Bros. Cartoons (1944–1964) DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (1964–1967, 1979-1980) Format Films Productions (1965–1967) Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation (1967–1969) Warner Bros. Animation (1987–2014) Starring: Mel Blanc June Foray Arthur Q. Bryan Bea Benaderet Stan Freberg Episodes: +1,000 Shorts

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies are a series of comedy cartoon shorts produced by Warner Bros. from 1930 to 1969. Originally made to cash in on the success of Disney's own cartoons and showcase music that Warner Bros. had owned at the time, the series would soon develop into it's own style around the late-1930s with the help of some new directors. While the original theatrical series is no longer in production, some new cartoons have been produced from the late-1970s to the mid-2010s.

History

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were so named because they were initially developed to showcase tracks from Warner Bros.' extensive music library; the title of the first Looney Tunes short, Sinkin' in the Bathtub (1930), is a pun on Singin' in the Bathtub. Between 1934 and 1943, Merrie Melodies were produced in color and Looney Tunes in black and white. After 1943, both series were produced in color and became virtually indistinguishable, varying only in their opening theme music and titles. Both series made use of the various Warner Bros. characters. By 1937, the theme music for Looney Tunes was "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin, and the theme music for Merrie Melodies was an adaptation of "Merrily We Roll Along" by Charles Tobias, Murray Mencher and Eddie Cantor.

1930–1933: Harman and Ising era

In 1929, to compete against Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse short cartoons, Warner Bros. became interested in developing a series of animated shorts to promote their music. They had recently acquired Brunswick Records along with four music publishers for US$28 million (equivalent to $454 million in 2022) and were eager to promote this material for the sales of sheet music and phonograph records. Warner made a deal with Leon Schlesinger to produce cartoons for them. Schlesinger hired Rudolf Ising and Hugh Harman to produce the first series of cartoons. Schlesinger was impressed by Harman's and Ising's 1929 pilot cartoon, Bosko, The Talk-Ink Kid. The first Looney Tunes short was Sinkin' in the Bathtub starring Bosko, which was released in 1930.

1933–1936: Leon Schlesinger Productions

When Harman and Ising left Warner Bros. in 1933 over a budget dispute with Schlesinger, they took with them all the rights of the characters and cartoons they had created. A new character called Buddy became the only star of the Looney Tunes series for a couple of years.

New directors including Tex Avery, Friz Freleng and Bob Clampett were brought in or promoted to work with animators in the Schlesinger studio, with Avery's unit housed in a bungalow the animators dubbed "Termite Terrace." In 1935 they debuted the first major Looney Tunes star, Porky Pig, along with Beans the Cat in the Merrie Melodies cartoon I Haven't Got a Hat directed by Friz Freleng. Beans was the star of the next Porky/Beans cartoon Gold Diggers of '49, but it was Porky who emerged as the star instead of Beans. The ensemble characters of I Haven't Got a Hat, such as Oliver Owl, and twin dogs Ham and Ex, were also given a sampling of shorts, but Beans and Porky proved much more popular. Beans was later phased out when his popularity declined, leaving Porky as the only star of the Schlesinger studio.

1936–1944: More star characters and switch to color

The debuts of other memorable Looney Tunes stars followed: Daffy Duck in Porky's Duck Hunt (1937), Elmer Fudd in the Merrie Melodies short Elmer's Candid Camera (1940), Bugs Bunny in the Merrie Melodies short A Wild Hare (1940), and Tweety in the Merrie Melodies short A Tale of Two Kitties (1942).

Bugs initially starred in the color Merrie Melodies shorts following the success of 1940's A Wild Hare, and formally joined the Looney Tunes series with the release of Buckaroo Bugs in 1944. Schlesinger began to phase in the production of color Looney Tunes with the 1942 cartoon The Hep Cat. The final black-and-white Looney Tunes short was Puss n' Booty in 1943 directed by Frank Tashlin. The inspiration for the changeover was Warner's decision to re-release only the color cartoons in the Blue Ribbon Classics series of Merrie Melodies. Bugs made a cameo appearance in 1942 in the Avery/Clampett cartoon Crazy Cruise and also at the end of the Frank Tashlin 1943 cartoon Porky Pig's Feat, which marked Bugs' only official appearance in a black-and-white Looney Tunes short. Schlesinger sold his interest in the cartoon studio in 1944 to Warner Bros. and went into retirement; he died five years later.

1944–1964: Golden era

More popular Looney Tunes characters were created (most of which first appeared in Merrie Melodies cartoons) such as Pepé Le Pew (debuted in 1945's Odor-able Kitty), Sylvester (debuted in 1945's Life with Feathers), Yosemite Sam (debuted in 1945's Hare Trigger), Foghorn Leghorn (debuted in 1946's Walky Talky Hawky), Marvin the Martian (debuted in 1948's Haredevil Hare), Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (debuted in 1949's Fast and Furry-ous), Granny (debuted in 1950's Canary Row), Speedy Gonzales (debuted in 1953's Cat Tails for Two), and the Tasmanian Devil (debuted in 1954's Devil May Hare).

1964–1969: Dark era

During the mid-late 1960s, the shorts were produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises (and Format Productions) (1964–1967) and Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (1967–1969) after Warner Bros. shut down their animation studio. The shorts from this era can be identified by their different title sequence, featuring stylized limited animation and graphics on a black background and a new arrangement, by William Lava, of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down". The change in the introductory title cards was possibly to reflect the switch in the animation style of the shorts themselves.

In 1967, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts commissioned an animation studio in South Korea to redraw 79 black-and-white Looney Tunes produced from 1935 to 1943 in color to be syndicated to TV stations.

The original Looney Tunes theatrical series ran from 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub to 1969's Injun Trouble by Robert McKimson.

1970–1999: Syndication and return to television and film

The Looney Tunes series' popularity was further strengthened when it began airing on network and syndicated television in the 1950s under various titles and formats. The Looney Tunes shorts were broadcast with edits to remove scenes of violence (particularly suicidal gags and scenes of characters performing dangerous stunts that impressionable viewers could easily imitate), stereotypes, and alcohol consumption.

Production of theatrical animated shorts was dormant from 1969 until 1979 when new shorts were made to introduce Looney Tunes to a new generation of audiences. New shorts have been produced and released sporadically for theaters since then, though usually as promotional tie-ins with various family movies produced by Warner Bros. While many have been released in limited releases theatrically for Academy Award consideration, only a few have gained theatrical releases with movies.

In the 1970s through the early 1990s, several feature-film compilations and television specials were produced, mostly centering on Bugs Bunny and/or Daffy Duck, with a mixture of new and old footage. These releases include The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979), The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982), Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island (1983), and Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988).

In 1976, the Looney Tunes characters made their way into the amusement business when they became the mascots for the two Marriott's Great America theme parks (Gurnee and Santa Clara). After the Gurnee park was sold to Six Flags, they also claimed the rights to use the characters at the other Six Flags parks, which they continue to do presently.

In 1988, several Looney Tunes characters appeared in cameo roles in Disney's film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The more significant cameos featured Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Tweety, and Yosemite Sam. It is the only time in which Looney Tunes characters have shared screen time with their rivals at Disney (producers of the film)—particularly in the scenes where Bugs and Mickey Mouse are skydiving, and when Daffy and Donald Duck are performing their "Dueling Pianos" sequence.

On July 10, 1989, after a battle with heart problems, Mel Blanc died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of cardiovascular disease. A picture depicting the Looney Tunes characters entitled "Speechless" was released shortly after his death.

Paramount-owned Nickelodeon aired all the unaired cartoons in a show called Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon between 1988 and 1999. In January 1999, it was reported that the cartoons shown on Nickelodeon would move to Cartoon Network in the fall of that year. To date, Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon is the longest-airing animated series on the network that was not a Nicktoon.

In 1996, Space Jam, a live-action animated film, was released to theaters starring Bugs Bunny and basketball player Michael Jordan. Despite a mixed critical reception, the film was a major box-office success, grossing nearly $100 million in the U.S. alone, almost becoming the first non-Disney animated film to achieve that feat. For a two-year period, it was the highest grossing non-Disney animated film ever. The film also introduced the character Lola Bunny, who subsequently became another recurring member of the Looney Tunes cast, usually as a love interest for Bugs.

In 1997, Bugs Bunny was featured on a U.S. 32 cent postage stamp; the first of five Looney Tunes themed stamps to be issued.

The Looney Tunes also achieved success in the area of television during this era, with appearances in several originally produced series, including Taz-Mania (1991, starring Taz) and The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries (1995, starring Sylvester, Tweety, and Granny). The gang also made frequent cameos in the 1990 spinoff series Tiny Toon Adventures, from executive producer Steven Spielberg, where they played teachers and mentors to a younger generation of cartoon characters (Plucky Duck, Hamton J. Pig, Babs and Buster Bunny, etc.), plus occasional cameos in the later Warner Bros. shows such as Animaniacs (also from Spielberg) and Histeria!.

In 1979, Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol premiered. After The Chocolate Chase, there would not be another short released for seven years. In 1990, it was made so there would be about one short per year until 1998. In 2003, there would be seven shorts produced. The first short released was The Whizzard of Ow, premiering on Walmart and being on the DVD release of Looney Tunes: Back in Action, which these shorts were made to promote. Until 2004, when all the shorts were included on the Blu-ray release, only about half of the shorts would be available. In 2010, five computer-animated shorts would be released and directed by Matthew O'Callaghan, who would also direct another short, Flash in the Pain, in 2014.

2000–2014: Network Exploration

In March 2000, it was revealed that the entire Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies library would be exclusive to Cartoon Network starting fall of that year. Looney Tunes shorts were still airing on Disney's ABC as part of The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show at the time, and the decision led to the show's cancellation. This decision would remain in effect for over 20 years, until MeTV began airing the classic Warner Bros. cartoons (along with MGM and Paramount's library) in January 2021. In 2003, another feature film was released, this time in an attempt to recapture the spirit of the original shorts: the live-action/animated Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Although the film was not financially successful, it was met with mixed-to-positive reviews from film critics and has been argued by animation historians and fans as the finest original feature-length appearance of the cartoon characters. In 2006, Warner Home Video released a new and Christmas-themed Looney Tunes direct-to-video film called Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas, a parody of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Other Looney Tunes TV series made during this time were Baby Looney Tunes (2001–2006), Duck Dodgers (2003-2005) and Loonatics Unleashed (2005–2007).

On October 22, 2007, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons became available for the first time in High-definition via Microsoft's Xbox Live service, including some in Spanish. From February 29 – May 18, 2008, many Looney Tunes artifacts, including original animation cels and concept drawings, were on display at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, just off the campus of Youngstown State University, near where the Warners lived early in life.

At the 2009 Cartoon Network upfront, The Looney Tunes Show was announced. After several delays, the series premiered on May 3, 2011. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the series centers on Bugs and Daffy as they leave the woods and move to the suburbs with "colorful neighbors" including Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Yosemite Sam, etc. The series introduced the character Tina Russo, a duck who becomes Daffy's girlfriend. The show also features 2-minute music videos titled respectfully "Merrie Melodies" (as a tribute to the Looney Tunes sister shorts) which features the characters singing original songs, as well as CGI animated shorts starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner (which were removed after the first season). The series was cancelled after its second season.

Also, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner returned to the big screen in a series of 3-D shorts that preceded select Warner Bros. films. There were six in the works that began with the first short, Coyote Falls, that preceded the film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, which was released on July 30, 2010. On September 24, 2010, Fur of Flying preceded the film, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, and on December 17, 2010, Rabid Rider preceded the film, Yogi Bear. On June 8, 2011, Warner Bros. Animation announced that there will be more Looney Tunes 3-D theatrical shorts; the first titled Daffy's Rhapsody with Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, the next being I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat with Sylvester, Tweety, and Granny. Daffy's Rhapsody was to precede the film Happy Feet Two, until the studio decided to premiere I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat instead. Daffy's Rhapsody instead premiered in 2012, preceding Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. All five shorts were directed by Matthew O'Callaghan.

In 2012, several announcements were made about a Looney Tunes reboot film titled Acme, in development. Former Saturday Night Live cast member Jenny Slate was said to be on board as writer for the new film. Jeffrey Clifford, Harry Potter producer David Heyman, and Dark Shadows writers David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith were slated to produce the film. On August 27, 2014, writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz were hired to script the film, directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa were in talks to direct the film, while actor Steve Carell was rumored to be starring in a lead role. Despite this, the film has yet to enter production.

2015–present: Revival

At the 2014 Cartoon Network upfront, another series titled Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production (later New Looney Tunes) was announced. Starring Bugs Bunny, the series premiered on both Cartoon Network and its sister channel Boomerang in late 2015. The series had an unusually slow rollout, with the series being moved to the Boomerang streaming service in 2017, and was eventually cancelled on January 30, 2020.

On June 11, 2018, another series, titled Looney Tunes Cartoons, was announced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on May 27, 2020, on the streaming service HBO Max. The series features "1,000 minutes of new one-to-six minute cartoons featuring the brand's marquee characters", voiced by their current voice actors in "simple, gag-driven and visually vibrant stories" that are rendered by multiple artists employing "a visual style that will resonate with fans", most noticeably having a style reminiscent of the styles of Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson. According to co-executive producer Peter Browngardt, "We're not doing guns, but we can do cartoony violence — TNT, the Acme stuff. All that was kind of grandfathered in." Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation also serves as co-executive producers for the series. However guns were implanted in Season 2.

On February 11, 2021, it was announced two new series are in the works: Bugs Bunny Builders and Tweety Mysteries. Bugs Bunny Builders began airing on Cartoon Network as part of Cartoonito and HBO Max on July 25, 2022; Tweety Mysteries will also air on Cartoon Network. Bugs Bunny Builders is aimed towards preschoolers; while Tweety Mysteries is a live-action/animated hybrid.

A sequel to Space Jam titled Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring basketball player LeBron James, was released on theaters and HBO Max on July 16, 2021, after a Los Angeles special screening on July 12, 2021. It is a film with a story of LeBron James' second son, Dom, gets kidnapped by an evil AI named Al. G Rhythm (Don Cheadle), into the Warner Bros. server-verse. LeBron then assembles the Tune Squad to play against the algorithm and get his son back. It received generally negative reviews and underperformed at the box office:

1. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (1939-mid 1940)
2. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (late 1962-1964)
3. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (DePatie–Freleng and Seven Arts Eras, late 1964-1969)
4. Looney Tunes (Larry Doyle era)

Why It's Looney

1. First and foremost, it is the Golden Age of Animation in it's purest form, just next to Walt Disney's animated feature films produced from the 1940s to the 1960s. In fact, between the years 1942 up until early-1962, Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were the most popular theatrical cartoon series during the Golden Age of American Animation, even surpassing other theatrical cartoon series from other studios of the time such as Disney's ''Mickey Mouse'' and it's various spin-off cartoons, MGM's Tom and Jerry, Droopy, Barney Bear and Tex Avery-directed cartoons, Paramount/Famous Studios' Popeye the Sailor, Universal/Walter Lantz's Woody Woodpecker, amongst others, and the show still remained popular fan favorites over the years even after it's original theatrical run ended since then.
2. Countless amazing and memorable characters, each with their own distinct personalities and voices.
   • Bugs Bunny is a sly, self-aware trickster who's a master at making a fool out of his enemies.
   • Daffy Duck is an eccentric, screwball black duck who drives everyone nuts and has a friendly rivalry with Bugs.
   • Porky Pig is calm, gentle, but utterly clumsy (best known for his over-the-top stuttering) and usually appears as Daffy's sidekick in recent productions.
   • Sylvester is a goofy, slobbering alley cat who, when not trying to catch "that Tweety bird", is looking after his son Sylvester Jr..
   • Tweety is a cute and lovable canary who's often guarded by his/her good-hearted owner Granny and is a master at making a fool out of Sylvester who often attempts to eat him.
   • Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are both characters that never talk and are parodies of the typical cat-vs.-mouse cartoons (e.g Tom and Jerry, especially where Wile E. Coyote is the buffoonish, antagonistic butt-monkey that Road Runner always wins over) whom have had shown to have excellent chemistry.
   • Elmer Fudd is a harmless, bald-headed, innocent, but dimwitted and gullible hunter who has a very unique accent and is usually on the hunt for Bugs Bunny.
   • Yosemite Sam is an aggressive, rioting cowboy bandit who is the polar opposite of Elmer Fudd: dangerous, violent, fiery-tempered, but still not as smart as Bugs.
   • Marvin the Martian is a monotone, intelligent, and cunning ant-like supervillain from outer space (sometimes accompanied by his dog assistant K-9) who's either willing to blow up the Earth (because it obstructs his view of Venus) or conquer other planets, thus making him the most dangerous antagonist in the series.
   • [[The Tazmanian Devil is a rabid, havoc-wreaking marsupial who only speaks in gibberish (with some occasions of basic dialogue) and is a hilarious comic-relief character as seen in later productions.
     • The Tazmanian Devil was also created to show awareness for the Tasmanian devil species, something no other animated shows have done (beforehand), according to Taz's creator Robert McKimson.
   • Foghorn Leghorn is a seemingly obnoxious, wise-cracking, showboating rooster (but in a good way) who often spends his time tricking Henery Hawk into not capturing him, pranking Barnyard Dawg during his sleep, and babysitting small genius chick Egghead Jr., only to end up making a fool out of himself.
   • Pepé Le Pew is a deluded yet charming French romanticist skunk who's oblivious to his bad body odor and has a desire for Penelope Pussycat, whom he mistakes for a female skunk whenever a white stripe is painted onto her tail.
   • Speedy Gonzales is a heroic Mexican mouse who's well known for his top-notch speed and makes for a good secondary protagonist to Sylvester.
   • Michigan J. Frog is a frog with a very handsome singing voice.
   • Other notable characters include Witch Hazel, Gossamer, Marc Antony and Pussyfoot, Bosko (the very first Looney Tunes character), Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog, and many more.
3. Great use of slapstick humor with a lot of clever and excellent timings.
4. Good animation and colorful visuals for its time by several top-notch animators such as Chuck Jones, Ken Harris, Rod Scribner, Robert McKimson, Virgil Ross, and many others.
5. Many of the shorts have great directors and talented writers such as Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, Frank Tashlin, Robert McKimson, Arthur Davis, Micheal Maltese, Warren Foster, and especially Chuck Jones.
6. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck's friendship/rivalry is considered one of the most iconic relationships in cartoon history.
7. Spawned many TV specials featuring (some containing brand new shorts) and several good spinoffs such as Tiny Toon Adventures, Taz-Mania, Duck Dodgers, The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, The Looney Tunes Show, New Looney Tunes, and numerous theatrical films including Space Jam, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and Space Jam: A New Legacy (despite having some flaws)
8. Amazing voice acting, especially from Mel Blanc (who voiced most of the main characters), June Foray (who voiced Granny), Arthur Q. Bryan, Bea Benaderet, and Stan Freberg.
9. The theme tunes, "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" and "Merrily, We Roll Along", are catchy and memorable for kids and adults alike.
   • It even got to the point where "Merrily, We Roll Along" was used for Warner Bros.' former family/kids division, Warner Bros. Family Entertainment.
10. Amazing musical scores unique to each short, especially from Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn.
    • William Lava, while not being as good as the two, certainly had his own brownie points.
11. It gave us what is often considered the greatest cartoon ever, "What's Opera, Doc?"
    • Other great or memorable cartoons include:
      • "Duck Amuck"
      • "One Froggy Evening" (Michigan J. Frog's first appearance)
      • "Porky in Wackyland" (and its color remake, "Dough for the Do-Do")
      • "Rabbit of Seville"
      • "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery"
      • "The Dover Boys"
      • "The Hep Cat"
      • "Three Little Bops"
      • "Baseball Bugs"
      • "A Corny Concerto"
      • "Bugs Bunny Rides Again"
      • "Haredevil Hare"
      • "Porky's Hare Hunt" (Bugs Bunny's debut)
      • "Gold Diggers of 49'"
      • "Hare Ribbin'"
      • "Porky's Duck Hunt" (Daffy Duck's debut)
      • "You Ought to Be in Pictures"
      • "A Wild Hare" (Bugs Bunny's first starring role)
      • "Daffy Duck and Egghead" (Daffy Duck's first starring role)
      • "Falling Hare"
      • "The Blow Out" (Porky Pig's first starring role)
      • "Kitty Kornered"
      • "Rabbit Fire"
      • "Rabbit Seasoning"
      • "Duck! Rabbit, Duck!"
      • "Sinkin' in the Bathtub" (the first ever Looney Tunes short)
      • "Foney Fables"
      • "Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner" (live-action)
      • "Fast and Furry-ous" (Wile E. Coyote's and the Road Runner's debut)
      • "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century"
      • "Horton Hatches the Egg" (based on the Dr. Seuss story of the same name)
      • "Daffy Doodles"
      • "His Bitter Half"
      • "Puss n' Booty" (which impressively ended the black and white shorts)
      • "Beanstalk Bunny"
      • "A-Lad-In His Lamp"
      • "Ali Baba Bunny"
      • "Chow Hound"
      • "Wabbit Twouble"
      • "The Scarlet Pumpernickel"
      • "A Tale of Two Kitties" (Tweety's debut)
      • "Tweetie Pie" (Tweety and Sylvester's first ever pairing together; the first Warner Bros. cartoon to receive an Oscar)
      • "I Taw a Putty Tat"
      • "Feed the Kitty"
      • "The Case of the Stuttering Pig"
      • "A Star Is Bored"
      • "Baton Bunny"
      • "Show Biz Bugs"
      • "The Haunted Mouse"
      • "Little Red Riding Rabbit"
      • "Knighty Knight Bugs"
      • "Birds Anonymous"
      • "I Love to Singa"
      • "Now, Hare This"
      • "Buckaroo Bugs" (which started Bugs Bunny's career in Looney Tunes label on a decent manner)
      • "Back Alley Oproar"
      • "Mutiny on the Bunny"
      • "Big House Bunny"
      • "The Big Snooze" (which ended Bob Clampett's directing career with high praise)
      • "Bunker Hill Bunny"
      • "Dough Ray Me-ow"
      • "Henhouse Henery"
      • "Raw! Raw! Rooster!"
      • "The Abominable Snow Rabbit"
      • "Tweet and Sour"
    • While the Buddy, 1939-mid 1940, late 1962-1964 and 1964-1969 eras were not as good as other portions of the classic era, said eras did had their share of good shorts as well; among those include:
      • "Buddy the Detective"
      • "Honeymoon Hotel"
      • "Buddy The Gee Man"
      • "I Haven't Got a Hat" (Porky Pig's debut)
      • "You Ought to Be in Pictures"
      • "Now Hear This"
      • "Aqua Duck"
      • "Transylvania 6-5000"
      • "Bartholomew Versus the Wheel"
      • "False Hare"
      • "Señorella and the Glass Huarache"
      • "The Wild Chase"
      • "Rabbit Stew and Rabbits Too!"
      • "Bugged by a Bee"
12. The Looney Tunes CGI shorts produced by Matthew O' Callaghan in the early-2010s such as "Coyote Falls", "Daffy's Rhapsody", etc. had really great CGI animation (courtesy of Reel FX) that stay true to the original character designs and the original cartoons.
13. Clever use of pop-cultural references to many famous celebrities and movies of the time, which The Simpsons is also well-known for.
14. Lots of good and well-hidden adult jokes, mainly in the cartoons directed by Bob Clampett and Frank Tashlin.
15. Some of the cartoons were even nominated or won several Academy Awards, like "Tweetie Pie", "Speedy Gonzales", "Birds Anonymous", "Knighty Knight Bugs" and "Now Hear This".
16. Several memorable quotes such as "What's up, Doc?", "You're despicable!", "Sufferin' succotash!", "I tawt I taw a putty tat!", "That’s all, folks!", "Beep! Beep!", and "Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits", as well as a few others.
17. Lots of funny, iconic, and memorable gags including the use of various ACME products, Bugs and Daffy's "Rabbit Season, Duck Season" routine, Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff and painting a fake tunnel on a wall, and others.
18. The original cartoons (mainly those from the 1940s and 1950s) have since set the standard of cartoon comedies. A lot of other cartoons and TV shows have taken some cues and attempted to use a similar style of humor, such as Tom and Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Garfield and Friends, The Ren and Stimpy Show, Darkwing Duck, ''Animaniacs'', ''VeggieTales'', Recess, The Simpsons, Dexter's Laboratory, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Phineas and Ferb, The Cuphead Show!, and many others. To put it simply, none of these cartoons would be the same if it weren't for Warner Bros., their pals at Termite Terrance, and the cartoons they made.

Bad Qualities

1. There have been certain eras of the franchise that suffered from declining in quality. For example:
   • The cartoons of the late 1960s are a disgrace to the classic cartoons.
     • It can also be considered that the later cartoons of the classic era (in late 1962-1964) are also a disgrace and became subject to decline as well.
   • The cartoons from the Buddy era (late 1933 to mid 1935) are criticized for their weaker writing, overly saccharine tone, and being derivative of Disney's Silly Symphonies.
     • Same goes to the cartoons from 1939 to mid 1940, due to those years having the most of Chuck Jones's weak early cartoons and Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton's later cartoons.
2. Buddy is often considered to be possibly the least looney Looney Tunes character (if not just one of the least looney), as he was just a poor, bland, whitewashed, inferior version of Bosko (who himself is fairly divisive, but even he has his fans). Neither he nor his cartoons were well received; so much to the point that he wouldn't make any other appearances after 1935 (aside from an appearance in the Animaniacs episode "The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special"). He may have very well been the cause to bring down the original series sooner than later if it weren't for later directors, like Friz Freleng and Tex Avery, being brought in to liven up and improve it.
3. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Sylvester suffered mild flanderization during after the Chuck Jones era. Bugs Bunny went from an energetic prankster to being more calmer and reserved, while Daffy Duck went from a screwball-type character into a greedy troublemaker, and Sylvester became a mean-spirited bully towards poor Tweety.
4. Even if they're good or not, some cartoons present one of the characters committing suicide, such as "Life with Feathers" (Sylvester's debut), "Porky's Romance" (Petunia Pig's debut) and "Hare Ribbin'".
   • Speaking of which, (again, despite being good or bad) there's some dark and scary shorts, such as;
     • "Pigs Is Pigs"
     • "Fish Tales"
     • "Wholly Smoke"
     • "Scaredy Cat" (Porky unintentionally drove Sylvester to suicide)
     • "Bye Bye Bluebeard"
     • "Cheese Chasers"
     • "Claws for Alarm"
     • "Each Dawn I Crow"
     • "The Lion's Busy"
     • "Polar Pals"
     • "Hair-Raising Hare"
     • "The Hypo-Chondri-Cat"
     • "Birth of a Notion"
     • "Case of the Stuttering Pig"
     • "The Last Hungry Cat"
5. Some bad or mediocre shorts, even outside the bad eras, such as;
   • "Bosko's Picture Show" (which ended Bosko's career on the series on a weak regard)
   • "Porky's Romance" (Petunia Pig's debut)
   • "Good Night, Elmer"
   • "Fresh Airedale"
   • "Knights Must Fall"
   • "Elmer's Pet Rabbit"
   • "The Bird Came C.O.D." (Conrad Cat's debut)
   • "Life With Feathers" (Sylvester's debut)
   • "Which is Witch"
   • "Golden Yeggs"
   • "Canned Feud"
   • "My Little Duckaroo"
   • "Pre-Hysterical Hare"
   • "China Jones"
   • "His Bitter Half"
   • "Tweet and Sour"
   • "Stooge for a Mouse"
   • "Dog Gone People"
   • "The Chocolate Chase"
   • Most of the "Censored Eleven" cartoons are outright awful due to their heavy use of ethnic stereotypes, racism, and the infamously heavy World War II themes, especially towards African Americans and Asians (the latter usually being meant to demonize the Japanese for the sake of war propaganda, having been made during World War II). These eleven cartoons offended so many people, that United Artists (who owned the pre-1948 cartoons at the time of the banning of these eleven cartoons) decided to ban them from ever airing on television again in 1968, with the worst being:
     • "Jungle Jitters" (the absolute worst of this collection)
     • "All This and Rabbit Stew"
     • "Angel Puss" (also counts as the worst)
   • The World War II Ten with stereotypes of Germans and Asians (the latter usually being meant to demonize the Japanese for the sake of war propaganda, having been made during World War II) and heavy used of World War II themes are divided amongst many fans; either they would be well-received or are considered averages (e.g. "Wacky Blackout", "The Ducktators", "Confusions of a Nutzy Spy", "Scrap Happy Daffy", "Daffy - The Commando", "Russian Rhapsody", "Plane Daffy", and "Herr Meets Hare"), or they would be miserable disasters such as:
     • "Tokio Jokio" (arguably the most racist short in the series since the racism is done on malice)
     • "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips" (another intentionally racist short)
   • The same can be said about the "Indian War" shorts ("Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee", "Sweet Sioux", both the 1938 and 1969 versions of "Injun Trouble", "Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas", "Scalp Trouble", "Sioux Me", "Mighty Hunters", "The Hardship of Miles Standish", "Saddle Silly", "Slightly Daffy", "Wagon Heels", "A Feather in His Hare", "Nothing but the Tooth", "Tom Tom Tomcat", "The Oily American", "Horse Hare", "Hocus Pocus Powwow", and "The Door") as well.
   • Other weak characters include Beans, Little Kitty, Ham and Ex, Oliver Owl, Chuck Jones' early Disney-esque characters from the late-1930s/early-1940s such as Sniffles (at least until 1943-1946), Inki, Conrad Cat and the Two Curious Puppies and almost all of the Warner Bros.-Seven Arts characters.
   • Cecil Turtle from the Bugs vs. Cecil shorts is extremely unlikable due to his smug attitude and how he keeps on making Bugs Bunny look like a loser, when in reality, Cecil is the one cheating.
   • Henery Hawk, Gabby, and Charlie Dog can be obnoxious at times as well. And it doesn't help that they were an influence behind Scrappy-Doo.
   • While Wile E. Coyote's voice and British accent is very spectacular to listen to, he mocks and gloats Bugs Bunny on occasion. However, in shorts such as "To Hare Is Human" and "Rabbit's Feat", he's at least genuinely polite towards Bugs.
6. Some of the team-ups like the Daffy and Speedy cartoons are either forgettable or bad, due to the rivalries not working as well as other famous rivalries like Bugs vs. Elmer/Sam/Daffy/Taz, Tweety/Speedy vs. Sylvester, and Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote.
7. While not a bad director, Friz Freleng sometimes used the same gags from his earlier shorts for some of his later cartoons, the most notable being in the critically acclaimed cartoon, "Show Biz Bugs". They often either work well as with "Show Biz Bugs" stated above, or they fail miserably as for "Mexican Cat Dance".
   • Chuck Jones didn't start off as a good director during his early years and has made very boring cartoons from the late-30s and early 40s as he tried hard to be like Disney such as "The Bird Came C.O.D." starring Conrad Cat; it was criticized as one of his worst cartoons ever made, and almost caused him to get fired from Leon Schlesinger Productions. Jones also had some of his cartoons stop midway every now and then, both his early and later.
     • Other directors are lesser known or everyone didn't know as Alex Lovy, Arthur Davis, Jack King, Eavl Duvall, Abe Levitow, Rudy Larriva, Ub Iwerks, Ben Hardaway, Cal Dalton, Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising (one of the very first directors)
   • When Friz Freleng briefly left for MGM's ill-fated Captain and the Kids series between 1938-1939, Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, who temporarily took over his unit, both tended to direct more Disney-esque cartoons (similarly to Chuck Jones's early fare) or pale imitations of Tex Avery's earlier cartoons. Some of their cartoons were decent (most notably the cartoons starring the Bugs Bunny prototype or Egghead), but there were also many misfires.
8. The redrawn colorized versions of the black and white cartoons are inferior to the original black and white and computer colorized versions.
   • While HBO Max, MeTV, Amazon Prime Video, and iTunes Video are doing good with restoring the unrestored shorts, especially the ones that were in desperate need of restorations (e.g. "A Waggily Tale", "Tweet Dreams" and "Lickety-Splat"), they would often plaster the opening and ending titles. In fact, these gaffes would also result in the ending cards being altered as well, as in the cases of "Little Dutch Plate", "Hyde and Go Tweet", "Daffy's Diner", "Speedy Ghost to Town", and "Chimp and Zee".
   • The Blue Ribbon reissues are absolutely inferior and unoriginal compared to the original title cards. What's not helping is that these reissues completely scrapped the original title cards and credits of many cartoons originally released in the pre-1948 package and many original negatives are considered to be lost. While there is effort to restore the original titles, success is rather limited.
   • The 1995 dubbed versions weren't received better either, primarily due to plastering ending titles with a stock one (either 1937-38 orange rings or 1947-48 red rings). The result of replacing the ending titles also resulted in ruining a few end gags, notably the one at the end of "The Old Grey Hare". While this was an attempt to restore the color hues from the original a.a.p. prints of the shorts, the color quality wasn't good enough to be able to restore most of the pre-1948 shorts. The 1997-98 dubbed versions were better received on the other hand, as those preserved the original endings and have better color restorations (although the dubbed notice still appears at the end over the original ending). Luckily, CD/DVD and HBO Max releases aim on replacing the 1995 dubbed version, preserving the original ending for many shorts.
   • While the French dubs of the shorts were good, the same can't be said for the French redubs.
9. While this is not necessarily a bad quality, it is worth noting that there were plenty of one-shot or minor characters that could have gotten a lot of potential for popularity, but didn't, such as:
   • Miguel from "Speedy Ghost to Town"
   • The Possum Family from "Sleepy Time Possum"
   • Kid Banty the Prize-Fighting Banty Rooster from "Sock a Doodle Do"
   • Owl Jolson from "I Love To Singa"
   • Louie the Parrot and Heathcliff the Obese Cat from "Dough Ray Me-ow"
   • Rhode Island Red from "Raw! Raw! Rooster!"
   • Dodsworth the Fat Cat and his kitten apprentice from "Kiddin' the Kitten" and "A Peck o' Trouble"
   • Quick Brown Fox and Rabid Rabbit from "Rabbits Stew and Rabbits Too!"
   • The woodpecker from "Peck Up Your Troubles" and "A Peck o' Trouble"
   • The Farmer and the Crow from "Corn Plastered"
     • Instead, these characters were either obscured, not well-known, cast-off or just plain forgotten.
   • At least Beaky Buzzard, the Three Bears, Hugo the Abominable Snowman, Russian Dog, Spike and Chester, Egghead Jr., Frisky Puppy, Gabby Goat, Pete Puma and Michigan J. Frog became popular, despite being minor characters or one-shots from the original series.
10. Don't even get us started on Space Jam: A New Legacy.

Trivia

• On July 30, 2002, Bugs Bunny was ranked Number 1 in TV Guide's 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time, with Daffy Duck in #14, Tweety and Sylvester in #33, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner in #38, and Porky Pig in #47. Bugs Bunny has also ranked Number 1 on other versions of the same list from other websites, such as PasteMagazine and LiveAbout.
• Several internet memes, like "King Bugs", "Big Chungus" and "I'll Steal It", originated from various Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.
• Despite his popularity among viewers, Porky Pig was not popular among several directors. Frank Tashlin in particular singled him out as a "terrible character".
  • Friz Freleng created him in 1935, but used him sparingly. He later admitted he didn't care much for Porky.
  • Friz Freleng had similar sentiments about Elmer Fudd, who he didn't like using because he was so ineffectual that he felt Bugs looked like a bully regardless of whether he was provoked or not. In response, he created Yosemite Sam, who was designed to make Bugs always look sympathetic in comparison.
• During 1953, the Warner Bros. cartoon studio laid off most of its staff for a period of six months. After the studio reopened, Freleng and Jones quickly re-assembled their respective units, but McKimson discovered every member of his previous team, apart from Tedd Pierce and background painter Dick Thomas, refused to work with him again, including his own brother Charles McKimson. At the start of this period, McKimson animated on three of his own shorts, "The Hole Idea", "Dime to Retire", and "Too Hop to Handle" (in fact, he was the sole animator credited on "The Hole Idea").
• None of the directors were particularly fond of Eddie Selzer, who produced the cartoons from 1944 to 1958 and was known among the crew for being humorless. If Selzer said something was a bad idea, the directors knew it was a good idea.
  • Due to an argument with Friz Freleng about a "mismatch" between Sylvester and Tweety in "Tweetie Pie", Freleng was almost about to quit on the cartoon studio. Eddie later apologized, leading to "Tweetie Pie" being the first Warner Bros. cartoon to ever win an Academy Award.
  • After the success of the first Taz cartoon, "Devil May Hare", his creator, Robert McKimson was told by Eddie Selzer not to create anymore Taz cartoons, as Eddie believed Taz was too brutal and too nasty for the American movie-going audiences. After three years, the studio head of Warner Bros., Jack Warner asks Ed Selzer, what ever happen to Taz. When Selzer told him, that Taz was a one-shot cartoon character, Jack told Selzer, that everyone wants more Taz cartoons. Ed Selzer changed his mind about the Tasmanian Devil.
  • Some cartoons such as the Pepé Le Pew shorts, "Bully for Bugs", and "Sahara Hare" was made in response to Selzer bursting into Jones/Freleng's unit, saying it's nothing funny about skunks, bullfights and camels. Michael Maltese told Chuck Jones on the matter of "Bully for Bugs" that "Eddie's never been right yet..."
• Despite his popularity, In 1999 all Speedy Gonzales cartoons were made unavailable because of their alleged stereotyping of Mexicans. But because the level of stereotyping was minor compared to the World War II era cartoons, as well as the protests of many Hispanics who said that they were not offended, and fondly remembered Speedy Gonzales cartoons as a representation of their youth and nation's individuality, these shorts were made available for broadcast again in 2002. This would be short lived, however, as Cartoon Network and Boomerang would cease airing Speedy Gonzales again. However, in 2021, Speedy returns to American TV with the MeTV airings. Even so, they usually air the more maligned Daffy & Speedy shorts, rather than the Sylvester & Speedy shorts.
• Looney Tunes was the first ever program to air on Cartoon Network, and the first cartoon aired on the channel was "Rhapsody Rabbit".
• Because of the colorful characters, wacky tone, and overall slapstick feel, Looney Tunes (alongside Tom and Jerry) has often been mistaken as a kids show, even though the original cartoons weren't specifically made with kids in mind in the first place.
• A good portion of cartoons from 1929 to 1943 (and a few from the 1950s) have fallen into the public domain and have since appeared on numerous low-budget home media as well as on websites such as YouTube, Wikimedia Commons, and so on. Some examples are:
  • "Ali Baba Bound"
  • "All This and Rabbit Stew"
  • "Bars and Stripes Forever"
  • "Case of the Missing Hare"
  • "A Corny Concerto"
  • "Ding Dog Daddy"
  • "Falling Hare"
  • "Farm Frolics"
  • "Flop Goes the Weasel"
  • "Foney Fables"
  • "Fox Pop"
  • "Fresh Hare"
  • "Get Rich Quick Porky"
  • "Gold Rush Daze"
  • "The Haunted Mouse"
  • "Have You Got Any Castles?"
  • "Inki and the Minah Bird"
  • "Jungle Jitters"
  • "Notes to You"
  • "Pigs in a Polka"
  • "Porky's Bear Facts"
  • "Porky's Midnight Matinee"
  • "Porky's Pastry Pirates"
  • "Prest-O Change-O"
  • "The Sheepish Wolf"
  • "A Tale of Two Kitties"
  • "The Timid Toreador"
  • "To Duck or Not to Duck"
  • "The Dover Boys"
  • "The Wabbit Who Came to Supper"
  • "The Wacky Wabbit"
  • "Who's Who in the Zoo"
  • "Yankee Doodle Daffy"
  • The first 6 cartoons of the "World War II Ten" ("Wacky Blackout" to "Daffy - The Commando")
  • Some other cartoons that have fallen into this fate include:
    • "Assault and Flattery" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "Bargain Counter Attack" (Little Lulu)
    • "Be Human" (Betty Boop)
    • "Betty Boop and Little Jimmy" (Betty Boop)
    • "Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions" (Betty Boop)
    • "Betty Boop's Rise to Fame" (Betty Boop)
    • "Betty in Blunderland" (Betty Boop)
    • "Boo Moon" (Casper the Friendly Ghost)
    • "A Bout with a Trout" (Little Lulu)
    • "Bride and Gloom" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "Chick and Double Chick" (Little Lulu)
    • "Crazy Town" (Betty Boop)
    • "Doggone Tired" (One of Tex Avery's MGM cartoons)
    • "Fright to the Finish" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "Gopher Spinach" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "A Haul in One" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "The Hot Air Salesman" (Betty Boop)
    • "I Don't Scare" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "Jerky Turkey" (One of Tex Avery's MGM cartoons)
    • "Lets Sing Along with Popeye" (an excerpt of the first Popeye the Sailor short)
    • "Loose in the Caboose" (Little Lulu)
    • "The Mad Doctor" (Mickey Mouse)
    • "Minnie's Yoo Hoo" (a Mickey Mouse cartoon that was only played in Mickey Mouse Club meetings)
    • "Musical Mountaineers" (Betty Boop)
    • "MusicaLulu" (Little Lulu)
    • "Out to Punch" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "Pantry Panic" (Woody Woodpecker)
    • "Parlez Voo Woo" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "Pest Pupil" (Baby Huey)
    • "Popeye for President" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "Seapreme Court" (Little Audrey)
    • "Shuteye Popeye" (Popeye the Sailor)
    • "The Spirit of '43" (Donald Duck)
    • "The Talking Magpies" (Heckle and Jeckle)
    • "Tarts and Flowers" (Little Audrey)
    • All three 1940s Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons ("The Friendly Ghost", "There's Good Boos Tonight", and "A Haunting We Will Go")
    • The original Felix the Cat cartoons (including the three technicolor cartoons "The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg", "Neptune Nonsense" and "Bold King Cole")
    • The original pilot for The Flintstones
    • Some animated segments from The New Three Stooges
    • All three Popeye the Sailor two-reel technicolor cartoons ("Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor", "Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves", and "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp")
    • The entirety of the Max Fleischer Superman series
  • It is worth noting that, while many of the Looney Tunes cartoons are all under copyright, some of them are easily accessible on YouTube, such as:
    • "I Like Mountain Music"
    • "Goin' to Heaven on a Mule"
    • "I'd Love to Take Orders from You"
    • "Porky and Gabby"
    • "Rover's Rival"
    • "The Sneezing Weasel"
    • "Jeepers Creepers"
    • "The Little Lion Hunter"
    • "Hollywood Steps Out"
    • "The Unbearable Bear"
    • "Fin 'n' Catty"
    • "Quentin Quail"
    • "The Goofy Gophers"
    • "Scent-imental over You"
    • "Inki at the Circus"
    • "Catch as Cats Can"
    • "A Feather in His Hare"
    • "Daffy Duck Slept Here"
    • "Hop, Look and Listen"
    • "The Rattled Rooster"
    • "A-Lad-In His Lamp"
    • "Knights Must Fall"
    • "Hippety Hopper" (1949 short)
    • "The Lion's Busy"
    • "8 Ball Bunny"
    • "The Ducksters"
    • "Stooge for a Mouse"
    • "Sleepy Time Possum"
    • "Mouse-Warming"
    • "A Mouse Divided"
    • "There Auto Be a Law"
    • "Tom Tom Tomcat"
    • "Plop Goes the Weasel"
    • "Catty Cornered"
    • "Muzzle Tough"
    • "Lighthouse Mouse"
    • "This Is a Life?"
    • "A Kiddies Kitty"
    • "Pappy's Puppy"
    • "Tweet Zoo"
    • "Boston Quackie"
    • "Ducking the Devil"
    • "Bugsy and Mugsy"
    • "Mouse-Taken Identity"
    • "China Jones"
    • "Trick or Tweet"
    • "Tweet and Lovely"
    • "Tweet Dreams"
    • "D' Fightin' Ones"
    • "The Rebel Without Claws"
    • "Compressed Hare"
    • "Prince Violent"
    • "A Sheep in the Deep"
    • "Fish and Slips"
    • "The Jet Cage"
    • "Dumb Patrol" (1964 short)
    • "Bartholomew Versus the Wheel"
    • "Norman Normal"
    • "3 Ring Wing-Ding"
    • Most post-1964 Speedy Gonzales shorts (particularly the ones with him and Daffy Duck)
• The series can be divided into several eras according to the varying common patterns in the series:
  • 1930-mid 33: The Bosko era when Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising ran the show. This era is mostly considered to be okay, if somewhat forgettable due to the "Mickey Mouse copycat" nature of Bosko, Foxy, Piggy, and Goopy Geer. Also, the outdated racial stereotypes mean few Looney Tunes cartoons from this era are in pristine condition. ("Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid" up to "We're in the Money")
  • late 1933-mid 1935: The Buddy era. Arguably the first real dip in the filmography, this era is best known for the painfully bland Buddy cartoons and rather mediocre Merrie Melodies shorts. Without Harman and Ising, the studio was seriously struggling to find its voice. This era is considered to have ended with the arrival of Tex Avery to the studio and with the debut of Beans & Porky Pig in the Looney Tunes series. ("Buddy's Day Out" to "The Lady In Red")
  • The late 1935-41 era: The period where the studio finally started to pump out unique cartoons. Commonly divided into 3 sub-eras:
    • The late 1935-38 experimental period: The period when Buddy was retired from the series and during which Daffy Duck debuted. Also known for heavy experimentation from just about everyone, but mostly Bob Clampett: "Porky in Wackyland" is considered to be the peak of this era. ("A Cartoonist's Nightmare" to "The Mice Will Play")
    • The 1939-mid 40 rut: During this period, Friz Freleng left for MGM and Chuck Jones debuted as a director. Best known mostly for a series of somewhat average, yet forgettable "travelogue" cartoons by Tex Avery, cutesy Disney ripoffs by Chuck Jones, Ben Hardaway, and Cal Dalton, and a series of somewhat more memorable Porky Pig and Daffy Duck outings by Bob Clampett. This era ended with the official debut of Bugs Bunny in 1940 and the return of Friz Freleng that same year. ("The Lone Stranger and Porky" up to "Patient Porky" with the sole exception of "Ceiling Hero")
    • The late 1940-late 1941 transition: Another era of experimentation, mostly marked by everyone trying to find their own take on Bugs and by the Looney Tunes series slowly downplaying Porky Pig, who was losing his popularity to Daffy and Bugs. This era ended with the departure of Tex Avery from the studio and with the debut of the new fanfare-like theme renditions for both series. ("Ceiling Hero" to "Notes to You")
  • The Golden Age: A span of approx. 10 years (late 1941-1953) that is considered to be one of the single greatest runs in theatrical cartoon history. Barring a few early World War II efforts (particularly from Norman McCabe), just about every cartoon from this era is considered to be hilarious. Also the era of almost constantly changing directors that eventually settled on the trio of Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones and Robert "Bob" McKimson by 1949. The rest of the regular cast debuted during this era. ("The Brave Little Bat" to "Punch Truck")
  • The Sliver Age: This era, which lasted from 1954-mid-1962 after the studio reopened after a brief closure due to rise of 3D animation is considered to be a era of rather formulaic outings for everyone but Chuck Jones, who released some of the greatest masterpieces of his career during this era. This era also starts to see a notable downgrade in animation quality (especially those of Robert McKimson's shorts). The era ended with the passing of Milt Franklyn and William Lava becoming the new music composer in late 1962. ("Dog Pounded" up to "Mother Was A Rooster" with the exceptions of the re-released version of "Lumber Jack-Rabbit" and "The Jet Cage")
  • The late 1962-64 era during which the studio was trying to stay together. Considered to be the first stint of misfires since the Buddy era, this era was known for the turbulence in the Warner Bros. management of the time, which was seriously debating whether to abolish the cartoon division, firing of Chuck Jones, with tired and stale musical scores from William Lava. It eventually did in 1964, and "False Hare" (an okay outing from Bugs Bunny), as well as "Señorella and the Glass Huarache" (a good one-shot), closed the doors on the original studio that had been running for 3 and a half decades at the time. In many cases, however, the designers (Maurice Noble in particular) tried hard. ("The Jet Cage" up to "Señorella and the Glass Huarache", with the exception of "Mother Was a Rooster")
  • The DePatie-Freleng and Format Films eras was an attempt from Warner Bros. to relaunch the animation department after the original studio closed. The budget cuts caused an enormous decline in quality. Infamously known for above and/or below average Daffy and Speedy pairings from Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson as well as atrocious TV quality Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons outsourced to Format Films and directed by Rudy Larriva. Eventually, the original studio would be reopened after Seven Arts Productions merged with Warner Bros. Pictures following the former's $32 million acquisition of Jack L. Warner's controlling interest of Warner Bros. Pictures in November of 1966, and end this era after a transition of three Daffy and Speedy shorts from Format Films. ("Pancho's Hideaway" to "The Spy Swatter")
  • The Seven Arts era was the final straw for the cartoon studio, with severe misfires caused by even lower budgets and a less-experienced director (of Woody Woodpecker), Alex Lovy. During this era, several attempts were made to create new characters to liven up the series (such as Cool Cat and Merlin the Magic Mouse), all to critical backlash. The failure of the early shorts in this era caused Alex Lovy to retire and forced Robert McKimson to solder on the remaining cartoons in this era (much to McKimson's chagrin, according to an interview with him). The studio would shut down for good once Kinney National Services acquired the company and abolished the cartoon studio to reduce costs. The Looney Tunes series did had an okay end compared to Merrie Melodies. ("Speedy Ghost to Town" to "Injun Trouble" (1969))
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