List of animation studios owned by Warner Bros. Discovery

Last updated

Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, part of the Old Warner Bros. Studio Leon Schlesinger Productions studio.JPG
Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, part of the Old Warner Bros. Studio
Outside of the Williams Street studio. Williams Street studio.JPG
Outside of the Williams Street studio.

Warner Bros. Discovery has owned and operated several animation studios since its founding on February 10, 1972 as WarnerMedia, before merging with Discovery, Inc. on April 8, 2022, including its flagship feature animation studio Warner Bros. Animation through Warner Bros. Entertainment that claims heritage from this original studio.

Contents

Besides Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Discovery also presently operates the Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Williams Street (both through The Cartoon Network, Inc.). This article does not include other animation studios whose films were released by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Full list

Current animation studios
StudioEstablished Parent unit
1980
Animation: Television & DVD films, short films, specials and television series in hand-drawn, digital, and CGI.


Current animation division of Warner Bros. and successor of Warner Bros. Cartoons.


Units: Warner Bros. Television Animation (1981–2003), Warner Bros. Feature Animation (1994–2004), Warner Bros. Animation VFX (2004–2018) [1]

2013
Animation: Theatrical feature films and short films


Feature film animation division of Warner Bros.


Former names: Warner Animation Group (2013–2023)

1994
Warner Bros. Television Studios
Animation: Television series, specials and feature films


Currently an animation division of Warner Bros (operated through Warner Bros. Discovery Networks, formerly Turner Broadcasting System) under The Cartoon Network, Inc. The studio produces original series and films for Cartoon Network. The studio also does some live-action programming for the channel.


Satellite studios: Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe; CN LA Original Productions
Former Satellite studio names: Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe (2007–2012), Cartoon Network Studios Europe (2012–2021).

1994
Warner Bros. Television Studios
Animation: Television series, specials and feature films


Currently an animation division of Warner Bros (operated through Warner Bros. Discovery Networks, formerly Turner Broadcasting System) under The Cartoon Network, Inc. The studio produces live-action and animated series and films for Cartoon Network's programming block Adult Swim.


Former names: Ghost Planet Industries (1994–1999) [Note 1]
Units: Big Pixel Studios, Williams Street Records

Divested or defunct animation studios
StudioEstablishedStatus
1933
Defunct in 1969
Animation: Hand-drawn theatrical feature films and short films

The original animation unit of Warner Bros. Originally founded as an independent studio called Harman-Ising Productions in 1926, then renamed to Leon Schlesinger Productions in 1933, it was later sold to WB in 1944. After its closure in 1963, it was briefly reopened in 1967, only to be shut down for good in 1969.


Former names: Leon Schlesinger Productions (1933–1944)

1957
Defunct in 2001
Animation: Theatrical films, direct to video films, short films and television films, television series


The animation studio of Tom and Jerry creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, best known for various television series like The Flintstones , Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo . Closed in 2001 and absorbed into Warner Bros Animation. Currently exists as an in-name only entity, used for later series and films based on its properties.

1977
Defunct in 1996
Animation: Television series and specials


The animation studio of creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, best known for various television series like Alvin and the Chipmunks , Centurions , Mister T and Rubik, the Amazing Cube . Closed in 1996 and absorbed into Warner Bros Animation. Currently exists as an in-name only entity, used for later series and films based on its properties.

1994
Defunct in 2004
Animation: Feature films


The theatrical feature film unit of Warner Bros. Animation. Closed in 2004 after the financial failure of Looney Tunes: Back in Action .

2003
Defunct in 2024
Animation: Web series, feature films


Former animation division of Rooster Teeth. The studio was closed alongside its parent company in May 2024.

1991
Defunct in 1997
Animation: Feature films


Spun off from the Hanna-Barbera feature animation division in 1991, the studio was later folded into Warner Bros. Feature Animation in 1997.

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group

Warner Bros. Feature Animation

Warner Bros. Feature Animation, a division of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, opened in 1991 with 360 employees in Burbank, and another 100 employees in London. [2] Warner Bros. placed veteran film producer Max Howard in charge of the new division [3]

Projects

Release dateTitleNotes
November 15, 1996 Space Jam
March 26, 1997 Cats Don't Dance
May 15, 1998 Quest for Camelot
August 6, 1999 The Iron Giant
August 10, 2001 Osmosis Jones
November 14, 2003 Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation (formerly known as the Warner Animation Group) was created in 2013, by Jeff Robinov to create animated theatrical films for Warner Bros. Pictures, and to replace the shuttered Warner Bros. Feature Animation which closed in 2004.

Projects

Release dateTitleNotes
February 7, 2014 The Lego Movie
June 17, 2014Enter the NinjagoIncluded with the home media release of The Lego Movie.
January 29, 2016 The Lego Movie: 4D – A New Adventure An attraction at Legoland Florida
September 23, 2016 The Master Short which premiered before the theatrical release of Storks
September 23, 2016 Storks
February 10, 2017 The Lego Batman Movie
September 22, 2017 The Lego Ninjago Movie
September 28, 2018 Smallfoot
February 8, 2019 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
May 15, 2020 Scoob!
February 26, 2021 Tom & Jerry
July 16, 2021 Space Jam: A New Legacy
July 29, 2022 DC League of Super-Pets

Warner Bros. Television Group

Warner Bros. Animation

Warner Bros. Cartoons

Established in 1933, after Harman and Ising who had been creating animated shorts for Warner Bros. since 1927, left for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Warner Bros. Cartoons began creating animated shorts for the company, going on to launch the most famous characters in history, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. The animation studio created dozens of award-winning shorts before shuttering in 1969.

Cartoon Network Studios

Founded in 1994, Cartoon Network Studios originated as a division of Hanna-Barbera, that focused on producing original programing for Cartoon Network including Dexter's Laboratory , Johnny Bravo , and The Powerpuff Girls . Following the merger of Hanna-Barbera's parent, Turner Broadcasting System with Time Warner, the Hanna-Barbera studio was folded into Warner Bros. Animation by its chief executive, Jean MacCurdy. [4] After Hanna-Barbera merged into Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios was resurrected as a separate entity. [4]

Williams Street

Created in 1994, Williams Street Productions was started by Cartoon Network to produce more adult-targeted serials for the network. Being the main production arm of Adult Swim, the division started as Ghost Planet Industries, named after the home planet of the titular character of their first production, Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

Turner Entertainment Co.

Hanna-Barbera Cartoons

Started in 1957 by Tom and Jerry creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The company went on to create numerous television shows. In 1991, the studio was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System, and began creating media exclusively for Cartoon Network. In 1998 it was moved to the same complex as Warner Bros. Animation, before the two companies were merged in 2001. Hanna-Barbera exists only as a copyright holder to their old properties.

Turner Feature Animation

Founded in 1994, Turner Feature Animation was created from the feature animation division of Hanna-Barbera. After its first film in 1994, the studio's parent company Turner Entertainment was bought by Time Warner in 1996, and the Turner Feature Animation division was folded into Warner Bros. Feature Animation before the release of their second and final film. [5]

Notes

  1. Original name for Williams Street, taking its name from the fictional planet from Space Ghost .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartoon Network Studios</span> American animation studio

Cartoon Network Studios is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the production arm of Cartoon Network, and was founded on October 21, 1994, as a division of Hanna-Barbera, until the latter was absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation on March 12, 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanna-Barbera</span> American animation studio

Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio and production company, which was active from 1957 until its absorption into Warner Bros. Animation in 2001. Founded on July 7, 1957 by Tom and Jerry creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, it was headquartered on Cahuenga Blvd from 1960 to 1998, then subsequently at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Sherman Oaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turner Broadcasting System</span> American media conglomerate (1965–2019)

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 on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its assets are now owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The headquarters of Turner's properties are largely located at the CNN Center in Downtown Atlanta, and the Turner Broadcasting campus off Techwood Drive in Midtown Atlanta, which also houses Techwood Studios. Some of their operations are housed within WBD's corporate and global headquarters inside 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan's West Side district, and at 230 Park Avenue South in Midtown Manhattan, both in New York City, respectively.

Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner on August 2, 1986. Purchased by Time Warner Entertainment on October 10, 1996, as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing the TBS library for worldwide distribution. In recent years, this role has largely been limited to being the copyright holder, as it has become an in-name-only subsidiary of Warner Bros., which currently administers their library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Animation</span> American animation studio owned by Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation division and label of Warner Bros.

<i>What a Cartoon!</i> American animated anthology series

What a Cartoon! is an American animated anthology series created by Fred Seibert for Cartoon Network. The shorts were produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions; by the end of the run, a Cartoon Network Studios production tag was added to some shorts to signal they were original to the network. The project consisted of 48 cartoons, intended to return creative power to animators and artists, by recreating the atmospheres that spawned the iconic cartoon characters of the mid-20th century. Each of the shorts mirrored the structure of a theatrical cartoon, with each film being based on an original storyboard drawn and written by its artist or creator. Three of the cartoons were paired together into a half-hour episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Television Studios</span> Television arm of Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Television Studios, operating under the name Warner Bros. Television, is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of Warner Bros., a flagship studio of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Launched on March 21, 1955 by William T. Orr, it serves as a television production arm of DC Comics productions by DC Studios and, alongside Paramount Global's CBS Studios, The CW, the latter that launched in 2006 and WBD has a 12.5% ownership stake. It also serves as the distribution arm of WBD units HBO, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Barbera</span> American animator and cartoonist (1911–2006)

Joseph Roland Barbera was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederator Studios</span> American animation television production studio

Frederator Studios is an American animation television production studio founded by Fred Seibert in January 1997. Seibert sold Frederator Networks, Inc. in 2022, and it is now a division of Kartoon Studios' Canadian holding company Wow Unlimited Media. The studio's slogan is "Original Cartoons since 1998."

Michael Allen Lazzo is a retired American television producer and the former executive vice president in charge of the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network, and its production arm, Williams Street.

Mike Milo is an American animator, director, storyboard artist, writer, and producer in the television industry. He is currently directing the new series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? at Warner Bros. Animation. He was an animation director on Uncle Grandpa as well as Craig of the Creek, both for Cartoon Network. He was also a story artist on Curious George for Universal. In 2012, he worked as a storyboard artist for The Fairly OddParents, and developed a pilot with Butch Hartman. Before that, he directed the animated series Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja at Titmouse, Inc. for Disney XD. He is also known to have designed the characters for the Comedy Central series Brickleberry, although he is uncredited. Before that, he was a story artist on the show Phineas and Ferb for Disney Channel and co-wrote nine episodes for that series. Growing up in Old Tappan, New Jersey, he began his animation career in 1990 animating commercials for Broadcast Arts in New York City. Subsequently, he worked for Sierra On-Line and Warner Bros., again as an animator working on Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Tazmania, Pinky and the Brain and Histeria!. He has also worked for Disney Television Animation, Frederator Studios, Film Roman, Hanna-Barbera, Universal Animation Studios, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Studios, DIC Entertainment, Saban, Mike Young Productions, and other smaller studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio</span> Division of MGM film studio responsible for producing animated shorts

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was an American animation studio operated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) during the Golden Age of American animation. Active from 1937 until 1957, the studio was responsible for producing animated shorts to accompany MGM feature films in Loew's Theaters, which included popular cartoon characters Tom, Jerry, Droopy, Butch, Spike, Tyke, and Barney Bear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartoon Network</span> American cable television channel

Cartoon Network is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is the flagship property of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also oversees Boomerang, Cartoonito, Discovery Family, Adult Swim, and Toonami. The channel is headquartered at 1050 Techwood Drive NW in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lawrence "Larry" Huber is an American television producer, writer, and animator who is known for his long history as a producer at Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears, and Nickelodeon. Huber began his animation career in 1969 while working on Hanna-Barbera's The Perils of Penelope Pitstop. He went on to work for Ruby-Spears for 15 years. Returning to Hanna-Barbera in 1990, Huber worked on 2 Stupid Dogs and Fish Police. He was hired by Buzz Potamkin to supervise production on Cartoon Network's World Premiere Toons in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lists of animated films</span>

These lists of animated feature films compile animated feature films from around the world and are organized alphabetically under the year of release. Theatrical releases as well as made-for-TV (TV) and direct-to-video (V) movies of all types of animation are included. Currently, the lists don't recognize one release form from another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Beck</span> American animation historian, author, blogger, and video producer

Jerry Beck is an American animation historian, author, blogger, and video producer.

Dino: The Great Egg-Scape is a 1997 American animated short film and a spin-off of The Flintstones starring Dino, the Flintstone family's pet dinosaur. Directed by Joseph Barbera and produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, it originally aired as part of What a Cartoon! on Cartoon Network on March 5, 1997.

Cartoon Network is an American basic cable and satellite television channel that is part of The Cartoon Network, Inc. unit of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery which primarily focuses on animated programs.

References

  1. "Warner Bros. Animation VFX (Sorted by Release Date Ascending)". IMDb.
  2. Lippman, John (September 24, 1996). "Bugs, Michael team up in ultimate commercial movie". The Wall Street Journal. ProQuest   398551210.
  3. Kenyon, Heather (April 1998). "An Afternoon with Max Howard, President, Warner Bros. Feature Animation". Animation World Magazine. Vol. 3, no. 1. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Seibert, Fred (December 18, 2007). "Hanna-Barbera Studios, 1997". Frederator Blogs. Frederator Studios . Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  5. "'Cats' Tries to Mix Parody and Nostalgia". Los Angeles Times. March 26, 1997.