Warner Bros. Animation

Overview

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is the animation division of Warner Bros. Discovery, producing animated content for theatrical release, Max streaming, Cartoon Network, and home entertainment. The studio is home to iconic character libraries from DC, Hanna-Barbera, MGM, and Looney Tunes. WBA has won 6 Academy Awards, 40 Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children's Award, and 21 Annie Awards.

WBA's current series slate (as of 2025) includes Batman: Caped Crusader, Bat-Family, Batwheels, Bugs Bunny Builders, Creature Commandos, DC Super Powers, Get Jiro, Gremlins: The Wild Batch, Harley Quinn, Jellystone!, My Adventures with Green Lantern, My Adventures with Superman, Starfire!, Teen Titans Go!, and Tiny Toons Looniversity. The studio recently released the original anime feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim with New Line Cinema and The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (March 2025, distributed by Ketchup Entertainment).

For animators, story artists, and animation directors, WBA is one of the primary employers in the American animation industry, alongside Disney Animation, Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, and Illumination. The studio produces across multiple platforms and budget levels, from preschool series to adult animation to theatrical features.

History

Warner Bros.' animation department was established in 1933 under Leon Schlesinger. The studio developed its distinctive style through the 1930s under directors Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, and Friz Freleng. Unlike Disney's more sentimentalized approach, Warner Bros. cartoons were faster, more anarchic, more self-referential, and more attuned to adult comic sensibilities alongside their appeal to children.

The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies short film series produced between 1930 and 1969 represent one of the most creative periods in animation history. Chuck Jones's shorts, including What's Opera, Doc? (1957), Duck Amuck (1953), and One Froggy Evening (1955), are regularly cited among the greatest animated films ever made. The original animation building, nicknamed "Termite Terrace," was located on the studio's old Sunset Boulevard lot in Los Angeles and was demolished in the early 1940s. The animation staff moved to the Burbank lot in the 1950s.

The studio's theatrical shorts operation wound down in the late 1960s, and Warner Bros. Animation shifted to television production. The unit produced Tiny Toon Adventures (1990), Batman: The Animated Series (1992, which redefined DC animation), Animaniacs (1993), Pinky and the Brain (1995), and many other acclaimed series through the 1990s.

The theatrical feature division produced Space Jam (1996), The Iron Giant (1999, through a distinct unit), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), Happy Feet (2006, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature), and more recent features including Smallfoot (2018) and The Addams Family series (2019, 2021). Space Jam: A New Legacy arrived in 2021.

2025 Releases and Current Slate

Theatrical Features

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is the first fully animated, theatrically released film in the Looney Tunes franchise consisting of entirely original material. Directed by Pete Browngardt in his feature directorial debut, the film follows Daffy Duck and Porky Pig as they try to save Earth from an alien scheme. Produced on a $15 million budget, the film grossed $15.5 million worldwide ($8.9 million domestic, $6.6 million international) after opening wide on March 14, 2025, through Ketchup Entertainment. The film was originally intended for Max but was shelved before Ketchup acquired distribution rights. It premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2024 and streamed on HBO Max beginning June 27, 2025.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, an original anime feature produced with New Line Cinema, was also released in the 2024 to 2025 window. Ketchup Entertainment additionally acquired worldwide rights to the long-shelved Coyote vs. Acme (a hybrid live-action/animated Looney Tunes film starring John Cena), with plans for future release.

Series and Development

At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2025, WBA, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe announced a substantial development slate:

Greenlit series:

• Foster's Funtime for Imaginary Friends (preschool, Cartoon Network)
• Adventure Time: Side Quests (kids, Cartoon Network)
• Untitled Regular Show project (kids, Cartoon Network)
• Teen Titans Go! Season 10 (Cartoon Network, making it the longest-running animated series in DC history)
• Steven Universe: Lars of the Stars (in development for Prime Video, from executive producers Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey)

In development:

• The Adventure Time Movie (Cartoon Network Studios, from Rebecca Sugar and Patrick McHale)
• Go-Go Mystery Machine (first Scooby-Doo anime series, set in Japan)
• Bad Karma (Warner Bros. Animation, Indian mythology-inspired)
• Lovey Dovey (adult animation, Warner Bros. Animation)

Studio Facilities

Warner Bros. Animation is based in Burbank, California, with offices on the Warner Bros. Ranch lot. The parent studio's main lot in Burbank spans 110 acres and includes 30 soundstages ranging from 14,000 to 32,000 square feet. The Ranch lot, located a mile north of the main lot, is undergoing a major redevelopment by Worthe Real Estate Group that includes 16 new soundstages and 926,000 square feet of total development, making it the largest studio development in the country when completed. Warner Bros. took occupancy of the redeveloped Ranch in 2025.

In March 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery demolished Building 131 on the Burbank lot, a structure that formerly housed Looney Tunes production, to create additional base camp space for live-action HBO productions shooting on the lot. The demolition drew protests from animation fans and historians, though the building was not the original Termite Terrace site. This coincided with the removal of the entire Looney Tunes library of cartoons from Max streaming, which drew further criticism from fans.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Warner Bros. Animation develops theatrical features and streaming series from both original concepts and existing IP. The studio's long history with the Looney Tunes, DC, and Hanna-Barbera libraries means much of its development focuses on those properties, but the animation unit also produces original content, as demonstrated by Bad Karma, Lovey Dovey, and the Adventure Time Movie.

Employment at the studio is the primary pathway for animators, story artists, and animation directors interested in contributing to Warner Bros. animated projects. The studio hires through standard industry channels: portfolio submissions, recruiter contacts, and guild referrals. Animation guild membership (Animation Guild Local 839, IATSE) is typically required for most production roles at WBA, as the studio operates under union agreements.

For independent animation creators, Cartoon Network Studios operates with a creator-driven development model and has a history of acquiring original properties. The studio has fostered groundbreaking series including Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Regular Show, and Craig of the Creek. Creators with original animated series concepts may submit through Cartoon Network's standard development process, though representation by an animation agency or entertainment lawyer improves access significantly.

The partnership between Vertigo Entertainment and AWA Studios (announced June 2024) also creates a pathway for horror-focused animation creators, though this operates through AWA's submission process rather than directly through WBA.

Notable Productions

Warner Bros. Animation's productions span theatrical features, streaming series, and television. Recent theatrical features include The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (anime feature with New Line Cinema), The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (March 2025, $15.5 million worldwide, Ketchup Entertainment distribution), and the upcoming Coyote vs. Acme (hybrid live-action/animated Looney Tunes film starring John Cena). Historic theatrical features include Happy Feet (2006, Academy Award for Best Animated Feature), Space Jam (1996), The Iron Giant (1999), and Smallfoot (2018). Current series slate includes Batman: Caped Crusader, Harley Quinn, My Adventures with Superman, Teen Titans Go! (Season 10, making it the longest-running animated series in DC history), Creature Commandos, Gremlins: The Wild Batch, and Tiny Toons Looniversity. Upcoming series include Steven Universe: Lars of the Stars (Prime Video), The Adventure Time Movie, and Go-Go Mystery Machine (first Scooby-Doo anime series).

House Style and Genre Focus

WBA's identity is built on the Looney Tunes, DC, and Hanna-Barbera libraries, but the studio also produces original content across multiple platforms and budget levels. The studio's historical style, developed under directors Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, and Friz Freleng, was faster, more anarchic, and more self-referential than Disney's approach. Chuck Jones shorts including What's Opera, Doc? (1957), Duck Amuck (1953), and One Froggy Evening (1955) are regularly cited among the greatest animated films ever made. WBA produces across preschool (Bugs Bunny Builders, Batwheels), kids (Teen Titans Go!, Tiny Toons Looniversity), adult animation (Harley Quinn, Lovey Dovey), and theatrical features. The studio has won 6 Academy Awards, 40 Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children's Award, and 21 Annie Awards.

How They Typically Find Talent and Take Submissions

Employment at the studio is the primary pathway for animators, story artists, and animation directors. The studio hires through standard industry channels: portfolio submissions, recruiter contacts, and guild referrals. Animation guild membership (Animation Guild Local 839, IATSE) is typically required for most production roles at WBA, as the studio operates under union agreements. For independent animation creators, Cartoon Network Studios operates with a creator-driven development model and has a history of acquiring original properties including Adventure Time, Steven Universe, Regular Show, and Craig of the Creek. Creators with original animated series concepts may submit through Cartoon Network's standard development process, though representation by an animation agency or entertainment lawyer improves access significantly. The partnership between Vertigo Entertainment and AWA Studios (announced June 2024) creates a pathway for horror-focused animation creators through AWA's submission process.

Watch: Trailers and Behind the Scenes

See Also

For understanding how major studio animation operates within a broader media company, see Distribution Deals Explained. For technical animation context including frame rate calculations, use the Frame Rate Calculator. For budgeting animated productions, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator.