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New Looney Tunes

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 41 min

"Bugs!" redirects here. For the South Korean digital streaming service, see Bugs! (streaming service).
New Looney Tunes
Genre
Based onLooney Tunes and Merrie Melodies
by Warner Bros.
Developed byErik Kuska
Written by
  • Matt Craig
  • Kevin Fleming
  • Rob Janas
Directed by
  • Sean Petrilak
  • Erik Knutson
  • Scott Bern (season 1)
  • Ian Wasseluk
  • Erik Kuska (season 1)
  • Robb Pratt (season 1)
  • Jessica Borutski (season 1)
Voices of
Theme music composer
Opening theme
Ending theme
  • "Wabbit Theme" (season 1)
  • "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" (seasons 2–3)
ComposerJoshua Funk
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes156 (312 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerSam Register[1]
Producers
  • Matt Craig
  • Gary Hartle
EditorRobby Wells
Running time11 minutes (2 segments of 5½ minutes or 1 special segment)
22 minutes (4 segments)
Production companyWarner Bros. Animation
Original release
Network
ReleaseSeptember 21, 2015 (2015-09-21) –
January 30, 2020 (2020-01-30)
Related

New Looney Tunes (originally titled Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production in the United States, and Bugs! in some markets for its first season) is an American animated television series from Warner Bros. Animation based on the characters from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.[3] The series debuted on September 21, 2015, on Cartoon Network,[4][5] and continued with new episodes beginning on October 5, 2015, on Boomerang. Part way through the first season, new episodes would premiere on Boomerang's video on demand service before airing on television.[6][7][8]

On November 24, 2017, the Boomerang streaming service announced that New Looney Tunes would continue into 2017,[9] with the third season being the show's last. The final episodes were released on January 30, 2020. The series was followed by the more traditionally formatted Looney Tunes Cartoons on May 27, 2020, which is streaming on HBO Max.

Production

[edit]
Promotional poster for "Wabbit" featuring Squeaks and Bugs, as drawn in a promotional still. (Early press kits give Squeaks a different appearance.)[10]

After The Looney Tunes Show ended production in 2013, concepts for a new show featuring the Looney Tunes began to be discussed. At the time, the idea of a reboot focused mainly on Bugs Bunny emerged, and in March 2014, it was announced that the reboot would be known as Wabbit or Bugs! depending in the region.[11] Sam Register, promoted to president of Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series a month prior, became supervising producer for the series.[12] The animation was done by Yearim and Rough Draft Studios from South Korea (the latter only working on the first season) and Snipple Animation from the Philippines.

The aim of the reboot was for its cartoons to match the tone of the Looney Tunes shorts in their earlier days. This led to the characters returning to their slapstick comedy roots,[13] but with producers seeking to avoid their clichés, such as the anvil gag. The show's production team placed their emphasis on writing original stories, as well as devising "modern heavy objects to cause pain", according to producer Erik Kuska, with each episode featuring a few shorts in which one or a number of characters became caught up in a situation that they would handle in their own personal way. Despite that, some classic objects can occasionally be seen, such as boulders or safes. Similarly, some classic expressions can be heard, such as Bugs forgetting to "make that left turn at Albuquerque", or uttering "of course you know, this means war". The characters themselves saw some alterations to their appearances, with some also reverting to personality traits they originally had in their earliest appearances. For example, Daffy Duck was reverted to his original screwball personality from his early shorts.

The first season of the show was known as Wabbit and focused on the misadventures of Bugs Bunny, with a supporting cast of Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote and Porky Pig, and cameo appearances by Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, the Tasmanian Devil and Michigan J. Frog. Like his early shorts, Bugs mostly finds himself in a battle of wits with opponents either because they seek to hurt him or have done something to wreck his peaceful life. The first season saw the introduction of a few new characters to the Looney Tunes franchise,[14] many of them being new villains Bugs faces.[15]

Among the new characters introduced in this show are:

  • Squeaks the Squirrel – A red squirrel who is Bugs' neighbor and best friend (whose speech initially consisted only of squeaking sounds, occasionally giving way to intelligible speech in season 3).
  • Bigfoot – A childlike creature who tends to follow Bugs, usually calling him "lady" (or occasionally "ma'am"), much to Bugs' frustration.
  • The Barbarian – An unnamed barbarian that feuds with Bugs.
    • Krakos – The Barbarian's polar bear mount.
  • Boyd – A lovesick bird.
  • Cal – A huge man who considers himself the best at everything.
  • Carl the Grim Rabbit – A Grim Reaper look-alike with rabbit ears.
  • Claudette Dupri – A fox spy who speaks with an audible French accent. Pepé Le Pew has a crush on her and mostly appears by her side.
  • Dr. Clovenhoof – A sheep scientist.
  • Eagle Scout – A lonely eagle scoutmaster who is a talented rapper and longs for friends.
  • Elliot Sampson – A bobcat scoutmaster and businessman.
  • Hazmats – As Bugs puts it, they are a group of "highly trained government officials" in hazmat suits that often pursue or hunt him, Squeaks, and Bigfoot, as well as Agents Dupri and Le Pew.
  • Horace the Horse – A uniformed horse who often works with Porky and speaks in the style of John Travolta.
  • Ivanna – A woman who often encroaches on Bugs' territory and hosts the show "Gettin' Fresh! with Ivanna" on "The Food Notwork", in the episode with the same channel name.
  • Jack – A "jack of all trades" who does various work. This character was dropped after his first two appearances because his personality traits (including his screaming) were deemed too similar to Yosemite Sam.[16]
  • King Thes – A royal lion who tries to eat anyone.
  • Leslie P. Lilylegs – A mean-spirited short man who tends to desire power while working for his different bosses.
  • Miss Cougar – A spinster cougar.
  • Pampreen and Paul Perdy – Two spoiled brats who are related to Leslie.
  • Rhoda Roundhouse – A female wrestler.
  • Shameless O’Scanty – An unlucky leprechaun.
  • Sir Littlechin – A knight who often hunts mythical animals.
  • Slugsworthy the First – A stuck-up elephant seal.
  • Squint Eatswood – A grouchy beaver who hates anyone who's not a beaver.
  • Tad Tucker – An Australian reality television personality with a strong appetite for rabbits (especially "a family of rabbits").
  • Trey Hugger – An environmental activist.
  • Viktor – A narcissistic man who likes to brag about being the best in everything. He appears in "Abracawabbit" as a magician called "Viktor Mageek", "Viktor The Science Swede" as a science guy, "Fashion Viktor" as a fashion designer, among other episodes. Along with him in each of his appearances are three young men who appear to idolize him, though they later start to idolize Bugs.
  • Winter Stag – A cryokinetic deer.

According to Kuska, the focus on new enemies for Bugs to face off against was described as allowing him to do his "best when he's up against a really good adversary". As a result of the inclusion of new villains, Kuska felt that Elmer Fudd might not be "the man" anymore, having often been a common rival that Bugs fought with in many shorts, despite appearing later on in the series.[14]

After the first season ended, the production team decided to expand the focus to other Looney Tunes stars, thus the show was retooled and renamed New Looney Tunes for the second season and featured a new intro with music based on the classic Looney Tunes theme song, "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down". The second season saw the addition of stories centering around Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, the Tasmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Witch Hazel, Petunia Pig, and Lola Bunny. Some episodes saw characters operating as a double act (a plot mechanic mainly used for Daffy and Porky, as had been done in the classic shorts). Several supporting, recurring and minor figures from the classic Looney Tunes shorts such as Michigan J. Frog, Sniffles, Hubie and Bertie, the Goofy Gophers, Claude Cat, Marc Antony and Pussyfoot, Cecil Turtle, Gabby Goat, and Blacque Jacque Shellacque also made appearances.

Season 3 featured Axl Rose as a guest star in the episode "Armageddon Outta Here" and featured his first studio recording since 2008.[17]

Voice cast

[edit]

Main cast

[edit]

Supporting cast

[edit]

Special guest stars

[edit]

Additional voices

[edit]

Voice directors

[edit]

Episodes

[edit]
Main article: List of New Looney Tunes episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
152September 21, 2015 (2015-09-21)February 8, 2018 (2018-02-08)Cartoon Network (episodes 1–22)
Boomerang SVOD (episodes 23–52)
Boomerang
252June 25, 2018 (2018-06-25)January 31, 2019 (2019-01-31)Boomerang SVOD
Boomerang
352August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)January 30, 2020 (2020-01-30)Boomerang SVOD
Boomerang

Broadcast

[edit]

Wabbit premiered on September 21, 2015, on Cartoon Network and on Boomerang beginning October 5, 2015, then went on hiatus for over a year and return on April 7, 2017.[19][20][21][22] The series premiered on November 2 on Boomerang in Australia and New Zealand and on Boomerang in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[23][24] It premiered on November 6, 2015, on Teletoon in Canada[25] and debuted on December 19 on Boomerang in the Middle East and Africa.[26] In India, the series premiered on Pogo TV on December 19, 2015.[27] The series premiered on January 17, 2016, on Cartoon Network Arabic in the Middle East.

New episodes began being broadcast on Boomerang, starting April 7, 2017.

Season 2 premiered on Boomerang UK on September 4, 2017.

The entire first season is available on Netflix in Canada.

The show was available on the Boomerang premium subscription service until it shut down in 2024.[6] As of July 4, 2020, the show is available for streaming on Max in the United States. However, a few episodes from seasons 1 and 2 and the entire third season are not yet on the platform.

Season Timeslot (ET) Episodes Premiered Ended Viewers
(in millions)
Date Premiere viewers
(in millions) 		Date Finale viewers
(in millions)
1 for Boomerang Weekdays 8:00 p.m. (episodes 1–12)
Monday 8:00 p.m. (episode 13–19)
Saturday 7:00 p.m. (episodes 20–22)
Friday 1:45 a.m. (episode 23)
Weeknights 2:15 a.m. (episode 24-26) 		52
October 5, 2015
 0.28
TBA
 TBA
1 for CN Weekdays 5:00 p.m. (episodes 1–12)
Thursday 5:00 p.m. (episode 13)
Thursday 2:00 p.m. (episode 14)
Thursday 8:45 a.m. (episode 15)
Saturday 10:00 a.m. (episodes 16–20)
Saturday 9:45 a.m. (episodes 21-22) 		52
September 21, 2015
 1.24
TBA
 TBA 1.59

Home media

[edit]

The first half of Season 1 of Wabbit was released onto DVD on April 26, 2016, in the United States. Despite being half of a season, the DVD is subtitled, Hare-Raising Tales. The DVD contains the first 26 episodes (52 segments) but is labeled on the side as Season 1 – Part 1.[28][29] The DVD contains episodes 23–26 which did not air in the United States until April 7, 2017. Disregarding the show's European name, Wabbit: Season 1 – Part 1 was also released on June 15, 2016, in Australia,[30] and on July 25, 2016, in the United Kingdom.[31]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Turner & Warner Bros. Sign Global Multi-Series Deal for Boomerang". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Spangler, Todd (March 7, 2017). "Turner, Warner Bros. to Launch Boomerang Cartoon Streaming-Subscription Service for $5 Monthly". Variety. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  3. ^ "The New Looney Tunes – Games, videos and downloads". Boomerang. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  4. ^ "Cartoon Network – TV Schedule". adultswim.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015.
  5. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  6. ^ a b "Boomerang heads to Amazon Channels". Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  7. ^ "SF Sketchfest 2018 Schedule". sfsketchfest2018.sched.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  8. ^ Spangler, Todd (March 7, 2017). "Turner, Warner Bros. to Launch Boomerang Cartoon Streaming-Subscription Service for $5 Monthly". variety.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  9. ^ Spangler, Todd (May 23, 2018). "Boomerang Streaming Service to Add New 'Scooby-Doo,' 'Flintstones' Spinoffs in 2019". Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  10. ^ For example, see: Loveday, Samantha (October 6, 2014). "The Big Interview: Preston Kevin Lewis, General Manager, Warner Bros. Consumer Products UK & Ireland". Licensing.biz. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
    • Compare with: Spiegel, Danny (July 22, 2014). "Coming Attractions". TV Guide (Comic-Con Special ed.). OpenGate Capital: 79.
  11. ^ Perlman, Jake (March 10, 2014). "Cartoon Network Reviving Tom & Jerry, Scooby-Doo". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  12. ^ "Sam Register Upped to President of Warner Bros. Animation, Will Head New Digital Unit". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. April 23, 2014. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  13. ^ Staff writer (July 11, 2014). "WBSDCC 2014 TV Guide Covers" (Press release). Warner Bros. Television. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Spiegel, Danny (July 22, 2014). "Coming Attractions". TV Guide (Comic-Con Special ed.). OpenGate Capital: 79.
  15. ^ "Cartoon Network Evolves with Kids: Always On" (Press release). Turner Broadcasting System. March 10, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  16. ^ ""Here's another set..."". Archived from the original on April 27, 2017.
  17. ^ Hughes, William (January 4, 2019). "Axl Rose releases his first new song in a decade—via a Looney Tunes cartoon". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  18. ^ Matthew Mercer [@matthewmercer] (September 19, 2015). "Proud to be playing Bigfoot in the new series "Wabbit", premiering Monday on #CartoonNetwork!" (Tweet). Retrieved September 27, 2015 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Denise Petski (June 29, 2015). "Turner Broadcasting & Warner Bros Ink Global Multi-Series Deal For Boomerang". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  20. ^ Brian Steinberg (June 29, 2015). "Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo Return To Boost Boomerang – Variety". Variety. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  21. ^ "Breaking News – Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros. Sign Global Multi-Series Deal For Boomerang – TheFutonCritic.com". thefutoncritic.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
  22. ^ "16 Family-Friendly Fall Shows You Shouldn't Miss – TV Insider". TV Insider. August 25, 2015. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  23. ^ "Boomerang November Highlights". Eckfactor (Press release). Turner Broadcasting System Asia-Pacific. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  24. ^ RegularCapital (October 15, 2015). "Boomerang UK And Cartoonito UK November 2015 Highlights" (Press release). Turner Broadcasting System Europe. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  25. ^ "TELETOON Goes Back To Cool This Fall!" (Press release). Toronto: Corus Entertainment. September 3, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  26. ^ Dube, Prosper (November 10, 2015). "Boomerang Europe, Middle East And Africa (EMEA) December 2015 Highlights". Blogspot. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  27. ^ "Pogo brings back Bugs Bunny with 'Wabbit'". December 17, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  28. ^ "Wabbit DVD news: Press Release for Season 1, Part 1: Hare-Raising Tales – TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on February 15, 2016.
  29. ^ "Wabbit S1 P1". April 26, 2016. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2017 – via Amazon.
  30. ^ "Wabbit: Series 1 Part 1". June 15, 2016. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via EzyDVD.
  31. ^ "Wabbit: Hare-Raising Tales". July 25, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2017 – via Amazon.
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