The original Looney Tunes animated shorts, which ran from 1930 to 1969, have officially been removed from Max. This came as a surprise after Warner Bros. Discovery reassured audiences in late 2023 that the classic shorts would not be leaving the streaming platform after an erroneous removal listing caused public outcry. As Max pulls classic Looney Tunes shorts from its library, the franchise’s latest animated film, The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Story, quietly made its debut in theaters on March 14.
Deadline has reported that the Looney Tunes shorts have been intentionally pulled off Max’s platform, despite the company’s previous insistence that the shorts would remain available. Following the removal of Sesame Street content and the shutdown of Cartoon Network’s website, Looney Tunes has been scrubbed off the platform as the streamer continues to prioritize adult and family programming over children’s animation.
What This Means For Looney Tunes
Streaming Has Shifted Away From Classic Cartoons
The removal of Looney Tunes shorts from Max raises significant concerns about the accessibility of historically significant animation in the streaming era. Born out of the golden age of American animation, the 1930s shorts introduced a plethora of zany and iconic characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, who would go on to become cultural mainstays and lead the 2020 series Looney Tunes Cartoons. Without a primary streaming home, digital rentals and physical media will remain the only option to watch a foundational part of Warner Bros.’ creative history.
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The muted release of The Day the Earth Blew Up further suggests that Warner Bros.’s commitment to the Looney Tunes brand is wavering. Originally greenlit for Max, The Day the Earth Blew Up was later sold to Ketchup Entertainment under Warner Bros.’s cost-cutting measures. This resulted in a limited marketing campaign wherein the film grossed only $5 million worldwide against its $15 million budget. A similar fate befell Coyote vs. Acme, another planned Looney Tunes feature that was shelved by Warner Bros. as a tax write-off rather than being released, leaving the live-action animated film in acquisition limbo.
Our Take On Looney Tunes’ Removal
Warner Bros. Undermines Its Own Brand
By removing Looney Tunes shorts from Max’s platform, Warner Bros. Discovery is making a decision that feels dismissive of its own history. These cartoons are a foundational part of animation and pop culture, and have been beloved by several generations of television viewers. If Warner Bros. Discovery continues to deprioritize Looney Tunes, it risks not only alienating its fan base but also eroding the long-term cultural impact of a series that it has to thank for its domination in the entertainment world today.
Source: Deadline
Looney Tunes
- Created by
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Leon Schlesinger, Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising
- First Film
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Sinkin’ in the Bathtub (1930)
Summary
Looney Tunes is a classic American animated franchise produced by Warner Bros., featuring iconic characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. Originating as short films in the 1930s, the franchise became a cultural phenomenon, expanding into television, feature films, comics, and more.