List of animation studios owned by Warner Bros. Discovery

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.

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

Full list

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group

Warner Bros. Feature Animation

Warner Bros. Feature Animation, a division of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, opened in 1994 with 360 employees in Burbank, and another 100 employees in London.[3] Warner Bros. placed veteran film producer Max Howard in charge of the new division.[4]

Projects

Projects

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

Projects

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.[5] After Hanna-Barbera merged into Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios was resurrected as a separate entity.[5]

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.[6]

References

  1. Warner Bros. Animation VFX (Sorted by Release Date Ascending) IMDb^
  2. Original name for Williams Street, taking its name from the fictional planet from Space Ghost.^
  3. John Lippman. Bugs, Michael team up in ultimate commercial movie The Wall Street Journal, September 24, 1996^
  4. Heather Kenyon. An Afternoon with Max Howard, President, Warner Bros. Feature Animation Animation World Magazine, April 1998, retrieved March 28, 2017^
  5. Fred Seibert. Hanna-Barbera Studios, 1997 Frederator Blogs, Frederator Studios, December 18, 2007, retrieved 2012-12-14^
  6. 'Cats' Tries to Mix Parody and Nostalgia Los Angeles Times, March 26, 1997^