# Looney Tunes Cartoons
**Looney Tunes Cartoons** is an American animated anthology series produced by [Warner Bros. Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-bros-animation) that revives the classic [Looney Tunes](https://www.edgepedia.org/looney-tunes) theatrical shorts in new hand-drawn episodes for streaming television. It premiered on [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) on May 27, 2020, as one of the service's launch originals, and ran through 2024 across six seasons.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/looney_tunes_cartoons) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/looney-tunes-cartoons/) The series features Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Taz, Marvin the Martian, and Beaky Buzzard in short, gag-driven cartoons.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/looney_tunes_cartoons)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | May 27, 2020, as an HBO Max launch original[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/looney_tunes_cartoons) • [3](https://press.wbd.com/na/property/looney-tunes-cartoons/media-releases) |
| Format | Eleven-minute episodes made up of animated shorts of varying length, in classic character pairings[4](https://press.wbd.com/us/ca/property/looney-tunes-cartoons/media-releases) |
| Scale | 6 seasons released from 2020 to 2024; the announced plan called for 80 eleven-minute episodes comprising shorts of varying lengths, and the production ultimately turned out 209 shorts[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/looney-tunes-cartoons/) • [5](https://www.immersivemediaco.com/peter-browngardt-on-bringing-the-day-the-earth-blew-up-a-looney-tunes-movie-to-the-big-screen/) • [17](https://press.wbd.com/emea/ca/property/looney-tunes-cartoons/images) |
| Key personnel | Executive producers Peter Browngardt (creator of *Uncle Grandpa*) and Sam Register (*Teen Titans Go!*)[4](https://press.wbd.com/us/ca/property/looney-tunes-cartoons/media-releases) |
| Voice cast | Eric Bauza (Bugs Bunny), Jeff Bergman (Elmer Fudd), Bob Bergen (Porky Pig), Fred Tatasciore (Yosemite Sam), Candi Milo (Granny)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/looney_tunes_cartoons) |
| Reception | Metacritic Metascore of 71 from 11 reviews, 8 positive and 3 mixed; Season 1 scored 88% on the Tomatometer[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/looney-tunes-cartoons/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/looney_tunes_cartoons/s01) |
| Recognition | Emmy-nominated, including a 2022 nomination for outstanding voice performance in an animated program[8](https://mcgillnews.mcgill.ca/in-praise-of-bugs-daffy-and-yosemite-sam/) • [9](https://www.televisionacademy.com/sites/default/files/Downloads/cafe-nominations-2022-v1.pdf) |
## Spoilers
### Content and tone
The shorts keep the classic pairings and the franchise's slapstick violence. Critics noted that the episodes do not feel overly sanitized, retaining anvil-dropping and shotgun-blasting comedy, while omitting the racist caricatures that appeared in some older shorts; TIME's reviewer called the absence of figures like [Speedy Gonzales](https://www.edgepedia.org/speedy-gonzales) inarguably for the best.[14](https://time.com/5841541/hbo-max-originals-what-to-watch/) Reviewers also highlighted the series' use of silent-comedy visual gags for younger viewers alongside wink-and-nudge references for older ones.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/looney-tunes-cartoons/critic-reviews/)
## Production approach
According to Warner Bros., the series mirrors the quality and methods of the classic Looney Tunes theatrical shorts through a storytelling approach led by cartoonists, putting its marquee characters back in their traditional pairings within straightforward, gag-centered, and visually colorful tales.[4](https://press.wbd.com/us/ca/property/looney-tunes-cartoons/media-releases) Development began in 2017, and showrunner Peter Browngardt described developing the show as like playing in a dollhouse.[10](https://aiptcomics.com/2020/07/26/sdcc-hbo-max-looney-tunes-panel/) The animation is hand-drawn 2D work by multiple artists in a style that echoes the original theatrical shorts, and the crew deliberately varied the look between cartoons, evoking, for example, Bob Clampett's mid-1940s cartoons as distinct from [Chuck Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/chuck-jones)'s later style.[11](https://screen-connections.com/2026/05/29/blu-ray-review-looney-tunes-cartoons-the-complete-series/) • [12](https://keyframemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/TAG24_Q4_Web-1.pdf)
The original plan announced in April 2020 called for 80 eleven-minute episodes plus holiday-themed specials; the production ultimately delivered 209 shorts.[4](https://press.wbd.com/us/ca/property/looney-tunes-cartoons/media-releases) • [5](https://www.immersivemediaco.com/peter-browngardt-on-bringing-the-day-the-earth-blew-up-a-looney-tunes-movie-to-the-big-screen/) Composer Carl Johnson, who met with Browngardt and art director Alex Kirwan early in production, described their vision of the series as very animator-driven, with music front and center, driving the story just as much as the visuals; he also argued that hand-drawn 2D animation has a craft that computer-generated animation does not offer.[13](https://www.rotoscopers.com/2020/06/09/interview-looney-tunes-cartoons-composer-carl-johnson/)
## Reception
The series drew generally favorable reviews. Collider gave it a 91, calling it a hilarious throwback that hits all the right beats; RogerEbert.com and [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) each scored it 80, with the latter finding that it feels right and praising its colorful zaniness and admiration for the property.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/looney-tunes-cartoons/critic-reviews/) Rotten Tomatoes recorded an 88% Tomatometer for Season 1, describing it as a vibrantly goofy return to form.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/looney_tunes_cartoons/s01) The series received Emmy nominations, including one in the voice performance category.[8](https://mcgillnews.mcgill.ca/in-praise-of-bugs-daffy-and-yosemite-sam/) • [9](https://www.televisionacademy.com/sites/default/files/Downloads/cafe-nominations-2022-v1.pdf)
## Availability and aftermath
The series streamed on HBO Max, where it remained available even after [Warner Bros. Discovery](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-bros-discovery) removed the classic theatrical Looney Tunes shorts from the service in 2025; the Los Angeles Times noted that the made-for-television *Looney Tunes Cartoons* (2020) oddly remained while the originals did not.[15](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-03-18/looney-tunes-shorts-removed-max) The complete series has been released on Blu-ray by Warner Archive.[11](https://screen-connections.com/2026/05/29/blu-ray-review-looney-tunes-cartoons-the-complete-series/)
The series also seeded a feature film. During production, Browngardt was asked for movie ideas, and the result was *The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie*, a feature-length [Daffy Duck](https://www.edgepedia.org/daffy-duck) and [Porky Pig](https://www.edgepedia.org/porky-pig) adventure with final picture lock on February 2, 2024, which became the franchise's first fully animated theatrical feature.[5](https://www.immersivemediaco.com/peter-browngardt-on-bringing-the-day-the-earth-blew-up-a-looney-tunes-movie-to-the-big-screen/) • [16](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/not-folks-why-looney-tunes-124751708.html)
## References
1. [Looney Tunes Cartoons, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/looney_tunes_cartoons)
2. [Looney Tunes Cartoons, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/looney-tunes-cartoons/)
3. [HBO Max to Launch May 27th, Warner Bros. Discovery Pressroom](https://press.wbd.com/na/property/looney-tunes-cartoons/media-releases)
4. [About Looney Tunes Cartoons, Warner Bros. Discovery Pressroom](https://press.wbd.com/us/ca/property/looney-tunes-cartoons/media-releases)
5. [Peter Browngardt on Bringing 'The Day the Earth Blew Up' to the Big Screen, Immersive Media](https://www.immersivemediaco.com/peter-browngardt-on-bringing-the-day-the-earth-blew-up-a-looney-tunes-movie-to-the-big-screen/)
6. [Looney Tunes Cartoons critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/looney-tunes-cartoons/critic-reviews/)
7. [Looney Tunes Cartoons: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/looney_tunes_cartoons/s01)
8. [Appraising the rich legacy of Bugs, Daffy, and Looney Tunes, McGill News](https://mcgillnews.mcgill.ca/in-praise-of-bugs-daffy-and-yosemite-sam/)
9. [2022 Emmy nominations, Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Program, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/sites/default/files/Downloads/cafe-nominations-2022-v1.pdf)
10. [SDCC '20: HBO Max 'Looney Tunes Cartoons' panel, AIPT](https://aiptcomics.com/2020/07/26/sdcc-hbo-max-looney-tunes-panel/)
11. [Looney Tunes Cartoons: The Complete Series Blu-ray review, Screen-Connections](https://screen-connections.com/2026/05/29/blu-ray-review-looney-tunes-cartoons-the-complete-series/)
12. [Keyframe Magazine, TAG issue with Alex Kirwan interview](https://keyframemagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/TAG24_Q4_Web-1.pdf)
13. [Interview: Looney Tunes Cartoons composer Carl Johnson, Rotoscopers](https://www.rotoscopers.com/2020/06/09/interview-looney-tunes-cartoons-composer-carl-johnson/)
14. [Which HBO Max Originals to Watch, TIME](https://time.com/5841541/hbo-max-originals-what-to-watch/)
15. [Looney Tunes has been removed from Max, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2025-03-18/looney-tunes-shorts-removed-max)
16. [Why Looney Tunes still matter nearly 100 years on, Yahoo News](https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/not-folks-why-looney-tunes-124751708.html)
17. [Property Contents, Pressroom](https://press.wbd.com/emea/ca/property/looney-tunes-cartoons/images)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated short films and studio cartoon series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license