BABY LOONEY TUNES

 

BABY LOONEY TUNES
(Syndication, Cartoon Network, September 16, 2002-April 30, 2005)
 
Warner Bros. Animation

  

            A late entry in the babyfication trend started by 1984’s Muppet Babies, Baby Looney Tunes was Warner Bros. Animation’s first preschool animated series. The concept originated back in the 90s when companies released merchandise featuring the Looney Tunes characters as babies called Looney Tunes Lovables. Kathleen Helppie-Shipley, head of Warner Bros. Classic Animation, had wanted to do a series of educational videos that never moved forward. When Warner Bros. Consumer Products wanted to promote the Baby Looney Tunes licensees, they decided to do a feature-length, direct-to-video collection of shorts in the traditional slapstick Looney Tunes fashion. Earl Kress wrote the shorts with Spike Brandt, Gary Hartle and Kirk Tingblad set to direct each one. However, funding for the project suddenly disappeared. Brandt loved his short so much that on his own time and expense he cobbled together a full presentation. The higher-ups were impressed by it, and after a little convincing and negotiation, funding was found to produce “Little Go Beep”, which featured baby versions of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Additionally, Warner Bros. decided to make the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies libraries exclusive to Time Warner networks, making it easier to produce a series for release on Warner channels.

Babies Tweety, Taz, Bugs, Sylvester, Lola and Daffy.

            For the actual series, Warner had to follow more strict guidelines to achieve a TV-Y rating. That meant Baby Looney Tunes couldn’t rely on the slapstick and visual gags the franchise was known for. The show instead dealt with real world problems and morals that children would encounter and could relate to; including sharing, emotions, playing with others, inclusion, dealing with change, baking and more. Despite not being designed as educational, an expert was retained to examine the series. The main babies included Baby Bugs (Sam Vincent), just barely the oldest of the bunch that made him the leader; Baby Daffy (Vincent), who tended to be self-centered; Baby Lola (Britt McKillip), a fiercely independent tomboy that tended to take charge; Baby Sylvester (Terry Klassen), who was shy and anxious and tended to be manipulated by Daffy; Baby Tweety (Vincent), the youngest and smallest with an insecurity about his size, a deep curiosity, and a very logical brain; and Baby Taz (Ian James Corlett), who often mistook things for food and tended to break things with his spinning. They were eventually joined by Baby Petunia (Chiara Zanni), the most intelligent of the group with an adventurous streak, and Baby Melissa (Janyse Jaud), an easy-going girl with a highly logical and practical mentality. Caring for the babies was Granny (June Foray, the only American in the otherwise Canadian cast), sometimes with the help of her nephew, Floyd Minton (Brain Drummond). Other baby characters made appearances either in cameos during song numbers or as guest stars.

Granny taking care of the kids.

            Baby Looney Tunes debuted on September 16, 2002, initially syndicated to Warner affiliates before finding a permanent home on Cartoon Network. The series was developed by Sander Schwartz and featured music by Steve and Julie Bernstein, with a theme composed by Lisa Silver and Patty Way. The series ran for 4 seasons and one direct-to-video film. Additionally, two direct-to-video films utilizing puppets were released in 2003. Neither were released outside of VHS, but Musical Adventures was made available to stream on HBO Max and Tubi and Backyard Adventures on Binge in Australia. As for the series itself, it aired in reruns on both Cartoon Network and Boomerang until 2020. It became one of the first shows broadcast on the American version of the preschool programming block Cartoonio on Cartoon Network in 2021 and aired until 2023. The Warner Bros./Discovery merger saw the series air on Discovery Family, and then on retro animation network MeTV Toons.