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. 

THE LEGEND OF CALAMITY JANE

 

THE LEGEND OF CALAMITY JANE
(Canal+, WB, September 13, 1997-June 26, 1998)
 
Gangster Productions, Contre-Allée, Canal+, Warner Bros. Animation

 

MAIN CAST:
Jennifer Jason Leigh (promos) & Barbara Scaff – Calamity Jane
Frank Welker – Joe Presto, President Ulysses S. Grant, various

  

            The Legend of Calamity Jane was a stylized fictional account of the life of American frontierswoman, sharpshooter and storyteller Martha “Calamity” Jane Cannary (or Canary); known for her compassion as much as her daredevil nature, addiction to alcohol, and penchant for wearing men’s clothing.

Calamity Jane.

            Much of the accounts of Jane’s life were full of exaggerations and inaccuracies; most of which were dictated by Jane herself (she was illiterate). Born in 1852 in Princeton, Missouri as the eldest of 6 children. While migrating with her family to Virginia City, Montana, she spent most of her time hunting with men in the caravan becoming a remarkably good shot and a fearless rider. Jane ended up having to care for her siblings by age 14 when both of her parents died. Relocating the family to Piedmont, Wyoming, she took on whatever jobs she could find before claiming to find work as a scout at Fort Russell and as a part-time prostitute at the Fort Laramie Three-Mile Hog Ranch in 1874.

The animated Jane squaring off against John O'Rourke.

            Jane was involved in several military conflicts with the Native Americans; one of which she claimed is where she earned the nickname “Calamity.” She alleged that during a 1872-73 campaign on Goose Creek, Wyoming (where Sheridan is now located), that Captain James Egan had been shot and she rode back through hostile fire to catch him before he fell out of his saddle without sustaining injury herself. Upon returning him to the fort, he said “I name you Calamity Jane, the heroine of the plains.” John Wallace “Captain Jack” Crawford disputed this claim, stating that she never saw any service but “possessed a generous streak which made her popular.” It’s believed the name instead came about due to her warnings to men that offended her that to do so was to “court calamity”.

The animated Deadwood.

            In 1876, she settled in Deadwood, South Dakota where she found occasional employment by her friend Dora DuFran, the leading madam of the area, and nursed the victims of a smallpox epidemic. Between 1881 and 1893, she made a couple attempts at being an innkeeper before appearing as a storyteller in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show (traveling vaudeville performances that romanticized the American frontier) and the 1901 Pan-American Exposition (where President William McKinley was assassinated). Jane died in 1903 from inflammation of the bowels and pneumonia, and was buried next to folk hero Wild Bill Hickok in Mount Moriah Cemetery, South Dakota. Some claim this was a posthumous joke on Wild Bill who had “absolutely no use” for Jane when she was alive, while others say this was at her dying request lending credence to the unconfirmed rumor that she and Wild Bill were secretly married before his death.

Sitting with Quanna.

            The animated series was set during her Deadwood years in 1876; denoted by the fact that Jane (Barbara Scaff) was said to be 24 and that one episode took place at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, animated Jane had very little in common with the historical figure. She was said to have grown up in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and Atlanta, Georgia, and claimed to be a member of the Comanche tribe. She had left home at age 14 to become a frontier adventurer like her father, but ended up becoming haunted by the life she ended up leading and the lives she took along the way. She had pale skin, green eyes and red hair with a feather in it, preferred to use a whip over a gun (although she was handy with both), was functionally literate, and drank milk. Jane spent her time protecting the town of Deadwood from a variety of desperados, stopping bandits on the plains, keeping the peace between the local tribes and the United States army, and upholding law and order.

Joe fending off some desperados.

            Other characters included Joe Presto (Frank Welker), an old man that served as Jane’s occasional sidekick and preferred not to kill, carrying around a shotgun full of rock salt; Quanna Parker (Michael Horse), chief of the Comanche tribe and Jane’s blood brother who liked existential philosophy; Lonely Sue (Miriam Flynn), Jane’s other friend and the owner of the local saloon (likely based on DuFran); and Captain John O’Rourke (Tim Matheson), a cavalry officer that often aided Jane and had romantic feelings for her, and who blamed himself for the death of President Abraham Lincoln after he convinced his brother to skip guarding him to sit with him at the show at Ford’s Theatre.

Wild Bill talking down a sore loser.

            A number of characters based on real-life people and groups showed up as well. Wild Bill (Clancy Brown), for one, was an old friend and occasional ally of Jane despite his reservations about the law (although the real Hickok became a peace officer in Deadwood, and relied on his reputation to put an end to conflicts to compensate for his diminishing gun skills and failing eyesight). William “Bill” Doolin (Mark Rolston) was an outlaw and founder of the Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang, which specialized in bank, train and stagecoach robberies. John Wesley Hardin (Robert Patrick) was an outlaw and gunfighter who was well known to exaggerate or fabricate stories about himself. He claimed to have killed his first man at the age of 15 in self-defense, and went on to boast a body count of 42; although newspapers only accounted for 27. Jane was responsible for transporting him to the trial that would see him jailed for 24 years in 1877. Eleanor Roosevelt (Mae Whitman), the future longest-serving first lady of the United States under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and early civil rights activist, made an anachronistic appearance (she was born 8 years after the series was set) as a little girl infatuated with the legend of Jane. Jane eventually set her against adopting her kind of lifestyle and instead pursue one of her own. President Ulysses S. Grant (Welker) was an attendee of the Centennial International Exhibition where Jane had to protect him from a plot to start a new revolution by Confederate soldiers. Additionally, there were the Buffalo Soldiers, army regiments comprised primarily of African American soldiers to serve on the frontier, and Blackfoot tribe.

Jane transporting an uncooperative John Wesley Harding.

            The Legend of Calamity Jane debuted on The WB as part of the Kids’ WB programming block on September 13, 1997; after being delayed a week by the funeral of Princess Diana. The original concept was developed by Françoise Boublil and Jean Helpert, with original designs by Pascal Ropars. As an American-French co-production, it was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with Gangster Productions, Contre-Allée and Canal+, with the participation of France 3 and Centre National De la Cinematographie. The series was written by Mark Zaslove, Ken Pontac, David Bleiman, Jeremy Cushner and Michael Patrick Dobkins, with Zaslove serving as story editor and voice director. La Belle Equipe composed the music, and Hanay Geigomah served as the Native American consultant. Originally, Jennifer Jason Leigh was cast to play Jane; however, two weeks before the series was set to air, she was replaced by Scaff and all of her lines were re-recorded. Due to the last-minute change, Leigh’s dialogue remained in all of the footage used by the promos preceding the debut.

Jane comforting a young Eleanor Roosevelt.

            Despite the heavy promotion and anticipation for the series, the network pulled it from its line-up after three weeks; replacing it with Superman: The Animated Series. Although The WB clamed the show would return later in the year, it never did. Instead, the complete series only aired in Canada, Latin America and several European countries, particularly France. Although no reason was given as to why the American broadcasts ceased, many speculate it was due to the violent nature of the cartoon. The characters used real guns, although nobody was ever visibly shot, and there were some fights despite the bulk of that action happening off camera and only the results (bruises and such) eventually seen.

            Calamity Jane developed a cult following with those that remembered it and saw it during its initial airings. It had never received any kind of home video release and was considered lost media until VHS recordings of all but two episodes began finding their way online in 2010. The final two were finally uploaded in 2020. In 2022, in time for the show’s 25^th anniversary, a group called Comix.tv, a division of Piko Interactive, claimed to have acquired the rights to the show and launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring Calamity Jane to DVD for the first time. The special edition version would feature the series, an all-new 28-page comic book, Jane’s autobiography voiced by Scaff, and a walk-through of the official Calamity Jane Flash website. In the interim, Invincible Entertainment released their own complete series DVD; however, it was criticized for poor image quality and being out of order. At the beginning of 2023, Discotek Media announced they would be releasing the series onto Blu-ray. As this was sooner than Comix.tv anticipated, they offered to exchange their DVD for the Blu-ray to campaign backers. The entire series also became available to stream on Tubi.

  

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Slip of the Whip” (9/13/97) – Bill Doolin sets the US Army and the Comanche against each other to cover his robbery of a military train full of reservation gold.

 

“An Army of Rogues” (9/20/97) – A Napoleon wannabe steals the armaments from a cavalry fort to use in his bid to conquer the US.

 

“Like Father, Like Daughter” (9/27/97) – A series of bank robberies happen just as a man claiming to be Jane’s father shows up.

 

“As Easy as One, Two, Three…” (3/24/98) – A group of bandit triplets causes trouble for Jane.

 

“Train Kept a’ Rollin’” (4/7/98) – Bill Doolin escapes from jail and steals a military train full of explosives.

 

“The Final Curtain” (4/14/98) – O’Rourke is convinced that a travelling actor is really John Wilkes Booth.

 

“The Way of the Buffalo” (4/17/98) – Jane aids the Buffalo Soldiers in diffusing a conflict between the Blackfoot and a racist settler.

 

“Troubled Waters” (4/21/98) – The Comanches are threatened with losing their land because of the oil that can be found there.

 

“Waiting for the Cavalry” (5/29/98) – Desperados have Jane cornered in a shack with Joe and Wild Bill Hickok.

 

“Dead or Alive” (6/5/98) – Jane faces off against bounty hunters in order to get John Wesley Hardin to his trial.

 

“Protégé” (6/12/98) – Jane finds herself being followed around by a little girl who idolizes her.

 

“I’d Rather Be in Philadelphia” (6/19/98) – Confederates plan to assassinate President Grant during the Centennial International Exhibition.

 

“Without a Vengeance” (6/26/98) – Wild Bill seeks revenge on the outlaw that managed to badly beat Jane.

WAYNEHEAD

 

WAYNEHEAD
(The WB, October 19, 1996-May 17, 1997)
 
Warner Bros. Television Animation, Nelvana

 

 

MAIN CAST:
Orlando Brown – Damey “Waynhead” Wayne
Tico Wells – Marvin
Jamil Walker Smith – Mo’ Money Jr.
T’Keya Crystal Keymáh – Roz, Shavonne, Aki
Shawn Wayans – Toof
Gary Coleman – Kevin
Kim Wayans – Mrs. Wayne
John Witherspoon – Mr. Wayne

 

Actor, comedian, producer and writer Damon Wayans had been working steadily in the 1980s, including a brief stint on Saturday Night Live, but his breakout moment came as a writer and performer on the sketch comedy series In Living Color in 1990. He left the show just two years into its 4-year run to pursue a movie career; however, he would return to television several times. One of those times involved the development of an animated series that would take inspiration from his childhood.

Damon Wayans.

Originally the show known as The Wayneheads was meant to be a Claymation series airing on FOX; home to In Living Color and later Wayans’ short-lived sitcom, Damon. It was announced as preparing to debut in the fall of 1991 in a New York Times article and was even mentioned on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson when Carson listed the upcoming shows for the new season. However, the show was shelved and retooled over the next few years into the traditionally animated series it would become.

Promo art featuring Damey Wayne.

Now known as Waynehead, it followed the daily life of 10-year-old Damey “Waynehead” Wayne (Orlando Brown) in downtown New York City. The term “Waynehead” was a teasing term derived from the fact that because Damey’s family had so little money, they got their haircuts at home (also an inside joke between the Wayans siblings about their similar hairstyles). Damey had a club foot (as did Wayans as a kid), which caused him to struggle to keep up with his friends at times (climbing fences, for example, was fairly difficult) and kept him from doing everything they did (such as anything to do with water to keep his shoe’s brace from rusting). It also made him the prime target for neighborhood bullies. However, he could give as good as he got with his sharp wit; especially when someone tried to make fun of his foot. Whenever faced with a dilemma, Damey’s imagination tended to take over and put him in a fantasy world that sometimes helped, and other times left him just as stumped as he began.

Damey plays some rooftop basketball with Mo' Money, Roz, Marvin and Toof.

With Damey often was his crew: Marvin (Tico Wells), Damey’s best friend who tended to tell tall tales; Mo’ Money (Jamal Walker Smith), who was always eager to scam someone out of money—even his friends; Roz (T’Keya Crystal Keymáh), the only girl and most athletic of the group; and Toof (Shawn Wayans), a dimwit with a single tooth and an extreme love for all things candy. Other characters included Damey’s pregnant mother (Kim Wayans) and hard-working father (John Witherspoon, who was also starring in his brothers’ show, The Wayans Bros.), his older brother, Kevin (Gary Coleman) and bratty little sister, Shavonne (Keymáh); Marvin’s big, burly brother, Blue (Marlon Wayans); Damey’s neighbor from Africa, Aki (Keymáh), who sometimes hung out with the gang and was considered nerdy because of his lack of understand of American culture; a friendly three-legged stray dog named Tripod (Frank Welker); and a group of older bullies that attended St. Mary’s Catholic school. Additional members of the citizenry, as well as various locations around New York City, were shown in a series of three snapshots during breaks in the story.

Damey getting some bad news from the doctor about his foot with his mother.

Waynehead debuted on The WB as part of the Kids’ WB programming block on October 19, 1996. The network had picked it up in the hopes of adding a little diversity into their line-up, and as a result it became a joint production between Warner Bros. Television Animation and Nelvana. The series was written by Tim Hightower, Brad Kaaya (both of whom would go to work on Damon), Carmenita Bravo, Kevin Hopps, W. Reed Moran, Chris Otsuki and David Wyatt, with Hopps serving as head writer and Grant Moran and Dianne Dixon as story editors. Moran was also the series’ casting director and producer. The theme and music were composed by Stanley Clarke, with additional music by Todd Cochran and Kennard Ramsey. Hanho Heung-Up Co. Ltd. and Philippine Animation Studio Inc. handled the primary animation, while TMS-Kyokuichi Corporation did the opening titles.

Dancing in Washington Square Park.

Unfortunately, the series only lasted a single season of 13 episodes before it was cancelled. While the network said it was because of low ratings that never improved, Wayans claimed in TV Guide that he was told it wasn’t “black enough, or funny enough.” Despite the short run, the series’ short run, it found a second life on Cartoon Network from 1998 until 2000 and was broadcast around the world. It also received an homage in the Pinky and the Brain episode “Dangerous Brains”; with Pinky adopting the alias “Jergen Pinkhead” and a parody of the show’s theme playing during his entrance. Waynehead wouldn’t receive any kind of official home media release until April 20, 2001; when it was made available to purchase digitally on iTunes, Prime Video and Vudu nearly 25 years after its debut.

  

EPISODE GUIDE:
“Demon of the Dozens” (10/19/96) – Damey looks for dirt he can use in his insult battle with the school bully.
 
“No Mo’ Money” (10/26/96) – The gang tries to earn money so they can go to the Harlem Week festival and Mo’ Money tries to scam their way into even more.
 
“Brothers and Bros.” (11/2/96) – Tired of his brother getting all of his family’s respect, Damey decides to sneak out and watch a fight with his friends.
 
“Bostawana Aki and the Hydrant of Doom” (11/9/96) – Damey wants to get canned goods for free admission into a concert, but he’s forced to hang out with the nerdy new kid.
 
“3 Hats and You’re Out” (11/16/96) – Damey’s gang becomes cool when his cousin starts hanging with them, but choices must be made when he demands one of their own be cut out.
 
“Dad’s a Spaz” (11/23/96) – Damey asks his father to coach his gang for an upcoming basketball game only to discover he’s lousy at the sport.
 
“Be Mine...Or Else” (12/31/96) – Roz becomes smitten with Damey when he accidentally saves her from junkyard dogs.
 
“To Be Cool or Not to Be” (2/1/97) – Damey has a role in an opera—something he’s desperate to keep from his friends.
 
“Special Delivery” (2/15/97) – Damey and his gang must get his mother to the hospital when she goes into labor.
 
“Quest for Fireworks” (4/19/97) – When rumors spread after the gang believes Toof stood up to the cops, everyone believes Toof has become their hookup for illegal fireworks.
 
“A Friend in Greed” (4/26/97) – The decision on what to spend their money on is taken out of the gang’s hands when Marvin steals it and buys himself and Waynhead what they wanted.
 
“Bummed Out” (5/3/97) – A homeless DJ plays on Damey’s guilt over a prank his gang pulled just before he was fired.
 
“Rebel Without a Paw” (5/17/97) – Damey tries to find tripod a new home but it proves difficult because of his missing leg.

JUSTICE LEAGUE ACTION

 

JUSTICE LEAGUE ACTION
(Cartoon Network, November 26, 2016-June 3, 2018)
 
Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment

 

 

MAIN CAST:

Kevin Conroy – Batman/Bruce Wayne

Rachel Kimsey – Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, Sis, Bleez, Jackie

Jason J. Lewis – Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent, General Zod, Desaad, Krypto the Superdog, Streaky the Supercat, Boss Kack, Carmine Falcone, Rath, Biff, Chancellor Al-On, Quez-Ul, Dex-Starr, Red Tornado, various

 

Beginning life as a pitch for a potential new Batman series, Justice League Action came into existence as both a tie-in and marketing for the then-upcoming Justice League live-action film, as well as serve to tide fans over until a sequel followed. The first new Justice League show in a decade, the series took a cue from the last incarnation, Justice League Unlimited, and featured a rotating roster of various DC Comics heroes teaming-up to battle villains and save cities, countries and the entire world. Out of all of the featured characters, DC’s trinity of Batman (Kevin Conroy), Superman (Jason J. Lewis) and Wonder Woman (Rachel Kimsey) were involved in the most episodes. 

The new look of the DC trinity.

The writers were supplied a list of characters that must appear in the series, including some deep-cut obscure ones. This didn’t prove much of an issue since the characters the producers wanted to use anyway were included on the list. While a lot of the actors were new to their respective roles, there were a number of reprisals from past DC projects: Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as Joker (and additionally The Trickster, originating from the 1990 The Flash show), Gilbert Gottfried as Mr. Mxyzptlk, and Charlie Schlatter as Flash (Superman: The Animated Series originally, reprised several times since) from the DC Animated Universe; Khary Payton as Cyborg from the Teen Titans franchise; Josh Keaton as Hal Jordan and Grey DeLisle-Griffin as Aya (although never mentioned by name) from Green Lantern: The Animated Series; Sean Astin as Shazam (also taking on the role of Billy Batson, making him the first actor to ever portray both aspects of the character) and Jake T. Austin as Blue Beetle from the DC Animated Movie Universe; Tara Strong as the primary ongoing voice of Harley Quinn since Batman: Arkham City and a de-aged Batman once played in Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Julianne Grossman as Queen Hippolyta from DC Super Hero Girls (2015); David Sobolov as Gorilla Grodd beginning with The Flash (2014); Natalie Lander as Stargirl from the Infinite Crisis video game; Lacey Chabert as Zatanna from Young Justice; Fred Tatasciore as Solomon Grundy from the Arkham video game series; and Chris Diamantopoulos as Green Arrow and Dana Snyder as the Penguin  from the Batman Unlimited direct-to-video movies.

Heroes united.

Members of the Justice League and their allies were comprised of a mixture of previously-adapted characters with some more recent additions. Among them were Superman’s pet Krypto the Superdog (Lewis); Supergirl (Joanne Spracklen) and her pet, Streaky the Supercat (also Lewis); Shazam’s Uncle Dudley (voiced by Astin’s stepfather John Astin); opportunistic hero from the future Booster Gold (Diedrich Bader); genius Mr. Terrific (Hannibal Buress); sentient android Red Tornado (Lewis); nuclear-powered matter-manipulating Firestorm, comprised of the body of Ronnie Raymond (P.J. Byrne) and the additional mind of Professor Martin Stein (Stephen Tobolowsky); disfigured Old West bounty hunter Jonah Hex (Trevor Devall); shape-shifting telepath Martian Manhunter (Crispin Freeman); powerful mystic Dr. Fate (as a kid voiced by Erica Luttrell); vegetation-defender Swamp Thing (Hamill); animal-channeling Vixen (Jasika Nicole); uncouth magician John Constantine (Damian O’Hare); rhyming demon Etrigan (Patrick Seitz); size-changing Atom (Jerry O’Connell); Space Cabbie (Patton Oswalt), whose name pretty much says it all; malleable goof-up Plastic Man (Snyder); super escape-artist Mister Miracle (Roger Craig Smith) and his love, super-strong warrior Big Barda (Laura Post).

Justice League vs. Red Lanterns.

The villain side of things also featured an eclectic mix of new and familiar foes. They included Red Lantern Corps leader Atrocitus (Michael Dorn) and Corps members Bleeze (Kimsey) and Dex-Starr (Lewis), Zillus Zox (Armin Shimerman) and Skallox; intergalactic despot Darkseid (Jonathan Adams) and his minions from Apokolips: Desaad (Lewis), Kanto (Baker), Kalibak (Piotr Michael), Steppenwolf (Peter Jessop), Granny Goodness (Cloris Leachman), and Virmin Vundabarr (William Salyers); Black Adam (Gary Cole), possessing the same powers as Shazam; Yellow Lantern Corps leader Sinestro (Darin De Paul) and his Corps member Despotellos (also De Paul), a sentient virus; intergalactic bounty hunters Lobo (John DiMaggio) and Jonas Glim (Baker); intergalactic warlord Mongul (DiMaggio); Kryptonite-powered cyborg Metallo (Diamantopoulos); nuclear-powered androids The Nuclear Family: Dad (Kevin Shinick), Mom (Melissa Disney), Biff (Lewis), Sis (Kimsey) and Brat (also Disney); sorcerer Brother Night (Dan Donohue); genius and expert strangest Calculator (Ely Henry); mobster Carmine Falcone (Lewis); plant-manipulating Poison Ivy (Natasha Leggero); emotionless ice villain Mr. Freeze (Peter Stormare); the not-as-emotionless ice villain Killer Frost (Mena Suvari); the puzzle-leaving Riddler (Brent Spiner); disembodied evil genius Brain (Jim Ward); Kryptonian criminals General Zod (Lewis), Faora (Fryda Wolff), and Quex-Ul (Lewis); lethal toymaker Toyman (Ken Jeong); alien cyborg genius Brainiac (John de Lancie); power-duplicating android Amazo (Thomas Lennon); power-stealing Parasite (Max Mittleman); dual-personality criminal Two-Face (Robert Picardo); killer-for-hire Deadshot (Christian Slater); time-manipulating Chronos (Andy Richter); twisted backwards Superman double Bizarro (Travis Willingham); genius worm-like Mister Mind (Oliver Vaquer); and evil genius inventor Lex Luthor (James Woods), among others. The organization H.I.V.E. (Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination) also turned up from time to time to cause trouble.

Stargirl, Blue Beetle and Firestorm join Superman.

Shane Glines served as the series’ character designer. He was told that the show was meant to be “fun, not funny”, so he used big and simple shapes that popped immediately with minimalist color palettes that best represented each character. He largely had free reign except for the edict that Superman couldn’t have his traditional trunks in keeping with his appearance in the new films (Bizarro, however, was free to have them as he was Superman’s total opposite). Additionally, he had to town down the sexiness in the initial designs of Zatanna, namely her bust size, and Star Sapphire, who had a barely-there costume. Glines posting his various designs to his Instagram account revealed that Batgirl had been planned to appear, but never did outside of the set of 8 McDonald’s Happy Meal toys.

Joker kidnaps...Mark Hamill!

Justice League Action’s first episode was shown at San Diego Comic Con in 2016, before later making its television debut on Cartoon Network; November 26 in the United Kingdom and December 16 in North America. The show’s title logo and initials were inspired by the original Justice League of America logo used on the comics for the first two volumes. Each episode was only 11 minutes long, putting greater emphasis on the humor and action with a quick pace over character development and deep plots. The majority of them also made their debuts in international markets before hitting US airwaves. Additionally, 22 shorts running under 3-minutes were released onto the DC Kids YouTube channel. One of those shorts, “Missing the Mark”, was a showcase for Hamill and featured the actor himself interacting with all three of his Action characters.

Lex Luthor attempts to beat the heroes at their own game.

The series was written by Patrick Rieger, Heath Corson, Paul Dini, Duane Capizzi, Josie Campbell, Shannon Denton, Jeremy Adams, Matt Wayne, Stan Berkowitz, Ernie Altbacker, Mairghread Scott, Jonathan Callan, Ray Utamachitt, Jim Krieg, Jennifer Muro, Brian Ford Sullivan, Geoffrey Thorne, John Semper, Tim Sheridan, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Lauren Certo, Eric Carrasco, Akira “Mark” Fujita and Kevin Rubio. Dini was given a chance to revisit a pitch for Batman: The Animated Series with the episode “Garden of Evil”; an episode shelved because Swamp Thing was unavailable for use. Speaking of Batman, this series aired during the 25^th anniversary of both Conroy and Hamill’s respective performances as Batman and the Joker. Kevin Riepl composed the series’ music while animation was handled by DR Movie, Digital eMation and SIMP co. Ltd.

The poster for the film.

Unfortunately, the very nature of the series ended up working against it in the end. The production of the Justice League movie was troubled. After the negative reception to Batman v Superman, Warner Bros. was having doubts over the direction of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and its ability to compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They put Geoff Johns and Jon Berg in charge of production of the franchise, and Johns would announce that the film would be more “hopeful and optimistic” than the previous films. Unhappy with how director Zack Snyder’s work was shaping up (going so far as to declare it “unwatchable”), the film underwent numerous rewrites during filming; which rubbed screenwriter Chris Terrio the wrong way (leading him to unsuccessfully petition to have his name removed from the final film). When Snyder left during post-production to deal with the death of his daughter, Joss Whedon was hired to take over and eventually oversaw two months of reshoots with the intent of bringing it closer to the highly successful Avengers film he helmed. Additionally, WB refused to delay the film’s release in order to ensure that executives would receive their cash bonuses before the merger with AT&T. The result was a mishmash of the directors’ contrasting styles that left reviewers mixed and audiences underwhelmed. And the less said about the poor CGI removal of Superman actor Henry Cavill’s mustache from his role in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the better.

Harley and Ivy, together again.

All of this led to WB quickly abandoning Justice League Action. The series received little to no promotion on the network. Episodes were quickly burned through over the next year, with the last few being held over until the start of summer in 2018. After that, it disappeared with very little fanfare. Fans of the show, as well as the actors themselves, were left in question as to the ultimate fate of the series. But, with the DCEU in chaos and ratings insufficient, it became increasingly likely that WB quietly cancelled the series; fittingly ending it at 52 episodes (not counting the shorts), which tended to be a default number for DC Comics. 

Burger King toy promo.

Mattel produced a line of action figures and vehicles in a 4-inch scale that was initially only available at Toys R Us (but gradually found its way into other stores) and in a 12-inch scale that was more widely available. Burger King also released 6 toys of their own in their restaurants. BKOM Studios released a mobile endless runner game called Justice League Action Run. The Cartoon Network website also hosted three web games: Orbital Chase, a Candy Crush-type game; Nuclear Rescue, a platformer that required you to switch between Leaguers at various points; and a coloring program. In 2018, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released the complete series across two DVD sets. The series was made available to purchase on Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV, and could be streamed on Cartoon Network’s website.

Kevin Conroy, signing his iconic role.

Sadly, this was the last time Conroy would voice Batman regularly in a series. He had several more outings with the character in an episode of Teen Titans Go! and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, the video games LEGO DC Super-Villains and MultiVersus, the animated movie Justice League vs. the Fatal Five, and made his only live-action appearance in the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event. His final outing in the role was the video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League released two years after Conroy died from a brief bout with cancer. 

  

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Classic Rock (Shazam Slam: Part 1)” (12/26/16) – Batman ends up embroiled in the Wizard’s quest to save Billy Batson from Black Adam as he unleashes the Brothers Djinn from their prison.

 

“Power Outage (Shazam Slam: Part 2)” (11/26/16 UK, 12/16/16 US) – Djinn Calythos possesses Parasite to steal the Justice League’s powers and continues his plan to revert Earth back to its primordial state.

 

“Night of the Bat (Shazam Slam: Part 3)” (12/16/16) – Djinn Uthool possesses Batman to defeat the remaining Leaguers and use the Hall of Justice’s core to break the Earth’s mantle.

 

“Abate and Switch (Shazam Slam: Part 4)” (12/16/16) – Constantine joins the League in stopping the Djinn, but they’ll also have to defeat with Black Adam as he escapes from his imprisonment.

 

“Follow That Space Cab!” (11/26/16 UK, 1/21/17 US) – Superman, Hawkman and Space Cabbie must protect Mister Mind from being handed over to an intergalactic crime lord by Lobo.

 

“Nuclear Family Values” (11/27/16 UK, 1/28/17 US) – Firestorm is alone in attempting to stop the Nuclear Family from destroying a nuclear power plant.

 

“Zombie King” (12/3/16 UK, 2/4/17 US) – Batman, Zatanna and Swamp Thing must stop Solomon Grundy from summoning a zombie army.

 

“Galaxy Jest” (12/4/16 UK, 2/11/17 US) – As Batman and Flash deal with Joker’s gas bomb in Gotham City, Super and Wonder Woman must save Joker from Mongul.

 

“Time Share” (12/10/16 UK, 2/18/17 US) – Batman and Blue Beetle go into the past to stop Chronos from killing Batman on his first night of crime fighting.

 

“Under a Red Sun” (12/11/16 UK, 2/25/17 US) – Steppenwolf transports Superman to a planet with a red sun in order to kill him.

 

“Play Date” (12/17/16 UK, 3/4/17 US) – Cyborg must rescue Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman from Toyman’s latest trap on the Watchtower.

 

“Repulse!” (12/18/16 UK, 3/11/17 US) – Wonder Woman and Hawkman must find a way to save Superman from the deadly nanobots he was infected with by Lex Luthor.

 

“Trick or Threat” (12/24/16 UK, 3/18/17 US) – Batman, Zatanna, Constantine and Dr. Fate must escape from the monster-infested House of Mystery after Klarion changes them into 10-year-olds.

 

“Speed Demon” (12/11/16 PL, 3/25/17 US) – Batman needs Etrigan to help him rescue Zatanna from the Batmobile, which has been turned into a demon by Brother Night.

 

“Hat Trick” (12/11/16 PL, 4/8/17 US) – Felix Faust steals Zatanna’s hat to use to free a massive demon.

 

“Luthor in Paradise” (12/11/16 PL, 4/29/17 US) – Lex enlists Circe’s help in getting to an alternate realm to acquire the power of Zeus.

 

“Plastic Man Saves the World” (1/15/17 UK, 5/6/17 US) – Plastic Man sneaks onto Brainiac’s ship to destroy his shrink ray and prove himself.

 

“Field Trip” (1/21/17 UK, 5/13/17 US) – Blue Beetle, Firestorm and Stargirl must rescue Superman from the Phantom Zone while dealing with Zod, Faora and Quix-Ul.

 

“Rage of the Red Lanterns” (2/18/16 PL, 5/20/17 US) – An unlikely alliance forms between the League and the Red Lanterns to take on a powered-up Lobo.

 

“Freezer Burn” (12/18/16 PL, 5/27/17 US) – As Batman deals with Mr. Freeze, Firestorm must rescue Killer Frost who was forced to power Freeze’s latest freezing device.

 

“Inside Job” (3/11/17 FR, 6/3/17 US) – Atom shrinks Batman and Wonder Woman to enter Superman’s bloodstream and expel Lex’s solar-absorbing nanobots.

 

“The Trouble with Truth” (3/11/17 FR, 6/3/17 US) – Athena shadows Wonder Woman on a mission to see if she’s worthy of assuming the mantle of the Goddess of Truth on Olympus.

 

“Double Cross” (3/10/17 CAN, 6/10/17 US) – Plastic Man poses as Two-Face to lure Deadshot into a trap; unfortunately, the real Two-Face shows up and ruins the plan.

 

“Battle for the Bottled City” (1/19/17 UK, 6/17/17 US) – Superman decides to visit the bottle city of Kandor just as Brainiac raids the Fortress of Solitude to reclaim it.

 

“Garden of Evil” (3/11/17 FR, 6/24/17 US) – Swamp Thing’s blind date turns out to be Poison Ivy, who takes control of him in a bid to conquer Gotham City with her monstrous plants.

 

“All Aboard the Space Train” (3/11/17 FR, 7/1/17) – Batman and Cyborg enlist Space Cabbie and Jonah Hex to stop Kanjar Ro from hijacking a space train.

 

“Time Out” (7/8/17) – It’s up to Batman and Booster Gold to stop the Chronovore from eating up all of time.

 

“The Fatal Fare” (5/28/17 FI, 7/15/17 US) – When Darkseid ends up being Space Cabbie’s fare, he discovers Superman is being held and tortured by him and his minions.

 

“Mixy’s Mix-Up” (7/22/17) – Mister Mxyzptlk decides to have some fun and swap the brains of the Justice Leaguers between each other just as Gorilla Grodd threatens the United Nations.

 

“Supernatural Adventures in Babysitting” (7/29/17) – Klarion poses as Professor Anderson’s son Timmy in order to obtain the Magdalene Grimoire on a night when Stargirl is babysitting.

 

“Booster’s Gold” (8/9/17 PT, 8/12/17 US) – Green Arrow discovers Booster Gold brought dinosaurs into the present as part of a money-making scheme.

 

“Boo-ray for Bizarro” (8/10/17 PT, 8/19/17 US) – After Amazo duplicates all of the League’s powers, Bizarro becomes their only hope to beat him.

 

“Best Day Ever” (8/10/17 PT, 8/26/17 US) – The League is lead on a chase around the world when Joker springs Lex with a Mother Box.

 

The Cube Root” (8/14/17 PT, 9/2/17 US) – Calculator crashes the opening of Mr. Terrific’s Science Center, taking control of his T-Spheres and capturing Ronnie Raymond.

 

“Superman’s Pla, Sid Sharp” (8/14/17 PT, 9/9/17 US) – Parademons mistake struggling Planet reporter Sid Sharp for Superman and Darkseid uses him as bait to lure Superman into a trap.

 

“Superman Red vs. Superman Blue” (8/15/17 PT, 9/16/17 US) – Lex steals a device that can separate anyone into two beings: one passive, one evil.

 

“The Ringer” (8/16/17 PT, 9/23/17 US) – Atom is sent inside Sinestro’s power ring to find out why it’s suddenly more powerful.

 

“Forget Me Not” (8/16/17 PT, 9/30/17 US) – Firestorm must retore Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman’s memories so that they can save Metropolis from Felix Faust.

 

“The Brain Buster” (10/7/17) – Batman, Mr. Terrific, Lex, Calculator and Brain are abducted and put into a challenge to see who’s the smartest.

 

“E. Nigma, Consulting Detective” (10/14/17) – Wonder Woman and Green Arrow enlist the aid of Riddler to find Batman, who has been captured by Joker.

 

“Harley Goes Ape!” (10/21/17) – It seems as if Harley is the only one who can disrupt Grodd’s control over Titano.

 

“Phased and Confused” (8/15/17 PT, 10/28/17 US) – A fragment of Krypton turns the League into phantoms just as Zod is able to escape from the Phantom Zone.

 

“It’ll Take a Miracle” (11/4/17) – Darkseid captures Big Barda and forces Batman to track down Mr. Miracle and retrieve the Anti-Life Equation he stole.

 

“System Error” (11/11/17) – The League must figure out why they’re suddenly all robots.

 

“Race Against Crime” (11/18/17) – A charity race between Superman and Flash is interrupted by Lex and his new speed-manipulation suit.

 

“Party Animal” (12/2/17) - Green Arrow's ambitions of throwing the perfect Christmas party are dashed when Plastic Man brings a tranquilized Solomon Grundy to the party. 

 

“Watchtower Tours” (12/10/17 PL, 5/29/18 US) – Booster Gold’s scheme of giving tours of the Watchtower for cash become problematic when he lets in Granny Goodness, Joker and Toyman.

 

“Barehanded” (12/10/17 PL, 5/30/18 US) – Space Cabbie helps Green Lantern track down his missing ring.

 

“Captain Bamboozle” (12/10/17 PL, 5/31/18 US) – Mister Myxzptlk bestows Shazam’s Uncle Dudley with immense super powers.

 

“Keeping Up with the Kryptonians” (12/17/17 PL, 6/1/18 US) – Booster Gold is the only one who can save the day when Mister Myxzptlk alters history and wipes out the Justice League.

 

“Unleashed” (12/17/17 PL, 6/2/18 US) – Plastic Man is left to look after the Watchtower and Krypto while the others are on a mission.

 

“She Wore Red Velvet” (12/17/17 PL, 6/3/18 US) – Booster Gold realizes he’s intimately familiar with the new villainess attacking the League.

 

Shorts:

“Up and Atom” (6/29/17) – Atom passes on League membership until a Parademon attacks the Watchtower.

 

“Beep Beep!” (6/29/17) – Lobo attempts to capture Superman and Flash, but Flash proves a bit too elusive.

 

“Chemistry” (6/29/17) – While on a stakeout together, Firestorm tries to think of something impressive to say to Stargirl.

 

“Good Cop, Bat Cop” (7/6/17) – Superman and Batman interrogate Deadshot to find out who put a hit out on Batman.

 

“It’s A Trap!” (7/13/17) – Lex lures Superman to a warehouse by claiming he kidnapped a young girl.

 

“Lasso of Lies” (7/20/17) – Wonder Woman discovers Plastic Man is posing as her lasso as Booster Gold had “borrowed” it.

 

“Quality Time” (7/27/17) – Realizing all they do together is fight evil, the League tries to find something else they can do with each other.

 

“Selfie Help!” (8/3/17) – Booster Gold keeps photobombing Space Cabbie’s superhero selfies to promote his new soft drink.

 

“Special Delivery” (8/10/17) – Space Cabbie takes on two fares: Booster Gold on the run from Granny Goodness, and an alien woman about to go into labor.

 

“Justice 1, 2, 3, Go!” (8/17/17) – Accidentally launching himself in a submarine leads Plastic Man to discover a hidden HIVE base.

 

“Toymano a Mano” (8/24/17) – Batman must rescue Plastic Man and Cyborg from Toyman’s mind-control football helmets.

 

“Mint Condition” (10/13/17) – Toyman takes control of Cyborg’s action figure collection and attacks the League.

 

“True Colors” (10/19/17) – Firestorm attempts to turn Metallo’s Kryptonite into lead, but ends up changing it into different Kryptonite that has varying effects on Superman.

 

“Missing the Mark” (10/26/17) – Joker and Trickster abduct Mark Hamill and plot to ransom him off for his safe return.

 

“Plastic Man of Steel” (11/2/17) – Plastic Man poses as Clark Kent to preserve Superman’s secret identity, but ends up having to play Superman as well when Lex depowers the real one.

 

“Something in the Hair” (11/9/17) – Plastic Man must rescue Batman from Poison Ivy’s mind-controlling spores.

 

“Super Stakeout” (11/16/17) – Plastic Man tries to prove to Green Arrow that he has the ability to be stealthy.

 

“Driver’s Ed” (11/23/17) – Space Cabbie attempts to help Stargirl with her space driving test when Zillus Zox decides to rob a Space ATM.

 

“Skyjacked” (11/30/17) – Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn steal the League’s jet.

 

“The Goddess Must Be Crazy” (12/7/17) – While Supergirl and Wonder Woman spar on Themyscira, Felix Faust possesses Supergirl in order to get onto the island.

 

“Eezy Freezy” (12/14/17) – Batman finds a way to make Plastic Man useful in stopping Mr. Freeze.

 

“Clown Party” (12/21/17) – Evading Batman lands Joker in the middle of a kid’s birthday party where Billy Batson is in attendance.

Originally posted in 2022. Updated in 2025.