CN City

The CN City era of Cartoon Network (internally known as Universe, City, or Reface 2004) refers to its fourth branding period, beginning in June 14, 2004 and lasting until May 28, 2007, replacing Powerhouse. 
==Description from studio==
==History==
In 2003, Cartoon Network began a significant rebranding effort aimed at refreshing its visual identity and connection with its new core audience: the 6-11 demographic. This came after several programming changes, including the revamp of its Fridays block and the introduction of the Miguzi lineup. Jim Samples, the network’s president, assigned Cartoon Network's Atlanta-based creative on-air team to oversee the reface and review potential agencies to collaborate on the project. After considering various options, the team selected Australian design studio Animal Logic to lead the effort.
Animal Logic proposed a concept where Cartoon Network’s 2D characters would inhabit a computer-generated world, designed around key locations from various Cartoon Network series. The creative on-air team appreciated the attention to detail and respect for the network’s established brand, and hired Animal Logic for the main agency of the reface. Animal Logic then began work on creating 253 elements for the network’s on-air presentation, which took six months to complete.
The result of this collaboration was the launch of CN City on June 14, 2004, coinciding with the network premieres of The Cramp Twins and Rescue Heroes. The network's website would update with brand elements from the reface a month later. International feeds would receive the branding a year later starting with Latin America in January.
In August, Cartoon Network premiered a new original series, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, on Fridays with a 90-minute feature (House of Bloo's) which also served as the series premiere. The show became an breakout hit, with its debut setting new records as Cartoon Network's best-ever original series premiere. New episodes and encores consistently ranked #1 among key demographics: viewers aged 6-11 during their timeslot on basic cable. Samples ordered 26 more episodes of Foster's after the success (as Season 3 & 4), bringing the episode count to 52. The series quickly became one of Cartoon Network's flagship programs, catering to the network's core audience. Alongside The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Codename: Kids Next Door, Foster's exemplified the kind of success that Samples sought to replicate with future programming by focusing on shows that resonated with Cartoon Network's young viewers. Similarly, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, which premiered later in November 2004, achieved record-breaking ratings, with its debut delivering 1.56 million kids aged 6-11 and becoming another standout success in Cartoon Network's lineup. Comedy programs became Cartoon Network's main foray as more programs suitable for viewers above the 6-11 age range were shifted more towards Toonami or cancelled afterwards as is the case for Megas XLR, Samurai Jack, or Sunday Pants.
In 2005, Cartoon Network announced several new animated series set to debut throughout the year. These included Krypto the Superdog, The Life & Times of Juniper Lee, IGPX (first Toonami original series), and Camp Lazlo. An untitled primetime series from André "3000" Benjamin was also announced as well as My Gym Partner's a Monkey, slated to premiere in the following year. A weekday morning animated preschool block, branded as Tickle U, was also announced, after attempts to add such content during 9am to 3pm. The block is structed to develop, nourish and value a child's sense of humor. Initially, the block was to be hosted by an adult character named Marty, who had a childlike imagination and worked in a workshop. However, the hosts were later changed to animated characters Pipoca, Henderson and Place, designed by Animal Logic, the same studio responsible for CN City. Tickle U launched in August 2005 but faced controversy. Critics questioned its claim of developing humor in young children, as there was no scientific evidence to support this. The block ended a year later, but its programming continued until 2007 under the Cartoon Network brand. As part of its programming strategy, Cartoon Network also launched the Get Animated initiative, promoting healthy lifestyles among kids through various platforms.
In 2006, Ben 10 debuted in January as part of the Saturday morning lineup, quickly outperforming other shows in the block. My Gym Partner's a Monkey followed in February, earning consistently strong ratings in its timeslot for Fridays. In April 2006, the Red marketing campaign debuted to advertise their growing lineup of animated comedy programs during the Summer. The network's City broadcast design was later modified with similar design elements from the campaign. Squirrel Boy also premiered in July, in the Fridays block. In November, Class of 3000 premiered during a special event at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre during the Fridays block, with performances by Chris Brown and others. The premiere was a hit, becoming Cartoon Network’s biggest series launch since Foster's Home. The network also premiered four original movies: Codename: Kids Next Door: Operation: Z.E.R.O. in August, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo in September, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: Good Wilt Hunting in November, and the live-action/animation hybrid Re-Animated in December. Re-Animated marked a new direction for Cartoon Network, having programs having live-action with cartoon elements while keeping its cartoon-centric identity, in order to compete directly more towards other kids' networks. Cartoon Network also tested a proposed new logo featuring a green, long-shadow text design (created by Owen the Owen) as part of a potential rebranding plan for 2007. 
However, these efforts were left when Samples resigned from his position on February 9, 2007, following the Boston Bomb Scare incident. The scare was caused by electronic signs depicting the Aqua Teen Hunger Force characters, the Mooninites, placed around the city as part of a marketing campaign for Adult Swim's first theatrical movie, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters. After this, Cartoon Network announced the last remaining projects greenlit by Samples, such as Chowder, a spin-off of Re-Animated, an animated series based off the wrestler Santo (later scrapped), The Secret Saturdays, and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. A live-action Ben 10 movie was also greenlit, along with a special crossover event called Cartoon Network Invaded, Props, a multimedia event showcasing talented kids, and an afterschool interactive programming block called Master Control.
===Programming===
During the CN City era, Cartoon Network shifted its focus to a more contemporary and diverse programming lineup. The network made a successful slew of comedy programs with Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Camp Lazlo, My Gym Partner's A Monkey and more. Most original programming under the Cartoon Cartoons label came to an end, with a few notable exceptions. Ed, Edd n Eddy, Codename: Kids Next Door, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy continued to receive additional episodes due to their popularity among the 6-11 age demographic that Cartoon Network aimed to target. On September 12, 2005, Cartoon Network reintroduced The Cartoon Cartoon Show, showcasing episodes of classic Cartoon Cartoons. In October 2004, a revamped version of The Top 5 included newer originals like Camp Lazlo and Foster's Home. With scripted live-action programming going underway with Re-Animated, the network aired live-action films with cartoon elements, such as the 2002 Spider-Man film and Dumb and Dumber. 
During this era, a recently-launched replacement for Toonami's timeslots on weekday afternoons, Miguzi still aired weekdays between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Programming featured on the block contained elements influenced by anime (Totally Spies!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Code Lyoko, and Ben 10), as well as other action-adventure series that had previously aired but still matched the lighter tone of the block (Codename: Kids Next Door, Static Shock, and Krypto the Superdog). On June 20, 2004, Miguzi expanded to Sundays, airing from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and featured the same lineup as the weekday version. However, the Sunday programming only included reruns from the previous week’s episodes. On September 5, 2004, the Sunday version of Miguzi underwent a significant change, introducing a new format called the Wheel of Gooz. In this version, viewers could vote on which of the weekday shows they wanted to see in a 4-episode marathon. On January 2, 2006, the block moved to a new time slot from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and later adjusted to 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm when Naruto took the 5:30 pm slot on weekdays. The block was later discontinued on May 25, 2007, by an new afternoon interactive programming block, Master Control, that wouldn't air until September 2007. 
Initially during this era, Adult Swim aired 6 nights a week (Saturdays to Thursdays from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am, and later adjusted to 11:00 pm to 6:00 am), where for Fridays, as was the only day Cartoon Network still had a full 24-hour lineup due to the Fridays block. After the new live-action 'variety show' format, Fridays gained an new set design (starting on June 25, 2004) and on-air look (starting on February 4, 2005) after the City era debuted, and again with Yes on April 7, 2006. January 2005 gave Fridays a new host after Nzinga Blake left the block, Tara Sands, who was there until the block's end. After Fridays ended on February 23, 2007, it was replaced by the temporary Friday Night Premiere Thunder block before the Fried Dynamite block officially took its place in August of that year.
==On-air identity==
Starting around 1999, the concept of characters from shows aired on Cartoon Network interacting together was used before the idea of CN City was even officially introduced, with interstitials themed around a workplace for the network (which was called the Cartoon Network World Headquarters, loosely based on the Turner Campus in Atlanta, GA), with cartoon/live-action human employees and their issues working together, under the motto "The Best Place for Cartoons". The interstitial series carried on to air on Adult Swim and the workplace was later the centerpiece for the 2003-2006 intro for Fridays. Cartoon Cartoon Fridays also featured character interactions.
After the successful pitch, CN City’s production used a team approach with Cartoon Network and Animal Logic. Producers and copyright holders approved the scripts for animated network IDs with dialogue. During production, Animal Logic wasn't allowed to make changes to the scripts. There were initially 35 minutes of content made for the refacing (including network IDs and packaging). Some bumpers had placeholder audio for international distribution, and on-screen text was usually translated into different languages. The models and design elements from CN City were used for the 2006 upfront presentation branding. A CN City series was pitched by Animal Logic but was never materialized.
The sets and models for CN City were designed to incorporate details from various shows that air on Cartoon Network. The city features buildings that one would typically find in a real city, but they are themed around different characters and shows. Some locations were from existing series to fit specific areas, while other buildings were created to reflect the themes of various characters or shows. There were also sets outside the CN City, such as the Justice League watchtower, or the Duck Dodgers ship.
The CN City D&E bumpersD&E Bumps refer to bumpers that air during and after ad breaks. "D" stands for "During," while "E" signifies "Ending." Around the 5 to 10-second timeframe. were categorized into several sections. These included show-specific bumpers, which featured characters and locations from particular shows; long interstitialsLonger bumpers around the 30 to 60-second timeframe. that showcased interactions among CN characters throughout the City; and additional bumpers grouped by genre, displaying scenes and interactions among characters from specific genres.
Menu bumps were changed to show scenery around the City with subway-esque dotted arrows pointing to the programs to air during and after. The Menu bumps used a character's face from the specific programs to air to represent the program.
Furthermore, there were different sets and themes tailored for certain blocks or events, such as Easter, Summer, Winter/Christmas, Fall, and Movies/Cartoon Theatre. Additionally, various bumpers were created for specific times of day, including daytime and nighttime, as the City's atmosphere changed to represent it.
=== Yes! ===
Yes! (internally known as the Red Campaign) refers to its fifth branding period, beginning in April 3, 2006 and lasting until May 28, 2007, running concurrent with the CN City era, as it's still in the overall third phase of the network.
The design elements were simple, featuring characters from various network shows doing random, gross, comedic stuff against a red background. This branding highlighted the comedic tone of Cartoon Network's original programs, using the Shag Lounge font and a yellow/red/blue color palette, along with a rough-drawn Cartoon Network logo paired with a "YES." banner in Cooper Black. The branding predominantly featured Billy and Mandy's Fred Fredburger and Foster's Home's Cheese.
In June, the Red campaign later became part of a broad advertising campaign beyond the network, appearing on billboards, in cinema spots, and on other networks, to promote the all-original lineup for Cartoon Network during Summer 2006. The Yes! billboards prompted a mix of reactions due to their constantly changing content. The initial version featured no-context phrases from Cartoon Network programs against a red background with no context, while the final version included a character alongside the Cartoon Network logo next to it. This change drew commentary from various news outlets.
In the summer of 2006, the last official group of CN City bumpers aired, with a new set promoting Summer 2006: Party Palace, a large recreation center, drawing inspiration from mid-century modern and pop art design. The animation supervisor for the reface, Geoff Valent, left Animal Logic after the Party Palace bumpers. With those in the company thinking the software used for the branding was going out with him, they submitted the scenery that was used for the new Now/Then bumpers before CN would commission a new 'reface'. The City bumpers were edited to have a splash screen at the end with the CN logo on a red background, starting in September 2006.
===Credits ===
Animal Logic
*3D
**3D Supervisor
***Matthew Smith
**Downtown Supervisor
***Ben Malter
**Animation Supervisor
***Geoff Valent 
*3D Artists
**Lizzie Burt
**Ian Douglas
**Alex Scollay
**Scott Tansley
**Matthew Wynne
**Wayne Osbourne
**John Oh
**Serge Kovalenko
**Craig Brown
**Nigel Waddington
**Paul Jakovich
**James McCallum
**Shamus Baker
**Greg Petchkovsky
**Torbjorn Olsson
**Brett Margules
**Sotiris Bakosis
**Ivan Smith
**Tyson Elliot
**Nicholas Ponzoni
** Edward Twiss
**Peter Richards
**Peter Jeffs
**Cain Cooper
** Michael Garrett
**Mark Robinson
*Video Operations
**Nick Murphy
**Jason Hawkins
**Paul Taylor
*Executive Producer
**Jude Lengel
*Production Manager / Editor
**Cameron Hales
*Production Assistant
**Nova Wright
*2D Animation
**Andrew Finlayson
**Johmar Rivalo
**Joshua Hall
**Damien Pin
**Ian MacKensie
**Junko Aoyama
**Dwayne Labbe
**Mike Stapelton
** Christian Garland
**Stephane Portal
**Simon O’Leary
**Mad Cow Pictures
** J.C. Reyes
**Anne-Marie Denham
** Kelly Lynagh
**John Skibinski
**Janine Dawson
**Anthony Zmak
**Peter McDonald
**Peter Ryan
**Narelle Kearns
**Vita Talmont
**Helen Connolly
**Amanda Duncan
**Janet Robinson
**May Trubuhovich
**Dean Smith
**Roderick Wong
** Lynn Gadsdon
==Transition ==
The City and Yes! bumpers were both phased out on May 28, 2007, replaced by Summer 2007. Blocks such as Fridays and Miguzi that were major during the CN City era were discontinued before the Summer 2007 era as Master Control and Fried Dynamite filled their place. 
On May 2, 2007, Stuart Snyder replaced Jim Samples as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Turner’s Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media. The network continued to target younger audiences with programming and changes introduced under Samples. The Friday night block Fridays was revamped into Fried Dynamite, featuring younger hosts, while a new Saturday morning lineup, Dynamite Action Squad, was introduced as a secondary block for Fried Dynamite.
In May 2007, Cartoon Network's broadcast package underwent seasonal changes for both the Summer and Fall seasons, featuring songs from Cee-Lo Green and The Hives, respectively. However, the Fall design package lasted longer than initially planned, continuing until July 2008 due to the programming strategy being redeveloped, including a new brand identity for the network. 
Category:Eras