Looney Tunes

***Looney Tunes*** is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. from 1930 to 1969, along with an accompanying series, *Merrie Melodies*, during the golden age of American animation. The two series introduced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote, the Road Runner, Tweety, Sylvester, Granny, Yosemite Sam, the Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian, Pepé Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales and many other cartoon characters.

*Looney Tunes* (and *Merrie Melodies*) were initially produced by Leon Schlesinger and animators Hugh Harman and Rudolph Ising from 1930 to 1933. Schlesinger assumed full production from 1933 until selling his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944. The *Looney Tunes* name was inspired by Walt Disney's musical cartoon series, *Silly Symphonies*. The shorts initially showcased musical compositions whose rights were held by Warner's music publishing interests through the adventures of cartoon characters such as Bosko and, after losing him, Buddy. However, the animation studio gained a higher profile after it brought in directors Tex Avery and Chuck Jones and voice actor Mel Blanc in the mid-1930s. Porky Pig and Daffy Duck became the main stars of *Looney Tunes* at this time, while *Merrie Melodies* featured one-shot cartoons and minor recurring characters.

After Bugs Bunny became the breakout recurring star of *Merrie Melodies* and *Looney Tunes* moved from black and white to color production in the early 1940s (*Merrie Melodies* having already been in color since 1934), the two series gradually lost their distinctions, and shorts were assigned to each series randomly. From 1942 to 1964, *Looney Tunes* and *Merrie Melodies* were the most popular animated shorts in movie theaters.

*Looney Tunes* has since become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television series, feature films, comic books, music albums, video games, and amusement park rides, as well as serving as Warner Bros.' flagship franchise. Many of the characters have made and continue to make cameo appearances in numerous other television shows, films, and advertisements. The most famous *Looney Tunes* character, Bugs Bunny, is regarded as a cultural icon and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Many *Looney Tunes*/*Merrie Melodies* films are ranked among the greatest animated cartoons of all time (e.g. the "hunting trilogy" (*Rabbit Fire*, *Rabbit Seasoning* and *Duck! Rabbit, Duck!*), *Duck Amuck*, *One Froggy Evening*, and *What's Opera, Doc?*), and five (*Tweetie Pie*, *Speedy Gonzales*, *Birds Anonymous*, *Knighty Knight Bugs*, and *For Scent-imental Reasons*) have won Academy Awards.

## History

In the beginning, *Looney Tunes* and *Merrie Melodies* were built around songs from Warner's vast music library, starting with *Sinkin' in the Bathtub*, a pun on the song *Singin' in the Bathtub* in 1929. Between 1934 and 1943, *Merrie Melodies* were produced in color and *Looney Tunes* in black and white. After 1943 both series were produced in color and became virtually indistinguishable, varying only in their opening theme music and titles. Both series made use of the various Warner Bros. cartoon characters. By 1937, the theme music for *Looney Tunes* was "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin, and the theme music for *Merrie Melodies* was an adaptation of "Merrily We Roll Along" by Charles Tobias, Murray Mencher and Eddie Cantor.

## Trivia

* This was the #1 best performing Qubo show from June 2018 to February 2019. As of January 2022, Little Audrey & The Davincibles are the #1 best performing shows