Looney Tunes Works

***Looney Tunes Works*** (also known as ***Disney's Looney Tunes Works*** or simply ***Mouse Works***) is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired from May 1, 1999, to TBD, 2008. It is the first Disney television animated series to be produced in widescreen high definition.

*Looney Tunes Works* is similar to a variety show, with skits starring the *Looney Tunes* characters. Musical themes for each character were composed by Stephen James Taylor and Jim Latham with a live 12-piece band and extensive use of the fretless guitar to which the music of the series was nominated for an Annie Award in both 1999 and 2001. The show was generally well-received and became a big hit for Disney.

TBD

## Overview

*Looney Tunes Works* was produced to recreate the golden age of Walt Disney's *Looney Tunes* animated shorts. By using basic colors and the original sound effects, effort was put forth to capture the look and feel of "classic" Disney.

Each half-hour episode consisted of a variety of cartoons, which are skits, varying in length from ninety seconds to twelve minutes. These shorts fell into three general types: 90-second-to-3-minute gag cartoons, the 7 and a half-minute character cartoon, and 12-minute "Mouse Tales" based on famous stories. The character-based segments also included "Silly Symphonies", carrying on the tradition of that series of theatrical shorts.

The gag shorts, which lasted 90 seconds each, were shown with the following umbrella titles:

* **Mickey to the Rescue**: Mickey tries to rescue Minnie from Pete's trap-laden hideout.
* **Maestro Minnie**: Minnie conducts an orchestra of anthropomorphic rebellious musical instruments.
* **Goofy's Extreme Sports**: Goofy shows off extreme sports in the words of his off-screen narrator.
* **Donald's Dynamite**: Donald's activity is interrupted by the appearance of a well-placed bomb.
* **Judge Granny:** A parody of *Judge Judy*, it focuses on Granny adjuticating various cases envolving the show's characters.
* **Mysterious Phenomena of the Unexplained:** Daffy shows up us some paranormal things who happened to other characters.
* **Wile E.'s House of Genius**: Wile E. Coyote shows off an invention of his which goes haywire.
* **Barnyard and Sylvester's Prank War:** TBD
* **Warner Siblings Quickies:** TBD
* **Jerry Steals the Cheese:** Jerry uses different methods to steal food from Cecil's fridge.
* **Toon Marooned:** 20 characters compete at a reality show in order to win $100. Used only in the second season.
* **Pluto Gets the Paper**: Pluto goes through a bit of problems trying to fetch the newspaper for Mickey.

With no established schedule or routine, *Looney Tunes Works* was designed to look like one spontaneous flow. Adding to that feeling were the show's opening credits which ended differently each week, the only constant being an elaborate interruption from a spotlight-stealing Honest John.

The series is also notable for including many relatively obscure and otherwise rarely used *Looney Tunes* characters (like *Animaniacs* did to Cool Cat, Ralph Philips, Hubie & Bertie, Bunny & Claude, the Ant and the Aardvark, and The Inspector), often with speaking parts for the very first time - for example, Chief O'Hara, Li'l Bad Wolf, Jessie Mouse, Winnie Woodpecker, Cicero Pig, Charlie Chicken, Marcia the Martian, and April, May and June, who had appeared very often in *Looney Tunes* comic books but never before in an animated cartoon, finally made their animated debuts on *Looney Tunes Works*.

While most segments involved individual characters, some have Mickey, Donald and Porky running a special service group. Most Bugs Bunny segments have him in his typical formula to either outsmart his enemies or annoy Elmer Fudd. Most Jerry Mouse segments are about him in different scenarios where he is either some time period or his typical antics in an urban setting. Most Woody Woodpecker segments follow him either causing havoc, tormenting Wally Walrus, or outsmarting Buzz Buzzard's scams. Most Goofy segments have him doing a "how-to" segment always accompanied by a narrator. Most Donald segments were about him trying to accomplish a certain task which never works out right, frustrating him.