New Looney Tunes

New Looney Tunes (formerly known as Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production in its first season) is an American animated television series from Warner Bros. Animation based on the characters from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.[3] The series debuted on September 21, 2015, on Cartoon Network,[4][5] and continued with new episodes beginning on October 5, 2015, on Boomerang. Part way through the first season, new episodes would premiere on Boomerang's video on demand service before airing on television.[6][7][8]

"Bugs!" redirects here. For the South Korean digital streaming service Bugs!, see NHN Entertainment Corporation.
New Looney Tunes
Genre
Based onLooney Tunes and Merrie Melodies
by Warner Bros.
Developed byErik Kuska
Written by
  • Matt Craig
  • Kevin Fleming
  • Rob Janas
Directed by
  • Sean Petrilak
  • Erik Knutson
  • Scott Bern (Season 1)
  • Ian Wasseluk (also supervising director, Seasons 2–3)
  • Erik Kuska (Season 1)
  • Robb Pratt (Season 1)
  • Jessica Borutski (Season 1)
Voices of
Theme music composer
Opening theme
Ending theme
  • "Wabbit Theme" (Season 1)
  • "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" (Season 2–3)
ComposerJoshua Funk
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes156 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerSam Register[1]
Producers
  • Matt Craig
  • Gary Hartle
  • Line producers: Jason Wyatt
  • John Bush (season 2–3)
EditorRobby Wells
Running time11 minutes (2 segments of 5½ minutes or 1 special segment)
22 minutes (4 segments)
Production companyWarner Bros. Animation
DistributorWarner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network
Picture format1080i HDTV
Audio formatDolby Digital 5.1
Original releaseSeptember 21, 2015 (2015-09-21) –
January 30, 2020 (2020-01-30)
Chronology
Preceded byThe Looney Tunes Show (2011–14)
Followed byLooney Tunes Cartoons (2020–present)
External links
Website

On May 23, 2018, the Boomerang streaming service announced that New Looney Tunes would continue into 2019.[9] The third season is the show's last, with the final episodes being released on January 30, 2020. The series was followed by the more traditionally formatted Looney Tunes Cartoons on May 27, 2020, which is streaming on HBO Max.

Production
Squeaks and Bugs, as drawn in a promotional still. (Early press kits give Squeaks a different appearance.)[10]

After The Looney Tunes Show ended production in 2013, concepts for a new show featuring the Looney Tunes led to the decision for a reboot of the characters. At the time, the idea of making a reboot of all of the Looney Tunes focused mainly on Bugs Bunny and in March 2014, it was announced that the reboot would be known as wabbit. (or bugs! in some regions), to coincide with other reboots of Warner Bros. classics, such as Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! and The Tom and Jerry Show.[11] Sam Register, promoted to president of Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series a month prior, became supervising producer for the series.[12] The animation was done by Yearim and Rough Draft Studios from South Korea (the latter only working on the first season) and Snipple Animation from the Philippines.

The aim of the reboot was for its cartoons to match the tone of the Looney Tunes shorts in their earlier days. This led to the characters returning to their slapstick comedy roots,[13] but with producers seeking to avoid their clichés, such as the anvil gag. The show's production team placed their emphasis on writing original stories, as well as devising "modern heavy objects to cause pain", according to producer Erik Kuska, with each episode featuring a few shorts in which one or a number of characters became caught up in a situation that they would handle in their own personal way. Despite that, some classic objects can occasionally be seen, such as boulders or safes. Similarly, some classic expressions can be heard, such as Bugs forgetting to "make that left turn at Albuquerque", or uttering "of course you know, this means war" (though "war" is usually replaced with other phrases invoking conflict of some sort). The characters themselves saw some alterations to their appearances, with some also reverting to personality traits they originally had in their earliest appearances – for example, Daffy Duck was reverted to his original screwball personality from his early shorts.

The first season of the show was known as Wabbit and focused primarily on Bugs Bunny as the main character, with recurring appearances by Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote and Porky Pig, and minor appearances by Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, the Tasmanian Devil (who portrayed a white-collar worker named Theodore Tasmanian), and Michigan J. Frog (who made a cameo at the end of one episode). Like his early shorts, Bugs mostly finds himself outwitting opponents either because they seek to cause him trouble or have done something to wreck his peaceful life. The first season saw the introduction of a few new characters to the Looney Tunes franchise,[14] many of them being new villains Bugs faces, but not without the help of his friends.[15]

Among the new characters introduced in this show are:

  • Squeaks the Squirrel – A red squirrel who is Bugs' closest friend and sidekick (whose speech initially consisted only of squeaking sounds, occasionally giving way to intelligible speech in season 3).
  • Bigfoot – A childlike creature who tends to annoy Bugs, usually calling him "lady" (or occasionally "ma'am"), much to Bugs' chagrin.
  • The Barbarian – An unnamed barbarian that runs afoul of Bugs.
    • Krakos – The Barbarian's polar bear mount.
  • Boyd – A lovesick bird.
  • Cal – A bulky man who considers himself the best at whatever he is doing.
  • Carl the Grim Rabbit – A Grim Reaper look-alike with rabbit ears.
  • Claudette Dupri – A fox spy who speaks with an audible French accent. Pepé Le Pew has a crush on her and mostly appears by her side.
  • Dr. Clovenhoof – A sheep scientist.
  • Eagle Scout – An eagle scoutmaster.
  • Elliot Sampson – A bobcat scoutmaster and businessman.
  • Hazmats – As Bugs puts it, they are a group of "highly trained government officials" in hazmat suits that often deal with or chase him, Squeaks, and Bigfoot, as well as Agents Dupri and Le Pew.
  • Horace the Horse – A uniformed horse who often works with Porky and speaks in the style of John Travolta.
  • Ivanna – A woman who often encroaches on Bugs' territory and hosts the show "Gettin' Fresh! with Ivanna" on "The Food Notwork", in the episode with the same channel name.
  • Jack – A "jack of all trades" who does various work. This character was dropped after his first two appearances because his personality traits (including his screaming) were deemed too similar to Yosemite Sam.[16]
  • King Thes – A royal lion who tries to eat anyone.
  • Leslie P. Lilylegs – An obnoxious short man who tends to desire power while working for his different bosses.
  • Miss Cougar – A spinster cougar.
  • Pampreen and Paul Perdy – Two rich brats who are somehow related to Leslie.
  • Rhoda Roundhouse – A female wrestler.
  • Shameless O’Scanty – A not-so-lucky leprechaun.
  • Sir Littlechin – A knight who often hunts mythical animals.
  • Slugsworthy the First – A stuck-up elephant seal.
  • Squint Eatswood – A foul-tempered beaver who hates anyone who's not a beaver.
  • Tad Tucker – An Australian reality television personality with a strong appetite for rabbits (especially "a family of rabbits").
  • Trey Hugger – An activist.
  • Viktor – A narcissistic man who likes to brag about being the best in everything. He appears in "Abracawabbit" as a magician called "Viktor Mageek", "Viktor The Science Swede" as a science guy, "Fashion Viktor" as a fashion designer, among other episodes. Along with him in each of his appearances are three young men who appear to idolize him, then later they start to idolize Bugs.
  • Winter Stag – A cryokinetic deer.

According to Kuska, the focus on newer antagonists for Bugs to deal with was described as allowing him to do his "best when he's up against a really good adversary". As a result of the inclusion of new villains, Kuska felt that Elmer Fudd might not be "the man" anymore, having often been a common antagonist that Bugs dealt with in many shorts, despite appearing later on in the series.[14]

After the first season ended, the production team decided to focus on the other Looney Tunes stars besides Bugs, thus the show was retooled and renamed New Looney Tunes for the second season and featured a new intro with music based on the late 1930s Looney Tunes theme. While the first season focused mainly on Bugs and a handful of returning classic characters, the second season saw the addition of stories centering around the other classic characters in addition to Bugs, including, among others, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, the Road Runner, the Tasmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Witch Hazel, Petunia Pig and Lola Bunny. Some episodes saw characters operating as a double act (a plot mechanic mainly used for Daffy and Porky, as had been done in the classic shorts). Several supporting, recurring and minor figures from the classic Looney Tunes shorts such as Michigan J. Frog, Sniffles, Hubie and Bertie, the Goofy Gophers, Claude Cat, Marc Antony and Pussyfoot, Cecil Turtle, Gabby Goat, Blacque Jacque Shellacque, Count Bloodcount, Pete Puma, Mot Wilbur, Curt & Punkinhead Martin, Millicent and Angelo Flea also made appearances.

Season 3 featured Axl Rose as a guest star in the episode "Armageddon Outta Here" and featured his first studio recording since 2008.[17]

Voice cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Special guest stars

Additional voices

Voice directors

Episodes
Main article: List of New Looney Tunes episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
152September 21, 2015 (2015-09-21)February 8, 2018 (2018-02-08)Cartoon Network (episodes 1-15 & 20-26)
Boomerang (episodes 16-19)
DVD (episodes 27-30)
Online (episodes 31-34)
Boomerang SVOD (episodes 35-52)
252February 8, 2018 (2018-02-08)January 31, 2019 (2019-01-31)Boomerang SVOD
352August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)January 30, 2020 (2020-01-30)

Broadcast

Wabbit premiered on September 21, 2015 on Cartoon Network and on Boomerang beginning October 5, 2015, then went on hiatus for over a year and return on April 7, 2017.[19][20][21][22] The series premiered on November 2 on Boomerang in Australia and New Zealand and on Boomerang in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[23][24] It premiered on November 6, 2015 on Teletoon in Canada[25] and debuted on December 19 on Boomerang in the Middle East and Africa.[26] In India, the series premiered on Pogo TV on 19 December 2015.[27] The series premiered on January 10, 2016 on Cartoon Network Arabic in the Middle East.

New episodes began being broadcast on Boomerang, starting April 7, 2017.

Season 2 premiered on Boomerang UK on September 4, 2017.

The entire first season is available on Netflix in Canada.

The show streams on the Boomerang premium subscription service, available on Android, iOS, desktop, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet, Roku and Chromecast.[6] As of July 4, 2020, the show is available for streaming on HBO Max in the United States. However, a few episodes from seasons 1 and 2 and the entire third season is not yet on the platform.

Season Timeslot (ET) Episodes Premiered Ended Viewers
(in millions)
Date Premiere viewers
(in millions)		 Date Finale viewers
(in millions)
1 for Boomerang
Weekdays 8:00 p.m. (episodes 1–12)
Monday 8:00 p.m. (episode 13–19)
Saturday 7:00 p.m. (episodes 20–22)
Friday 1:45 a.m. (episode 23)
Weeknights 2:15 a.m. (episode 24-26)
52
October 5, 2015
 0.28
TBA
 TBA
1 for CN
Weekdays 5:00 p.m. (episodes 1–12)
Thursday 5:00 p.m. (episode 13)
Thursday 2:00 p.m. (episode 14)
Thursday 8:45 a.m. (episode 15)
Saturday 10:00 a.m. (episodes 16–20)
Saturday 9:45 a.m. (episodes 21-22)
 52
September 21, 2015
 1.24
TBA
 TBA 1.59

Home media

The first half of Season 1 of Wabbit was released onto DVD on April 26, 2016 in the United States. Despite being half of a season, the DVD is subtitled, Hare-Raising Tales. The DVD contains the first 26 episodes (52 segments) but is labeled on the side as Season 1 – Part 1.[28][29] The DVD contains episodes 23–26 which did not air in the United States until April 7, 2017. Disregarding the show's European name, Wabbit: Season 1 – Part 1 was also released on June 15, 2016 in Australia,[30] and on July 25, 2016 in the United Kingdom.[31]

References
  2. Spangler, Todd (March 7, 2017). "Turner, Warner Bros. to Launch Boomerang Cartoon Streaming-Subscription Service for $5 Monthly". Variety. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  3. "The New Looney Tunes – Games, videos and downloads". Boomerang.
  4. "Cartoon Network – TV Schedule". adultswim.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-30.
  6. "Boomerang heads to Amazon Channels".
  7. "SF Sketchfest 2018 Schedule". sfsketchfest2018.sched.com.
  8. Spangler, Todd (7 March 2017). "Turner, Warner Bros. to Launch Boomerang Cartoon Streaming-Subscription Service for $5 Monthly". variety.com.
  9. Spangler, Todd (23 May 2018). "Boomerang Streaming Service to Add New 'Scooby-Doo,' 'Flintstones' Spinoffs in 2019".
  10. For example, see: Loveday, Samantha (October 6, 2014). "The Big Interview: Preston Kevin Lewis, General Manager, Warner Bros. Consumer Products UK & Ireland". Licensing.biz. NewBay Media. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
    • Compare with: Spiegel, Danny (July 22, 2014). "Coming Attractions". TV Guide (Comic-Con Special ed.). OpenGate Capital: 79.
  11. Perlman, Jake (March 10, 2014). "Cartoon Network Reviving Tom & Jerry, Scooby-Doo". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  12. "Sam Register Upped to President of Warner Bros. Animation, Will Head New Digital Unit". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. April 23, 2014. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  13. Staff writer (July 11, 2014). "WBSDCC 2014 TV Guide Covers" (Press release). Warner Bros. Television. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  14. Spiegel, Danny (July 22, 2014). "Coming Attractions". TV Guide (Comic-Con Special ed.). OpenGate Capital: 79.
  15. "Cartoon Network Evolves with Kids: Always On" (Press release). Turner Broadcasting System. March 10, 2014. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  16. "Tumblr".
  17. Hughes, William (January 4, 2019). "Axl Rose releases his first new song in a decade—via a Looney Tunes cartoon". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  18. Matthew Mercer [@matthewmercer] (September 19, 2015). "Proud to be playing Bigfoot in the new series "Wabbit", premiering Monday on #CartoonNetwork!" (Tweet). Retrieved September 27, 2015 – via Twitter.
  19. Denise Petski. "Turner Broadcasting & Warner Bros Ink Global Multi-Series Deal For Boomerang". Deadline.
  20. Brian Steinberg. "Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo Return To Boost Boomerang – Variety". Variety.
  21. "Breaking News – Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros. Sign Global Multi-Series Deal For Boomerang – TheFutonCritic.com". thefutoncritic.com.
  22. "16 Family-Friendly Fall Shows You Shouldn't Miss – TV Insider". TV Insider.
  23. "Boomerang November Highlights". Eckfactor (Press release). Turner Broadcasting System Asia-Pacific. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  24. RegularCapital (October 15, 2015). "Boomerang UK And Cartoonito UK November 2015 Highlights" (Press release). Turner Broadcasting System Europe. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  25. "TELETOON Goes Back To Cool This Fall!" (Press release). Toronto: Corus Entertainment. September 3, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  26. Dube, Prosper (November 10, 2015). "Boomerang Europe, Middle East And Africa (EMEA) December 2015 Highlights". Blogspot. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  27. "Pogo brings back Bugs Bunny with 'Wabbit'". 17 December 2015.
  28. "Wabbit DVD news: Press Release for Season 1, Part 1: Hare-Raising Tales – TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 2016-02-15.
  29. "Wabbit S1 P1". 26 April 2016 – via Amazon.
  30. "Wabbit: Series 1 Part 1". 15 June 2016 – via EzyDVD.
  31. "Wabbit: Hare-Raising Tales". 25 July 2016 – via Amazon.
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