On the animation front, the memo states that WB is “implementing a new streamlined structure in which the development and main production teams will now work across both Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.” After the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, WB Animation head Sam Register also assumed control over CN Studios. For decades, the studio held a reputation for developing original works from emerging talents. The new structure means more resources will be split between the studios (teams like casting, artist relations, and legal already were). WB Animation will continue to focus on wringing endless value and reboots from existing, nostalgic IP, while CN Studios’ will produce continue to produce original cartoons for CN, Adult Swim, and HBO Max. In May 2022, Register told Vulture that “Having a suite of studios allows us to have a different strategy when we talk to talent: ‘Do you love Scooby-Doo? Do you love Looney Tunes? You can do that. Do you have your own original idea? Well, we have a studio for that, too.’”
Earlier in the year, Register expressed a commitment to developing new pilots through the Cartoon Cartoons anthology shorts program. Upcoming original projects include Unicorn: Warriors Eternal and Invincible Fight Girl. Since president and CEO David Zaslav assumed control of the megamerged Warner Bros. Discovery, he has canceled a number of animated projects, including CN Studios projects like Driftwood, and pulled CN Studios titles including Infinity Train and Summer Camp Island from streaming on HBO Max. We’ll take it all back if you announce a 200-episode order for more Apple & Onion.
Cartoon Network is not dead, says Warner Bros. — but its future is uncertain
On Wednesday, Warner Bros. TV Group laid off 82 staffers across scripted, unscripted, and animation divisions, a Warner Bros. representative confirmed to Polygon. The company will leave 43 of the currently unfilled positions empty. While the three brand labels Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), Cartoon Network Studios (CNS), and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe will remain distinct, WBA and CNS development and production teams will be brought under one division.
According to Deadline, Warner Bros. has also stepped back on its initial decision to shutter the Warner Bros. Television Workshop, which was designed to foster new talent and provide a pipeline that many in the animation industry have cited as invaluable in helping marginalized creators break into a highly competitive field. The workshop will be moved to Discovery’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit.
These changes at Cartoon Network Studios come at a time when some of its cartoons have already become harder to track down and watch. The cuts also arrive on the heels of Discovery’s acquisition of Warner Media from AT&T. HBO Max and Discovery Plus are set to become one streaming service in 2023. After taking over in April, CEO David Zaslav, who previously ran Discovery, pledged to cut $3 billion from the company, and he’s taken an aggressive approach to get there.
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