A “that’s all, folks” joke would hurt too much right now. Warner Brothers has officially removed its entire catalog of original Looney Tunes shorts from its streaming service, HBO Max. The legendary shorts spanned nearly 40 years, from 1930 to 1969, during what is considered to be a “golden age” for animation — and it should go without saying that they made Warner Brothers what it is today.
Deadline confirmed that the removal is part of a company initiative to “prioritize adult and family programming,” as children’s programming specifically does not garner major numbers for the streamer, so it’s no longer being considered a priority — with zero regard for how culturally significant the material is, clearly. At the end of 2024, for example, HBO canceled its deal with Sesame Street for new episodes, despite the series being a literal bedrock for childhood education since 1969. Some more recent Looney Tunes spinoffs remain on HBO Max, but the heart and soul of the Looney Tunes franchise is officially gone.
This blow to Looney Tunes’ legacy comes at a weird time, as the new film The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Story debuted in theaters on March 14. Max originally ordered the project, but ultimately the company sold it to Ketchup Entertainment via the American Film Market after the WB and Discovery merger. The smalltime distribution company seemingly had a modest marketing budget for the new film, as the movie has only done a little over $3 million at the box office for opening weekend on over 2,800 theaters nationwide.
It seems as though with the outrage produced by the treatment of last year’s Coyote Vs. Acme, folks would definitely be filling the seats for The Day the Earth Blew Up if they simply knew it was in theaters to be seen. A year ago, Warner Brothers Discovery decided against releasing the Looney Tunes film Coyote Vs. Acme despite it being completed, over concerns that it was too expensive to distribute.
The decision has been the subject of much disdain from artists and animation lovers. In February, star Will Forte called the decision “f—king bulls—t,” and remarked that the choice to not release the film was both inexplicable and “made [his] blood boil.”
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
