Baby Looney Tunes is a Canadian-American animated television series that features Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters as toddlers. It was produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation. It ran from September 2002 to April 2005.
The show premiered on WB stations usually before or after the Kids' WB! block on 6 September 2002. It ran through 14 April 2003, had a one-year hiatus, and then moved to Cartoon Network from 15 August 2004 through 16 October 2006. The show is similar to Muppet Babies, with the main characters taken care of by Granny.
Additionally, "Baby Looney Tunes" may also refer to the various books, merchandise lines, and home video exclusive releases under the same title.
History[]
Baby Looney Tunes was a show several years in the making. In the late 90s companies like Tyco and Dakin released merchandise featuring the Baby Looney Tunes characters, although under the line name "Looney Tunes Lovables". They were more or less the same general design as they would later appear in the series, even down to the logo of the show itself. Songs released on a 1997 CD would later be used as "music video" segments in the show.
At the end of that same year, the show was announced under the title Lil' Looney Critters, but in April of 1999 they changed the name to Baby Looney Tunes. This was mostly for simplification purposes and so that previous products under that title would still be viable.
Additionally, an animated short was released in 2000 featuring Baby Wile E. and Baby Road Runner ("Little Go Beep") that further solidified the idea of a fully-fledged series focusing on the Baby Looney Tunes, especially after Warner's previous announcement. While the content was toned down and simplified, it was relatively the same idea.
Storyboard of the Baby Looney Tunes
Also occurring in 2000, Warner decided to make the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies library exclusive to fellow Time Warner properties, specifically Cartoon Network. This made it much easier for a show to be produced and released on Warner's channels, and was subsequently put into production.
Production[]
The animation for the series was produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation. The series was traditionally animated, but was digitally inked and painted via computers.
Uncommonly for a Warner production, all of the characters' voices were recorded in Vancouver, Canada, with the exception of June Foray, who recorded her lines from Los Angeles, California. All of the characters’ voices were recorded at Ten Pin Alley Limited in the UK Version.
Characters[]
See main article
Music[]
Underscoring for the series was written by veteran animation composers Steven and Julie Bernstein. They were nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition in 2006. They also composed the score for the Easter special "Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure", writing the music and lyrics for the featured songs.
Broadcast[]
Original Run
- Kids' WB! (6 September 2002 - 14 April 2003)
- Cartoon Network (16 September 2002 - 20 April 2005)
Reruns
- CN (21 April 2005 - 2009, 2015 - 2016, 2023)
- Boomerang (29 August 2005 - present)
- Cartoonito (USA) (2021 - 2022)
- Discovery Family (1 May 2023 - present)
United Kingdom
- Cartoonito (2006 - 2018)
DVD Releases[]
Warner Home Video has released 32 of the 52 episodes of Baby Looney Tunes plus a DVD of "Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure".
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure | 3 | Easter 2004 | Special features: 2 bonus episodes, 2 music videos, Granny's Activity Day Challenge |
| Volume 1: Playday Pals | 4 | 7 March 2006 | Special feature: Menu Challenge: Baby Trivia |
| Volume 2: Let's Play Pretend | 4 | 7 March 2006 | Special feature: Menu Challenge: What's That Sound? |
| Volume 3: Puddle Olympics | 8 | 13 March 2007 | None |
| Volume 4: Tooth Fairy Tales | 8 | 14 August 2007 | None |
| 4 Kid Favorites: Baby Looney Tunes | 12 | 17 January 2012 | Special feature:Menu Challenge: Baby Trivia & What's That Sound? |
In the UK, four volumes were released 15 July 2013 on DVD. Each disc contains four half-hour episodes.
| DVD Name | Episodes listed | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Baby Bugs Bunny |
|
15 July 2013 |
| Baby Taz |
|
15 July 2013 |
| Baby Sylvester |
|
15 July 2013 |
| Baby Tweety |
|
15 July 2013 |