The WB100 Project - Classic Animation

The WB100 Project:

Classic Animation

When most folks think of Warner Bros, the very first thing that comes to mind is Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang.

Animation has been synonymous with Warner Bros since 1930, and 2023 marked the 90th anniversary of the creation of Leon Schlesinger Productions, the studio that became Warner Bros Cartoons, a precursor to the modern-day studio Warner Bros Animation.

2023 also marked the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Warner Bros Pictures.

As a fan of both Warner Bros Discovery-owned units, I wanted to create something celebrating two of the most iconic brands on the planet.

Inspired by what Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv has already created, I made several pieces celebrating the legacy of Warner Bros Entertainment. The WB100 Project was a year-long showcase of films, shows, people, and characters that made up the strong history of this great studio.

While I showcased some of these images during the actual anniversary, many of these banners weren't posted on Twitter and other social media outlets because I didn't know where to fit them in at the time, so I dedicated a portfolio exclusively for the Loonier side of Warner Bros.

As they used to say, on with the show, this is it!

The Looney Beginning

The Legendary directors

Those Who Gave Them Voices

The Composers Who Set The Mood

The Black-and-White Era

Bosko & Honey (1930)

Foxy (1931)

Goopy Geer (1932)

Buddy & Cookie (1933)

Beans (1935)

Porky Pig (1935)

The Looney Tunes

Get Looney

Porky Pig (1935)

Petunia Pig (1937)

Daffy Duck (1937)

Elmer Fudd* (1937 [Proto])

The Dodo (1938)

Sniffles (1939)

*Yes, it's Elmer Fudd, not Egghead (1937), a similar character

also created by Tex Avery

Bugs Bunny (1938 [proto]/1940 [canon])

Left: Elmer Fudd (1940 [canonical version])

Henery Hawk (1942)

Tweety (1942)

Hubie & Bertie (1943)

Mama, Papa, and Junior Bear (1944)

yosemite sam (1945)

Sylvester (1945)

Gossamer (1946)

Foghorn Leghorn (1946)

Barnyard Dawg (1946)

Charlie Dog (1941 [Proto]/1947 [Canon])

Marvin the Martian (1948)

Sylvester and Tweety (1947)

Tweetie Pie (Freleng, 1947) becomes the

First Warner Bros Animated Short to win an Oscar

Warner Bros Cartoons After Leon

Hippety Hopper (1948)

Pepé Le Pew (1945) & Penelope Pussycat (1949)

Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner (1949)

Sylvester Jr. (1950)

Ralph & Sam (1953)

Speedy Gonzales (1953 [Proto]/1955 [canon])

Marc Antony & Pussyfoot (1953)

The Tasmanian Devil/"Taz" (1954)

Witch HAZEL (1954)

Michigan J. Frog (1955)

The Final Theatrical Era of

warner bros cartoons

Cool Cat (1967)

Merlin the Magic Mouse & Second Banana (1967)

Bunny & Claude (1968)

Quick Brown Fox & Rapid Rabbit (1969)

Meanwhile, Over at MGM...

The Captain & the Kids (1988)

Count Screwloose & J.R. the Wonder Dog (1939)

Barney Bear (1939)

Tom & Jerry (1940)

Droopy (1943)

Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)

The Big Bad WOlf (1942) & Red (1943)

Screwy Squirrel & Meathead (1944)

And Out East at Fleischer studios...

Popeye the Sailor (1933)

superman (1941)

Looney Tunes: The TV Era

Edward Bleier was the man who brought Looney Tunes to television. At ABC, he saw the potential of the characters on the still young television medium and helped bring them to primetime and eventually Saturday mornings. When he moved to Warner Bros, Bleier was instrumental in repackaging Looney Tunes for the television generation across many networks, including Nickelodeon, a channel he was instrumental in creating and launching in 1979.