WARNERMEDIA RESURRECTS LEGENDARY
HANNA-BARBERA NAME FOR EMEA STUDIO
Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe Joins WarnerMedia's Collective of Premiere Animation Studios Including
Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios
Sam Register and Vanessa Brookman to Co-Lead Studio
Burbank, CA (April 7, 2021) - WarnerMedia is revitalizing one of the most storied names in animation history, establishing Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe (previously Cartoon Network Studios Europe, operating from Great Marlborough Productions) as its flagship television animation studio within EMEA. The new studio name was announced today by Tom Ascheim, President, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics (GKYAC). Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) and Cartoon Network Studios (CNS) and Vanessa Brookman, Head of Kids EMEA, will co-lead the London-based studio.
Tom Ascheim said: "Earlier this year, we aligned two of the industry's most powerful animation studios in Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios and their collaboration is already yielding some very exciting results. Now with Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, these three brands represent some of the most talented artists, iconic characters and properties in the entire history of animation, making us more than formidable in the increasingly competitive global media landscape."
The original studio, Hanna-Barbera Productions, was founded in 1957 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and became the first studio to have significant success with television animation. Many of the artistic styles, story-telling devices, production techniques and sound effects the studio pioneered more than 60 years ago are still used today. Hundreds of iconic characters were created by the studio, including Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear and more.
Alongside industry leaders WBA and CNS, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe will further WarnerMedia's global kids content strategy. Combining the tremendous creative talents of the animation community in the UK and across EMEA with the expertise and resources of the overall studios group, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe is poised to be a unique entity in the world of animation. The studio will build on its award-winning pipeline of local productions including The Amazing World of Gumball, The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe, and Elliott from Earth while seeking out new production opportunities. The studio will focus on developing and producing new originals while embodying the spirit of its beloved library of characters, embracing the same high-quality, whimsical and classic look that enchanted Hanna-Barbera's audiences for decades.
The studio is currently in development on The Amazing World of Gumball Movie (wt) - the upcoming feature-length TV movie based on the hit Cartoon Network series The Amazing World of Gumball, which follows the hilarious misadventures of Gumball Watterson and his goldfish best friend, Darwin.
Sam Register said: "There are few names in the animation industry that elicit such reverence and joy as Hanna-Barbera. Saturday mornings and series animation would not be the same without the work that came out of that studio and, as television is once again evolving, it's only fitting that Hanna-Barbera returns to be an impactful part of it. I cannot wait to get started and I'm humbled at the opportunity to be creating cartoons under this banner again."
Vanessa Brookman added: "It is an enormous privilege to be expanding our EMEA studio in the name of one of the most prestigious and beloved brands in animation history. Sam and I share an ambitious vision for growing our European pipeline of content, fueled by the talented team behind the award-winning success of our existing productions across the region. We look forward to bringing our kids and family audiences around the world even more exceptional content as we start this new chapter in our global animation strategy."
About Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics (GKYAC)
GKYAC brings together Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), as well as Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation. Among the iconic franchises, series and characters under the GKYAC banner are Looney Tunes, DC's animated Super Heroes, Rick and Morty, Craig of the Creek, the classic Hanna-Barbera library, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, Warner Bros.' unrivaled film library, and many more.
GKYAC's mission is to be the premier global provider of kids, family, young adults, and classics content and brands. The group's programming supplies unique and compelling content for HBO Max, WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer platform. Warner Bros. GKYAC's content is currently distributed in 192 countries around the world and the division's networks are in 500 million homes, delivered through more than 65 channels in 31 languages.
About Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. WBA's current series include Animaniacs for Hulu, Green Eggs and Ham for Netflix, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Batwheels, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Harley Quinn, Jellystone!, Little Ellen, Looney Tunes Cartoons, Tiny Toons Looniversity, Velma and Young Justice for HBO Max, DC Super Hero Girls, Teen Titans Go!, ThunderCats Roar for Cartoon Network, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who?, The Tom and Jerry Show and Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs! for Boomerang. WBA's full-length theatrical film, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, was released in summer 2018. As home to the iconic animated characters from the DC, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces highly successful animated films - including the DC Universe Movies - for DVD, Blu-ray(R) and digital media. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has won six Academy Awards(R), 35 Emmy(R) Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children's Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents' Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).
About Cartoon Network Studios
Established in 2000, Cartoon Network Studios (CNS) is a global animation and interactive studio recognized for its innovative approaches to IP development and world-building. Fostering a creator-driven environment, CNS is home to hundreds of visual artists who have been a part of the studio's many critically acclaimed and groundbreaking animated series including Adventure Time, Craig of the Creek, Steven Universe, Summer Camp Island, The Powerpuff Girls, and We Bare Bears. CNS has also produced notable Adult Swim hits such as Primal, Samurai Jack, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
CNS has been honored with multiple awards and accolades including: Emmy(R), Peabody, GLAAD and Annie Awards. Internationally, the studio also garnered the BAFTA Children's Award, Italy's prestigious Pulcinella Award and Annecy Festival's Cristal Award. Currently, CNS houses a VR lab, and produces an array of interactive formats and products for youth and young adult audiences around the world. As part of its ongoing efforts to discover unique and promising voices everywhere, the studio has a robust global Artist Program and has numerous partnerships, including Exceptional Minds, Black Women Animate and California Institute of the Arts.
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