In the beginning years, both Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies drew their
storylines from Warner's vast music library. However, eventually the two
series distinguished themselves by Looney Tunes becoming the umbrella for
the studio's various recurring characters, while Merrie Melodies continued
with the use of one-shot characters. Also, from 1934 to 1943 Merrie Melodies
were produced in color and Looney Tunes in black and white; after 1943,
however, both series were produced in color; the only real difference
between the two series was in the variation between the opening theme music
and titles. Both series by this time also made use of the various Warner
Bros. cartoon stars. By 1943, the theme music for Looney Tunes was "The
Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin; the theme
music for Merrie Melodies was an adaptation of "Merrily We Roll Along" by
Charles Tobias, Murray Mencher and Eddie Cantor. The reason for the Looney
Tunes changeover to color was Warner Bros' decision to re-release only the
color Merrie Melodies for their Blue Ribbon Classics series of cartoons,
noted by the special "Blue Ribbon" title card.
Black and white Looney Tunes opening title from 1943.Bosko was Looney Tunes'
first major star, debuting in the short Sinkin' in the Bathtub in 1930.
After several years and a move to rival studio
MGM in an entirely different incarnation, Buddy took his place as the
studio's main star. 1935 saw the debut of the first truly major Looney Tunes
star, Porky Pig, after which followed the debuts of other memorable Looney
Tunes stars such as Daffy Duck (in 1937) and the most famous of the Looney
Tunes cast,
Bugs Bunny (in 1940). Bugs appeared originally in the color Merrie
Melodies and formally joined the Looney Tunes crew when it switched to
color. Bugs' only appearance in a black and white Looney Tune was a gag
appearance at the end of the Frank Tashlin 1943 cartoon Porky Pig's Feat.
While the early thirties cartoons never directly catered to a younger
audience, the cartoons consisted mostly of musical singing/dancing and
generally contained a sense of innocence (mostly as a result of imitating
the Disney style). By the late thirties, the series had become edgier, and
was more obviously targeted to the adult moviegoers of the time.
The Looney Tunes series' popularity was strengthened even more when the
shorts began airing on network and syndicated television in the mid-to-late
1950s under various titles and formats. However, since the syndicated
shorts' target audience was children and because of concerns over children's
television in the 1970s, the Looney Tunes shorts began to be edited to
remove scenes featuring innuendos, ethnic stereotypes and extreme violence.
The original Looney Tunes theatrical series ran from 1930 to 1969 (the last
short being Injun Trouble, starring Cool Cat). During part of the 1960s the
shorts were produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises after Warner Bros shut
down their animation studios. The shorts from this era can be identified by
the fact that they open with a different title sequence featuring stylized
limited animation and graphics on a black background and a re-arranged
version of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down," performed by William Lava.
Theatrical animated shorts then went dormant until 1987 when new shorts were
made to introduce Looney Tunes to a new generation of audiences. New shorts
have been produced and released sporadically for theaters since then,
usually as promotional tie-ins with various family movies produced by Warner
Bros.
In 1989, Nickelodeon aired all the unaired cartoons in a Looney Tunes show
called Looney Tunes On Nickelodeon until 1999 when it was removed off the
network for Cartoon Network
In 1996, Space Jam, a feature film mixing
animation and live action, was released starring Bugs Bunny and basketball
player Michael Jordan. The movie was somewhat successful, and it introduced
a new character named Lola Bunny.
In 2003, another feature film was released in an attempt to recapture the
spirit of the original shorts, the live action/animated Looney Tunes: Back
In Action. The film was a terrible box-office disappointment, thus putting
the theatrical future of Bugs and company in limbo.
There was a video game with the same name that came out on Game Boy and Game
Boy Color.
The Looney Tunes characters have had more success in the area of television,
with appearances in several originally produced series, including The
Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries (starring Sylvester the cat, Tweety Bird and
Granny), Taz-Mania (starring The Tasmanian Devil), Duck Dodgers (starring
Daffy Duck and Porky Pig), and 2002's Baby Looney Tunes, which had a similar
premise to Muppet Babies. The Looney Tunes characters also made frequent
cameos in the 1990 series Tiny Toon Adventures, where they played teachers
and mentors to a younger generation of cartoon characters. Loonatics
Unleashed, a futuristic version of the characters, is currently airing on
Kids' WB! It is well-liked by many people, but there are some that are fans
of the classic Looney Tunes that do not like this series at all.
Thanks to continued television airings (digital cable only), revival
theatrical screenings, and the Golden Collection DVD box sets, the Looney
Tunes and its characters have remained a part of Western animation heritage,
and an American comedy institution. |
