Associated Artists Productions

Associated Artists Productions was a distributor of theatrical feature films and short subjects for television founded in 1953 and headed by Elliott Hyman. In 1956, AAP purchased the pre-1948 Warner Bros film library which included every feature film and most short subjects the studio released prior to 1948 including the Merrie Melodies and color Looney Tunes. Also in 1956, AAP bought the black and white Popeye theatrical cartoons from Paramount Pictures through Popeye owner King Features which were produced by the Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios. The following year in 1957, AAP also acquired the color Popeye cartoons. The company was acquired by United Artists in 1958. In 1981, the library was incorporated into the merger of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and United Artists. Turner Entertainment took over the library in 1986 after Ted Turner's short-lived acquisition of MGM/UA. When Turner sold back the MGM/UA production unit, he kept the AAP library for his own company. The Warner film libraries were reunited when Warner Bros' parent company Time Warner bought Turner in 1996. Warner holds the AAP properties today, although technically they are under the ownership of Turner.

Related Topics:
Feature films - Short subjects - Television - 1953 - Elliott Hyman - 1956 - 1948 - Warner Bros - Merrie Melodies - Looney Tunes - Popeye - Paramount Pictures - King Features - Fleischer Studios - Famous Studios - 1957 - United Artists - 1958 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Turner Entertainment - 1986 - Time Warner - 1996

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