Cartoon Network Studios

Cartoon Network Studios, formerly known as Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. is a cartoon animation studio founded by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera that has produced television cartoons for over forty years.

The slow rise and fall and the Turner rebound

The state of the field of animation changed during the 1980s, thanks to competitors' syndicated cartoon series based upon popular toys and action figures, including Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Rankin-Bass' Thundercats. The Hanna-Barbera studio fell behind, as a new wave of animators and production studios introduced variety into the market for TV cartoons in the 1980s and 1990s.

Related Topics:
1980s - Toy - Action figures - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Thundercats - 1990s

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Throughout the '80s, Hanna-Barbera churned out shows based on familiar licensed properties like The Smurfs, The Snorks, Pac-Man, The Dukes of Hazzard, Shirt Tales, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and Challenge of the GoBots, and also produced several ABC Weekend Specials. Some of their shows were produced at their Australian-based studio (a partnership with Australian media company Southern Star Entertainment), including Drak Pack, Wildfire, The Berenstain Bears, Teen Wolf, and CBS Storybreak. H-B also aligned themselves with Ruby-Spears Productions, which was founded in 1977 by former H-B employees Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. H-B's then-parent Taft Broadcasting purchased Ruby-Spears from Filmways in 1981, and Ruby-Spears often paired their productions with Hanna-Barbera shows.

Related Topics:
The Smurfs - The Snorks - Pac-Man - The Dukes of Hazzard - Shirt Tales - Happy Days - Laverne and Shirley - Challenge of the GoBots - ABC - Southern Star Entertainment - Drak Pack - The Berenstain Bears - Teen Wolf - CBS Storybreak - Ruby-Spears Productions - 1977 - Joe Ruby - Ken Spears - Filmways - 1981

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

H-B also had a habit of making "kid" versions of popular characters in the 1980s, including The Pink Panther and Sons, The Flintstone Kids, Popeye and Son, and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. In 1985, Hanna-Barbera launched The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera, a weekend-only program that introduced new versions of old favorites like Yogi Bear, Jonny Quest, The Snorks, and Richie Rich alongside brand new shows like Galtar and the Golden Lance, Paw Paws, Fantastic Max, and Midnight Patrol. The following year, H-B produced Yogi's Great Escape, the first entry in its Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10, a series of 10 original telefilms based on their popular stable of characters, including the popular crossover The Jetsons Meet The Flintstones.

Related Topics:
Pink Panther - 1985 - The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera - Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 - Telefilm

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Throughout all of this, both Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears were subject to the financial troubles of parent company Taft Broadcasting, and had gradually moved away from producing everything in-house, deciding instead to outsource some of the production to studios in Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan. Hanna-Barbera in particular was also held down by the demands of TV networks, mainly ABC, who insisted on rehashing Scooby-Doo many times over; this stifled creativity, leading many of the better writers and creative people to leave in 1989. They responded to a call from Warner Bros. to resurrect their animation department, ultimately developing Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs.

Related Topics:
Taiwan - Philippines - Japan - 1989 - Warner Bros. - Tiny Toon Adventures - Animaniacs

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1990, the bottom fell out: Taft Broadcasting (which had since changed its name to Great American Broadcasting in 1988) went bankrupt, and both Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears were put up for sale. In 1991, Hanna-Barbera and much of the original Ruby-Spears library were acquired by Turner Broadcasting. Filling the gap left by the departure of most of their creative crew during the Great American years was a new crop of animators, writers, and producers, including Pat Ventura, David Kirschner, Donovan Cook, Craig McCracken, Genndy Tartakovsky, Seth MacFarlane, David Feiss, Van Partible, and Butch Hartman. The new group was led by former Hanna-Barbera Australia head Buzz Potamkin. In 1992, the studio was renamed as H-B Productions Company, changing its name once again to Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. a year later.

Related Topics:
1990 - 1988 - 1991 - Turner Broadcasting - Craig McCracken - Genndy Tartakovsky - Seth MacFarlane - Butch Hartman - Buzz Potamkin - 1992

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the early 1990s, Hanna-Barbera created cartoon series like Tom and Jerry Kids (and its spin-off, Droopy: Master Detective) and The New Adventures of Captain Planet (a sequel to the original DiC/TBS Productions series Captain Planet and the Planeteers), and the ill-fated Yo Yogi!. They also introduced shows that were quite different from their previous releases, including Wake, Rattle, and Roll, 2 Stupid Dogs, Swat Kats, and The Pirates of Dark Water. In the mid-'90s, Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network (which introduced many Hanna-Barbera shows to a new audience) launched the World Premiere Toons (later renamed What A Cartoon then Cartoon Cartoons) project, which introduced a brand new stable of characters and, in a way, changed Hanna-Barbera forever.

Related Topics:
1990s - The New Adventures of Captain Planet - DiC - TBS Productions - Captain Planet and the Planeteers - Yo Yogi! - 2 Stupid Dogs - Swat Kats - The Pirates of Dark Water - Cartoon Network - World Premiere Toons

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~