Farewell to classic Looney Tunes: Warner Bros. pulls original Max shorts and sparks outrage among fans

Recently, Warner Bros. Discovery decided to withdraw from Max’s catalog of classic ‘Looney Tunes’ shorts. The company made the decision as part of its new strategy to prioritize adult and family content, while de-emphasizing content for children. Although some of the franchise’s more recent series are still available on the platform, the withdrawal of the classic cartoons has sparked outrage among fans, who see the move as a blow not only to the brand, but to the history of American animation itself.

That’s all, folks! Max’s change of course doesn’t win over fans

Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to drop Max’s classic ‘Looney Tunes’ shorts has sparked a wave of criticism and outrage among fans of the iconic franchise. Deadline has confirmed that this is a plan to restructure the platform’s content, opting to promote its own adult productions such as ‘The Last of Us’ or ‘House of the Dragon’. Although the streaming service will continue to host some new productions of the iconic brand, such as ‘Looney Tunes Cartoons’ (2020) or ‘New Looney Tunes’ (2015), the withdrawal of the original shorts means the disappearance of a fundamental part of the history of Western animation.

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This is not the first time Warner Bros. Discovery has chosen to reduce the presence of children’s content on Max. Before pulling the classic ‘Looney Tunes’ shorts, the company had already cut back on ‘Sesame Street’, removing from its catalog all material related to this iconic educational franchise focused on children’s audiences. These decisions are part of a new strategy for the company, which has decided to focus on content aimed at adult and family audiences, leaving productions aimed exclusively at the youngest members of the household in the background.

The move was shocking, especially coming just days after the U.S. release of Max’s ‘The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie" (2024), the first animated film in the franchise to be released theatrically. Removing the original shorts from the platform, while simultaneously trying to boost the brand with new projects, has caused much confusion among fans, who see it as a contradictory move, with Warner Bros. sabotaging its own legacy by catering solely to short-term consumer trends.

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