HBO Max is a little less “looney” now. The streamer has officially removed hundreds of classicLooney Tunesshorts from the streaming service — 256 shorts have been removed, which were labeled as Seasons 16-31, of the original 511 available to watch.
TheLooney TunesandMerrie Melodiesshorts were originally released theatrically from 1930-1969. Legendary voice actorMel Blancvoiced multiple characters including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Tweety Bird. The shorts also starredJune Forayas Granny andArthur Q. Bryanas Elmer Fudd, and are not the onlyLooney Tunesprojects to be scrapped from the streaming service. In June 2022, ananimated musical filmtitledBye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musicalwas announced for both HBO Max and Cartoon Network, but in August, it was reported that the film’s release on HBO Maxwas canceled.
It was also reported that the filmThe Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Moviewould also not be released on HBO Max, joining other projects includingBatman: Caped Crusader,Did I Do That to the Holidays: A Steve Urkel Story(based on the sitcomFamily Matters), andThe Amazing World of Gumball. One of the most notable HBO Max cancelationswasScoob!: Holiday Haunt, which was announced the same day as the cancelation of theBatgirlmovie.
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The 256 classicLooney Tunesshorts are part of a growing list of content that has been removed from HBO Max since the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery. Some of theanimated series removed from the serviceinclude DC’s 2021 three-episode limited seriesAquaman: King of Atlantisand the critically acclaimed seriesInfinity Train.Infinity TraincreatorOwen Denniswrote on his blogthat the series' removal from HBO Max was a “direct order from Discovery, and it’s about saving money somehow.“Sesame Streethad a similar situation toLooney Tunes, when almost 200 episodes of the serieswere removed from HBO Max. ASesame Streetspin-off,The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmowas also completely removed from the service. The latest cuts to animation include theJustice Leagueanimated series, its follow-upJustice League Unlimited, andBatman: The Brave and the Bold, which are scheduled toleave HBO Maxon January 31.
TheLooney Tunescharacters can currently be seen in the seriesBugs Bunny Builders, which airs on Cartoon Network. A trailer for the characters' latest big screen adventure,Space Jam: A New Legacy, can be watched below:
