Baby Looney Tunes is an American animated television series depicting toddler versions of several Looney Tunes characters.[1] It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation as its first preschool animated series.[2] The series focused on real world problems and morals that children may relate to, such as sharing, understanding emotions, and playing with others. The Looney Tunes babies first live with Granny, but starting in the fourth season, were cared for by babysitter Floyd, Granny's nephew.[3]
| Baby Looney Tunes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Based on | Looney Tunes by Warner Bros. |
| Developed by | Sander Schwartz |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer |
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| Opening theme | "The Baby Looney Tunes Way" by Lisa Silver and Patty Way |
| Ending theme | "The Baby Looney Tunes Way" (Instrumental) |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 53 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Sander Schwartz |
| Producers |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network |
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| Release | September 16, 2002 – April 20, 2005 |
The show premiered as a full series on September 16, 2002, and ran on WB stations from 2002 to 2003. The show moved to Cartoon Network in 2002 (by following suit nine days later on September 16) where it remained until ending on April 20, 2005. It aired in reruns on Cartoon Network from 2005 to 2009, and again from 2015 to 2016. Then it began airing on Boomerang in the U.S. in 2015 but stopped airing reruns in mid 2020. 53 episodes were produced.[4]
In 2003, a series of direct-to-video puppet films were produced, aimed at infants and toddlers. Two films were released, Baby Looney Tunes: Musical Adventures and Baby Looney Tunes: Backyard Adventures, featuring the same voice cast as the TV series.[5] The films were never released on DVD. However, Baby Looney Tunes: Musical Adventures became available on HBO Max and Tubi later on.[6][7] Baby Looney Tunes: Backyard Adventures was formerly available on Binge in Australia.[8]
The series aired reruns again on the American version of Cartoonito on Cartoon Network starting on September 13, 2021, being the first show to air on that block.
Episodes
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
| 1 | 13 | September 16, 2002 | October 2, 2002 | Cartoon Network | |
| 2 | 13 | October 3, 2002 | October 28, 2002 | ||
| 3 | 12 | October 29, 2002 | December 31, 2002 | ||
| Film | February 11, 2003 | Direct-to-video | |||
| 4 | 13 | April 4, 2005 | April 20, 2005 | Cartoon Network | |
Characters
editMain
edit- Baby Bugs (voiced by Sam Vincent) – He is known to be the oldest of the babies (but only just), which makes him their delegated leader. His leadership however does tend to cause arguments, especially with Lola and Daffy.
- Baby Daffy (voiced by Sam Vincent) – He is the second-in-command of the babies. When he does not get what he wants, he believes he is treated unfairly, not noticing the inconvenience inflicted on the others. But he does have a good heart. He is known to have a fear of robots, and quite frequently, he has made fun of Bugs by making fun of his name and other things.
- Baby Tweety (voiced by Sam Vincent) – A yellow canary. He is the youngest and smallest of the gang. Depicted as the logical thinker, because he comes up with ideas when the others are unable to. He is very insecure about his small build (which he must overcome in most episodes centered around him) and curious about what he encounters.
- Baby Lola (voiced by Britt McKillip) – Sometimes, she takes charge. Her independence is greater than the others and she has more boyish tendencies than all of the other girls, though she wears a purple bow in her hair.
- Baby Taz (voiced by Ian James Corlett) – Whilst less aggressive than his adult counterpart, Taz is mild-mannered, often mistakes various objects for food, and sometimes breaks things with his spin due to this. He has a sense of humor that exceeds all the others. He is sometimes more sensitive.
- Baby Sylvester (voiced by Terry Klassen) – A tuxedo cat who is often shy and anxious. He makes an easy target for Daffy to mock and take advantage of. He is rarely seen using his claws. He likes to get attention from Granny more than the others. Sylvester is afraid of lightning and he hates pickles.
- Baby Melissa (voiced by Janyse Jaud) – She often hangs out with Petunia; the two were abruptly added to the main cast early into the second season. She is a highly logical and practical girl with an easy-going personality, but at times she can be a control freak and clash with the others. She wears a green bow in her hair.
- Baby Petunia (voiced by Chiara Zanni) – She often hangs out with Melissa; the two were abruptly added to the main cast early into the second season. She is the most intelligent of the babies with an adventurous streak. Starting with the episode "Business As Unusual", she (and other babies) wear no more diapers anymore, as by the time Petunia wears frilly yellow training panties with a white bow in the middle and "Petunia the Piggy Bank", she learned to save money. She has her hair tied in pigtails with two orange hairbows.
- Granny (voiced by June Foray) – Granny is friendly, professional, intelligent, practical and level-headed. She offers unconditional love and care for the babies. Being the only adult in their lives, the babies are fascinated and inspired by her guidance, advice and ability to overcome problems when they arise with ease.
- Floyd Minton (voiced by Brian Drummond) – Granny's nephew. Sometimes he is overwhelmed by the responsibility he takes on the babies, but he is determined never to let Granny down. He often keeps an eye on one of the individual babies in each episode during Season 4.
Others
editSeveral other Looney Tunes characters have made cameos over the course of the show's run, mainly as guest spots or during songs. Baby Marc Antony, Baby Prissy, and Baby Penelope appear in the songs, "Paws and Feathers", "Down By The Cage", and "Vive Le Pew" respectively. Baby Marvin (Sam Vincent), Baby Elmer (Brian Drummond), Baby Instant Martians, Baby Gossamer, and Baby Foghorn (Scott McNeil) appear in "War Of The Weirds", "A Bully For Bugs", "A Mid-Autumn Night’s Scream", "Cock A Doodle Do It!", and "Stop and Smell Up the Flowers", respectively. Baby Wile E. and Baby Road Runner appear in multiple songs, as do Baby Pepé (Terry Klassen), Baby Porky, and Baby Sam.
- Baby Marvin (voiced by Samuel Vincent) – An alien toddler from Mars. He appears in War of The Weirds. He is timid and meek but friendly Martian who was visiting for a while. The babies regarded him creepy and hesitated to befriend him, yet Taz was the only one who was kind to him. The babies eventually realize their error and receive him as a friend, and he finally speaks to them.
- Baby Elmer Fudd (voiced by Brian Drummond) – Appears as a baby in the songs, and as an older toddler in A Bully for Bugs. In his only proper episode, he was a bully who harassed Bugs and stole his candy, and was bullying the other babies too. In the end, he admits that he felt alone and actually wanted to be friends with them. The babies soon forgave him and accepted him as a friend.
- Baby Foghorn (voiced by Scott McNeil) – Appears in Cock a Doodle Do It. He's a young, somewhat neurotic, farm rooster, who's ostracized by the older roosters. The other babies visiting, helps him to gain self-confidence and win the other roosters' respect. At the end, he faces a dog with the help of his new friends, and finally becomes a respected member of the corral.
- Baby Pepé (voiced by Terry Klassen) – Appears first in New Cat in Town as a baby, and later in Stop and Smell Up the Flowers as an older toddler. In his first episode, the babies all mistook him for a cat and doted on him. Sylvester was initially jealous of him, but got over it when he heard Pepé say “Sylvester” as his first word. By his second appearance, he is working for a garden, but his skunk smell was an issue for the other babies, initially being put off by this. Eventually they apologize and truly accept him for who he is in the end. He is revealed to be friends with Baby Gossamer.
Production
editIn January 2002, it was announced Warner Bros. Animation would be developing a TV series featuring baby versions of the Looney Tunes characters under the working title of Looney Tunes Babies[9] The idea for the series came about from the successful Looney Tunes Lovables, later revamped as Baby Looney Tunes line of merchandise.[9]
As a cost saving measure, the show hired Canadian voice actors rather than the current voice actors for the Looney Tunes characters with the exception of Granny's actor June Foray who'd voiced the character since the 1950s.[10] As the show was aimed at an audience of 2- to 5-year-olds the style of the show used softer water colors to reflect the gentler tone of the series.[10] An educational expert also examined the series even though it wasn't explicitly designed to be educational.[10]
Music
editUnderscoring for the series was written by veteran animation composers Steven and Julie Bernstein. They were nominated for a Daytime Emmy (Outstanding Music Direction and Composition) in 2006. They also composed the score for the Easter movie, Baby Looney Tunes' Eggs-traordinary Adventure, writing the music and lyrics for the featured songs.
Home media
editWarner Home Video[11] has released 15 of the 53 episodes of Baby Looney Tunes, including the DVD of the only Baby Looney Tunes movie: Eggs-traordinary Adventure.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Special Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs-traordinary Adventure | 3 | May 25, 2004 |
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| 4 Kid Favorites: Baby Looney Tunes | 12 | January 17, 2012 |
|
In the United Kingdom, 4 volumes were released on DVD from July 15, 2013. Each disc contains 4 half-hour episodes.
| DVD Name | Episodes listed | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Baby Bugs Bunny |
|
July 15, 2013 |
| Baby Taz |
|
July 15, 2013 |
| Baby Sylvester |
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July 15, 2013 |
| Baby Tweety |
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July 15, 2013 |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 54. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ "Baby Looney Toons- TV.com". Tv.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 105–106. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 58. ISBN 9781476672939.
- ^ "The Bugs Bunny Video Guide - the Looney Tunes Video History". Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Foutch, Haleigh (June 7, 2020). "HBO Max: Every Movie & TV Show Confirmed for the Streaming Service". Collider. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ "Baby Looney Tunes: Musical Adventures (2003)". Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021 – via tubitv.com.
- ^ "Baby Looney Tunes: Backyard Adventures | WATCH ON BINGE". Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "New Looney Tunes series in development". toonzone.net. Archived from the original on February 19, 2002. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ a b c "FOR YOUNG VIEWERS; When Bugs and Pals Were Wee Little Wisecrackers". The New York Times. September 15, 2002. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ "Warner Home Video". WarnerBros.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
External links
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