Baby Looney Tunes

Summary

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
GenreComedy
Based onLooney Tunes
by Warner Bros.
Developed bySander Schwartz
Voices of
Theme music composer
  • Lisa Silver
  • Patty Way
Opening theme"The Baby Looney Tunes Way" by Lisa Silver and Patty Way
Ending theme"The Baby Looney Tunes Way" (Instrumental)
Composers
  • Steve Bernstein
  • Julie Bernstein
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes53 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerSander Schwartz
Producers
  • Tom Minton
  • Gloria Yuh Jenkins (seasons 1–3)
  • Ron Myrick (season 4)
Editors
  • Mark McNally (seasons 1–3)
  • Julie Anne Lau (season 4)
Running time22 minutes
Production companyWarner Bros. Animation
Original release
Network
ReleaseSeptember 16, 2002 (2002-09-16) –
April 20, 2005 (2005-04-20)

The show premiered as a full series on September 7, 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.

Discovery Family began airing reruns of the series on May 1, 2023.[9]

Episodes edit

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
113September 16, 2002 (2002-09-16)October 2, 2002 (2002-10-02)Kids' WB and Cartoon Network
213October 3, 2002 (2002-10-03)October 28, 2002 (2002-10-28)
312October 29, 2002 (2002-10-29)December 31, 2002 (2002-12-31)
FilmFebruary 11, 2003 (2003-02-11)Direct-to-video
413April 4, 2005 (2005-04-04)April 20, 2005 (2005-04-20)Cartoon Network

Characters edit

Main edit

  • Baby Bugs – (voiced by Sam Vincent) He is implied to be the oldest of the babies, 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 not as aggressive as 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 also more sensitive, crying when things go wrong or when Daffy steals things from him.
  • 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. In the episode "Let Harder They Fall", she is no longer wearing diapers anymore like other babies but 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 edit

Several other Looney Tunes characters have made cameos over the course of the show's run, mainly as guest spots or during songs. Baby Prissy, Baby Marc Antony, and Baby Penelope appear in the songs, "Down By The Cage", "Paws and Feathers", 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", "Stop and Smell Up the Flowers", and "Cock A Doodle Do It!", 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 major appearance, 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 Leghorn – (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, all mistook him for a cat and doted on him. Sylvester was initially jealous of him, but got over it when he heard him say his name as his first word. By his second appearance, he is guarding for a garden, but his smell was an issue. The other babies are initially putt off by this, but they apologizes and truly accepts him for who he is in the end. He is revealed to be friends with Baby Gossamer.

Production edit

In 1997, Warner Bros. Animation announced the show as an upcoming series. In March 2002, they ended production and the pilot aired on August 4, 2002. They restarted production 5 days later and re-ended production; and the show started as a full series on September 16, 2002.

Music edit

Underscoring 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 edit

Warner Home Video[10] 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
  • 2 bonus episodes
  • 2 music videos
  • Granny's Activity Day Challenge
4 Kid Favorites: Baby Looney Tunes 12 January 17, 2012
  • Menu Challenge: Baby Trivia
  • Menu Challenge: What's That Sound?

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
  • "Bruce Bunny / Leader of the Pack"
  • "Flower Power / Lightning Bugs Sylvester"
  • "Flush Hour / I Strain"
  • "The Sandman Is Coming / Some Assembly Required"
July 15, 2013
Baby Taz
  • "The Creature from the Chocolate Chip / Card Bored Box"
  • "School Daze / Things That Go Bugs in the Night"
  • "Taz in Toyland / A Secret Tweet"
  • "Comfort Level / Like a Duck to Water"
July 15, 2013
Baby Sylvester
  • "Mr. McStuffles / Picture This!"
  • "Hair Cut-Ups / A Clean Sweep"
  • "Daffy Did It! / The Pig Who Cried Wolf"
  • "New Cat in Town / Magic of Spring"
July 15, 2013
Baby Tweety
  • "All Washed Up / Did Not! Did Too!"
  • "Tea and Basketball / Taz You Like It"
  • "Band Together / War of the Weirds"
  • "The Harder They Fall / Business as Unusual"
July 15, 2013

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 54. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ "Baby Looney Toons- TV.com". Tv.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 105–106. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "The Bugs Bunny Video Guide - the Looney Tunes Video History". Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Baby Looney Tunes: Musical Adventures (2003)". Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021 – via tubitv.com.
  8. ^ "Baby Looney Tunes: Backyard Adventures | WATCH ON BINGE". Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  9. ^ @CCNCartoonNews (April 15, 2023). "Starting in May, Discovery Family will air 'Baby Looney Tunes' and 'Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries'" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Warner Home Video". WarnerBros.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Baby Looney Tunes at IMDb  
  • Baby Looney Tunes at Cartoonito (UK)
  • DVD review of Baby Looney Tunes Volume Three: Puddle Olympics and production notes