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| Based On: | |
| Theme Music Composer: | Bruce Broughton |
| Open Theme: | "Tiny Toons Looniversity Theme" by Eric Bauza, Ashleigh Crystal Hairston, David Errigo Jr. and Tessa Netting |
| Composer: | Matthew Janszen |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 16 |
| Executive Producer: |
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| Producer: | Adam Middleton |
| Editor: | Brant Duncan |
| Runtime: |
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| Company: | |
| Network: | |
| Related: | Tiny Toon Adventures |
Tiny Toons Looniversity is an American animated sitcom developed by Erin Gibson and Nate Cash for Cartoon Network and Max. It serves as a reboot of Tiny Toon Adventures and features older versions of the characters.
Two seasons were ordered to be produced by Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation. The first season was released on September 8, 2023, on Max, followed by a televised premiere on Cartoon Network on September 9.[1] The first half of season 2 was released on March 8, 2024, along with a Spring Break special, which both premiered on Cartoon Network from April 6.[2]
Twins Buster and Babs Bunny follow their comedic ambitions all the way to Acme Looniversity, the esteemed institution of higher hijinx learning, where young dreamers become professional toons. Here, they form long-lasting friendships with timid straight man Hamton J. Pig, crazed tomboy Sweetie Bird, and narcissist Plucky Duck, and perfect their cartoony craft while studying under the greatest cartoon characters in history, the Looney Tunes.
See main article: List of Tiny Toon Adventures characters.
Tiny Toons Looniversity was announced on October 28, 2020, through the Amblin Entertainment website. It was ordered for two seasons, with each episode running 30 minutes.[4] [5] As with the original series, Steven Spielberg will return to his role as executive producer. Sam Register, Darryl Frank, and Justin Falvey will also be serving as executive producers, while Erin Gibson will be the showrunner and co-executive producer. The series was set to premiere on HBO Max, and simulcast on Cartoon Network in September 8, 2023.
The reboot's first piece of concept art showed Buster Bunny and Babs Bunny, redesigned with different clothes and a new art style.
Tom Ascheim, then-current president of Cartoon Network, was quoted saying. "Tiny Toons Looniversity will capture all the clever, subversive and smart humor that made Tiny Toon Adventures such a standout series. Fans old and new will love to laugh at and with these characters all over again."[6]
Shortly after the reboot's announcement, it was reported that several of the original voice actors were not going to be involved in the series. Cree Summer had revealed she was informed that Elmyra Duff was excluded.[7] Additionally, Charlie Adler was not approached to reprise his role as Buster, nor was Maurice LaMarche as Dizzy Devil.[8] It would eventually be revealed that Summer would be reprising her role when the full cast was announced in June 2023.[9]
During an interview on July 12, 2021, Candi Milo said she would be returning to voice Granny but did not reprise her role as Sweetie Bird, which instead went to Tessa Netting. A few days later, on July 15, Jeff Bergman confirmed that he would be returning to the series as well, voicing Bugs Bunny, Sylvester and Foghorn Leghorn. He went into detail on the characters' roles in the series, explaining Foghorn would occupy as Acme Looniversity's coach, while Bugs would take on a "Dumbledore-like" personality. He also confirmed recording sessions had begun.[10]
On July 9, 2022, it was announced that Tiny Toons Looniversity would be part of the Looney Tunes panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022.[11] On July 22, it was revealed that Ashleigh Crystal Hairston would be voicing Babs instead of Tress MacNeille. Numerous pieces of concept art were shown, revealing a revamped Acme Looniversity and its interiors. This also confirmed many of the original series' major characters would be returning, some with updated appearances. Most notably, Elmyra was included in one of these pictures, disproving the claims of her removal. Some have suggested this meant Elmyra was added back at some point or was always intended to appear, but will be recast with a different voice actress, instead of Summer. Spielberg referred to the series as "the best iteration of Tiny Toons he'd ever seen".
Showrunner Erin Gibson and character design supervisor Leonard Lee confirmed that Buster and Babs would be presented as twin siblings in the reboot, as opposed to best friends. This decision was criticized by fans of the original series.[12] [13] A July 2022 interview had crew members giving more details. They revealed the series was going to bring back all of the characters from the original show, "down to Arnold the Pit Bull".[14] They also hinted at an episode which takes place in outer space. Gibson provided an explanation behind the choice to make Buster and Babs related, saying, "They’re fraternal twins, which was not an original plot point. I wanted to dive into a brother/sister relationship that looked really symbiotic and collaborative and supportive, not antagonistic. Seeing two people who are really on the same page, and then how do people who are so close make new friends? You know, find out who they are by these new relationships — these new college experiences while still having fun and doing the dumbest stuff you’ll ever see on TV, but having story and plot points and character development."[14] Showrunner Nate Cash added, "And they look up to the faculty, they’re established Tunes who are like their gods, but then they’re like, 'Who am I?' and 'What’s my voice?' — which is a cool place to develop them as their own characters and not just mini versions of their counterparts."[14]
In an interview with The New York Times, Nate Cash said that Spielberg set a high bar for the series. Although he primarily intended for children 6 to 11 to watch the series, he also hoped that the series would appeal "to their parents, or just adults who grew up on the original show that are looking for a nostalgia fix".[15]
The series premiered on Max, on September 8, 2023 and simulcast on Cartoon Network the next day.[16] It debuted in the United Kingdom and Ireland via Boomerang on April 15, 2024.[17] In Central and Eastern Europe, it will be aired starting from April 29, 2024, on Cartoon Network and will be put on streaming two days before on HBO Max.[18]
The show has received mixed to positive reception. Jesse Hassenger of IGN ranked the series 6/10, writing that the series "has plenty of laughs, clever in-jokes, and endearing characters". However, he criticized the series for it being an average revival of a childhood series, "rather than something as concise and fresh as the all-ages Looney Tunes shorts that inspired the original".[19] Nick Valdez of ComicBook.com gave the series a 3.5/5, writing that "there's new life breathed into this franchise with Tiny Toons Looniversity, but it never loses that nostalgic allure".[20]