Cartoon Network Studios is not shutting down, says Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. TV Group announced Wednesday that it had laid off 82 workers in its scripted, animation and unscripted departments. 43 vacant positions will remain open. Warner Bros. will continue to use the same three brands. The three brands Warner Bros. animation (WBA), Cartoon Network Studios Europe (CNS), Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe are still distinct. However, WBA’s development and production team will merge with CNS.

Deadline reported that Warner Bros. reversed its original decision to shut down the Warner Bros. Television Workshop. The workshop was intended to nurture new talent and offer a pathway for marginalized creators to enter a competitive industry. The workshop will be moved to Discovery’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit.

Cartoon Network Studios has made some changes to its animations, which comes at a difficult time for many of the cartoons. The cuts also arrive on the heels of Discovery’s acquisition of Warner Media from AT&T. HBO Max and Discovery Plus will become one streaming platform in 2023. After taking over in April, CEO David Zaslav, who previously ran Discovery, pledged to cut $3 billion from the company, and he’s taken an aggressive approach to get there.

Zaslav kept his promise and has delivered mainly in the genre entertainment area. Discovery cut 14% off HBO Max employees in August and cancelled the program. Batgirl movie. Later that month, beloved cartoons were yanked from HBO Max, blindsiding the cartoons’ creators. Numerous Sesame Street episodes were taken off of the streaming platform, and other shows were totally removed — including fan favorite OK K.O. – Let’s Be HeroesAlso, Infinity TrainCartoon Network has ceased airing the series, which aired for four seasons. It can be found, thankfully, on several other streaming platforms. You might also like Summer Camp Island Valentino and Victor still air on Cartoon Network, even if you can’t find them on HBO’s streaming service.

According to Variety, “output will remain the same,” following WNA and CNS consolidating — but the response from animation industry denizens and pundits has not been as optimistic. Cartoon Brew declared the studio “gone,”Which inspired? pushback from a Cartoon Network staffer. Polygon spoke with a Warner Bros. representative, who confirmed that CNS was not going away and that there are still many projects under development. What this joint division does with its resources is what really matters. It all depends on the content of viewers and whether it is profitable.

Mostly, digging into each respective animation studios’ back catalog heightens the differences between the two over the years — a difference many of us who grew up watching and obsessing over Cartoon Network’s various cartoon blocks could easily identify, even before the consolidation and layoffs. It’s hard to know how these two studios will come together, especially after these layoffs have left so many talented employees jobless.

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Tom & Jerry, Wile E.Coyote’s Road Runner, Flintstones, Scooby-DooAnd of course: Looney Tunes. WBA has stuck with the familiar formula for years. It rehashed many of its iconic IPs over time and then aired them on Cartoon Network. As a kid I tuned in to watch versions of Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, and Tom & Jerry. As an adult I can still watch these identical characters — and not just through reruns.

While Warner Bros. Animation’s imprint feels emblematic of the past, Cartoon Network Studios has produced significant and ground-breaking shows over The courseTime that has also stood The testOf course, it is. Yes, there are reboots, notably of Cartoon Network’s incredibly popular late ‘90s and early 2000s series, like Powerpuff GirlsBen 10 has been re-imagined many times. However, there is also plenty of bangers. There’s plenty of programming that will change the paradigm. For example, shows such as “All-girl Action Team” (also known as Ben 10).Powerpuff GirlsShows that took inspiration from anime like Samurai Jack. And that’s not to mention Cartoon Network’s Toonami block, which introduced numerous kids in the U.S. to anime before it captivated a Western audience — and which aired Pokémon For many years.

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CNS was also one of few major animation studios to spotlight queer characters in the 2010s — especially sapphic romances — laying the groundwork for other animated shows. Adventure Time, which debuted in 2010 and ran for 10 seasons, was only recently able to pay off the “Bubbline” romance that sparked between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline; the two flirtatiously met in 2011’s “Go With Me.” Princess Bubblegum later sleeps in Marceline’s shirt, and the show’s 2018 finale seals the deal with a kiss. 2013’s Steven UniverseIt would become one of the most popular and influential queer cartoons of all time, featuring a diverse cast of characters (non-binary Crystal Gems), many gay characters and an unforgettable wedding episode.

Cartoon Network Studio’s titans are responsible in large part for streaming the steady flow of LGBTQ+ animated television. Warner Bros.’ own Velma is a lesbian! This would have been unthinkable years ago, even as Hayley Kiyoko (called “Lesbian Jesus” by her fans) portrayed her in the made-for-television films that aired in 2009 and 2020.

CNS still exists after consolidation. However, layoffs have real consequences. The Daily Beast reported that many of the HBO Max executives who were fired in August were of African descent. Former Warner Bros. employees speculated to The Daily Beast at the time that this was due an ideological shift, with content steered towards a less diverse and more “Middle America” audience. Now we’re seeing changes at an animation studio known for forward-thinking programming. How WBA and CNS will work together is an open question – as well as whether unforgettable, envelope-pushing cartoons will remain a priority at a conglomerate with a philosophy built on reality entertainment.