Wizard of Oz Looney Tunes Mashup Exclusive: Warner Bros 100

April Fool’s Ghost should be is the energy of Looney Tunes, and with that in mind, ACME will be Fools debut wacky new content to celebrate the goofy antics of animation’s agents of chaos and theirs warner brothers 100 crossover events.

io9 caught up with Josh Hackbarth, SVP of the Animation Franchise Development at Warner Bros., to find out what ACME Fools is about, like the Looney Tunes last for generations, and what’s next for the franchise. We’ve discussed the inspiration behind what’s coming The Wizard of Oz And Looney Tunes mashup (which you can see exclusively in the video below), the first of four 30-second custom shorts debuting across the company on Mondays Social starting today.

In connection with the mashup shorts, collections inspired by the Looney Tunes fandom lines, continue as part of the Warner Bros. 100 lines RSVLTSFunko, and the WB shop online. And of course on April Fool’s Day, more chaos is unleashed, with 12 hour stunts about Looney Tunes social media sites (@LooneyTunes on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and twitter), plus WB Kids YouTube and Cartoon Network at Franchise Series Marathon – all until the release of the new HBO Max Looney Tunes cartoons on April 6th.

Sabina Graves, io9: Let’s talk about this year, which is a big year for Looney Tunes and the Warner Bros 100. What are the plans to usher in the characters centenary?

Josh Hackbarth: It’s a big year, not only for the Looney Tunes, but certainly for the studio. We’re taking the opportunity to essentially use our Looney Tunes to showcase all of the fandom of Warner Brothers’ 100 year history. Looney Tunes are a great platform for storytelling –AAnd so we thought, what better way than to dress her up as some of our other iconic Warner Brothers characters? Everything from our DC portfolio up to Scooby-Doo, the Wizard of Oz. We’re using ACME Fools as a sort of continuation of what we’ve started in the past, but this year we’re really stepping it up the 100th

io9: What is the selection process to align the Looney Tunes with the classic Warner Brothers fandom?

Hackbarth: It was such a fun process — and You can imagine the ideas that flew in. If you have Warner Brothers lThere is no library an IP we wouldn’t want to mix it with, but we really with fan-popular Warner Brothers iconic properties like The Wizard of Oz. Our DC characters, which have a long history of Looney Tunes and DC, overlap there – so it’s fun to bring that back to life. But then things that we haven’t really done in our animation library about Hanna-Barbera in the past, How Scooby Doo And the flints; ‘The Flintstones, [were] bring fun to life.

io9: love them RSVLTS Looney Tunes X DC Mashups for the WB 100.

Hackbarth: There is a close alignment there and what you saw in that line. So it’s fun to do that kind of 360 storytelling from products to the short films that we’re going to release.

io9: The characters of Looney Tunes have that long history of Mash-UPSfrom the start if you corrugated on Hollywood back then, to be in The space jam [movies], How The Matrix Moment. Were there any thoughts of extending this to short films or features in a longer form? carrot blanca [the Looney Tunes feature parody of WB classic Casablanca]?

Hackbarth: I mean they were born in parodies right? It’s so nice to be able to talk to a true Looney Tunes fan because you know the story. Ssince its inception in the 1940s they were actually almost intended as a mirror of the culture, as opposed to a desirable window to another place. And so it was fun to see this kind of mash –Oops, I don’t think we’re going to bring that into the franchise. It was long discussed and evented with Looney Tunes. So I will say: I see no end, but there is nothing concrete that we have to announce today. It’s fun to play with Even the latest Looney Tunes cartoons to air on HBO Max have plenty of parodies that have been brought to life in different ways.

io9: Oh yes. I love those. And the work Eric [Bauza, voice of Bugs Bunny, Tweety, and Daffy on the Looney Tunes Cartoons] and everything the voice actors do on it is just amazing.

Hackbarth: Unbelievable, And We won our first Bugs Bunny Emmy. The very first.

io9: Yes! What was the reaction in the studio to that?

Hackbarth: oh it is-I mean Eric is amazing and just for recognizing Bugs Bunny like that it’s just great. I have to hold on [the Emmy]! Eric brought it to lunch and I got to hold it.

io9: Ever since they were first introduced into pop culture, e.gvery generation had their iteration of the Looney Tunes — not just through the content they’re in, But in the ways Fans hug her. I grew up in the space jam Generation, with the Looney Tunes clothes, CArton Nnetwork [Boomerang] reps, and going to Six Flags to meet the characters – I’m very jealous of Abu Dhabi [location of Warner Bros. World, which has a Looney Tunes Land]. But yeah, even down to her life in memes and fashion –I just love how much Gen Z is into them. The Looney Tunes have transcended in that regard and become evergreen.

Hackbarth: Oh, 100 percent. And you kinda rippled, like Every generation has theirs Looney Tunes—bBut the interesting thing is that with Looney Tunes it’s generally the same philosophy, just maybe it’s the particular pop culture they’re referring to or something like that. But, you know, those shorts from the ’40s and early 50’swho hold today and this humor holds. But I was also born in the Looney Tunes in the 90s Generation, and I had my Looney Tunes denim shirt from the Warner Brothers Studio store that I wore to school –and so, You know, It’s almost more of a pop culture Looney Tunes that I was used to compared to the core cartoons. Every generation has their own short films, their own TV shows, their own movies, even, you know, if that’s the case space jam or [Looney Tunes] Back in action. We have stage plays and you mentioned theme parks. I mean there’s no better place to bring it to life, whether it’s Six Flags or you mentioned Abu Dhabi.

io9: Tell me more about it [Warner Bros. World] Abu Dhabi because there’s a whole country called Dynamite Gulch and Cartoon Junction where they all live, right?

Hackbarth: It’s so amazing, this country that we built over there. I was able to visit it a few years ago. it really comes alive and bring Looney Tunes to life before your eyes. You see the ACME You can see the characters walking around the factory. It’s really exciting. I also think the wonderful thing about Looney Tunes is that it’s not historical generations who just love them. You know, we continue to feed future generations. There’s a great preschool show on Bugs Bunny builder.

io9: Yes, it’s that good!

Hackbarth: Such a great show [and] fun way to experience them for the first time. We still have generations watching cartoons on Saturday mornings; whether they are programMed or not, they do their own thing.

io9: What are the plans for more Looney Tunes merch? Not just with the WB 100, but the release of new fan collections for Bugs Bunny builder and beyond?

Hackbarth: Kudos to our consumer products team. All around the world, You bring Looney Tunes to life in incredible ways through our partners. I was just in Europe And Seeing what pops up in the local markets for Looney Tunes is always so amazing. It’s that fan love all over the world. But you know, specifically you have the first of the four Mash-up shorts that we’re doing, we’re really excited about that. We’ll have some other stunts for ACME throughout the month Fool [and] Of course we have Abu Dhabi [and] a new stage show there. [Laughs] No more rubbing salt on this wound. We have a new stage show that will feature the Looney Tunes as part of the 100th anniversary celebrations. And then a little bit closer to home that we have Bugs Bunny in the symphony are coming back to Los Angeles this summer.

io9: If it’s not too early to ask, any news on upcoming projects in the works for the Looney Tunes?

Hackbarth: Just saying, we’re always finding new ways to bring Looney Tunes to life, so I’m sure you’ll hear some news about it at some point.

io9: Obviously excited Coyote vs Acme as well as!

Hackbarth: There is great content.

io9: Amazing. And just for some fun personal questions, what were your first fandoms that you grew up in? And have they influenced your career path?

Hackbarth: Oh, I mean, 100% Looney Tunes. And I’m not just saying that because of my work. I have an amazing three-Year-old birthday picture of me with the bugs bunny birthday cake and i’ve just been a fan ever since. And as for the animation, the whole process of bringing these characters to life just always fascinated me. I’m so excited to work on this today and being the best I can for these characters is really a dream come true.

The Wizard of Oz x Looney Tunes Mashup Premieres Here Today First—and on the remaining platforms later in the afternoon. Weekly Monday Drops will reveal the next three fun mashup shorts. All-Day Looney Tunes Marathons of Looney Tunes cartoons, New Looney Tunes And Looney Tunes Show takes over channels on April 1; Check your local listings for more or watch online. And a New Collection of Looney Tunes Short Films Premieres April 6 on HBO Max—which will also see an acquisition by ACME Fools for the month; the latest preschool show, bugs bunny builder, will be add to more classic science fiction sign to his roster.

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