Cartoon Network Studios is an American animation studio located in 300 N 3rd St., Burbank, California. It is owned by Turner Broadcasting System and primarily produces and develops animated programs and shorts for Cartoon Network, but has also produced programs for its nighttime programming block Adult Swim and, beginning with J. G. Quintel's Close Enough in 2018, sibling cable channel TBS. The company has also produced theatrically released films starting with The Powerpuff Girls Movie (distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures) in 2002, its most recent release being Regular Show: The Movie in 2015.
The actual animation production services for their productions is done overseas, mostly in South Korea at Digital eMation, Saerom Animation, Rough Draft Korea, and Sunmin Image Pictures, with pre-production and post-production being United States-based.
History[]
Cartoon Network Studios originated as a division of Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. that focused on producing original programming for Cartoon Network, including What a Cartoon!, Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and The Powerpuff Girls. Following the merger of Hanna-Barbera's parent, Turner Broadcasting System with Time Warner, the Hanna-Barbera studio was folded into Warner Bros. Animation by its chief executive, Jean MacCurdy. However, after Hanna-Barbera merged into Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios was resurrected as a separate entity.
In 2000, Cartoon Network Studios transferred its production offices to a new facility located at 300 N 3rd St in Burbank, California, which was the location of a former Pacific Bell telephone exchange. Former DiC and Nickelodeon employees Brian A. Miller and Jennifer Pelphrey have managed the company since it began production in 2000.
In 2007, Cartoon Network Studios began its first foray into live action with the hybrid series Out of Jimmy's Head, before its first full live action series Tower Prep in 2010. Former New Line Television reality producer Mark Costa was hired to oversee the projects and Cartoon Network Studios' new live action production company Alive and Kicking, Inc. Incredible Crew was the last series in that genre the studio produced for Cartoon Network. Despite the failure of live action on the channel, the studio's infrastructure was retained to produce live action fare for sibling programming block Adult Swim, identifying on-air as Alive and Kicking, along with two new companies (Rent Now Productions and Factual Productions), instead of using the Cartoon Network Studios banner.
Filmography[]
Television series[]
| # | Title | Premiere date | End date | Network | Co-production with | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | ||||||
| 1 | What a Cartoon! | February 20, 1995 | November 28, 1997 | Cartoon Network TBS TNT (1995–1996) |
Hanna-Barbera | |
| 2 | Dexter's Laboratory | April 27, 1996 | November 20, 2003 | Cartoon Network | Hanna-Barbera (from 1997 to 1999) | |
| 3 | Johnny Bravo | July 14, 1997 | August 27, 2004 | Hanna-Barbera (from 1997 to 2001) | ||
| 4 | The Powerpuff Girls | November 18, 1998 | March 25, 2005 | Hanna-Barbera (from 1998 to 2001) | ||
| 2000s | ||||||
| 5 | Time Squad | June 8, 2001 | November 26, 2003 | Cartoon Network | N/A | |
| 6 | Samurai Jack | September 24, 2001 | May 20, 2017 | Cartoon Network (2001-2004) Adult Swim (2017) |
Williams Street (Season 5 only) | |
| 7 | Grim & Evil | August 24, 2001 | October 18, 2002 | Cartoon Network | N/A | |
Original movies/TV specials[]
| # | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie | August 10, 2001 | N/A | Cartoon Network |
| 2 | The Flintstones: On the Rocks | November 3, 2001 | ||
| 3 | A Johnny Bravo Christmas | December 7, 2001 |