Beloved Animated Series Not Leaving Max After All Following Fan Outcry
Classic 'Looney Tunes' shorts will continue to stream on Max after the cartoons were 'included in error' on the streamers list of titles leaving in December.
Bugs Bunny isn't leaving Max anytime soon. After the streamer released its programming list for December 2023 on Monday, Max quickly revised its "What's New on Max This December" press release, confirming that the beloved animated cartoon Looney Tunes is not leaving Max after all. "Looney Tunes was included in error as a title leaving the platform," Warner Bros. said in an updated statement. "This is not the case and the show will continue streaming on Max."
According to the initial press release sent to media, decades worth of Looney Tunes shorts, as well as the 2003 film Looney Tunes: Back in Action, starring Brendan Fraser and Jenna Elfman, were set to exit the streamer's content catalog on Sunday, Dec. 31. Given that Looney Tunes cartoons have been a staple of Warner Bros. since the 1930s, the news of their impending removal immediately sparked outrage online. On X (formerly Twitter), one person noted, "the Looney Tunes are cultural treasures. They should be as readily available to everybody as possible." Eric Bauza, who voiced Bugs Bunny, responded to the news with, "What's Up... Doc?!"
The initial release including the removal not only came amid news, per Variety, that an intra-company deal between HBO Max and Warner Bros., allowing Max to host the content, expired at the end of 2022 and HBO Max did not renew it, but also followed just a few weeks after r WBD announced it would be shelving the already-completed Coyote Vs. ACME for a tax write-off. Deadline later reported that the company was setting up screenings for streamers who might be interested in acquiring it.
Max is currently home to 15 seasons of Looney Tunes shorts from 1931 to 1964, featuring iconic characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote and Tweety and Sylvester. The streamer was previously home to 31 seasons of the shorts, but that number drastically dwindled in December 2022 when the streamer got rid of Seasons 16-31, or 256 shorts, which spanned from 1950 and 2004. The remaining 15 seasons include 255 shorts that were released between 1930 and 1949.
Thankfully, the remaining beloved Looney Tunes shorts will not be joining the list of exiting TV series and films. However, Looney Tunes: Back in Action is still on the roster of titles set to leave Max next month.