Cartoon Network Reveals First Look at Reboot of ’90s Classic

Cartoon Network is bringing back one of its classic programming blocks as a whole new initiative, and we now have the first look. Cartoon Cartoons, the ’90s block of animated shorts, is returning as a new shorts program to help find the next great animated projects. The initial Cartoon Cartoons spawned numerous beloved Cartoon Networks shows, including The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Johnny Bravo and Ed, Edd and Eddy.

While the new Cartoon Cartoons won’t feature those titles, this new project will see creators bring a whole new crop of series to life, with the end producing potentially being “globally distributed by WarnerMedia across a variety of platforms including linear broadcast through Cartoon Network, streaming through HBO Max, online and much more,” per a previous press release. On Nov. 23, Cartoon Network teased glimpses at the first group of these shorts.

The list includes “Accordions Geoffrey & Mary Melodica” (Louie Zong), “Dang! It’s Dracula” (Levon Jihanian), “Hungy Ghost” (Jesse Moynihan), “Unravel” (Alexis Sugden), “Mouth Wash Madness” (Lisa Vandenberg), “Scaredy Cat” by JJ Villard), “Fruit Stand at the End of the World” (Rachel Liu), “Off the Menu” (Shavonne Cherry) and “Harmony in Despair” (Andrew Dickman). Will any of these spawn the next great animated series? Only time will tell!

As for how this Cartoon Cartoons program works, a group known as the “Cartoon Cartoons Creative Council” oversees the shorts, providing mentorship to the artists. The council includes Pete Browngardt (Looney Tunes Cartoons), Manny Hernandez (We Bare Bears, Inside Out), Katie Rice (The Book of Life, Hulu’s Animaniacs) and Aminder Dhaliwal (The Owl House, Close Enough). Cartoon Network Studios is joining with Black Women Animate Studios and Exceptional Minds, an animation academy for young adults on the autism spectrum, during the process.