By I didn’t realize it until I got the press release in my inbox, but man Tiny Toons Adventure was my jam growing up. While most people watched classic Looney Tunes cartoons or saw them star in movies like Space Jam, which I can’t believe is still getting a sequel, I was all about the Looney Tunes to be. It was the trend at the time for highly successful properties to have baby or kid version spinoffs, but Tiny Toons was one of the few examples the worked, mostly in part to some wonderful writing and great gags. It also stood out thanks to the fact that these weren’t just junior versions of established characters, but unique characters and personalities in their own rights.
So seeing a new series, this time called Tiny Toons Looniversity, come to life on HBO Max put a nice smile on my face today. Nowadays it takes a lot for something to do that, but my gosh it’s just so nice to know that we’ll see Babs, Buster, Plucky, Montana Max, and the rest of the gang back. The series has been immediately put to order by HBO Max and is currently slated to run for two seasons with Steven Speilberg returning to executive produce. Showrunner duties will fall to Erin Gibson of Throwing Shades/Attitudes!.
On the reboot, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, the presidents of the production studio Amblin Television, had this to say; “These smart, hilarious and cheeky characters have left an indelible impression on the childhoods of so many. We’re thrilled to be able to continue our relationship with Warner Bros. Animation, HBO Max, and Cartoon Network to reimagine the Tiny Toons for new audiences, and we know that fans of the original series will be just as excited to share the show with their children as they will be to revisit a childhood favorite.”
Personally, I’m interested in seeing if Warner Bros/Amblin approach this series the same way they approached their recent Looney Tunes reboot on HBO Max. It garnered some controversy upon release for neutering more classic violence that is common to the characters, most notably banning all firearms. I don’t think there’s any need for that kind of approach with Tiny Toons since the comedy didn’t really rely on violence and more so wacky hijinks. Still, we’ll just have to wait and see for ourselves when Tiny Toons Looniversity eventually premieres on HBO Max
