Why Max Removed The Original Looney Tunes Series, Just Over A Year After WB Canceled Its $70M Movie

It’s a bad day to be a Looney Tunes fan — Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service, Max, has erased the franchise’s original animated shorts from the 1930s to the 1960s from its library. While the removal is utterly disappointing to many, the company explicitly explained why the cartoons are no longer available to stream on Max. Perhaps some won’t understand the reasoning, but, at least Warner Bros. Discovery’s intentions for deleting the original Looney Tunes cartoons are known, rather than leaving it as a mystery.

The first Looney Tunes release was the animated short, Sinkin’ in the Bathtub, starring Bosko. It debuted at the Warner Bros. Theater in Hollywood, California, on April 19, 1930.

Warner Bros. owns the Looney Tunes franchise, which is why Max (also owned by the entertainment studio) has the rights to distribute most of the movies, TV shows, and shorts that make up the animated universe. So, almost every Looney Tunes product and spin-off is available to stream on Max. Well, that was until the streaming platform removed the original shorts from its catalog in March 2025. Now, fans will have a much harder time trying to watch significant installments in the Looney Tunes franchise.

Looney Tunes Was Removed As Max Prioritizes Family & Adult Content

The Cartoons Haven’t Performed Well On The Streaming Service

According to Deadline, a representative from Max confirmed that removing the original Looney Tunes animated shorts is a part of the streaming service’s new objective to “prioritize adult and family programming.” As a result, children’s shows and movies are no longer a prime concern for Max and Warner Bros. The media that is made for a younger audience reportedly doesn’t perform well on the streaming platform, meaning Max is prioritizing more “adult and family” films and TV series going forward.

Unfortunately, cutting ties with the first Looney Tunes cartoons isn’t the first action Max has taken to reduce its children’s programming as of late. In December 2024, Warner Bros. opted not to renew its distribution deal with Sesame Street. A few months before that, Warner Bros. Discovery shut down Boomerang, a streaming service that featured many classic Warner Bros. cartoons. Shortly afterward, the media company removed all its content from Cartoon Network’s website, encouraging viewers to instead sign up for a Max subscription to access the Cartoon Network shows.

Looney Tunes Has Faced A Lot Of Setbacks Recently

The Coyote Vs. Acme Movie Was Canceled

In addition to Max erasing all the original Looney Tunes cartoon shorts from its library in March 2025, the popular animated franchise has experienced many losses in the past couple of years. For example, Warner Bros. Discovery shelved Coyote vs. Acme in November 2023. The unreleased live-action animated legal comedy movie was based on Ian Frazier’s “Coyote v. Acme,” a 1990 The New Yorker magazine article, which, in turn, was inspired by the Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote and the Acme Corporation from the Looney Tunes cartoons. Its cast included notable stars such as Will Forte, John Cena, and Lana Condor.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, which gained a large theatrical release on March 14, 2025, hasn’t been a huge box office success.

Even though the cast and crew had already filmed Coyote vs. Acme in 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery canceled the movie completely to acquire a $30 million tax write-off, similar to how the company shelved Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. Unfortunately, Coyote vs. Acme‘s cancelation isn’t where the Looney Tunes franchise’s recent failures end.

Related

New Looney Tunes Movie Finally Pays Off A 22-Year-Old Promise & I Couldn’t Be Happier

With The Day The Earth Blew Up, the Looney Tunes franchise is finally paying off a promise that the series made to Daffy Duck over 20 years ago.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, which gained a large theatrical release on March 14, 2025, hasn’t been a huge box office success. As of the writing of this article, the film has grossed $5.3 million worldwide against a $15 million budget. However, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie has received great reviews. Its Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes sits at 86 percent, while it has a Popcornmeter score of 88 percent. So, therein lies one positive for Looney Tunes fans.

Which Looney Tunes Cartoons Are Still Available On Streaming?

Max Hasn’t Erased The Entire Looney Tunes Franchise

The good news is that many Looney Tunes cartoons are still available to stream on Max. For now, it’s just the original shorts that have been removed from the platform. Of course, erasing the classic Looney Tunes cartoons remains disappointing, but numerous other movies and TV shows can still be accessed on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service.

In total, nine Looney Tunes products are still on Max, including 1995’s The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries and 2023’s Tiny Toons Looniversity. Meanwhile, some of the original animated shorts from the mid-1900s (and other films and series) that are no longer on the streaming platform can be purchased on Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV. Physical copies of the classic Looney Tunes cartoons can also be found on Amazon.

Looney Tunes

Created by

Leon Schlesinger, Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising

TV Show(s)

The Bugs Bunny Show, The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show (1986), Tiny Toon Adventures, Taz-Mania, The Plucky Duck Show (1992), The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, Baby Looney Tunes (2002), Duck Dodgers, Loonatics Unleashed, The Looney Tunes Show, New Looney Tunes, Looney Tunes Cartoons, Bugs Bunny Builders (2022), Tiny Toons Looniversity

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Sources: Deadline, Rotten Tomatoes

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