WarnerMedia Reinstates Iconic Hanna-Barbera Brand With London-Based European Studio
WarnerMedia has revitalized one of the most iconic names in animation history with the establishment of London-based Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.
The newly renamed facility, which was formerly known as Cartoon Network Studios Europe, operating from Great Marlborough Productions, will be WarnerMedia’s flagship television animation studio within Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) and Cartoon Network Studios (CNS), and Vanessa Brookman, head of kids EMEA, will jointly head the studio.
The original studio, Hanna-Barbera Productions, was founded in 1957 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and created several iconic characters including Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons and Yogi Bear.
“Earlier this year, we aligned two of the industry’s most powerful animation studios in Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios and their collaboration is already yielding some very exciting results,” said Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. global kids, young adults and classics. “Now with Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, these three brands represent some of the most talented artists, iconic characters and properties in the entire history of animation, making us more than formidable in the increasingly competitive global media landscape.”
The studio will build on its pipeline of local productions, including “The Amazing World of Gumball,” “The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe,” and “Elliott from Earth” while also seeking out new production opportunities.
Register said: “There are few names in the animation industry that elicit such reverence and joy as Hanna-Barbera. Saturday mornings and series animation would not be the same without the work that came out of that studio and, as television is once again evolving, it’s only fitting that Hanna-Barbera returns to be an impactful part of it. I cannot wait to get started and I’m humbled at the opportunity to be creating cartoons under this banner again.”
Brookman added: “It is an enormous privilege to be expanding our EMEA studio in the name of one of the most prestigious and beloved brands in animation history. Sam and I share an ambitious vision for growing our European pipeline of content, fueled by the talented team behind the award-winning success of our existing productions across the region. We look forward to bringing our kids and family audiences around the world even more exceptional content as we start this new chapter in our global animation strategy.”
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