Company type | Division |
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Industry | |
Predecessor | Hanna-Barbera |
Founded | 1994 |
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Products | |
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Divisions |
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Website | Official website |
Cartoon Network Studios is an American animation studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the production arm of Cartoon Network, and was founded in 1994 as a division of Hanna-Barbera.
The studio primarily produces and develops animated programs and shorts for Cartoon Network and Cartoonito, and has also developed properties for Adult Swim and Max. The studio has produced dozens of shows, including Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls (and its film adaptation), Johnny Bravo, Time Squad, Samurai Jack, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Camp Lazlo, Ben 10, Chowder, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Adventure Time, Generator Rex, Regular Show, Steven Universe, Clarence, We Bare Bears, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Craig of the Creek, and Infinity Train.
In 1996, Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery) acquired Turner Broadcasting System, which owned Cartoon Network and Hanna-Barbera at that time. In 1997, Hanna-Barbera consolidated its operations with Warner Bros. Animation,[1] moving into their facilities in 1998, where Cartoon Network Studios also operated briefly. Hanna-Barbera closed permanently in 2001, and Warner Bros. Animation has managed its intellectual property to this day, occasionally using the Hanna-Barbera brand as a label.
In 1999, Cartoon Network acquired a large building in Burbank, California, to serve as the headquarters for Cartoon Network Studios after its effective separation from Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. Animation. This was due to the need for Cartoon Network Studios to become an independent entity dedicated to creating original series, while Warner Bros. Animation focused on existing IPs. The studio opened on May 22, 2000, and operated in those facilities for over 20 years.
In the 2020s, after multiple corporate mergers, the studio was consolidated into Warner Bros. Animation, and continued to operate as a separate division, although it was relocated to Second Century Development as the company's new headquarters on August 1, 2023. Sam Register, the president of both studios in Burbank, California, also leads Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe (formerly Cartoon Network Studios Europe) in London, England, alongside Vanessa Brookman.[2]