Warner Bros. Pictures Animation wants the industry to know it’s back. For real this time.
After several years in which Warner Bros. became better known among animators for what it wouldn’t release than for what it made, WBPA President and chief creative officer Bill Damaschke took the stage at Annecy to say the studio is committed to taking big swings in animation.
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for animation at Warner Bros.,” Damaschke said, calling WBPA an “artists-first studio” that wanted to make original theatrical films that “feel completely unique, connected not by a single style but by heart, hope, and humor.”
Damaschke ran through a slate of seven features planned from this year into 2028, starting with the oft-delayed The Cat in the Hat, directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja and starring Bill Hader, set for a November release, and including upcoming theatrical releases Bad Fairies and The Lunar Chronicles, both developed with the U.K.’s Locksmith Animation.
He unveiled a new logo, that evoked the studio’s 80-year-old tradition, and premiered the new Looney Tunes short Daffy Season. All in front of an audience of animators, producers and festival-goers who have spent recent years watching the Warner Bros. animation pipeline become a case study in corporate caution rather than a creative destination.
Looney Tunes fans remember how, in 2023, Warner Bros. shelved the finished Coyote vs. Acme, preferring a tax-write off to releasing the hotly-anticipated animated live action feature starring Will Forte. WB eventually reversed course, allowing the filmmakers to shop the project to other distributors. But the move gave some creatives pause. It followed similar moves by David Zaslav-run WB to bin animated feature Scoob Holiday Haunt!, a planned HBO Max release, and The Day the Earth Blew Up, the first fully animated Looney Tunes release.
WB’s loss ended up being Ketchup Entertainment’s gain. The indie distributor Ketchup acquired The Day the Earth Blew Up, releasing it earlier this year, where it grossing a respectable $9 million domestically and $15 million worldwide. In March, Ketchup picked up Coyote vs. Acme in a $50 million deal. The film opens Aug. 28.
Damaschke would clearly like to put that era behind him. At Annecy, he invoked the history of WB animation, arguing that giving animators creative freedom, not fixing on an in-house style, was the key to the Looney Tunes golden age. An approach, he said, WBPA was looking to emulate.
Since taking over as WBPA boss three years ago, Damaschke has boosted the group’s full-time team from roughly 30 people to, according to the studio’s calculations, more than 250 artists and filmmakers working across 13 countries. With its creative partnerships, including with sister division DC Studios and third-party partners like Locksmith, WBPA can boast of a “global creative community” of more than 1,200 animation artists, filmmakers, and storytellers.
As proof of the studio’s newfound commitment to theatrical animation, across all genres and styles, Damaschke rattled off the titles in its upcoming slate, including Maggie Claus, a holiday film from Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, and Damon Jones; the musical adventure Oh, The Places You’ll Go! adapted from the Dr. Seuss book, featuring Ariana Grande and Josh Gad; a Hello Kitty movie, being produced in partnership with Sanrio and New Line Cinema; and Dynamic Duo, an adventure fantasy set in the Batman universe told from a teenager’s perspective that follows two would-be Robins – Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. Damaschke said the latter, produced in partnership with DC Studios and 6th & Idaho, will be feature the groundbreaking puppetry of New Orleans-based Swaybox Studios.
The studio also confirmed new projects in development, including reimaginings of Tom & Jerry, Thundercats and Meerkats, and Prehistoria, an original musical from Hazbin Hotel creator Vivienne Medrano.
Damaschke gave an impressive pitch. But for many in the animation community, creators and fans alike, the real test will come as WBPA’s slate actually hits theaters. Then we’ll see if the studio has truly turned the page.
