I grew up in the ’90s primarily and I can’t remember a time when the classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s weren’t in heaven rotation somewhere on TV. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and the rest of the zany assortment of characters were ubiquitous, part of the shared DNA of kids everywhere. That has largely changed as television has changed, and the OG shorts became harder and harder to find unless you had physical media. They no longer even appear on HBO Max, Warner Bros.’ own dang streaming service! Luckily, another WB entity, Turner Classic Movies, has picked up the shorts as their “ongoing television home.”
The news comes from The Hollywood Reporter which shared that more than 750 shorts will begin rotation on TCM beginning February 2 at 8pm PT when a new six-year deal kicks off. This will also mark the beginning of a month of Bugs Bunny cartoons on the channel as the wascally wabbit is, fittingly, the Star of the Month. The first short will be Tex Avery’s A Wild Hare from 1940, considered the first “official” Bugs Bunny cartoon.
Each of these shorts, 45 in all, will lead into thoughtfully curated feature films, as is TCM’s bag. So, Rabbit of Seville (1950) and What’s Opera Doc (1957) will set up A Night at the Opera (1935). Tortoise Beats Hare (1941), Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943) and Rabbit Transit (1947) will lead to Walk, Don’t Run (1966). Apes of Wrath (1959) will precede King Kong (1933) very cleverly. Buccaneer Bunny (1948) will set up Mutiny on the Bounty (1950). A Witch’s Tangled Hare (1959) will set up Hamlet (1948). Get it? Fun stuff like that.
“By making TCM an ongoing home for this iconic library, we’re able to present these cartoons with the care they deserve, alongside the classic films they helped influence,” Charlie Tabesh, TCM senior vp programming and content strategy, said in a statement. The new deal “ensures these cartoons are celebrated, contextualized and accessible to audiences of all ages.”
That’s all we want! This is part of animation and film history. We’re happy TCM believes that shouldn’t be all folks.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.
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