In 2023, there was a great uproar when it seemed like Max announced that the original Looney Tunes animated shorts would be removed from the streaming platform. At the time, Warner Bros. Discovery hurried to share that this was a mistake and that the original Looney Tunes would remain viewable on the platform. But alas, as of March 2025, it’s time to say, “That’s all folks!” to Looney Tunes on Max. Seasons 1-15 of Looney Tunes, as well as The Looney Tunes Show, which were granted clemency in 2023, are now officially removed from Max. These important pieces of animated history can no longer be viewed via the streaming service, and many don’t currently have a streaming alternative available.
Here’s what we know about what’s going on with Looney Tunes on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery Has REMOVED the Original Looney Tunes From Max
Even in 2023, we didn’t quite believe the original Looney Tunes shorts were safe on Max. Max has been pivoting to prioritize its adult and family programming. Children’s programming, meanwhile, is no longer a priority. And that’s what Max/Warner Bros. Discovery deems offerings such as Looney Tunes and Sesame Street, which will also soon stop streaming on the platform, to be. Animated programming also seems to have dropped in Max and Warner Bros. Disocery’s esteem.
But with all due respect to Warner Bros. Discovery and Max, the removed original Looney Tunes animated shorts are much more than just children’s or animated programming. The original Looney Tunes, which aired from 1930 through 1969, were created during the golden age of animation. And they are quite literally huge parts of TV history, ones that are imperative to archive. Sure, they are technically for kids, but anyone curious about the development of modern television, animation, and pop culture will want to reference the original Looney Tunes series.
Before this latest removal, Max already removed seasons 16-31 of the iconic shorts series in 2022. And that included material first released in the 1950s. And now all of Looney Tunes is gone from the Warner Bros. Discovery streamer. It’s really a true shame.
Interestingly, this Looney Tunes erasure comes as Looney Tunes‘ sees its first fully-animated, feature-length theatrical release ever. The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Story released on March 14.
What’s Left of Looney Tunes on Max
So what’s left of Looney Tunes on Max? If you search for Looney Tunes on the Warner Bros. Discovery streamer, you’ll find: Looney Tunes Cartoons, New Looney Tunes from 2015, Baby Looney Tunes, and Bugs Bunny Builders, a scripted podcast called Looney Tunes Presents: Bugs and Daffy’s Thanksgiving Road Trip, two seasons of Tiny Toons Looniversity and its Tiny Toons Looniversity: Spring Break special, and five seasons of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries.
Is There Anywhere to Watch the Original Looney Tunes Shorts?
Now that the original Looney Tunes shorts are gone from Max, is there anywhere to watch them? Currently, some of the original Looney Tunes can be viewed on the Warner Bros. Classics YouTube channel. But we’re not sure how long they will remain available. You can check out what’s available at this search.
This Looney Tunes Removal Is the Latest In a Long Line of Depressing Choices Made By Max
It’s getting bleak out there. We wish we could say we were surprised by this original Looney Tunes removal, but it’s just the latest in a long line of removals and cancelations made by Max and Warner Bros. Discovery that really depress us. The growing tendency of movies and TV shows that we love or are excited about to disappear into thin air is enough to make you question if anything is ever safe these days. The original Looney Tunes is one of the seminal animated series in our TV history, literally created almost 100 years ago. And that’s not enough to give it any respect.
In 2022, of course, we saw Max remove the first chunk of the original Looney Tunes seasons. Then, in early 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery opted to end its long-running programming deal with Sesame Street. Max also decided to cancel the basically finished (and by all accounts, good) Looney Tunes live-action/animated hybrid film Coyote vs. Acme. And, of course, we saw Warner Bros. Discovery shutter Cartoon Network’s original website, where free episodes of Cartoon Network shows used to stream. Warner Bros. Discovery redirected visitors from CartoonNetwork.com to Max… where, as we know, nothing is safe.
From this series of removals and cancellations, we conclude what we always do. Buy physical media if you really want to own the properties you love.