What Is the Story of Looney Tunes?

What Is the Story Of?

by Steve Korté, John Hinderliter (Illustrations)

Who HQ brings you the stories behind the most beloved characters of our time.

If you're a fan of Acme anvils and know that the question "What's up, Doc?" needs no answer, this history of the cartoon favorites Looney Tunes is for you!

In the 1930s, Warner Brothers studios introduced the world to the Looney Tunes. A witty rabbit named Bugs, a stuttering pig named Porky, and an erratic duck named Daffy are just some of the characters that have left audiences hysterically laughing for almost a century. These animated short films, starring some of the most iconic cartoon characters in history, went on to have a second, long life on television.

In this book, author Steve Korte details how these toons were imagined, which talented folks were tasked with animating and voicing them, the success the shows and films have garnered over the years, and what lies ahead for Bugs and the gang.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Juvenile

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2020

Reviews

[Hunter Lisiecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it because it tells about how Looney Tunes started!

[slauderdale]

I recently "discovered" the existence of The Looney Tunes Show (2011 - 2013) and was feeling like a sap for not knowing about it before, so I thought I would check out this book and see if there were any other developments with Bugs, Daffy & Co. that I ought to know about. It didn't mention notable entries of the past thirty years I would have expected to see, like the aforementioned The Looney Tunes Show, Duck Dodgers: The Series and Taz-Mania. It did mention Tiny Toons, the original Space Jam movie and Looney Tunes: Back In Action - and it mentioned Looney Tunes Cartoons (2020-present), which I definitely did not know about. I also learned a few things about the classic cartoons, like the difference between "Looney Tunes" and "Merry Melodies," which I'd never thought to wonder about before.

I was surprised out by the appearance, written *and* pictorial, of "a cheerful cartoon character named Bosko" minus any remark about the fact that he is a blackface caricature. Not that I thought he should be omitted - Bosko is essential history of the early WB animation studio, but I would have expected the text to mention it given that his picture is included.

There is also a chapter called "The Best of the Best" that mentions nine shorts as possible contenders based on their Academy Award winning status (Tweetie Pie; For Scent-imental Reasons; Speedy Gonzales; Birds Anonymous; Knighty Knight Bugs) or selection for inclusion in the Library of Congress National Film Registry (Porky in Wackyland; Duck Amuck; One Froggy Evening; What's Opera, Doc?), so that's a fun kind of short film assignment for a rainy day. Several of them I've only seen because of their inclusion in other work (AKA The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie), and some I'm not necessarily sure I've seen at all.

[Δάσκαλος · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. "Animated movies are a series of filmed images—sometimes drawings and sometimes objects, such as clay models. When the filmed images are shown quickly one after another, it appears that they are moving. Short animated movies are also known as cartoons, and they have been around since the late 1800s." (p. 10)
2. "In those days audiences would watch a feature film and several short films, called “shorts." Those short films were between five and ten minutes long and would often include a comedy, news stories from around the world, a travel story, or a cartoon." (p. 12)
3. "Before 1927, movies were filmed without sound." (p. 15)
4. "Our policy has always been laughs—the more the merrier,” said Schlesinger. (p. 21)
5. Schlesinger was always worried about the Looney Tunes budget. One way to save money was to put the animators to work in a run-down building that was not far from the Warner Bros. studio. The building was in such bad shape that the animators nicknamed it “Termite Terrace.” (p. 22)
6. "Artists create a storyboard that looks like a long comic strip from a script showing what happens in the story." (p. 24)
7. "Animation artists create the two most important drawings for each scene, called the “extremes.” They show the beginning and the end of an action." (p. 25)
8. "In 1949, Warner Bros. released an educational film called So Much for So Little. The film was commissioned by the Public Health Service in Washington, DC. The government wanted to show that everyone needs proper health care to survive. The short film presented diseases as monstrous creatures who were just as wild as some of the Looney Tunes characters." (p. 47)
9. "Today, there are several animated series airing on television between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (also known as “prime time”), but in the early 1960s, watching cartoons in the evening was quite unusual." (p. 57)

[Arman Waggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading the history of Looney Tunes, but they left out some parts...
-They forgot to mention the shows & Direct-to-video movies that Bugs and the other characters starred in like...
Taz in Taz-Mania
Sylvester and Tweety in The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries
Daffy Duck in Duck Dodgers: The Series
Baby Looney Tunes
The Looney Tunes Show
Tweety's High-Flying Adventure
Bah Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas
Looney Tunes: Rabbit Run
Looonatics Unleashed!

-Also forgot to mention the video games and Comic Books and they were in

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Public library copy

A student recommended this to me, and I was surprised at how much I learned! I had previously read the history of Dr. Who (also recommended by a student), so am looking into purchasing several of these in the series, based on student interest.

So far, Nancy Drew (there are Ohio connections) and Captain Kirk are possibilities. For my own edification, I need one on Minecraft!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of some of my favorite cartoons I enjoyed watching while growing up. My kids like watching them now. It was neat to read about which characters were created first and in what order. Mel Blanc's vocal talents were amazing. To be able to voice so many different characters is pretty cool. They talked about Walt Disney a little bit in this book, too.

[Autumn Kearney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is excellent! It contains the history of The Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodys, and the WB. There are the men who started it all, along with their stories and photographs. It's incredible how much information can be packed into such a tiny book. It's well-researched and well-written. Bravo Mr. Korte'.

[JoAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband and I read this with our 2 daughters - ages 8 and 4. This was a true pleasure to read, and a trip down memory lane. We made sure to look up the cartoons mentioned in the book, and we are now raising a new generation of Looney Tunes fans!

[Iconic Greatness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched Looney Tunes growing up and this was a good short biography of some of the characters and creators. It's interesting to know the origins of something or behind the scenes of how something was created.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute introduction to Looney Tunes and all the different characters.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Cute book! Love loony tunes! This is a great book for fans of cartoons !

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Looney Tunes. This was a great book for information on how the brand started.

[Vani Ghanate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good overview of the birth, growth and stardom of Looney Tunes

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting book

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting!

[Juana cavero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, but I was left wanting more.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun and informative book by WHOHQ. This one traces the history of the Looney Tunes cartoons and characters. Nicely illustrated and includes a color timeline.

[Elexndra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library borrow

[Emmy Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting my only concern was they left out two of my favorite characters, Lola Bunny, and, Granny. Other than that, great book.

[Stasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was kind of boring to me .. it was really more of a general timeline of the creation of Looney Tunes than interesting facts. I liked the book about animator Chuck Jones much better.

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty fun. I never knew what the story of Bugs’ catch phrase was and now I do! It was something they heard in Texas so they attributed it to him. Nice!

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, great history of American cartoons in the 20th century in general. Comes with a list of best Looney Tunes

[Lewistron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun informative look into the world of an animation legacy.