WarnerMedia revives Hanna-Barbera for EMEA rebrand

The Flintstones

US-based WarnerMedia is resurrecting its Hanna-Barbera animation label as it rebrands Cartoon Network Studios Europe.

The London-based studio will now be known as Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, adopting the name of the company originally founded by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1957, which is best known for launching iconic cartoon franchises such as Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons and The Flintstones.

Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios and Vanessa Brookman, head of kids EMEA, will co-lead the studio, which is currently in development on The Amazing World Of Gumball Movie (working title), a feature-length TV movie based on the Cartoon Network series, following the misadventures of Gumball Watterson and his goldfish best friend, Darwin.

WarnerMedia aims to establish Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe as its flagship television animation studio within EMEA, with other Other projects in the pipeline including The Heroic Quest Of The Valiant Prince Ivandoe, and Elliott From Earth.

“Earlier this year, we aligned two of the industry’s most powerful animation studios in Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios and their collaboration is already yielding some very exciting results,” said Tom Ascheim, president of Warner Bros. global kids, young adults and classics.

“Now with Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, these three brands represent some of the most talented artists, iconic characters and properties in the entire history of animation, making us more than formidable in the increasingly competitive global media landscape.”