Cartoon Network Appreciates Concern; Has Fun with Rumors of Its Demise

After Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced that Warner Bros. Animation & Cartoon Network Studios would combine their respective creative and programming teams (with Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe kept separate), lots of folks began to worry about what this would mean for the future of Cartoon Network Studios and Cartoon Network. In fact, it wasn’t long after the news broke that social media prematurely began a mourning process based on the assumption that this was the beginning of the end for CN. With the rumblings getting too loud to ignore, CN took to social media to put to rest any concerns that it was going away anytime soon, posting “We’re not going anywhere” (and more, which we’ll revisit in a minute). Shortly after, CN went to its Instagram Stories to not just voice appreciation for all of the fans expressing their love & concerns but also to have a little fun with the rumors of its demise. Under the title “Where Were You When You Found Out CN Is Still Alive and Well?”, the account gave fans the opportunity to take a deep breath, relax, and actually turn about three days’ worth of what could be unnecessary stress & tension into a little self-reflective fun.

And just in case anyone needed a better way to explain what the past 72 hours have been like for both Cartoon Network and Cartoon Network Studios, CN also shared the following visual aid:

“Y’all, we’re not dead; we’re just turning 30,’ was the beginning of the message sent out by the network’s social media account on Friday. “To our fans: We’re not going anywhere. We have been and will always be your home for beloved, innovative cartoons… More to come soon!” At the end of the tweets were the hashtags #CartoonNetwork #CN30 #30andthriving #CartoonNetworkStudios #FridayFeeling, and #FridayVibes. Here’s a look at the original tweet, followed by a follow-up twisting the knife on the online rumors that Cartoon Network was shutting down (though there’s still an important question needing to be answered):

With WBD head David Zaslav going on record early on about the company needing to take more advantage of its IPs across various media, concerns are that the more WBD properties-friendly Warner Bros. Animation (Harley Quinn, Teen Titans GO!, etc.) would receive preferential treatment over the more original animation-leaning Cartoon Network Studios (Steven Universe, Infinity Train, etc.). So if both WBA and CNS are competing for the same resources, the fear is that the decision will tend to go to the project that ticks the most marketability boxes. Meaning that an animated series with a unique vision would be at a disadvantage competing against a “Batman” or “Harry Potter” project. Essentially, we could end up with a Cartoon Network-Adult Swim that focuses more on familiarity over originality. The question that still remains to be answered is what the percentages will be when it comes to IP-themed content as opposed to any original content.