Hanna-Barbera

Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. Type Animation studio and production company Status Defunct (absorbed) Founder(s) William Hanna Joseph Barbera George Sidney Founded July 7, 1957 Defunct 2001 Head- quarters Los Angeles, California, United States Also known as H-B Enterprises, Inc. (1957-1959) Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. (1959-1991) Hanna-Barbera, Inc. (1991-1992) H-B Production Co. (1992-1993) Parent company Screen Gems Television (1957-1966) Taft Broadcasting (1966-1987) Great American Broadcasting (1987-1991) Turner Broadcasting System (1991-1996) Warner Bros. (1996-present) Subsidiary companies Wang Film Productions (1978-2001) Cartoon Network Studios (1994-2001) Preceded by MGM Cartoons (1937-1957) Succeeded by Cartoon Network Studios Warner Bros. Animation Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc., often abbreviated H-B or HB, was an American animation studio and production company. It was founded on July 7, 1957 by former MGM Cartoons staff and Tom and Jerry creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera as H-B Enterprises, Inc. During its more than four decades of existence, the studio produced countless cartoon TV series including, most famously, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Wacky Races, and The Smurfs. The studio was characterized by its use of limited animation techniques popularized by UPA to quickly produce cartoons on tight budgets and schedules, allowing it to generate a tremendous output of Saturday morning cartoons. Hanna-Barbera would collaborate with UPA subsidiary Benedict Pictures Corporation and Toho to produce an animated TV series based on the latter's Godzilla film franchise, simply titled Godzilla, from 1978 to 1979. Turner Broadcasting System acquired Hanna-Barbera in 1991, and under its ownership Hanna-Barbera founded Cartoon Network Studios in 1994. Turner itself was later acquired by Warner Bros. in 1996, resulting in H-B's studio being relocated next to Warner Bros. Animation in 1998 so that the two could work alongside each other. Hanna-Barbera finally closed down in 2001 following co-founder Hanna's death, with all of its assets and existing library being absorbed by Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Animation continues to produce media based on H-B's properties, while Cartoon Network Studios fulfills its former role as the production arm of Cartoon Network. The studio's name is retained by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, formerly Cartoon Network Studios Europe, as of 2021.

Selected productions

• Godzilla (1978-1979) [with Toho and Benedict Pictures Corp.]
• Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987) [with Tsuburaya Productions, Studio Sign, and Ashi Productions]

Trivia

• Despite its rights to the character expiring after the animated series' conclusion in 1979, Godzilla made an unlicensed cameo in Hanna-Barbera's film Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School in 1988 alongside his daughter.
  • Godzilla and several monsters from the animated series also cameo in one panel of DC Comics' Scooby-Doo Team-Up #43.
• While Hanna-Barbera's cartoon library was acquired by Warner Bros. after its demise in 2001, the rights to Godzilla reverted back to original license holder Toho two years later. Toho licensed the series to Classic Media in 2006 and 2007 for three DVD releases of the first season, and began uploading the series in its entirety on its English-language YouTube channel in 2021.

Comments

Showing 3 comments. When commenting, please remain respectful of other users, stay on topic, and avoid role-playing and excessive punctuation. Comments which violate these guidelines may be removed by administrators.

Loading comments...