HULU, AMBLIN TELEVISION AND WARNER BROS. ANIMATION TEAM UP TO BRING BACK ANIMANIACS

       

“IT’S TIME (AGAIN!) FOR AN-I-MAN-I-ACS!”

HULU, AMBLIN TELEVISION AND WARNER BROS. ANIMATION TEAM UP TO BRING BACK ANIMANIACS

Peabody and Emmy® Award–Winning Hit Cartoon Set to Return as First Hulu Original Series for Families,

With Executive Producer Steven Spielberg

Landmark Deal Brings Full Animaniacs and Tiny Toons Libraries to Hulu

SANTA MONICA, CA (January 4, 2018) – Hulu, Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation today announced a new deal to create and premiere a brand-new version of the iconic family friendly cartoon franchise Animaniacs. Under the two-season straight-to-series order, Steven Spielberg will return as executive producer of the series, with Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series, and Amblin Television Co-Presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank also serving as executive producers. The series marks the first Hulu Original made for families, and with the legacy of these beloved characters, is intended to provide a co-viewing opportunity and experience for families to enjoy together. New episodes are set to premiere on the premium streaming service in 2020.

The Warner brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner sister, Dot — three inseparable, irascible siblings — have a great time wreaking havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone they meet. They have been locked away in the Warner Bros. water tower for a very long time, but they have found a way to escape. And escape they do — every day! Causing chaos and comic confusion, Yakko, Wakko and Dot run loose in the city, turning the world into their personal playground. And fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain will also return to make appearances in each episode.

In addition to announcing the new series, Hulu and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution also inked a new pact that makes Hulu the exclusive streaming home to the complete library of all 99 episodes of the original Animaniacs, as well as Pinky and the Brain, the subsequent Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain, and the complete Tiny Toon Adventures collection. As of today, Hulu subscribers can watch, catch up and relive their favorite moments from the original series with the whole family.

“We cannot wait to work with Steven Spielberg and the entire Amblin and Warner Bros. teams to bring more sketches, catchphrases, songs and laughs from the Animaniacs to kids and adults everywhere,” said Craig Erwich, SVP of Content, Hulu. “Now one of the most beloved, inventive and funny animated franchises in history, Animaniacs and its cast of witty characters can live on, on Hulu. This marks yet another big move for us as we continue our efforts to be the #1 streaming destination for premium animated content.”

“I am so pleased and proud that Animaniacs will have a home at Hulu,” said Executive Producer Steven Spielberg. “Together with Warner Bros., we look to bring new audiences and longtime fans into this wild world of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. I am also excited that the full library of Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures episodes are included in the deal.”

“Yakko, Wakko and Dot have been waiting impatiently inside the water tower, and now their hilarious brand of animated chaos will be unleashed — again! We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Amblin and Hulu for new episodes of Animaniacs, filled with endless laughs — and ongoing plots for world domination by Pinky and the Brain,” said Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series. “Parents who grew up with the cartoon now have new episodes to share with their own families.”

The original Animaniacs made its television debut in 1993 and went on to become one of the most popular animated series for children. Since its premiere, the series has launched spin-offs and characters including Pinky and the Brain, and has set the record for most Daytime Emmy Awards in the field of Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for any animated series, winning three times.

With its balance of humor, education and pop culture references, Animaniacs also garnered a large adult fan following. Award-winning songs including “Yakko’s World” and "Wakko's America" continue to educate audiences and remain fan favorites among both adults and children, and the series continues to remain popular among online fanbases.

The new show will become the first Hulu Original Series for families and will join the Hulu Kids library alongside full libraries of exclusive kids programming including Teen Titans Go!, Curious George, The Powerpuff Girls, Doozers, Adventure Time, Doc McStuffins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more.

Animaniacs is produced by Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Animation.

ABOUT HULU

Hulu is a leading premium streaming service that offers instant access to live and on demand channels, original series and films, and a premium library of TV and movies to more than 47 million total unique viewers in the U.S. Since its launch in 2008, Hulu has consistently been at the forefront of entertainment and technology. Hulu is the only streaming service that offers both ad-supported and commercial-free current season shows from the largest U.S. broadcast networks; libraries of hit TV series and films; and acclaimed Hulu Originals including Emmy Award-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale, Future Man, Marvel’s Runaways, The Path, 11.22.63, and Golden Globe® nominated comedy Casual, as well as upcoming series The Looming Tower, Castle Rock and The First. In 2017, Hulu added live news, entertainment and sports from 21st Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal, CBS Corporation, The CW, Turner Networks, A+E Networks and Scripps Networks Interactive to its offering – making it the only TV service that brings together live, on-demand, originals, and library content all in one place, across living room and mobile devices.

ABOUT WARNER BROS. ANIMATION

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. WBA’s TV series include Justice League Action, Teen Titans Go! and the upcoming DC Super Hero Girls and Unikitty! for Cartoon Network; Be Cool Scooby-Doo!, Bunnicula, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, The Tom and Jerry Show, New Looney Tunes and Wacky Races for Boomerang; Mike Tyson Mysteries for Adult Swim; Green Eggs and Ham for Netflix; and Young Justice: Outsiders for the upcoming DC-branded digital service. As home to the iconic animated characters from the DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces highly successful animated films — including the DC Universe Animated Original Movies — for DVD, Blu-ray^®  and digital media. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has won six Academy Awards®, 35 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

ABOUT AMBLIN TELEVISION

Amblin Television, a long-time leader in quality programming, is a division of Amblin Partners, a content creation company led by Steven Spielberg, with investment partners that include Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment, Entertainment One (eOne), Alibaba Pictures and Universal Pictures.  Amblin Television’s co-presidents, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, oversee all development, production and programming for the company. With the addition of “Animaniacs” for Hulu, Amblin Television currently has eight series in various stages of production including “Bull” for CBS, the Peabody Award winning and Emmy nominated drama "The Americans" for FX, the upcoming dramatic thriller “Reverie" for NBC, the adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s "The Haunting of Hill House” for Netflix, the Rev Run and Justine Simmons family sitcom for Netflix, “Amazing Stories” for Apple, and “Cooper’s Treasure” for Discovery.  Some of Amblin Television’s previous credits include the Emmy-nominated HBO movie "All The Way” starring Bryan Cranston, “Smash” for NBC, "Under the Dome” for CBS, "Falling Skies” for TNT, "The Borgias” and "The United States of Tara” for Showtime, and "Las Vegas” for NBC.