Channing Dungey of Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) announced in a company-wide memo that the company plans to consolidate its television animation branches under a single roof.
As a result, Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) will merge with Cartoon Network Studios (CNS). Along with the merger, WBTVG laid off 82 animation employees, leaving 125 empty positions with no plans to hire new employees.
Among the staff cut were marketing chief Tricia Melton and senior VP of marketing Jill King. Melton worked on the “Wormageddon” episode of “Rick and Morty,” while King is a 22-year Warners veteran who helped create hit shows such as “The Powerpuff Girls” and “Steven Universe.”
The decision to merge entities was made by David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, which is itself the product of a merger of Discovery Inc. and WarnerMedia on April 8, 2022.
Since Zaslav’s reign began as president over formerly WarnerMedia, he has overseen massive, costly decisions, such as the shelved “Batgirl,” “Raised by Wolves,” and the unreleased “Demimonde” series.
The organizational changes led some fans to fear that the new merger spells the end for Cartoon Network’s artistic creativity, which produced original shows and cult classics such as “Steven Universe,” “We Bare Bears,” “Clarence,” “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “The Powerpuff Girls,” and many more.
Many millennials took to Twitter, stating such condolences as, “RIP Cartoon Network.” Others expressed frustration that the beloved media company which brought many childhood shows would be “going corporate.”
An author for The Verge suggested the corporate restructuring will likely gut Cartoon Network and turn it into “a shadow of its former self.”
However, Warner Bros Discovery aims to dispel fears of the beloved networks’ seemingly imminent cancellation.
“Speculation that Cartoon Network is going away is categorically false,” a rep for Cartoon Network told The New York Post.
They explained, “Cartoon Network Studios has moved under the leadership of WBTV and will continue to create great content for the network, as will Warner Bros Animation and beyond.”
To further dispel apprehension, the representative said Cartoon Network was slated in 2023 to “premiere more new and returning originals than at any other time in its history, and much of that content will also be available to audiences on HBO Max.”
Nevertheless, current shows such as “Jessica’s Big World” and “Craig of the Creek” will feature fewer episodes in their upcoming season. Stoking fears that this is the beginning of the end for the nostalgic network.