Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Warner Bros. Animation Gets New Blood

Warner Bros. Animation has been pretty dormant lately, with not a whole lot of production going on over there. So this appears to be encouraging news:

Sam Register, the veteran animation executive behind the development of such hit animated series as "Ben 10" and "Teen Titans," and creator of "Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi," has entered into a multi-property development and production deal with Warner Bros. Animation, it was announced today by Lisa Judson, President, Warner Bros. Animation ...

"Sam has made his mark in both the business and creative ends of animation, and we believe he will provide an unique perspective for Warner Bros. Animation as we expand our horizons in the on-air and broadband arenas," Judson said. "We expect to take full advantage of Sam's animation and online experience, and we are excited to work with him."

What's always been a mystery to me is why Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation, both Time-Warner companies, don't work in concert. I mean, synergy between two cartoon studios nestled inside one of the major entertainment conglomerates on the planet would be a GOOD thing, no?

It's a shame none of the top T-W execs see interlocking reinforcement between 'toon divisions as something valuable. But what can you do?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've wondered the same thing myself and asked a friend that works at CN once and they said that though they are "sister companies" that they are two sisters that don't get along very well.

Do you think that maybe they are not working closer together because of Cartoon Network's origins as a Turner company?

Anyone out there with some insight?

Anonymous said...

That's terrific. Giving money to an idiot who's only skill is gloaming on to other peoples projects! The system continues to prove that poop does indeed float.

Anonymous said...

But working on something is better than working on nothing. Trying to find the silver lining, really I am.

Anonymous said...

Sam's one of the better guys in animation. I'm not a big fan creatively of the shows he's put out, but he works hard to get shows on the air, not just to keep his own job, unlike others at Cartoon Network (a particular female whose first name rhymes with Feather).

Anonymous said...

It looked like he only tried to get shows on the air, that had his name attached as creator or Co-creator.

Anonymous said...

Oh my God, not Heather at Cartoon Network??!! Good God!!

Anonymous said...

Maybe the reason WBA and CN don't do more together is that if they did some bean counter would say "hey, they pretty much do the same thing, why don't we merge them and lay off all the unnecessary duplication in workers?"

Chris Battle said...

They already tried the merge 10 years ago, and found that the 2 studios had totally different content/management styles.

But then again, that was back when WB was all about Animaniacs/Batman and CN was still making shorts into series... a lifetime ago on the TV landscape.

Steve Hulett said...

Cartoon Network used to be part of Hanna-Barbera. And when H-B merged with WBA, it was part of WBA.

So we've already been there.

All I know is that Disney (the conglomerate) seems to make its various animation divisions work more smoothly than Time-Warner (the conglomerate).

I have no idea why this is, but suspect it occurs because CN reports to Turner in Atlanta and WBA reports to WB in Burbank.

Anonymous said...

Warners and Universal have been the Kings of how to miss handle Animation. Finding new and inventive ways to ruin property after property.

WB's super hero shows being the exception because for once they listened to the creative forces behind behind the shows rather than leaving it to yet another inflated idiot receptionist turned executive.

Site Meter