The soulless corporate ghouls at Warner Bros. Discovery just tossed 40 years of beloved Looney Tunes shorts into the digital void, because bringing joy to children isn't a profitable enough business model in 2025.
CEO David Zaslav, who never met a beloved cultural institution he couldn't monetize into oblivion, has pulled the entire 1930-1969 catalog from Max streaming. This is the same genius who shelved a completed Batgirl movie and tried to gut Turner Classic Movies until film nerds revolted.
As reported in Slashfilm, the removal coincides suspiciously with a new Looney Tunes theatrical release through an independent distributor. Warner Bros claims kids' content doesn't drive subscriptions — a fascinating take from the company that built its empire partly on entertaining children.
The cruel irony? These weren't just silly cartoons. Directors like Chuck Jones and Tex Avery created satire that introduced generations to film history through parodies of Hollywood classics. Now the only way to watch Bugs Bunny outsmart Elmer Fudd is by tracking down physical media — assuming you can find it before that gets "optimized" out of existence too.
But at least the shareholders are happy.
Previously:
• Three Little Bops: 1957 Looney Tunes jazz version of the Three Little Pigs
• WATCH: How Looney Tunes' Chuck Jones evolved as an artist
• Half of HBO Max's Looney Tunes content just left the platform
• Looney Tunes Anti-Drug PSAs from the 1970s
• Elmer Fudd's gun gone in new Looney Tunes Cartoons
