Muppet Babies was one of the "throwback" series that came of age in the late '80s. ™ & © 2002 The Jim Henson Company.

Is This Progress?
Few developments in animation this year were more depressing than Warners’ announcement of Baby Looney Tunes. Not only was a passé idea being revived, but the infantilization of the Looney Tunes gang was actually a throwback to a throwback. Warner had already tried a similar idea in 1990 when they co-produced Tiny Toon Adventures with Steven Spielberg. The main differences between Baby Looney Tunes and Tiny Toons Adventures are that the classic Warner characters are being used rather than their juvenile distant relatives, and that the Baby Looney Tunes are just that -- babies. The featured players are Bugs, Daffy, Tweety, Sylvester, Taz, and a jejune Lola Bunny (who, in yet another twist of continuity, must have existed well before Space Jam). I suppose at this point it is worth noting that Warners two hottest merchandising champs are currently Taz and Tweety. Although Taz is a relative latecomer to the Warner stable and Porky Pig had a fifty-year career at the same studio, there is no baby Porky, his marketing potential having peaked long ago. These twee toons live under the kindly care of Granny, who has un-aged not a bit. An equally important difference is that the once-zany Warner humor is largely absent from Baby Looney Tunes. This is not a series aimed at adults in any way, and is mostly unwatchable by their standards.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? posited the theory that toons live in a unique universe with its own laws and culture. Courtesy of Disney. © Touchstone Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Inc.

According to the press release, “Baby Looney Tunes will give the audience a peek into how these cherished characters developed their distinct personalities and give Looney Tunes fans a great new opportunity to enjoy them.” After viewing several episodes, I had difficulty obtaining this peek. The BLTs appear to be no different to this observer’s eye than sundry other cartoon babies, although glimpses of Daffy’s enormous ego are suggested. The stories probably do not help in this regard; were they paced any slower the soundtracks would likely warp. When one watches the Bob Clampett classic The Old Gray Hare and thinks about what could have been done even with this retro concept, one has to mourn. It strains the imagination to believe that the BLTs would grow up into the same characters that were so deftly handled by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, or even Bob McKimson. Still, what is to be expected when bad ideas are revived for another go-round?

Part of me regrets showering such denigration on Baby Looney Tunes, a show clearly meant for preschool audiences and the undiscriminating toddler. Mr Whoopie knows, we could certainly use more harmless entertainment for the younger set, especially with attention spans and network airtime in such short supply. I might add that any series featuring lush watercolor backgrounds, modeling shadows on the characters, and a Granny voiced by June Foray can’t be a total loss. What I truly bemoan is the frustrating waste of the Warner characters, who are so much more appealing and vital in their mature incarnations.

Back to the future? Baby Looney Tunes offers up a revisionist Lola Bunny, who originally appeared in the 1996 feature Space Jam. Maybe Warners should have developed her into a sexy sophisticate instead? © Warner Bros.

Pauvre Lola! Warner’s most original character in years, that rare bright spot in the wan film Space Jam, has been reduced to a cuddly caddy of coloring books. I have long wondered why Warner pulled this ravishing rabbit out of its hat only to have her virtually disappear for six long years. Another blown call. Lissome Lola could -- and should -- have been saved for new, more mature cartoons where she could have been developed more in line with her Averian influences; a cool, sexy sophisticate capable of mercilessly lighting Bugs’ fuse before tamping it out with breezy aplomb and a saucy one-liner. Instead, we get a binky-sucking rugrat, much to the discredit of the very studio that produced some of the most cosmopolitan characters in cartoon history. Why not spend the time and resources of the studio on new episodes that at least make a go of recapturing the cartoon spirit that was truly beloved by three generations of animation fans? Is it really that difficult to script, storyboard and draw fresh farces featuring Bugs, Lola, Daffy, and yes, Porky? This is the studio that produced Animaniacs, right?