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'Tiny Toons' reboot on HBO Max will feature a 'Dumbledore'-esque Bugs Bunny, return to Looniversity
Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner aren't the only classic Amblin characters from the '90s to get a fresh coat of paint for the modern age. HBO Max and Cartoon Network are currently in production on a reboot of Tiny Toon Adventures, the Steven Spielberg-produced cartoon that followed the next generation of young Looney Tunes honing their craft at Acme Looniversity under the tutelage of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and the rest.
Jeff Bergman, who voiced Bugs in the original series, is reprising the role of the carrot and prank-loving hare for the reboot — titled Tiny Toons Looniversity. He exclusively confirmed this news to SYFY WIRE during a conversation about his work on Space Jam: A New Legacy (out tomorrow).
"Yes, we started recording. I am Bugs Bunny for the show and Foghorn Leghorn. I also do Sylvester for that," he told us. "We just started recording. It’s really cute. Bugs is a professor now at the university, helping all the toons learn how to be loony with their best gags. And then it’s coach Foghorn Leghorn. It’s really cute and really fun."
Amblin Television co-presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank are executive producing Looniversity, which could debut "sometime in the latter part of 2022," Bergman guessed. Erin Gibson (known for the Throwing Shade podcast) is on board as showrunner and executive producer. Nate Cash (Adventure Time) rounds out the core creative team as co-executive producer.
Despite the fact that Tiny Toon Adventures left the airwaves close to three decades ago, Bergman promised that Looniversity will make it as though no time has passed at all.
"This kind of seems almost like it picks up from the original," he said. "They’re back at the Looniversity and so, I kind of feel like there’s a similarity between that. But we’re still early in the series. I’ve only done two episodes [and] I have my third one coming up. So, we’ll see where they go, but so far, it’s just like everybody’s back to school. Babs and Buster are back to school and they’re in all their classrooms and so, Bugs Bunny seems like the Dumbledore, sort of the wise professor."
"For many kids, Tiny Toons was their introduction to the world of Looney Tunes and, over time, Buster, Babs, Plucky, and all the characters grew to be just as beloved by an entirely new generation. The continuation of our great creative partnership with Amblin Television will bring these characters back for fans of all ages to enjoy," Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, said when the reboot was first announced last October.
“Tiny Toons Looniversity will capture all the clever, subversive and smart humor that made Tiny Toon Adventures such a standout series,” added Tom Ascheim, president, Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics (GKYAC). "Fans old and new will love to laugh at and with these characters all over again."
You can hear Mr. Bergman as Bugs Bunny in Space Jam: A New Legacy, which simultaneously hits theaters and HBO Max tomorrow (July 16).