View source for Hanna-Barbera

{{Short description|American production company (1957–2001)}}
{{About|the American production company active from 1957–2001|the current British animation studio|Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc.
| logo = Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. Logotipo.png
| logo_caption = Final logo, used from 1988 to 2001. The red variant shown here was first introduced in 1990.
| image = Hbstudio1990s.jpg
| image_caption = The Hanna-Barbera headquarters in [[Los Angeles]] in the 1990s. The "swirling star" logo on the right was designed by [[Saul Bass]] in 1979.
| former_names = {{ubl|H-B Enterprises {{smaller|(1957–1959)}}|Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. {{smaller|(1959–1992)}}|H-B Production Co. {{smaller|(1992–1993)}}}}
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| industry = {{ubl|Film|Animation|Television}}
| predecessor = {{ubl|[[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio|MGM Cartoons]]}}
| successors = {{ubl|Studio:|[[Cartoon Network Studios]]|[[Warner Bros. Animation]]|[[Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe]] {{small|(in-name only)}}|Library:|[[Warner Bros. Television Studios]]|{{small|(through Warner Bros. Animation)}}|{{small|(except licensed properties)}}}}
| fate = Absorbed into [[Warner Bros. Animation]], currently an in-name-only label of [[Warner Bros.]]
| founded = {{start date and age|1957|7|7}}
| defunct = {{End date and age|2001}}
| founders = {{ubl|[[William Hanna]]|[[Joseph Barbera]]|[[George Sidney]]}}
| hq_location = {{ubl|[[Jim Henson Company Lot|Kling Studios]], [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], [[California]], U.S. {{smaller|(1957–1960)}}|[[Cahuenga Boulevard]], [[Hollywood Hills]], Los Angeles, California, U.S. {{smaller|(1960–1998)}}|[[Sherman Oaks Galleria]], [[Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles]], California, U.S. {{smaller|(1998–2001)}}}}
| products = {{ubl|Theatrical feature films|Television films|Television series|Theatrical short films|Commercials|Direct-to-video entries|Television specials}}
| divisions = {{ubl|[[Hanna-Barbera Australia]] {{smaller|(1972–1988)}}|Hanna-Barbera Television {{smaller|(1975–1976)}}|[[Wang Film Productions]] {{smaller|(50%, 1978–1990s)}}|Fil-Cartoons {{smaller|(1987–2001)}}|Bedrock Productions {{smaller|(1990)}}|[[Cartoon Network Studios]] {{smaller|(1994–2001)}}}}
| owner = {{ubl|[[Screen Gems#Television subsidiary (1948–1974)|Screen Gems Television]] {{smaller|(18%, 1957–1966)}}}}
| parent = <!--Do not add Columbia Pictures or Screen Gems to this list; their lead executive merely owned an 18% stake in the firm prior to the Taft Broadcasting buyout--> {{ubl|[[Taft Broadcasting]] {{smaller|(1966–1987)}}|[[Taft Broadcasting|Great American Broadcasting]] {{smaller|(1987–1991)}}|[[Apollo Global Management]] {{smaller|(1991–1993)}}|[[Turner Entertainment Co.]] {{smaller|(1991–1996)}}|[[WarnerMedia|Time Warner]] {{smaller|(1996–2001)}}}}
}}
'''Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc.''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɑr|ˈ|b|ɛər|ə}} {{respell|bar|BAIR|ə}};<ref>{{cite book|last1=Olausson|first1=Lena|last2=Sangster|first2=Catherine|year=2006|title=Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=165|isbn=0-19-280710-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ABC Book |url=https://www.loc.gov/nls/who-we-are/guidelines-and-specifications/abc-book/ |access-date=September 5, 2024 |publisher=National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled}}</ref> formerly known as '''H-B Enterprises''', '''Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.''' and '''H-B Production Co.'''), commonly known simply as '''Hanna-Barbera''', was an American [[animation studio]] and [[production company]] that operated from 1957 until its absorption into [[Warner Bros. Animation]] in 2001. The studio was founded on July 7, 1957, by [[William Hanna]] and [[Joseph Barbera]], the creators of ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' and former [[MGM Cartoons]] employees, along with film producer [[George Sidney]].<ref name="HannaRuffReddy" /> Initially headquartered at [[Jim Henson Company Lot|Kling Studios]] in Los Angeles from 1957 to 1960, the company later moved to [[Cahuenga Boulevard]] until 1998, and finally to the [[Sherman Oaks Galleria]] in [[Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles|Sherman Oaks]] from 1998 to 2001.

Hanna-Barbera became known for producing a vast array of iconic animated series, including ''[[The Huckleberry Hound Show]]'', ''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'' and multiple iterations of ''[[The Flintstones]]'', ''[[The Yogi Bear Show|Yogi Bear]]'' and ''[[Scooby-Doo]]''. Through its extensive output of television shows, specials, and movies, Hanna-Barbera arguably became one of the most successful animation studios in the world, rivaling [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]], with its characters appearing across various media, merchandising, and consumer products.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holz |first=Jo |year=2017 |title=Kids' TV Grows Up: The Path from Howdy Doody to SpongeBob |location=Jefferson, NC |publisher=McFarland |pages=81–85, 124–126 |isbn=978-1-4766-6874-1}}</ref><ref name="AMawards">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/william-hanna-p93352 |title=William Hanna – Awards |publisher=[[AllMovie]] |access-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Accomplishments-Emmys.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.emmys.com/news/hanna-barbera-sculpture-unveiled-animation-legends-honored-hall-fame-plaza |title=Hanna-Barbera Sculpture Unveiled Animation Legends Honored in Hall of Fame Plaza |date=March 16, 2005 |publisher=[[Emmy Awards|Emmys.com]] |access-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref>

However, by the 1980s, the studio's dominance declined as the market for [[Saturday-morning cartoon]]s weakened, and weekday [[broadcast syndication|syndication]] grew in importance. Hanna-Barbera was acquired by [[Taft Broadcasting]] in 1966 and remained under its ownership until 1991, when [[Turner Broadcasting System]] purchased the company. Turner used Hanna-Barbera's extensive back catalog to help launch [[Cartoon Network]] in 1992, giving a new platform for the studio's classic animated properties.<ref name="NYT1966">{{cite web |date=December 29, 1966 |title=Hanna-Barbera Acquired By Taft Broadcasting Co. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/12/29/archives/hannabarbera-acquired-by-taft-broadcasting-co.html |access-date=November 5, 2018 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=COMPANY NEWS; Hanna-Barbera Sale Is Weighed |work=The New York Times |date=July 20, 1991 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/20/business/company-news-hanna-barbera-sale-is-weighed.html |access-date=August 19, 2010}}</ref><ref name="NYT1992">{{cite news |title=COMPANY NEWS; A New Life For Cartoons |work=The New York Times |date=February 19, 1992 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/19/business/the-media-business-turner-broadcasting-plans-to-start-a-cartoon-channel.html |access-date=August 17, 2010 |first=Bill |last=Carter}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Turner Buys Remaining 50% Stake in Hanna-Barbera |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 30, 1993 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/30/business/company-news-turner-buys-remaining-50-stake-in-hanna-barbera.html |access-date=May 11, 2023}}</ref>

After William Hanna died in 2001, Hanna-Barbera ceased to exist as an independent studio and was fully integrated into [[Warner Bros. Animation]]. Despite this, the Hanna-Barbera brand continues to be used for copyright, marketing, and branding purposes on many of its classic animated properties now managed by [[Warner Bros.]]

==History==
===''Tom and Jerry'' and birth of a company (1938–1957)===
[[William Hanna|William Denby "Bill" Hanna]] and [[Joseph Barbera|Joseph Roland "Joe" Barbera]] met at the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) studio in 1938, while working at its [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio|animation unit]]. Having worked at other studios since the early 1930s, they solidified a six-decade working partnership. Following the 1940 release of ''[[Puss Gets the Boot]]'', the team's very first collaborative success, ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'' came about in 1941, centering on the madcap comical adventures of a cat and a mouse.

Hanna supervised the animation,{{sfn|Barbera|1994|p=83–84}} while Barbera did the stories and pre-production for all 114 cartoons. Seven of the films won seven Oscars for [[Academy Award for Animated Short Film|"Best Short Subject (Cartoons)"]] between 1943 and 1953, and five additional shorts were nominated for twelve awards during this period. However, they were awarded to producer [[Fred Quimby]], who was not involved in the development of the shorts.{{sfn|Barbera|1994|p=207}}{{rp|83–84}}

Sequences for ''[[Anchors Aweigh (film)|Anchors Aweigh]]'', ''[[Dangerous When Wet]]'' and ''[[Invitation to the Dance (film)|Invitation to the Dance]]'' and shorts ''Swing Social'', ''[[Gallopin' Gals]]'', ''The Goose Goes South'', ''[[Officer Pooch]]'', ''[[War Dogs (1943 film)|War Dogs]]'' and ''[[Good Will to Men]]'' were also made. With Quimby's retirement in May 1955, Hanna and Barbera became the producers in charge of the MGM animation studio's output.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=547–548}}

In addition to continuing to write and direct new ''Tom & Jerry'' shorts, now in [[CinemaScope]], Hanna and Barbera supervised the last seven shorts of [[Tex Avery]]'s ''[[Droopy]]'' series and produced and directed the short-lived ''[[Spike and Tyke]]'', which ran for two entries. In addition to their work on the cartoons, the two men moonlighted on outside projects, including title sequences and commercials for ''[[I Love Lucy]]''.<ref name="jbarberainterviewvideo">{{Cite video |people=[[Leonard Maltin]] |title=Interview with Joseph Barbera |medium=Digital |publisher=[[Archive of American Television]] |date=1997 |url=https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/joseph-barbera}}</ref>

MGM decided in mid-1957 to close its cartoon studio, as it felt it had acquired a reasonable backlog of shorts for re-release.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=547–548}} While contemplating their future, Hanna and Barbera began producing additional animated television commercials.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}} During their last year at MGM, they had developed a concept for a new animated television program about a cat and a dog.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}}

After failing to convince the studio to back their venture, [[George Sidney]] offered to serve as their business partner and convinced [[Screen Gems#Television subsidiary (1948–1974)|Screen Gems]] to make a deal with the producers.<ref name="HannaRuffReddy" /> Sidney, a veteran live-action producer-director, had worked with Hanna and Barbera on animated elements for several of his movies for MGM, ''Anchors Aweigh'' in particular.<ref name="HannaRuffReddy" /> A coin toss gave Hanna precedence in naming the new studio. [[Harry Cohn]], president and head of Columbia Pictures, took an 18% ownership in '''H-B Enterprises''',<ref name="HannaRuffReddy"/> and provided working capital.

Screen Gems became the new distributor and its licensing agent, handling merchandizing of the characters from the animated programs<ref name="Rogers" /> as the cartoon firm officially opened for business in rented offices on the lot of [[Jim Henson Company Lot|Kling Studios]] (formerly [[Jim Henson Company Lot#Chaplin Studios (1919–1952)|Charlie Chaplin Studios]])<ref name="jbarberainterviewvideo" /> on July 7, 1957, one year after the MGM animation studio closed.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}}

[[File:Hanna-Barbera-Logo-1957-500x281.png|right|thumb|Logo used from 1957 to 1958]]
[[File:Hanna-Barbera.svg|thumb|Logo used from 1958 to 1959]]

Sidney and several Screen Gems alumni became members of the studio's board of directors and much of the former MGM animation staff—including animators [[Carlo Vinci]], [[Kenneth Muse]], Lewis Marshall, [[Michael Lah]] and [[Ed Barge]] and layout artists [[Ed Benedict]] and [[Richard Bickenbach]]—became the new production staff{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}} while [[Hoyt Curtin]] was in charge of providing the music.

===Success with animated series (1957–1969)===
''[[The Ruff and Reddy Show]]'',<ref>{{cite news |title=Caveman to Carp: The Prime-Time Cartoon Devolves |work=The New York Times |date=January 23, 1996 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/23/movies/caveman-to-carp-the-prime-time-cartoon-devolves.html?scp=27&sq=Hanna-Barbera&st=cse |access-date=August 17, 2009 |first=Jan |last=Benzel}}</ref> the studio's first animated television series, premiered on [[NBC]] on December 14, 1957,{{sfn|Barbera|1994|p=123}} then ''[[The Huckleberry Hound Show]]'' debuted one year later, in 1958, airing in most markets, and was also the first cartoon to win an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]]. Several animation alumni joined – in particular former [[Warner Bros. Cartoons]] storymen [[Michael Maltese]] and [[Warren Foster]] as head writers, [[Joe Ruby]] and [[Ken Spears]] as film editors and [[Iwao Takamoto]] as character designer.{{sfn|Barrier|2003|pp=560–562}}

After reincorporating as '''Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.''', ''[[The Quick Draw McGraw Show]]'' and the theatrical cartoon short series ''[[Loopy De Loop]]'' followed in 1959. [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]] laid off several of its animators after ''[[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'' (1959) [[box-office bomb|bombed on the box-office]] during its initial theatrical run, with many of them moving to Hanna-Barbera shortly afterwards.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Norman |first1=Floyd |author1-link=Floyd Norman |title=Toon Tuesday : Here's to the real survivors |url=https://jimhillmedia.com/toon-tuesday-heres-to-the-real-survivors/ |website=Jim Hill Media |access-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319000731/https://jimhillmedia.com/toon-tuesday-heres-to-the-real-survivors/ |archive-date=March 19, 2023 |date=August 18, 2008}}</ref> In August 1960, it moved into a window-less, cinder block building at 3501 [[Cahuenga Boulevard]] West.<ref>''Variety,'' July 20, 1960, pg. 20</ref> Though too small to house the staff, some of its employees worked at home.

''[[The Flintstones]]'' premiered on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] on September 30, 1960, becoming so the first animated series airing in prime time. It is loosely based on ''[[The Honeymooners]]'' and is set in a fictionalized Stone Age of cavemen and dinosaurs. [[Jackie Gleason]] considered suing Hanna-Barbera for [[copyright infringement]], but decided not to because he did not want to be known as "the man who yanked [[Fred Flintstone]] off the air".<ref>p.54 Brooks, Maria ''The American Family on Television: A Chronology of 121 Shows'', 1948–2004 March 30, 2005 by McFarland & Company</ref> For six seasons, it became the longest-running animated show in American prime time at the time (until ''[[The Simpsons]]'' beat it in 1997), a ratings and merchandising success and the top-ranking animated program in syndication history. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, but its reputation eventually improved and it is now considered a classic.

''[[The Yogi Bear Show]]'', ''[[Top Cat]]'', ''[[The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series]]'' (consisting of ''[[Wally Gator]]'', ''[[Touché Turtle and Dum Dum]]'' and ''[[Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har]]'') and ''[[The Jetsons]]'' soon followed in 1961 and 1962. Several animated television commercials were produced as well, often starring their own characters (including the [[Pebbles cereal]] commercials for [[Post Foods|Post]]) and the opening credits for ''[[Bewitched]]'', in which animated caricatures of Samantha and Darrin appeared. These characterizations were reused in ''The Flintstones''' sixth-season episode "Samantha".

[[File:HannaBarbera.JPG|right|thumb|The former Hanna-Barbera building at 3400 [[Cahuenga Boulevard]] West in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], seen in a 2007 photograph. The small yellow structure (lower right) was originally the "guard shack" for the property entrance to the east of the building.]]

In 1963, Hanna-Barbera's operations moved to 3400 [[Cahuenga Boulevard]] West in [[Hollywood Hills]]/[[Studio City]]. This contemporary office building was designed by architect [[Arthur Froehlich]]. Its ultra-modern design included a sculpted latticework exterior, moat, fountains, and a ''Jetsons''-like tower. ''[[The Magilla Gorilla Show]]'', ''[[Jonny Quest (TV series)|Jonny Quest]]'', ''[[The Peter Potamus Show]]'', ''[[Atom Ant]]'' and ''[[Secret Squirrel]]'' followed in 1964 and 1965.

[[File:Bill Hanna Joseph Barbera 1965.jpg|right|thumb|William Hanna (right) and Joseph Barbera (left) seen in a 1965 photograph]]

The partnership with Screen Gems would last until 1965 when Hanna and Barbera announced the sale of their studio to [[Taft Broadcasting]].<ref name="Rogers">Rogers, Lawrence H. (2000). ''[https://books.google.com/books?=U58P6s4mx3cC&pg=PA445&dq=taft+broadcasting+hanna+barbera&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZfiPUZz-BcONygHFmIHQBQ&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=taft%20broadcasting%20hanna%20barbera&f=false History of U. S. Television: A Personal Reminiscence]''. Bloomington. IN. USA: AuthorHouse. pg. 444–447</ref> Taft's acquisition of Hanna-Barbera was delayed for a year by a lawsuit from Cohn's family, wife [[Joan Perry]] and sons John and Harrison Cohn, who felt the studio undervalued the Cohns' 18% share in when it was sold a few years previously.<ref name="STUEP3">Shostak, Stu (November 3, 2011). "[https://www.stusshow.com/archives.php Interview with Jerry Eisenberg, Scott Shaw!, and Earl Kress]". ''Stu's Show''. Retrieved March 18, 2013. [[Jerry Eisenberg]], [[Scott Shaw (artist)|Scott Shaw!]], and [[Earl Kress]] were all former employees of Hanna-Barbera over the years, and relate the history of the studio to host Stu Shostak</ref>

In 1966, ''[[Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles]]'' and ''[[Space Ghost (TV series)|Space Ghost]]'' debuted, and by December of that year the litigation had been settled, Taft finally acquired Hanna-Barbera for $12 million and folded the studio into its corporate structure in 1967 and 1968,<ref name="Rogers" /> becoming its distributor. Hanna and Barbera stayed on while Screen Gems retained licensing and distribution rights to their previous produced cartoons<ref name="Rogers" /> and trademarks to the characters into the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Rogers" /><ref>{{cite news |title=BRIEFCASE: Great American Broadcasting |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=August 19, 1989 |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-08-19-8908192010-story.html |access-date=December 23, 2014}}</ref>

''[[Shazzan]]'', ''[[The Banana Splits]]'', ''[[Wacky Races (1968 TV series)|Wacky Races]]'', and its spin-offs (''[[Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines]]'' and ''[[The Perils of Penelope Pitstop]]'') and ''[[Cattanooga Cats]]'' followed from 1967 to 1969. The studio's record and music label, Hanna-Barbera Records,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bubblegum-music.com/categories/artists |title=Animation + Rock = Fun: The Danny Hutton Interview |last1=Davidson |first1=Chris |date=March 27, 2007 |publisher=Bubblegum University |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224002810/http://www.bubblegum-music.com/categories/artists |archive-date=February 24, 2009}}</ref> was headed by [[Danny Hutton]] and distributed by [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]. Children's records featuring its characters were released by [[Colpix Records|Colpix]]. Hanna-Barbera teamed up with the National Catholic Office for Radio and Television to produce 26 half-hour animated films in 1970, which never materialized.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 25, 1969 |title=Program notes |pages=46 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/69-OCR/1969-08-25-BC-OCR-Page-0046.pdf |access-date=October 10, 2023}}</ref>

===Mysteries, spin-offs, and more (1969–1979)===
''[[Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!]]'' debuted on [[CBS]] on September 13, 1969; it is a mystery-based program which blended comedy, action, and elements from ''[[I Love a Mystery]]'' and ''[[The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis]]''.<ref>Laurence Marcus & Stephen R. Hulce (October 2000). "[https://televisionheaven.co.uk/scooby.htm Scooby-Doo, Where Are You] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128110448/http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/scooby.htm |date=2013-01-28 }}". ''Television Heaven''. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.</ref><ref name="STUEP1">Shostak, Stu (February 5, 2012). "[https://www.stusshow.com/archives.php Interview with Joe Ruby and Ken Spears]". ''Stu's Show.'' Retrieved March 18, 2013.</ref> For two seasons, it centered on four teenagers and a dog solving supernatural mysteries, and became one of Hanna-Barbera's most successful creations, spawning several new spin-offs, such as ''[[The New Scooby-Doo Movies]]'', ''[[Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (1979 TV series)|Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo]]'' and many others, which were regularly in production at Hanna-Barbera into the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/05/the-secret-of-scooby-doos-enduring-appeal/609091/ |title=The Secret of Scooby-Doo's Enduring Appeal |last=Orr |first=Christopher |date=April 19, 2020 |website=The Atlantic |language=en-US |access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref>

Referred to as "The [[General Motors]] of animation", Hanna-Barbera produced nearly two-thirds of all [[Saturday-morning cartoon]]s in a single year. ''[[Josie and the Pussycats (TV series)|Josie and the Pussycats]]'', ''[[The Funky Phantom]]'', ''[[The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan]]'', ''[[Speed Buggy]]'', ''[[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids]]'', ''[[Goober and the Ghost Chasers]]'', ''[[Inch High, Private Eye]]'', ''[[Clue Club]]'', ''[[Jabberjaw]]'', ''[[Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels]]'' and ''[[The New Shmoo]]'' built upon the mystery-solving template set by ''Scooby-Doo'', with further shows built around teenagers solving mysteries with a comic relief pet of some sort.

Starting in 1971, many new [[Spin-off (media)|spin-offs]], such as ''[[The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show]]'', featuring Fred and Barney's now teenaged children along with ''[[The Flintstone Comedy Hour]]'', ''[[The Tom and Jerry Show (1975 TV series)|The Tom and Jerry Show]]'', ''[[The New Fred and Barney Show]]'' and "all-star" shows ''[[Yogi's Gang]]'', ''[[Laff-A-Lympics]]'', ''[[Yogi's Space Race]]'' and ''[[Galaxy Goof-Ups]]'' came to the airwaves.

Hanna-Barbera teamed up with [[Crosley Broadcasting Corporation|Avco Broadcasting Corporation]] in 1971, a company that was once a rival to its owner Taft at that time, who maintains rivalry in the [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] and [[Cincinnati]] markets, to produce two holiday specials for the syndicated market by way of its syndicated division.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 15, 1971 |title=Program notes |pages=47 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/71-OCR/1971-02-15-BC-OCR-Page-0047.pdf |access-date=October 10, 2023}}</ref> In 1972, H-B opened an animation studio in Australia, with the Hamlyn Group acquiring a 50% stake in 1974.

Hamlyn was acquired by [[James Hardie Industries]]. [[Hanna-Barbera Australia]] bought itself out from Hardie and Taft in 1988, changing its name to [[Southern Star Group]], since becoming [[Endemol Shine Australia]], a division of [[Banijay Entertainment]]. ''[[Super Friends (1973 TV series)|Super Friends]]'', an action-adventure show adapted from [[DC Comics]]' ''[[Justice League of America]]'' and the first of many iterations of the ''[[Super Friends]]'' series, premiered on ABC on September 8, 1973. It returned to production in 1976, remaining on ABC through 1985 with ''[[The All-New Super Friends Hour]]'', ''[[Challenge of the Superfriends]]'' and ''[[The World's Greatest Super Friends]]''.

While ''[[Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!]]'', ''[[Sealab 2020]]'', ''[[Wait Till Your Father Gets Home]]'' and ''[[Hong Kong Phooey]]'' aired, ''[[Charlotte's Web (1973 film)|Charlotte's Web]]'', an adaptation of the [[Charlotte's Web|novel of the same name]], was released on March 1, 1973, by [[Paramount Pictures]], to moderate critical and commercial success, and was the first of only four Hanna-Barbera films not to be based upon one of their famous television cartoons (the other three being ''[[C.H.O.M.P.S.]]'', ''[[Heidi's Song]]'' and ''[[Once Upon a Forest]]'').

With the majority of American television animation during the second half of the 20th century made by Hanna-Barbera and more cartoons like ''[[CB Bears]]'', ''[[Buford and the Galloping Ghost]]'', ''[[The All New Popeye Hour]]'', ''[[Godzilla (1978 TV series)|Godzilla]]'' and ''[[Casper and the Angels]]'', major competition was coming from [[Filmation]] and [[DePatie–Freleng Enterprises|DePatie–Freleng]]. Then-ABC president [[Fred Silverman]] gave its Saturday-morning time to them after dropping Filmation for its failure of ''[[Uncle Croc's Block]]''.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}

New live-action material was produced, as well as new live-action/animated combos since the mid-1960s. In 1975, former MGM executive [[Herbert F. Solow]] joined the company to start a live-action unit, Hanna-Barbera Television, to produce prime time programming,<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 1, 1975 |title=Fates & Fortunes |pages=49 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/75-OCR/1975-09-01-BC-OCR-Page-0049.pdf |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref> which later spun off and became Solow Production Company in 1976.<ref name="STUEP3a">Shostak, Stu (12-20-2006). "[https://www.stusshow.com/archives.php Interview with Mark Evanier]". ''Stu's Show.'' Retrieved June 17, 2014.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 24, 1976 |title=Fates & Fortunes |pages=63 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/76-OCR/1976-05-24-BC-OCR-Page-0063.pdf |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref>

Along with the animation industry in the U.S., it moved away from producing in-house in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While ''[[The Great Grape Ape Show]]'' and ''[[The Mumbly Cartoon Show]]'' aired, Ruby and Spears worked with Hanna-Barbera in 1976 and 1977 as ABC network executives to create and develop new cartoons before leaving in 1977 to start their company, [[Ruby-Spears]] Enterprises, with [[Filmways]] as its parent division.<ref name="STUEP1" /> In 1979, Taft bought [[Worldvision Enterprises]], which became Hanna-Barbera's new distributor.

===Control decrease and ''The Smurfs'' dominance (1980–1991)===
''[[Super Friends (1980 TV series)|Super Friends]]'', ''[[The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang]]'', ''[[Richie Rich (1980 TV series)|Richie Rich]]'', ''[[The Flintstone Comedy Show]]'', ''[[Space Stars]]'', ''[[The Kwicky Koala Show]]'', ''[[Trollkins]]'' and ''[[Laverne & Shirley (1981 TV series)|Laverne and Shirley in the Army]]'' debuted in 1980 and 1981, while Taft purchased Ruby-Spears from Filmways (which was eventually absorbed into [[Orion Pictures]] the following year), making it a sister company to Hanna-Barbera and as a result, several early-1980s series were shared between both companies.<ref name="STUEP2">Shostak, Stu (01-16-2013). "[https://www.stusshow.com/archives.php?y=2013 ''Program 305'' (TV animation producers JOE RUBY and KEN SPEARS return to discuss the formation of their own company and creating such series as "Fangface", "Rickety Rocket", "Goldie Gold" and many others. Also – animation writer MARK EVANIER talks about working on "Thundarr" and "Plastic Man" for the team.)]". ''Stu's Show''. Retrieved March 18, 2013.</ref>

While Filmation, [[Sunbow Entertainment|Sunbow Productions]], [[Marvel Productions]], [[Rankin/Bass Productions|Rankin/Bass]], [[DIC Entertainment|DIC]] and other Hollywood animation studios introduced successful animated series [[Broadcast syndication#Animated series|syndicated]], including some based on licensed properties, Hanna-Barbera fell behind, as it no longer dominated the TV animation market as it did years earlier and lost control over children's programming, going down from 80% to 20%.

''[[The Smurfs (1981 TV series)|The Smurfs]]'', adapted from [[The Smurfs (comics)|the Belgian comic]] by [[Pierre Culliford|Peyo]] and centering on a group of tiny blue creatures led by [[Papa Smurf]], debuted on NBC on September 12, 1981, and ran for nine seasons until December 2, 1989, becoming so the longest-running [[Saturday-morning cartoon]] series in broadcast history, a significant ratings success, the top-rated program in eight years and the highest for an NBC show since 1970.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Kids' TV Grows Up: The Path from Howdy Doody to SpongeBob |last=Holz |first=Jo |publisher=McFarland |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4766-6874-1 |location=Jefferson, NC |pages=125–126}}</ref> ''[[The Gary Coleman Show]]'', ''[[Shirt Tales]]'', ''[[Pac-Man (TV series)|Pac-Man]]'', ''[[The Little Rascals (animated TV series)|The Little Rascals]]'', ''[[The Dukes (TV series)|The Dukes]]'', ''[[Monchhichis (TV series)|Monchhichis]]'' and ''[[The Biskitts]]'' followed in 1982 and 1983.

Following [[1982 animators' strike|a 1982 strike]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The '50s through the '90s: Animation Guild |url=https://animationguild.org/about-the-guild/the50s-the90s/ |access-date=August 20, 2020 |website=animationguild.org}}</ref> new cartoons were outsourced to [[Cuckoo's Nest Studios]], [[Mr. Big Cartoons]], [[Toei Animation]] and Fil-Cartoons in Australia and Asia, which provided production services from 1982 to the end of H-B's existence. ''[[Challenge of the GoBots]]'', ''[[Pink Panther and Sons]]'', ''[[Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show]]'', ''[[Snorks]]'', ''[[The New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show|The New Scooby & Scrappy-Doo Show, The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries]]'', ''[[Yogi's Treasure Hunt]]'', ''[[Galtar and the Golden Lance]]'', ''[[Paw Paws]]'', ''[[The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians]]'' and ''[[The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo]]'' debuted in 1984 and 1985.

''[[Pound Puppies (1986 TV series)|Pound Puppies]]'', ''[[The Flintstone Kids]]'', ''[[Foofur]]'', ''[[Wildfire (1986 TV series)|Wildfire]]'', ''[[Sky Commanders]]'' and ''[[Popeye and Son]]'' arrived in 1986 and 1987. After its financial troubles affected Hanna-Barbera, the [[American Financial Group|American Financial Corporation]] acquired Taft in 1987 and renamed it Great American Broadcasting.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Taft Television & Radio Company IDs |url=https://avid.wiki/Taft_Television_%26_Radio_Company_IDs |website=Audiovisual Identity Database}}</ref> ''[[A Pup Named Scooby-Doo]]'', ''[[The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley]]'', ''[[Fantastic Max]]'', ''[[The Further Adventures of SuperTed]]'' and ''[[Paddington Bear (TV series)|Paddington Bear]]'' followed in 1988 and 1989.

Hanna-Barbera Poland, a [[Poland|Polish]] branch of the company, opened up and dealt with the promotion and distribution of the studio's animated content and is most well known for releasing VHS tapes with Polish music distributor P.P. Polskie Nagrania, which mostly consisted of numbered compilation releases of Hanna-Barbera shows on one tape. This would last until 1993, when the company separated and reincorporated itself as Curtis Art Productions.

Great American sold Worldvision to [[Spelling Television|Aaron Spelling Productions]], while Hanna-Barbera and its library remained with them. Hanna-Barbera split off from Worldvision Home Video in early 1989 to start out its own home video division, Hanna-Barbera Home Video.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McGowan |first=Chris |date=March 4, 1989 |title=No Kidding: Hanna-Barbera Aims for No. 2 |pages=65 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1989/1989-03-04-Billboard-Page-0065.pdf |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref> In January 1989, while working on ''A Pup Named Scooby-Doo'', [[Tom Ruegger]] got a call from [[Warner Bros.]] to resurrect its animation department.<ref name="WBA">{{Cite web |last=Caps |first=Johnny |date=September 11, 2018 |title=The Flashback Interview: Tom Ruegger |url=https://popgeeks.com/the-flashback-interview-tom-ruegger/ |access-date=August 20, 2020 |website=popgeeks.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Ruegger, along with several of his colleagues, left Hanna-Barbera at that time to develop ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' at Warner Bros.<ref name="WBA" /> [[David Kirschner]], known for ''[[An American Tail]]'' and ''[[Child's Play (1988 film)|Child's Play]]'', was later appointed as the studio's new CEO.<ref>[https://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-7746020.html David Kirschner named new head of Hanna-Barbera Productions; founders Hanna and Barbera to assume roles as studio co-chairmen. (William Hanna, Joseph Barbera)]</ref> Later that year, the company had a licensing agreement with MicroIllusions, a video game publisher, to produce video games based on its properties, namely ''Jonny Quest'' and others.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kunkel |first=Bill |date=November 1989 |title=From Cartoons to Computer |pages=114–118 |work=[[Video Games & Computer Entertainment]] |url=https://archive.org/details/video-games-computer-entertainment-november-1989/page/n114/mode/1up |access-date=October 8, 2023}}</ref>

In 1990, while Kirschner and the company formed Bedrock Productions<ref>{{cite news |title=Hanna-Barbera Follows Disney Map |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/09/business/hanna-barbera-follows-disney-map.html |date=January 9, 1990 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=December 28, 2016 |first=Michael |last=Lev}}</ref> and Great American putting Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears up for sale, ''[[Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone]]'', ''[[Gravedale High|Rick Moranis in Gravedale High]]'', ''[[Tom & Jerry Kids]]'', ''[[Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990 TV series)|Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda]]'' and ''[[Wake, Rattle, and Roll]]'' debuted that year. ''[[The Pirates of Dark Water]]'', ''[[Yo Yogi!]]'' and ''[[Young Robin Hood]]'' would follow in 1991.

===Acquisition by Turner Broadcasting System and absorption into Warner Bros. Animation (1991–2001)===
[[Turner Broadcasting System]] outbid [[MCA Inc.|MCA]] (then-parent company of [[Universal Pictures]]), [[Hallmark Cards]] and other major companies in acquiring Hanna-Barbera while also purchasing Ruby-Spears as well.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} The two companies were acquired in a 50-50 joint venture between Turner Broadcasting System and [[Apollo Global Management|Apollo Investment Fund]] for $320&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news |title=TBS Buys Animator Hanna-Barbera Library for $320 Million |location=Atlanta |work=Associated Press |date=October 29, 1991 |url=https://apnews.com/e4b7fe7b58573927b9188329b6cd66c1 |access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=TBS Buys Animator Hanna-Barbera Library for $320 Million |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 29, 1991 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-30-fi-565-story.html |access-date=December 14, 2019}}</ref> Turner purchased these assets to launch a then-new all-animation network aimed at children and younger audiences.

[[Scott Sassa]] hired [[Fred Seibert]] to head Hanna-Barbera, who filled the gap left by Great American's crew with new animators, directors, producers and writers, including [[Craig McCracken]], [[Donovan Cook]], [[Genndy Tartakovsky]], [[David Feiss]], [[Seth MacFarlane]], [[Van Partible]] and [[Butch Hartman]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Peter Vidani |url=https://fredseibert.com/post/68958612/what-a-cartoon-video-frame-grabs |title=What A Cartoon! Frame Grabs |publisher=Fredseibert.com |access-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref> After being newly named as '''H-B Production Co.''', ''[[Capitol Critters]]'' and ''[[Fish Police (TV series)|Fish Police]]'' followed in 1992. [[Cartoon Network]] launched on October 1 of that year, and became the first 24-hour all-animation channel to air its library of cartoon classics, of which Hanna-Barbera was the core contributor.<ref name="NYT1992" />

In 1993, the company again renamed itself to '''Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc.''' (though the Hanna-Barbera Productions name was still used in regards to the pre-1992 properties) and, while Turner acquired its remaining interests from Apollo Investment Fund for $255&nbsp;million,<ref>{{cite news |title=COMPANY NEWS; TURNER BUYS REMAINING 50% STAKE IN HANNA-BARBERA |work=The New York Times |date=December 30, 1993 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/193/12/30/business/company-news-turner-buys-remaining-50-stake-in-hanna-barbera.html?scp=5&sq=Hanna-Barbera&st=cse |access-date=August 17, 2010}}</ref> ''[[2 Stupid Dogs]]'', ''[[Droopy, Master Detective]]'', ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers|The New Adventures of Captain Planet]]'' and ''[[SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron]]'' debuted that year. Turner refocused the studio to produce new shows exclusively for its networks.

In 1995 and 1996, ''[[Dumb and Dumber (TV series)|Dumb and Dumber]]'' debuted, followed by ''[[What a Cartoon!]]'', ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'', ''[[The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest]]'' and ''[[Cave Kids]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=PORCHLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SET UP|url=https://www.telecompaper.com/news/porchlight-entertainment-set-up--49098|access-date=November 23, 2021|website=www.telecompaper.com|language=en}}</ref> then Turner merged with [[WarnerMedia|Time Warner]] (now [[Warner Bros. Discovery]]). While ''[[Johnny Bravo]]'' and ''[[Cow and Chicken]]'' aired, the Hanna-Barbera studio faced demolition after many of its staff vacated the facilities in 1997, despite the efforts of preserving it.

In 1998, following ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'', Hanna-Barbera moved from Cahuenga Blvd. to [[Sherman Oaks Galleria]] in [[Sherman Oaks, California]], where Warner Bros. Animation was located. ''[[I Am Weasel]]'' would be its final show in 1999. After the company's absorption into Warner Bros. Animation,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Natale |first1=Richard |last2=Schneider |first2=Michael |title=Cartoon giant Barbera dies |url=https://variety.com/2006/digital/markets-festivals/cartoon-giant-barbera-dies-1117956009/ |website=Variety |access-date=May 12, 2018 |date=December 18, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Dallas">{{cite news |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/121906dnentbarberaobit.1e1b331.html |title=Cartoon creator Joe Barbera dies |access-date=August 16, 2008 |date=December 18, 2006 |work=Dallas Morning News |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225023220/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/121906dnentbarberaobit.1e1b331.html}}</ref> Hanna died of throat cancer on March 22, 2001, at the age of 90 years old.

===Aftermath and Barbera's final years (2001–2006)===
[[File:Hanna-Barbera Logo.svg|thumb|Logo used on Warner Bros.-branded Hanna-Barbera material since 2001]]
While [[Cartoon Network Studios]] took over production of programming,<ref>{{cite web |title=National Archives Catalog |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10443937 |access-date=May 14, 2018 |archive-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515043835/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10443937 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the [[Los Angeles City Council]] approved a plan to preserve the Cahuenga Blvd. headquarters in May 2004, while allowing retail and residential development on the site.<ref name="latimes-hb-complex">{{cite news |last1=Biederman |first1=Patricia Ward |title=Agreement Reanimates Historic Hanna-Barbera Complex |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jun-07-me-cartoon7-story.html |access-date=March 4, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 7, 2004}}</ref>

Barbera died of natural causes on December 18, 2006, at the age of 95.<ref name="Dallas" /> Warner Bros. Animation continues to produce new productions based on the Hanna-Barbera properties since then.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sciretta |first1=Peter |title=The Next Scooby-Doo Movie Will Launch a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe [CinemaCon 2016] |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/hanna-barbera-cinematic-universe/ |website=/Film |access-date=June 26, 2019 |date=April 12, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Nolan |first1=L.D. |title=Is There a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe In the Works? |url=https://www.cbr.com/hanna-barbera-cinematic-universe/ |website=CBR.com |access-date=June 26, 2019 |date=March 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McNary |first1=Dave |title=Scooby-Doo Animated Movie Moves Back Two Years to 2020 |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/animated-scooby-movie-moves-back-2020-1202408718/ |access-date=January 31, 2018 |work=Variety |date=May 3, 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/anitmated-jetsons-movie-sausage-party-director-1202444840/ |title=Animated 'Jetsons' Movie Lifting off With 'Sausage Party' Director |last=McNary |first=Dave |work=Variety |date=January 23, 2015 |access-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/402671-the-jetsons-planned-as-animated-feature |title=The Jetsons Planned as Live Action Feature |last=Lesnik |first=Silas |work=[[ComingSoon.net]] |date=January 23, 2015 |access-date=January 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2015/01/the-jetsons-animated-feature-warner-brothers-1201356816/ |title=Warner Bros Plots 'The Jetsons' Animated Feature; Matt Lieberman Writing |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=January 23, 2015 |access-date=January 23, 2015}}</ref><ref name=WBVariety>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/tom-and-jerry-scooby-doo-tim-story-warner-animation-1202978052/ |title='Tom and Jerry,' 'Scooby-Doo' Movies Land Top Talent at Warner Animation Group (EXCLUSIVE) |first1=Justin |last1=Kroll |date=October 15, 2018 |work=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2019/04/18/get-to-know-hanna-barbera-beyond |title=Get to Know Hanna-Barbera Beyond |access-date=April 14, 2016 |date=November 26, 2016 |publisher=[[DC Comics]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/dcs-heroes-to-crossover-with-hanna-barbera-in-march-annuals/ |title=DC'S HEROES & HANNA-BARBERA CREATIONS TO CROSSOVER IN MARCH ANNUALS |website=Comic Book Resources |first=Anthony |last=Couto |date=December 12, 2016|access-date=December 13, 2016}}</ref>

==Tributes and legacy==
Cartoon Network Studios Europe was renamed [[Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe]] paying tribute to the studio in April 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|date=April 7, 2021|title=WarnerMedia Reinstates Iconic Hanna-Barbera Brand With London-based European Studio|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/warnermedia-hanna-barbera-studio-europe-1234945602/|access-date=April 7, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Production==
===Production process changes===
The small budgets that television animation producers had to work within prevented Hanna-Barbera from working with the full theatrical-quality animation that Hanna and Barbera had been known for at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. While the budget for MGM's seven-minute ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts was about $35,000, the Hanna-Barbera studios were required to produce five-minute ''Ruff and Reddy'' episodes for no more than $3,000 apiece.<ref name="HannaRuffReddy">Hanna, William and Ito, Tom (1999). ''A Cast of Friends''. New York: Da Capo Press. 0306-80917-6. Pg. 81–83</ref> To keep within these tighter budgets, Hanna-Barbera furthered the concept of [[limited animation]] (also called "planned animation")<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Seibert |first1=Fred |last2=Burnett | first2=Bill| title=Unlimited Imagination |url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/unlimited-imagination |access-date=January 8, 2021 |website=Animation World Network |language=en}} Seibert was also a former president at Hanna-Barbera.</ref> practiced and popularized by the [[United Productions of America]] (UPA) studio, which also once had a partnership with Columbia Pictures. Character designs were simplified, and backgrounds and animation cycles (walks, runs, etc.) were regularly re-purposed.

Characters were often broken up into a handful of levels so that only the parts of the body that needed to be moved at a given time (i.e. a mouth, an arm, a head) were animated. The rest of the figure remained on a held animation cel. This allowed a typical seven-minute short to be done with only nearly 2,000 drawings instead of the usual 14,000.<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 19, 2006|title=Hanna Barbera's golden age of animation|language=en-GB|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6193603.stm|access-date=February 14, 2022}}</ref> Dialogue, music, and sound effects were emphasized over action, leading [[Chuck Jones]]—a contemporary who worked for Warner Bros. Cartoons and whose short ''[[The Dover Boys]]'' practically invented many of the concepts in limited animation—to disparagingly refer to the limited television cartoons produced by Hanna-Barbera and others as "illustrated radio".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Academy-Awards-Crime-Films/Cartoons-THE-GOLDEN-ERA.html |title=The golden era – Cartoons – film, director, music |work=filmreference.com}}</ref>

In a story published by ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'' in 1961, critics stated that Hanna-Barbera was taking on more work than it could handle and was resorting to shortcuts only a television audience would tolerate.<ref name="SEP" /> An executive who worked for Walt Disney Productions said, "We don't even consider [them] competition".<ref name="SEP">(December 2, 1961) "[https://dawsbutler.com/hb-article-web/hb-article-05.jpg TV'S Most Unexpected Hit – ''The Flintstones''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704093946/http://dawsbutler.com/hb-article-web/hb-article-05.jpg |date=July 4, 2007}}" ''The Saturday Evening Post''</ref> Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman argues that Hanna-Barbera attempted to maximize their [[Net income|bottom line]] by recycling story formulas and characterization instead of introducing new ones. Once a formula for an original series was deemed successful, the studio reused it in subsequent series.{{sfn|Lehman|2007|p=25}} Besides copying their own works, Hanna-Barbera drew inspiration from the works of other people and studios.{{sfn|Lehman|2007|p=25}}

Lehman considers that the studio served as the main example of how animation studios that focused on TV animation differed from those that focused on theatrical animation. Theatrical animation studios tried to maintain full and fluid animation and consequently struggled with the rising expenses associated with producing it.{{sfn|Lehman|2007|p=25}} Limited animation as practiced by Hanna-Barbera kept production costs at a minimum. The cost in quality of using this technique was that Hanna-Barbera's characters only moved when necessary.{{sfn|Lehman|2007|p=25}}

Its solution to the criticism over its quality was to go into films. It produced six theatrical feature films, among them are higher-quality versions of its television cartoons and adaptations of other material. It was also one of the first animation studios to have their work produced overseas. One of these companies was a subsidiary began by Hanna-Barbera in November 1987 called Fil-Cartoons in the [[Philippines]],<ref>{{cite news|title=TELEVISION; Peter Pan, Garfield and Bart – All Have Asian Roots|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 2, 1990|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/02/movies/television-peter-pan-garfield-and-bart-all-have-asian-roots.html?scp=45&sq=Hanna-Barbera&st=cse |access-date=August 17, 2010|first=Barbara|last=Basler}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Philippine Company Profiles|date=1993|publisher=Mahal Kong Pilipinas, Inc.|page=198 |edition=1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n9meAAAAIAAJ|access-date=January 25, 2021}}</ref> with Jerry Smith as a consultant for the subsidiary.<ref>{{cite news|title=Toast|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19880207&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=June 5, 2021|work=[[Manila Standard]] |publisher=Standard Publications, Inc.|date=February 7, 1988|page=9}}</ref> [[Wang Film Productions]] got its start as an overseas facility for the studio in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=20,29,35,45&post=24937 |title=Wang's World |publisher=Taiwan Info |last=Violet |first=Chang |date=May 1, 1998}}</ref>

===Digital innovation===
Hanna-Barbera was among the first animation studios to incorporate digital tools into their pipeline. As early as the 1970s, they experimented with using [[Scanimate]], a [[video synthesizer]], to create an early form of digital [[cutout animation|cutout style]]. A clip of artists using the machine to manipulate scanned images of ''Scooby-Doo'' characters, scaling and warping the artwork to simulate animation, is available at the [[Internet Archive]].<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Seig, David; Harrison, Lee |date=2004 |title=The Development of Computer Generated Animated Characters|type=DVD |language=English |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/234090730 |access-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729201913/https://www.worldcat.org/title/scanimate-dvd-1/oclc/234090730 |archive-date=July 29, 2022 |oclc=234090730}} [https://archive.org/details/SCANIMATEDVDCOMPLETO Alt URL]</ref>

Likewise, Hanna-Barbera was perhaps the first proponent of [[digital ink and paint]], a process wherein animators' drawings were scanned into computers and colored using software. Led by [[Marc Levoy]], Hanna-Barbera began developing a computerized digital ink and paint system in 1979 to  help bypass much of the time-consuming labor of painting and photographing cels.<ref name="digital ink and paint">{{Cite book |last=Jones, Angie. |title=Thinking Animation: Bridging the Gap Between 2D and CG |date=2007 |publisher=Thomson Course Technology |isbn=978-1-59863-260-6 |location=Boston, MA |oclc=228168598}}</ref> The process was implemented on a third of Hanna-Barbera's animated programs, televised feature films and specials from 1982 through 1996.<ref name="digital ink and paint" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=1976 Charles Goodwin Sands Memorial Medal |url=https://graphics.stanford.edu/~levoy/sands_award.html |access-date=August 20, 2020 |website=graphics.stanford.edu}}</ref>

===Sound effects===
Hanna-Barbera was known for its large library of sound effects that modern audiences are now used to, which have been featured in exhibitions at the [[Norman Rockwell Museum]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Norman Rockwell Museum Presents "Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning" |url=https://www.nrm.org/2016/12/norman-rockwell-museum-presents-hanna-barbera-architects-saturday-morning/ |publisher=Norman Rockwell Museum |date=December 20, 2016 |access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>

==Ownership==
After Hanna-Barbera's partnership with Screen Gems ended in 1966, it was sold to Taft Broadcasting,<ref name="NYT1966"/> where it remained its owner until 1991 when Turner Broadcasting System acquired the company and its library for its flagship network, Cartoon Network.<ref>{{cite news |title=COMPANY NEWS; Hanna-Barbera Sale Is Weighed |work=The New York Times |date=July 20, 1991| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/20/business/company-news-hanna-barbera-sale-is-weighed.html?scp=9&sq=Hanna-Barbera&st=cse |access-date=August 19, 2010}}</ref><ref name="NYT1992" /> In 1996, Turner merged with Time Warner, then WarnerMedia, now Warner Bros. Discovery.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://ir.timewarner.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=70972&p=irol-faq|title=FAQs – Time Warner – Investor Relations – Time Warner Inc.|access-date=June 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610120753/http://ir.timewarner.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=70972&p=irol-faq|archive-date=June 10, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{Main|List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Cartoon|Companies|Film|United States}}
* [[List of Hanna-Barbera characters]]
* [[List of films based on Hanna-Barbera cartoons]]
* [[List of Hanna-Barbera-based video games]]
* [[Hanna-Barbera in amusement parks]]
* ''[[List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions#Hanna–Barbera Classic Collection|Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection]]''
* [[Boomerang (TV network)|Boomerang]]
* [[Golden age of American animation]]
* [[Animation in the United States in the television era]]
* [[Laugh track]]
* [[List of animation studios owned by Warner Bros. Discovery]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Barbera |first=Joseph |year=1994 |title=My Life in 'Toons: From Flatbush to Bedrock in Under a Century |location=Atlanta, GA |publisher=[[Turner Publishing]] |isbn=1-57036-042-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/mylifeintoonsfro00barb}}
* {{cite book |last=Barrier |first=Michael |year=2003 |title=Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-802079-0}}
* {{cite book |last1=Burke |first1=Timothy |last2=Burke |first2=Kevin |year=1998 |title=Saturday Morning Fever: Growing up with Cartoon Culture |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |isbn=0-312-16996-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/saturdaymorningf00burk}}
* {{cite book |last=Hanna |first=William |year=1999 |title=A Cast of Friends |location=New York |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=0-306-80917-6}}
* Lawrence, Guy (2006). [https://www.spectropop.com/HBR/index.htm Yogi Bear's Nuggets: A Hanna-Barbera 45 Guide]. Spectropop.com.
* {{cite book |last1=Lehman |first1=Christopher P. |title=American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programs, 1961–1973 |chapter=The Cartoons of 1961–1962 |year=2007 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-0-7864-5142-5 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WlEjmDkdc08C&pg=PA28}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.warnerbros.com/brands/hanna-barbera Hanna-Barbera] at [[Warner Bros.]]
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/www2.warnerbros.com/hannabarbera/|title=Hanna-Barbera}}
* [https://archive.today/20121206005731/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Hanna-Barbera_Studios/ The Big Cartoon Database: Hanna-Barbera Studios Directory]
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.hanna-barbera.com|title=Hanna-Barbera}}

{{Hanna-Barbera}}
{{Cartoon Network}}
{{Warner Bros.}}
{{Warner Bros. Discovery}}
{{Warner Bros. animation and comics}}
{{Animation industry in the United States}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Hanna-Barbera| ]]
[[Category:1957 establishments in California]]
[[Category:2001 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:1966 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:1987 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:1991 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:1996 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Defunct American animation studios]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 2001]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1957]]
[[Category:Annie Award winners]]
[[Category:Companies based in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Entertainment companies based in California]]
[[Category:Entertainment companies disestablished in 2001]]
[[Category:Entertainment companies established in 1957]]
[[Category:Filmmaking duos]]
[[Category:Mass media companies disestablished in 2001]]
[[Category:Mass media companies established in 1957]]
[[Category:Taft Broadcasting]]
[[Category:Turner Broadcasting System]]
[[Category:Television production companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Warner Bros.]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. divisions]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Discovery]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Discovery brands]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Film production companies based in California]]