A New 'Looney Tunes' Feature Is in the Works, and Its Inspiration Might Surprise You

Warner Bros. is steadily putting ‘Looney Tunes‘ back on the big screen, and the studio’s current slate suggests a new ‘Looney Tunes’ movie is only the beginning. After a run of shelved projects, theatrical animation is suddenly a priority again.

The latest sign arrives on November 6, when the all-new short ‘Daffy Season’ opens in theaters ahead of ‘The Cat in the Hat’. Directed by Todd Wilderman and Hamish Grieve, it is the first theatrical ‘Looney Tunes’ short in over a decade, and it follows a bewildered Daffy Duck who discovers that everyone has become far more interested in soccer season than duck season. The short also features some of the last ‘Looney Tunes’ voice work by Eric Bauza, who died in October at age 46.

The route back to cinemas has been anything but smooth. Warner Bros. shelved ‘The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie’, starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, and it was the independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment that rescued it and gave it a theatrical release. The film opened with $3.1 million, a modest start that nonetheless became Ketchup’s best at the time.

Ketchup then repeated the trick with ‘Coyote vs. Acme’, a hybrid comedy that Warner Bros. had shelved for a tax write-off. Ketchup acquired the rights for about $50 million, and the film launched with more than $15 million in ticket sales before climbing past $100 million globally. Strong reviews and fan support helped turn it into a rare bright spot in a rough year for the studio.

Now there is word of another big-screen project. TheWrap reports that Warner Bros. Pictures Animation has a new ‘Looney Tunes’ feature in development that is described as being in the vein of ‘Ocean’s 11’. No writers, director, cast, plot or release date have been announced, so the heist-movie comparison is the only creative hint so far.

The film sits alongside several other projects drawn from the studio’s vault. Those include a ‘Tom and Jerry’ feature, a new ‘The Flintstones’ project that would be the first in computer animation, and a ‘Speedy Gonzales’ movie from ‘Book of Life’ director Jorge R. Gutiérrez.

The feature also fits a longer-term plan. Studio president Bill Damaschke has said that bringing back theatrical ‘Looney Tunes’ shorts was his mission from the day he arrived, and the idea behind the shorts was that they would eventually lead to a ‘Looney Tunes’ feature.

The ‘Ocean’s 11’ name carries plenty of weight at Warner Bros. The original film from 1960 starred Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, and it launched a high-class heist franchise that has attracted A-list talent ever since. The 2001 remake, directed by Steven Soderbergh, featured George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts, and grossed around $450 million worldwide.

The franchise is also active again, with a prequel from Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper dated for June 25, 2027. Cooper wrote the screenplay and is directing, and Josh Gad is among the cast. A ‘Looney Tunes’ film borrowing the same slick, ensemble-driven heist energy would be a notable change from the characters’ usual chaos and slapstick.

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation is led by president and chief creative officer Bill Damaschke, a longtime DreamWorks Animation veteran. The division began in 2023, replaced Warner Animation Group, and was created under the creative guidance of former film chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca.

The studio now sits under Skydance, which owns three animation studios following its deal with Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery: Paramount Animation, Skydance Animation and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. Skydance has said each studio will stay open and operate independently for now.

For a franchise with a history stretching back to the ‘Looney Tunes’ and ‘Merrie Melodies’ shorts of the 1930s, the next few years could look very different from the last decade. A slate that includes a short, a heist-inspired feature and a revived ‘Speedy Gonzales’ suggests the studio sees real value in its oldest characters.