Development Originally titled
Tiny Tunes, the series was conceived by
Warner Bros. president
Terry Semel, who wanted to revitalize
Warner Bros. Animation by creating a show based on the
Looney Tunes series. He envisioned a story where the characters were either young versions or offspring of the original
Looney Tunes and
Merrie Melodies characters. In 1987, Warner Bros. approached
Amblin Entertainment chairman
Steven Spielberg to develop a film based on Semel's concept. During discussions with
Tom Ruegger, Spielberg wanted the new characters to resemble the older characters and reflect the sensibilities of the 1990s. Ruegger and Spielberg decided that the new characters would be similar to the
Looney Tunes characters but with no relation, with Spielberg involved with the creation of several of them. Warner Bros. Animation initially planned
Tiny Toon Adventures as an animated film, developing the project for two years. By December 1988, the studio had turned the project into a television series. In January 1989, Spielberg announced the series, Each production aspect required Spielberg's approval, and he wrote notes to the production team whenever he declined any. Each production unit created approximately 15 episodes during the first season. By late October 1990, the first season was nearly completed,
Writing In March 1989,
Paul Dini was hired as
story editor and tasked with developing the show's characters. Later that year, Sherri Stoner joined Dini as story editor, with the two writing stories together in sessions. The series was originally intended to consist of three six-minute shorts per episode, but ended up varying from a set of shorts to half-hour episodes. The episode "Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian" was co-written by Renee Carter, Amy Crosby, and Sarah Creek, who were fans of the series and in eighth grade at the time. Because the series did not focus on
Bugs Bunny,
Daffy Duck, and other
Looney Tunes characters, the writing process during development was difficult. Characters such as the
Tasmanian Devil and
Foghorn Leghorn were developed to represent adults who "talk too much or are stick-in-the-mud types" as foils for the Tiny Toons. Because the series was
syndicated, the writers could use physical humor that would be restricted by networks running
Saturday-morning cartoons. Despite this creative freedom, Spielberg declined to let
Montana Max and other characters use handguns and rifles. War toys, tanks, and bombs were also not allowed, with violence kept strictly to
anvils and dynamite.
Adult humor was also applied to continue the legacy of ''Looney Tunes. •
Joe Alaskey as
Plucky Duck and
Daffy Duck •
Don Messick as
Hamton J. Pig and
Porky Pig •
Danny Cooksey as
Montana Max •
Cree Summer as
Elmyra Duff and
Mary Melody •
Kath Soucie as
Fifi La Fume and Li'l Sneezer •
Maurice LaMarche as
Dizzy Devil and
Tazmanian Devil •
Rob Paulsen as
Arnold the Pit Bull and
Fowlmouth Designs and storyboards During development, Boyer created the original designs,
model sheets, poses, and turnarounds of 14 characters by emphasizing their heads and feet, with Gimeno assisting with character design and Ruegger suggesting the "demented" design of Sweetie Pie. Two character designs for Hamton J. Pig were created by Boyer and Jeff Pidgeon. Pidgeon's design was selected to differentiate the character from
Porky Pig. To allow Hamton J. Pig to scratch his head, approved model sheets were discarded to alter his proportions. Approximately 50 people worked on
storyboards, color keys, and character models, including storyboard artists Reardon, Minton, and Fitzgerald. Storyboard artists were assigned by an episode's director to illustrate one-act panels for two weeks. After the storyboards were finished, they were reviewed by Boyer and sent to Amblin for approval. Spielberg rejected several storyboards, demanding rewrites. Layout work was carried out over a two-week period, during which drawings were synchronized with the vocal performances, while key poses that included up to 40 drawings for some scenes were rendered. During this stage, Boyer revised the storyboards by drawing thumbnail poses to fix missing beats. In some episodes, the episode's director also served as the layout supervisor, overseeing the registration, field size, and backgrounds. Background designer Ted Blackman recreated the visual style of backgrounds from the late 1940s
Looney Tunes shorts.
Animation With the use of 25,000
cels per episode instead of the standard 10,000 cels,
Tiny Toon Adventures was made with a higher production value than standard television animation, allowing for more fluid movements. The animation also included a broader palette of colors than typical television cartoons, as well as fluid camera techniques and more detailed character textures. and
StarToons in
Chicago with ink-and-paint services provided by an animation studio in
Seoul. Warner Bros. executives were impressed with Startoons's work. with no
synthesizers used and no musical cues recycled from other cartoons. During post-production, the musical score and sound effects were mixed into each episode, and retakes were substituted for original shots in the print. Technicians completed an episode by cleaning up dirt, removing scratches, and balancing the color of an episode's print on the
telecine. == Promotion and release ==