In the upcoming months the streaming service MAX is set to remove beloved Cartoon Network shows with little to no explanation. This mass removal of cartoons is just another example of streaming services and production companies in general disregarding animated projects.
Well known titles such as Ben 10, Steven Universe, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Chowder and the 2016 Powderpuff Girls have either been removed already or are going to be removed fairly soon. These shows are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who have made a statement about the removal stating licensing expiration. The choice of whether they will renew them or not and where these shows will be available has yet to be said. This isn’t the first time Warner Bros. hasn’t renewed licensing or found new homes for their animated shows.
August 18th, 2022 at 9pm PST, the popular Cartoon Network show “OK K.O.” was removed off MAX with very minimal warning. Since being removed the show has yet to reappear on any other streaming services. The reason given was that the company was trying to save on residual payouts from Warner Bros. Residual payouts are the final sum due at the end of a loan term to own the asset. Another Cartoon Network show that has faced this treatment is “Over the Garden Wall.” That show was removed off of Max in August of last year for cost cutting reasons, but thankfully it has now found a solid home on Hulu. MAX and Warner Bros. have a history of removing and not prioritizing animated material.
Last year Warner Bros. officially canceled the movie “ACME vs. Coyote.” It was an animated/live action film that was canceled last minute by the studio to get a tax write off. There’s a strong connection between the two, both concerning Warner Bros. and how they take care of and control their animated projects. In August of this year Cartoon Network’s website, along with one of their buildings were shut down. The website shut down was due to Warner Bros. decision to redirect their users to HBO’s streaming service, MAX. The same service they are now taking their shows off of.
Animation is already a suffering industry, and studios’ disregard for animators isn’t helping. People like animation whether big studios think so or not. It’s not just an art form for children, many adults love animation and find comfort in it. In this case these are “childrens” TV but they are shows that came out almost a decade or more ago that a lot of people grew up watching. Personally it’s nice to go back and rewatch shows that remind one of their childhood so it kinda sucks when studios take that away and try to play it off like it’s nothing.
It is just kids shows and since they are popular there’s a good chance they’ll show up on some other streaming service. But this isn’t just about the shows, it’s the fact studios could care less about animated projects and the people who make them. The animation industry employs hundreds of very talented people who spend hours of their time for just a few seconds of animation. Studios are always wanting to cut costs and find the easy way out but animation shouldn’t be punished for greedy studio owners.
MAX shouldn’t get the whole blame for this problem in many ways. It’s everyone’s fault for these shows’ removal. But they do play a part in this, other streaming services on the scene are doing so much for animation. Netflix for example just picked up an YouTube indie animated show, The Amazing Digital Circus, with no strings attached. The creators of the show have full control and are still able to post their work on YouTube, Netflix has no control over the show. Actions like this actively help animation and it’s a shame more companies aren’t taking this route. There is always room for improvement and betterment within the entertainment industry but “quietly” removing beloved shows and acting like it’s not a big deal is just showing how little studios care.