Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe is a British animation studio headquartered in London. The studio operates within Warner Bros. Television Group, itself part of Warner Bros. Discovery, and is associated with the development and production of animated television series, shorts, pilots, films, and related projects for the European and wider EMEA market. Its corporate history reflects the evolution of Warner’s European animation infrastructure: it was established in 2007 as an EMEA sister studio to the American Cartoon Network Studios and initially operated under the name Great Marlborough Productions. It was subsequently known as Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe and then Cartoon Network Studios Europe. The studio’s early identity was closely connected to Cartoon Network’s European commissioning and development activities. Its purpose was to identify, develop, and produce animated projects for audiences outside the United States while remaining connected to Cartoon Network’s global creative and distribution system. The London base placed the studio in a major European media and animation center and enabled it to work with creators and production partners in the region. On 7 April 2021, WarnerMedia announced that the studio would be renamed Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. The change revived the Hanna-Barbera name in a European studio context and linked the unit to the legacy of the original Hollywood animation company founded by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The rebranding did not mean that the London studio was the original Hanna-Barbera company; rather, it placed the historical name within Warner’s contemporary animation organization. Hanna-Barbera branding had already appeared on selected Warner productions based on classic Hanna-Barbera properties, including several Scooby-Doo direct-to-video films, The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!, and the 2017 reboot of Wacky Races. The first projects identified as being greenlit under the new Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe name were a film and a new television series connected to The Amazing World of Gumball. The proposed series ultimately became the seventh season of the original program and was given the title The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball. The studio’s documented body of work also includes television series, shorts, pilots, films, and short films, with projects associated with Cartoon Network’s European development pipeline including Fat Dog Mendoza, The Cramp Twins, Robotboy, Chop Socky Chooks, and Hero: 108. As a brand, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe is positioned less as a consumer-facing standalone label than as a creative and production identity within Warner Bros. Discovery’s animation portfolio. Its role combines original development, franchise-linked production, and support for Cartoon Network and related Warner channels and platforms. Its public profile is therefore shaped primarily by the animated properties it develops and produces, its relationship with Warner’s international television operations, and the continued use of Hanna-Barbera as a heritage name within the broader Warner animation ecosystem.

Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe is a London-based British animation studio within Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. Its organizational history began on 18 September 2007, when it was established as an EMEA sister studio of Cartoon Network Studios. The unit was initially known as Great Marlborough Productions and was created to support animation development and production for the European and wider EMEA region. The studio later adopted the name Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe, reflecting its role in developing animated properties for Cartoon Network’s international ecosystem. It was subsequently known as Cartoon Network Studios Europe. During this period, its activities included the development and production of television series, shorts, pilots, films, and short films. Projects associated with its production and development history include Fat Dog Mendoza, The Cramp Twins, Robotboy, Chop Socky Chooks, and Hero: 108. These projects formed part of the broader European Cartoon Network animation pipeline rather than a separate consumer product portfolio marketed independently from the network. The studio’s identity changed significantly in 2021. On 7 April of that year, WarnerMedia announced that Cartoon Network Studios Europe would be rebranded Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. The new name honored William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, whose original Hollywood animation studio became an important part of Warner’s inherited animation and character-franchise library. The use of the name in London represented a contemporary extension of the heritage brand and should be distinguished from the original Hanna-Barbera studio itself. The Hanna-Barbera name had already been used on selected Warner Bros. Animation productions based on classic properties. Examples cited in connection with the brand include the fifth through thirteenth Scooby-Doo direct-to-video animated films, The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!, and the 2017 reboot of Wacky Races. The European studio’s rebranding therefore placed it within an existing Warner strategy of using historic animation identities alongside current production units. The first projects greenlit under the new name were described as a film and a new series based on The Amazing World of Gumball. The series eventually became the seventh season of the original program and was titled The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball. This connection gave the renamed studio a direct association with one of the most prominent Cartoon Network properties developed through the European studio system. Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe’s business role is primarily creative and production-oriented. It is not documented as an independently listed company or as a consumer retailer. Instead, it functions as a studio brand within Warner Bros. Discovery’s international television and animation structure. Its work may involve original animated concepts, returning series, shorts, pilots, films, and productions tied to established Warner or Cartoon Network properties. The studio’s history is consequently best understood as the continuation and rebranding of Warner’s European Cartoon Network animation development operation.

• 2021

  Rebranded as Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

  [1]Hanna-Barbera Studios Europeen.wikipedia.org

  WarnerMedia announced on 7 April 2021 that the European studio would be renamed Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe in recognition of the historic Hanna-Barbera animation legacy.

• 2021

  Gumball projects announced under the new name

  [1]Hanna-Barbera Studios Europeen.wikipedia.org

  The first projects greenlit under the new identity included a film and a new series based on The Amazing World of Gumball; the series ultimately became the seventh season, The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball.

• 2007

  European sister studio established

  [1]Hanna-Barbera Studios Europeen.wikipedia.org

  The studio was founded on 18 September 2007 as an EMEA sister studio of Cartoon Network Studios, initially operating as Great Marlborough Productions.

• Development and Cartoon Network identities adopted

  [1]Hanna-Barbera Studios Europeen.wikipedia.org

  The unit operated under the names Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe and later Cartoon Network Studios Europe as its role in European Cartoon Network animation development expanded.

A London-based Warner Bros. Discovery animation studio focused on developing and producing original and franchise-related animated content for Cartoon Network and the wider European and EMEA market.

• Animated television franchise

  The Amazing World of Gumball

  The Amazing World of Gumball is a Cartoon Network animated franchise associated with the studio’s European development and production history. Under the Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe name, a film and a new series connected to the property were among the first projects announced after the 2021 rebrand. The new series ultimately became the seventh season of the original program and was titled The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball.

• Animated television series

  The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball

  The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball is the title ultimately given to the new Gumball series initially described as a project based on The Amazing World of Gumball. It became the seventh season of the original show and was identified as one of the first projects greenlit under the Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe name.

• Animated television project

  Fat Dog Mendoza

  Fat Dog Mendoza is listed among projects connected with the studio’s earlier European Cartoon Network development and production history. Available reference material identifies the title but does not provide sufficient detail here about its format, release history, or continuing status.

• Animated television series

  The Cramp Twins

  The Cramp Twins is listed among the animated television projects associated with the studio’s predecessor identities. The available material confirms its connection to the European Cartoon Network studio history but does not establish additional production or commercial details for this dossier.

• Animated television series

  Robotboy

  Robotboy is identified as one of the projects in the studio’s broader European Cartoon Network animation record. The supplied sources do not provide enough detail to describe its production role, launch date, or current availability more precisely.

• Animated television series

  Chop Socky Chooks

  Chop Socky Chooks is listed as part of the studio’s historical project portfolio under its earlier Cartoon Network-related identities. The available reference confirms the title’s association but does not support further claims about its production chronology or performance.

• Animated television series

  Hero: 108

  Hero: 108 appears among the animated projects associated with the European studio’s earlier development and production activities. No additional details are included here beyond that documented association.

• 2021

  Rebrand from Cartoon Network Studios Europe to Hanna-Barbera Studios EuropeStrategy

  Background

  WarnerMedia changed the name of its European animation studio to connect the London-based unit with the heritage of Hanna-Barbera and the broader Warner animation portfolio.

  Action taken

  The studio adopted the Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe identity on 7 April 2021.

  Aftermath

  The first projects announced under the new identity included a film and a new Gumball series, with the series later becoming the seventh season of the original program.

  Source

1. 1Hanna-Barbera Studios Europeen.wikipedia.org