History of Warner Brothers Cartoons: Warner's cartoons started out quietly in 1930, first as a stand-alone venture owned by Leon Schlesinger. For 3 years, Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising made some cartoon musicals for Schlesinger. The first Looney Tunes cartoon came in 1931 with Bosko. Then came Merrie Melodies, which were animated alongside contemporary jazz tunes.
Contract conflicts caused the two to part from Schlesinger in 1933. This led to hiring Jack King and Friz Freleng, who animated Buddy. The years after Harman and Ising left were a period of drab cartoons. Then came Tex Avery and the Termite Terrace, an animation unit that went fast, irreverent and insane. Warner Bros acquired Schlesinger's gig in 1944, and along came Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and a slew of other famous characters.
