In 1992, Ted Turner revealed that Hanna-Barbera would revamp its production studio as Cartoon Network. With its standalone channel, they defined animation for all ages and Saturday morning cartoons. Then, on June 11, at Annecy, Cartoon Network, legends of past and present gathered for the network’s 25th anniversary. They shared about its humble beginnings and new cartoon announcements.
Cartoon Network: The Freedom to Create
Cartoon Network prepared an all-star creator lineup for the France event. It began with two of the studio’s original show creators, Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory) and Craig McCracken (PowerPuff Girls, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends). With their former show producer, Linda Simesky, they shared how Cartoon Network was formed through artistic integrity and ambition.
At the time, Hanna-Barbera Productions was run by business leaders and showrunners in their fifties. Tartakovsky told the audience, “There were no people our age running shows, so there were no opportunities.” McCracken added, “Showrunner wasn’t really a job you could get.”
After Time Warner purchased the studio in 1996, it continued running until early 2000. Cartoon Network changed its business model, allowing younger staff members to pitch their cartoons. From there, viewers experienced new art styles and storytelling. It inspired new animators to explore the world beyond Disney, MGM Animation, and even Warner Bros. themselves. “An artist should be empowered to create,” said Simesky.
The Network’s New and Returning Shows
Cartoon Network president Sam Register became the first presenter of their upcoming 2025 show lineup. DC’s comedy hero spin-off, Teen Titans Go!, has been renewed for its tenth season. He and his co-producers, Luke Cormican and Peggy Regan, will return for the series milestone.
Since late 2024, Ian Jones-Quartey (O.K. KO, Let’s Be Heroes) has been hyping Steven Universe fans about his wife, Rebecca Sugar, creating a follow-up series. She revealed the project’s name at Annecy, Lars of the Stars. Lars is one of Steven’s childhood friends who later became the captain of the Off-Colors. This series spin-off will feature the abnormal Gems and Beach City’s donut boy on their own adventure. Lars of the Stars is under development with Amazon Prime.
Before that, Sugar performed a new original song, summoning Fionna and Cake show writer Adam Muto. He informed me that the Adventure Time spin-off second season will focus more on Fionna’s home world. There will be less multiverse time-jumping, and the Huntress Wizard will have a larger role. This was followed by showrunner Audrey Diehl presenting the upcoming Adventure Time prequel, Adventure Time: Side Stories. The title sequence features a younger Finn and Jake. The buddy duo is accompanied by The Moldy Peaches performing their theme song.
The Amazing World of Gumball will have a King of the Hill revival of its own. On May 19, Cartoon Network and Hulu collaborated on a teaser video. It begins in a gray, dusty world until the camera reaches Gumball and Darwin’s bedroom. The boys awaken from the dust, with Darwin realizing they are late for school by 7 years. The teaser left fans intrigued by the glitched title logo. Theorists believe something sinister is happening in Elmore. Show creator Ben Bocquelet named the returning season The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball.
Another show making an unexpected return is McCracken’s Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. The original cartoon features a young boy named Mac who doesn’t want to separate from his imaginary friend, Bloo. The Foster’s Home allowed him to continue seeing him. The show’s final episode had Bloo’s caretaker, Frankie, convincing Mac to move on. Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends makes its series return as a preschool parody.
The final creator of the panel, Regular Show creator J.G. Quintel, will be returning to Cartoon Network. He withheld details of his hit cartoon’s continuation through a slideshow of cartoon food products. However, Quintel did give away details about his latest project, Super Mutant Magic Academy. In 2015, he met with original comic creator Jillian Tamaki. After falling in love with Super Mutant Magic Academy, he tries convincing her to make a show adaptation. Instead, Tamaki felt more comfortable with Quintel to tackle the challenge. Official artwork was later shared on ToonHive’s X(then Twitter).
