Tell me this isn't true!

[DisneyFan09]

I just had a huge argument with a guy at Blockbuster who said that Disney owns the rights to Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry. I of course disagreed and told him I would find out on my Disboards and call him later so please tell me this isn't true!

 

[Chuck S]

Looney Tunes is Warner Brothers, Tom & Jerry (I think) are MGM, and Scooby Doo was Hanna Barbera, I don't know which studio did the Scooby Movies.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Scooby and friends is over at Universal Studios. So I would have to guess that is who made those wonderful :yawn: :sleep: films.

 

[Another Voice]

Universal bought Hanna-Barbara a while back (there had been a close relationship between the companies for a time anyway). Tom & Jerry - if they're still around, is likely owned at the moment by MGM. That studio, however, will probably be picked up by either Sony (Columbia Studios) or the brand new NBC Universal.

Who will own the rights to Mickey Mouse this time next year is still an open question.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by DisneyFan09
I just had a huge argument with a guy at Blockbuster who said that Disney owns the rights to Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry. I of course disagreed and told him I would find out on my Disboards and call him later so please tell me this isn't true!

That guy at Blockbuster seems to be an excellent source of misinfomation. And, unfortunately, there's some additional misinformation in the replies to the OP.

Scooby Doo was made by Hanna-Barbera Productions, when it was a unit of Taft Broadcasting. In 1991, Hanna-Barbera was acquired by Ted Turner (Turner Broadcasting). In 1996, Turner Broadcasting merged with Time Warner. So, today, the rights to Scooby Doo (and the rest of what was once Hanna-Barbera) are owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., a unit of Time Warner.

Universal Studios does not own Hanna-Barbera, and never has. There used to be a Hanna-Barbera attraction at Universal Studios Florida, but it was made possible by a licensing deal, not through ownership.

The Looney Tunes characters have been associated with Warner Bros. as long as Porky, Bugs, and the rest of the gang have been around. And they're still owned by Warner Bros., which, as noted earlier, is part of Time Warner.

Tom & Jerry where created by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera back in their Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) days, before they had their own company. MGM, not Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, owned the rights to Tom & Jerry. Although Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is still around today, the company sold its movie library to Ted Turner in 1986. If you read my paragraph about Scooby Doo, you can probably guess who now owns the rights to Tom & Jerry. Yes, it's Time Warner, due to the merger with Turner.

Disney does not own the rights to Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes or Tom & Jerry.

Time Warner owns them all.

 

[DisneyFan09]

Thanks for the replies, I knew I could count on you guys. I was sure that he was wrong but you never know and there's nothing worse than being wrong after insisting (strongly) that you are right!

 

[rocketriter]

The Blockbuster staff is not a good source of movie information. Recently I went into a Blockbuster looking for a particular film to share with my kids. When I couldn't find it on the shelf, I asked a staffer to look up Errol Flynn's "Robin Hood." The guy gave me a funny look and asked, "You mean HE made one, too?"

 

[Planogirl]

Originally posted by Another Voice
Who will own the rights to Mickey Mouse this time next year is still an open question.

How true, how true...

As for licensing, Hanna Barbera licenses must still be intact with Universal. It's easy to find the Flintstones and Scooby at the Universal parks.

I WISH that someone else owned the Looney Tunes. It's apparent that Warner Brothers or whoever is clueless on how to handle a simply great set of characters. We're all losing out on their ineptitude IMO.

 

[Micca]

He is mistaken