The iconic Cartoon Network Studio building officially shuts down, marking the end of an era

The Cartoon Network Studios office in California shut its doors this August 1 and has moved its operational base to the nearby WB office in a strategic move. The news was unofficially released by the former manager of CNS, Brian A Miller, in a tweet. The merger between Warner Brothers and Discovery continues to make realignments and changes within the organization, trying to achieve a “streamlined structure”.

While no official announcement has come from the parent company, the social media X (formerly Twitter) is flooded with images of teams assembled outside the Burbank building and reactions from fans. Many former CNS staff, fans, and animation industry personnel have expressed regrets and memories in the thread.

Cartoon Network, which started as Hanna-Barbera, has been through a long journey with many changes and mergers, and Cartoon Network Studios celebrated all its achievements on July 18. The Studios, which originated in July 1994, acquired the Burbank building in 1999 and opened doors for operations in May 2000.

---

Cartoon Network Studios is moving its operations out of its Burbank building

Ex-General Manager of CNS Brian Miller announced in his tweet dated July 9 about the closing of the CNS building as a reply to another tweet with an image of the structure. He further informed that employees had been asked to vacate the premises by August 1. The team is expected to move into the Warner Brothers building to work together as a single animation unit.

In response to Miller’s message, Craig McCracken, the creator of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and The Powerpuff Girls, said that he and Genndy Tartakovsky had helped pick the building and suggest design ideas for the office spaces. Furthermore, Craig accepted that he was sad to see it go.

Senior animator Carol Wyatt told Animation Magazine that she had worked when the company was known as Hanna-Barbera and had handled multiple projects with Craig in the Burbank building. She further revealed that the stairwell inside the iconic building was graffitied by each employee who had worked in the office.

---

Reasons behind the shut down

There are rumors that the decision to shut down the legendary Burbank building aligns with the rising real estate prices and commercial space interest rates. The Cartoon Network Studios office building is a 43000-square-foot retail space in a prime location.

Located at 300 North 3rd Street, the building was a commercial bakery renovated to suit the designs of the CNS office. Legendary animation expert Joseph Barbera inaugurated the building on August 24, 2023, to be run by Miller and Jennifer Pelphrey.

While the mergers have led to streamlining of the studio, the above announcement has shocked employees and fans alike. However, an article from Forbes discussed the rising interest rates since the pandemic, which has affected commercial spaces more than the housing sector and warehouses.

In 2022, speculations rose around the closing of the Warner Brothers Cartoon Network division, giving rise to "RIP" tweets from fans. This assumption was in answer to a media report that stated that Warner Brothers Television Group was downsizing the company with a 26% job cut.

At the time, Cartoon Network spokesperson refuted the rumors in an interview with exchange4media, declaring the department will continue to create its content under the flagship of WBTG. The shutdown of the building went through this August.