Cartoon Network’s Last Gasp
The irreverent animation factory once cranked out hits, talent and profits. But with David Zaslav’s retreat from streaming kids programming, the future of the network is in question.
One night in August, a group of animators headed out on foot through the streets of Burbank, California, cloaked in Mission: Impossible-style black outfits. At about 10 p.m., the crew arrived at its destination, a deserted office disconcertingly close to the neighborhood police station. For decades, the building had served as the bustling studio of Cartoon Network, which, like much of the cable universe, has fallen on challenging times. Until recently, the facility was a place where young animators daydreamed of launching their creations into the world. Now it sat empty and foreboding—another reminder of the grisly cost cuts that had been sweeping through Cartoon Network’s parent company, Warner Bros.