Jellystone! is an American animated television comedy series developed by C. H. Greenblatt for HBO Max. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and features reimagined versions of various characters by Hanna-Barbera. It premiered on July 29, 2021.
Jellystone! is the first series to feature many of Hanna-Barbera's trademark characters (such as Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound) since 1991's Yo Yogi!, the first production since the closure of the Hanna-Barbera studios, and also the first TV series featuring them without the respective studios' founders William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who died in 2001 and 2006, respectively.
The first season consisted of 21 episodes with most episodes combined in pairs, but was produced as separate 11-minute episodes, including the Halloween episode "Spell Book". The second season was released on March 17, 2022. On March 2, 2022, it was announced that it was renewed for an additional 40 episodes. There will also be a two-part special that will feature cameos of Cartoon Network characters. The third season will first air on February 22, 2024 on Cartoon Network in Latin America and Brazil.
Overview[]
The series is a reimagined take on the legendary Hanna-Barbera brand, focusing on a modernized ensemble of its characters as they live, work, and play together but have to solve the problems they have.
All of them have specific roles in the community. Huckleberry Hound is the Mayor of Jellystone, Yogi Bear is a surgeon, Doggie Daddy is a lighthouse keeper who is overprotective towards Augie Doggie, Jabberjaw and Loopy De Loop work in Magilla Gorilla's haberdashery called "Magilla's", Top Cat and the Hoagy's Alley cats continue with their scam activities, El Kabong doubles as a teacher and superhero, Shazzan is a ticket seller at Jellystone Theatre and does various vendor jobs, and The Banana Splits are cartoonish criminals.
The episode "Sweet Dreams" claims that Jellystone is nestled between Lake Jellystone and New Bedrock.
Production[]
Jellystone! was developed by C. H. Greenblatt, who also created Chowder and Harvey Beaks for Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon respectively. Production on the series according to Greenblatt began in January 2020, with Unikitty! director Careen Ingle and former Harvey Beaks writer and storyboard artist Hannah Ayoubi. According to Greenblatt's Tumblr, this show has been in early development for at least a year and a half. Greenblatt serves as executive producer alongside Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and The Looney Tunes Show creator and Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe president Sam Register.
Greenblatt grew up on a lot of Hanna-Barbera content during the 1970s, and gained a deep respect for the brand from there, believing that its expansive array of characters is what really made it work. Whilst working on the series, he and his crew decided to have every single character exist in a single town together, changing some of their core traits to make them more likeable while adapting to modern audiences, instead of recreating their past adventures. They also managed to weave in the action-based characters, such as Jonny Quest and Shazzan, whereas many of the obscure ones, ranging from the Biskitts to Yankee Doodle Pigeon, were reduced to cameos.
In a July interview with Animation Magazine during the series development, Greenblatt stated that they had just outsourced to their animation departments and that the show could debut in 2021.
Jeff Bergman said that he was voicing Yogi Bear amongst others for the series.
The show's HBO Max premiere, July 29, 2021, was announced, as well as the rest of the voice cast.
Unlike Greenblatt's other two shows, which utilized traditional hand-drawn animation, Jellystone! was animated with Adobe Animate by Snipple Animation Studios and Cheeky Little Media. Ben Gruber, who co-created Superjail! for Adult Swim, is the show's story editor.
Greenblatt called the series a "love letter" in an interview with Greg Ehrbar on Jerry Beck's animationscoop.com but "not a nostalgia show", though he had filled the episodes with classic cameos. He did not see the series as a replacement for the original shows and characters, but hoped that the entire Hanna-Barbera library might someday become available easily. Greenblatt also compared the overall vibe of the show to season five of The Simpsons, the point where that series transitioned from a domestic sitcom to a wacky ensemble cast-based show. '