Looney Tunes is an animated cartoon series produced by Warner Bros. It was Warner Bros.' first animated cartoon series, preceding the Merrie Melodies series. The name of the series is a variation on Silly Symphonies, the name of Walt Disney's concurrent series of music-based cartoon shorts. From 1942 until 1969, Looney Tunes was the most popular series of cartoon shorts in theaters, even more popular than any Disney films.