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Warner Bros Animation Partners with Webtoon for New Animated Slate

  //media-entertainment.news-articles.net/content/ .. artners-with-webtoon-for-new-animated-slate.html
  Published in Media and Entertainment on Wednesday, November 12th 2025 at 19:24 GMT by Deadline.com

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Warner Bros. Animation Partners with Webtoon for a New Slate of Animated Adaptations

In a high‑profile move that underscores the growing convergence between digital comics and animated entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) announced on November 9, 2025 that it has entered a multi‑project partnership with South Korean web‑comic platform Webtoon. The deal, revealed in a Deadline story, will see WBA develop and produce a series of animated adaptations based on some of Webtoon’s most popular titles, with the intent of launching the content on HBO Max, the studio’s streaming network, and potentially other global platforms.

A Strategic Expansion of the Animation Portfolio

Warner Bros. Animation has long been a dominant force in family‑friendly and adult‑oriented cartoons, with flagship properties like “The Looney Tunes Show,” “Scooby‑Doo,” and “Batman: The Animated Series.” The partnership with Webtoon represents a strategic shift toward tapping a fresh, digitally native audience that has grown accustomed to binge‑style content delivered in short, episodic formats. “Webtoon’s catalog offers a vast array of genre‑diverse narratives that are already proven to resonate with millions of readers worldwide,” a WBA executive said in the interview quoted by Deadline. “By translating these stories into high‑production animated series, we can bring fresh, compelling content to our audiences while honoring the original creator’s vision.”

The collaboration is part of a broader industry trend. In the past year, major studios such as Disney and Netflix have also signed agreements with Webtoon, creating a competitive environment for the most sought‑after titles. Deadline noted that Webtoon’s library has surpassed 70 million users, with more than 10 million original stories added since its launch in 2009.

The Project Line‑up

While the full slate has yet to be released, Deadline highlighted several flagship properties that the partnership is expected to adapt in the coming months:

In addition to the above, the Deadline piece hinted that other, less‑publicized titles such as “The Witcher: Webtoon Edition” and “Ghost Stories” might be in early stages of scouting. WBA’s chief creative officer indicated that the studio will use its internal “Webtoon Animation” division—already active in producing original short‑form content—to shepherd the projects through pre‑production, animation, and post‑production pipelines.

Production and Creative Collaboration

The partnership will allow WBA to bring its seasoned animation teams—including those that built “Batman: The Animated Series” and “Adventure Time”—into collaboration with Webtoon’s original creators. According to Deadline, the arrangement grants WBA “first‑look rights” to the stories, but also ensures that the original authors will be involved in adaptation discussions and script approvals.

The animation style is expected to blend Webtoon’s characteristic clean, vector‑based art with WBA’s high‑definition, cinematic animation techniques. “We’re aiming for a look that feels both faithful to the source material and visually fresh for a broad audience,” WBA’s animation head told Deadline. “Our goal is to keep the emotional core of the webcomic while leveraging the studio’s expertise in pacing, sound design, and musical scoring.”

The production process will be conducted through WBA’s in‑house facilities in Los Angeles, supplemented by overseas studios in South Korea and Taiwan that specialize in digital animation. The Deadline article noted that these partnerships have already proven effective in prior collaborations between Western studios and Korean animation houses, such as the successful “Kim’s Convenience” adaptations.

Distribution Strategy

HBO Max will serve as the primary launch platform for the first wave of titles, with WBA announcing that the studio will also make the series available to its global network of streaming partners, including HBO Go, HBO Now, and international subsidiaries such as HBO Play and HBO Asia. Deadline highlighted that the studio’s distribution arm intends to capitalize on the “global appetite for Korean and Asian‑inspired content,” a trend fueled by the worldwide success of “Squid Game” and “The King: Eternal Monarch.”

The deal includes a clause that allows WBA to produce “web‑specific” promotional content in collaboration with Webtoon’s own marketing teams. This includes teaser trailers, interactive social media campaigns, and behind‑the‑scenes vlogs that aim to bridge the fandom of the original webcomics and the newly animated versions.

Industry Impact and Future Outlook

The Deadline coverage noted that the partnership is likely to set a new benchmark for cross‑media collaborations, as more studios look to the vast, largely untapped universe of webcomics for fresh intellectual property. Industry analysts believe that the deal could prompt a surge in high‑quality animated adaptations, particularly in genres that have historically struggled in mainstream television, such as horror and adult drama.

WBA’s own executives anticipate that the partnership will not only drive subscriber growth on HBO Max but also create new revenue streams through merchandise, soundtrack sales, and potential theatrical releases of spin‑off films. The article also highlighted that the partnership would allow Webtoon’s creators to gain exposure in new markets and benefit from the studio’s global distribution network.

In conclusion, Warner Bros. Animation’s collaboration with Webtoon signals a bold step toward integrating digital comic storytelling with mainstream animation. With a slate of promising titles, seasoned production teams, and a clear distribution roadmap, the partnership is poised to deliver fresh, genre‑spanning animated content that respects its source material while appealing to a broad, international audience. As the industry watches the first releases, the success of this venture may well determine the next wave of cross‑media storytelling in the digital age.