David Zaslav bids farewell to Warner Bros. Discovery, ending a tumultuous four-and-a-half-year tenure that brought enormous upheaval to the company and, perhaps nowhere more visibly, to its famed animation operations.
Variety has obtained a farewell video that Zaslav sent to WBD employees ahead of the company’s acquisition by Paramount Skydance, which is expected to close on Tuesday. In the message, the outgoing CEO looks back on his time at the company, thanks employees and pays tribute to the artists and artisans who “imagined something that didn’t exist and then found a way to bring it to life.”
For animation workers and fans, Zaslav’s legacy at Warner Bros. is considerably more complicated, to put it kindly.
His arrival was followed by a brutal period of cost-cutting, including layoffs, the consolidation of Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, the removal of dozens of animated titles from HBO Max and the cancellation of numerous projects. Almost finished Scoob! vacation den was abandoned in 2022, while the completed project Coyote vs. Acme was infamous for a tax deduction the following year despite strong drug testing (drawing the ire of its canine protagonist). Warner eventually cleared the latter film for sale, and Ketchup Entertainment released it theatrically this year.
Cartoon Network left its longtime headquarters in Burbank, Warner shut down the Cartoon Network website and streaming service Boomerang, and dozens of titles were removed from streaming, including hundreds of classic Looney Tunes shorts.
Only recently have more encouraging developments appeared on the feature side. Under Zaslav, Warner revived its theatrical animation business as Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and hired former DreamWorks Animation chief Bill Damaschke to run it. The studio now has an ambitious slate that includes The Cat in the Hat, Bad fairies, The Lunar Chronicles, Oh, the places you will go!and the original feature film by Vivienne Medrano Prehistory. The success of this reconstruction will largely be decided after Zaslav’s departure.
Variety’s transcription of Zaslav’s full farewell message follows:
Hello everyone. I’m here in the picturesque Loft on the Warner Bros lot. in Burbank. To the uninitiated, it might look like an empty room. But people here know what spaces like this can become. For decades, worlds have been built here. The sets went up, down and gave way to something completely different.
If these walls could talk, they would tell stories of extraordinary creativity, craftsmanship and collaboration. They told stories about people who imagined something that didn’t exist and then found a way to bring it to life. The late nights, the early mornings, the commitment to making something the best possible.
This is what you do every day, all over the world. You start with an idea and, through your talent, expertise and a ton of hard work, you turn it into something real. Something that connects with people, stays with them and becomes part of their lives. Over the years, you’ve created countless moments like this. Stories and characters, games and experiences that have become an integral part of our culture. Journalism that helped people understand the world around them. Sports moments that brought people to the edge of their seats and sometimes a front-row seat to history itself.
But none of these moments happened on their own. Behind each of these moments is the work, talent and commitment of everyone who does their part to bring it all to life. And that’s what matters. Honoring the work we’ve been given, doing our part to move it forward, and knowing that the work continues.
For me, it was a great honor to be at your side. I hope you’re proud of what you’ve built, what you’ve created, and the role you’ve played in crafting an extraordinary story.
What has happened is prologue. The future awaits each of you. For your spirit, your ingenuity, your creativity and your courage.
I can’t wait to see what you do in the years to come. I am very grateful for all these years at Warner Bros. Discovery, for the wonderful experiences of creating content, telling stories, and getting to know each other with so many of you. Thank you so much.
Gn entert
