Looney Tunes began as a series of theatrical animated shorts produced for Warner Bros. in 1930. Together with the companion Merrie Melodies line, the cartoons introduced a rotating cast whose personalities mattered more than a single continuing storyline. Bugs Bunny's confidence, Daffy Duck's vanity, Porky Pig's patience, Tweety and Sylvester's chase, and Wile E. Coyote's elaborate failures with the Road Runner became recurring comic setups. Directors and animators could shift setting, period, and genre from one short to the next while keeping those rivalries recognizable. Warner Bros. later carried the characters into television compilations, new animated series, feature films, specials, games, and licensed products. Individual projects may focus on only part of the cast, but the franchise name covers the wider ensemble and its decades of animated comedy.