Warner Bros. Pictures Animation

As Warner Animation Group

On January 7, 2013, Jeff Robinov (then head of the studio's motion picture division) founded a screenplay development department, nicknamed a "think tank" for developing theatrical animated films, known as Warner Animation Group. The group includes John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Nicholas Stoller, Jared Stern, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Warner Bros. created the group with the hope that the box office reception of their films will be competitive with other animation studios' releases.

On February 7, 2014, Warner Animation Group released their first film, The Lego Movie, a film animated by Animal Logic, which also provided the animation for both spin-offs. It was met with critical praise and proved to be a box-office success. Due to the movie's success, a media franchise was created, with two spin-offs, The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie (both 2017), and a sequel, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019). While The Lego Batman Movie proved to be successful at the box office, The Lego Ninjago Movie and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part were both unable to recoup its budget, with Ninjago being the first film from Warner Animation Group to be a box-office flop.

WAG's second film, Storks, was released September 23, 2016. It received mixed reviews from critics. On December 14, 2017, Warner Bros. announced Allison Abbate had been named Executive Vice President, and Chris Leahy has been named Senior Vice President.

Smallfoot, released September 28, 2018, received mostly positive reviews from critics and became a box office success. In October 2019, Locksmith Animation formed a multi-year production deal with Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group, which will distribute Locksmith's films.

An animated reboot of the Scooby-Doo film series titled Scoob! was initially set for a theatrical release on May 15, 2020, but then it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 21, 2020, it was announced that it would instead go to video on demand in response to the pandemic. It received mixed reviews from critics. A Christmas-themed spin-off prequel, titled Scoob! Holiday Haunt, was set for release on HBO Max in December 2022. The film, despite being close to completion by that August, was shelved by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, citing cost-cutting measures. Although it was used as a tax write-off, the film was eventually finished that November, even though there were no present plans to release it.

A live-action/animated hybrid film based on Tom & Jerry was released internationally on February 11, 2021, and in the United States on February 26, simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. The film also marked the debut of the company's new logo, made to match the November 2019 refresh of the Warner Bros. shield that itself debuted a month prior in Locked Down. It received generally negative reviews from critics, and is the first film from the company to have met so.

Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring LeBron James, was released on July 16, 2021, and was the first film from Warner Animation Group to incorporate traditional animation. It also received negative reviews from critics, due to its extensive product placement of WarnerMedia's intellectual properties.

DC League of Super-Pets, an animated film based on DC Comics characters starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as Krypto the Superdog and Ace the Bat-Hound, respectively, was released on July 29, 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Coyote vs. Acme, a live-action/animated hybrid film based on Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies character Wile E. Coyote, was released on August 28, 2026. Initially scheduled for release on July 2023, the film was shelved that November, citing financial reasons similar to those that befell Scoob! Holiday Haunt the year prior. Following industry-wide backlash, the film's creative team was allowed to shop it around to potential distributors. Ketchup Entertainment would acquire worldwide rights in March 2025, with an intent to release it in 2026. The film marks the final use of the Warner Animation Group label.

As Warner Bros. Pictures Animation

Following the merger with Discovery, Inc., CEO David Zaslav stated in June 2022 that the division would become its own entity under the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, similar to sister companies New Line Cinema and DC Films. It was announced that August that Allison Abbate would be departing the studio.

On February 9, 2023, it was reported that former DreamWorks Animation chief creative officer Bill Damaschke was in talks to lead the studio. On May 5, 2023, it was confirmed in an earnings call by Zaslav that Damaschke had been hired, and was hard at work with Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy on developing a new slate of films. On June 9, 2023, Damaschke announced the rebranding of the division into Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and stated that they planned to follow the creative lead of Abdy and De Luca.

The Cat in the Hat, a feature adaptation of Dr. Seuss' book of the same name, was released on November 6, 2026. Written and directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, the film stars Bill Hader as the titular character. The project marks the beginning of a strategic partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises.

Daffy Season, a short film featuring Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd, was attached to screenings of The Cat in the Hat. Todd Wilderman and Hamish Grieve directed the film, which saw its world premiere during the studio's presentation at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. It was first teased as a "super-secret project" of high priority within WBPA.

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