DePatie-Freleng Enterprises - Later Years

Later Years

As inflation increased, and the escalating expense of producing theatrical cartoons (which led to their demise) and the pressures of producing TV series, quality began to drop in the mid-to-late 1970s. Even with this consideration, DFE kept its doors open, producing shows until the end of the decade. In 1981, Freleng and DePatie sold DFE Films to Marvel Comics, and Freleng returned to Warner Bros. Studios to produce a series of feature films featuring the older Warner cartoons with new connecting footage. DePatie made the transition to become the head of Marvel Productions.

Although Marvel produced mainly superhero cartoons and animated series based on licensed toy lines, it continued to produce new productions starring the Pink Panther (titles for Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther and a special for television, Pink at First Sight). MGM would later credit a 1993 revival series of the Pink Panther as a joint venture between MGM, Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng and United Artists, a decade after DFE's merger with Marvel and Mirisch/UA's merger into MGM.

In the 90s, Marvel sold its animation catalog to Saban Entertainment. In 2001, Saban and Fox Family and Fox Kids was sold to Disney, with the Dr. Seuss material and all other licensed properties belonging to their respective owners. Ironically, The Walt Disney Company bought Marvel Comics in 2009, bringing the all-original DFE library and the Marvel Comics-based DFE library back full circle and as a result DFE is now owned by Disney.

While the television catalog has largely changed hands over the years, the theatrical cartoons continue to be owned by their original distributors: United Artists (via its current corporate parent, MGM) for the Mirisch Company cartoon library and Warner Bros. for the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons.