HBO Max Loses Cartoon Network Favorite to Kick Off The New Year

HBO Max has had a tenuous relationship with Cartoon Network in recent years, thanks in part to the streaming service’s decision to nix many of the animated series and movies that helped make the cable network. Series such as Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd, ‘n Eddy, Chowder, Powerpuff Girls, and many more were stricken from the platform, either arriving on other streaming services or sent to limbo. Unfortunately, another big project from Cartoon Network has seemingly left HBO Max to kick off 2026. The world of Craig was a bright and beautiful one, but now, watching it in its entirety has become that much more difficult.

Craig of the Creek became a fan-favorite series when it landed on Cartoon Network in 2018, and thanks to this popularity, a prequel film was created. Craig Before the Creek takes place before the titular character reaches the cave, originally released as an original film in 2023. As of January 13th, the movie has been stricken from HBO Max, and here’s a breakdown of what this prequel’s story was, “Craig, a new kid in town, sets off on a journey into the Creek to find a lost treasure — navigating the wilderness and forging new friendships while being pursued by a band of pirates who want to destroy the Creek itself.” Luckily, all is not lost for those hoping to relive the adventures of Craig before he took over the creek.

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Luckily, if you want to check out the prequel film now that is no longer on HBO Max, you have options to witness this previous take on Craig. The movie is still available to stream on Hulu, which currently houses the entirety of the Craig of the Creek animated series, and physical editions of the movie were produced on DVD and Blu-Ray. Ironically, the removal of the prequel series is days away from a major milestone for the Cartoon Network series.

In January 2025, Craig of the Creek released its final episode, “See You Tomorrow at the Creek.” After six seasons and around one hundred and eighty episodes, Craig’s story ended in a satisfying way in which the future was wide open, and countless supporting characters returned to wish the protagonist well. While the series might not return with a revival and/or spin-off series, it has earned its place as Cartoon Network royalty alongside the likes of Adventure Time, Regular Show, and more.

In recent months, HBO Max’s loss can often be the gain of competing streaming services. One of the biggest examples of this happening was Max losing much of the Looney Tunes franchise, only for Bugs, Daffy, and their wacky pals to become hits on Tubi. In fact, the Looney Tunes have become some of the most-streamed animated characters on Tubi, proving that even if a franchise debuts decades in the past, it can still gain a big audience.

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