I
have glimpsed The Holy Grail of classic animation and it is the LOONEY
TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION ($65). As someone who has owned all the
volumes of THE GOLDEN AGE OF LOONEY TUNES, I can honestly say that
this first DVD release is a welcome upgrade. As much as I enjoyed the
Laserdisc release of the classic Warner Bros. animated shorts, the new
transfers used to master this first DVD set, marks a significant visual
improvement that will allow one to enjoy these films even more than they
have in the past. When I was a child, I loved the slapstick nature of the
Warner Bros. cartoons; however, when I became an adult, I came to
appreciate the sophistication of the humor and the beauty that the
animators brought to the characters and situations of these delightful
animated shorts. The LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION offers
fifty-six classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, spread across
a four-disc set.
Disc
one is the Best of Bugs Bunny and features the following
animated shorts: Baseball Bugs (1946), Rabbit
Seasoning (1952), Long-Haired Hare (1949), High
Diving Hare (1949), Bully For Bugs (1953), What's
Up Doc? (1950), Rabbit's Kin (1952), Water,
Water Every Hare (1952), Big House Bunny (1950), Big
Top Bunny (1951), My Bunny Lies Over The Sea (1948),
Wabbit Twouble (1941), Ballot Box Bunny (1951)
and Rabbit Of Seville (1950). While I’ve always enjoyed
the adventures of that wascally wabbit, and his ability to turn the tables
on every adversary- the hilarious exploits of Daffy Duck have always held
more appeal for me. Still, every cartoon on disc one is an absolute gem,
especially personal faves Rabbit Seasoning and Rabbit
Of Seville.
Disc
two is the Best of Daffy and Porky and features the
following animated shorts: Duck Amuck (1953), Dough
For The Do-Do (1949), Drip-Along Daffy (1951), Scaredy
Cat (1948), The Ducksters (1950), The Scarlet
Pumpernickel (1950), Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943), Porky
Chops (1949), Wearing Of The Grin (1951), Deduce,
You Say (1956), Boobs In The Woods (1950), Golden
Yeggs (1950), Rabbit Fire (1951) and Duck
Dodgers In The 24½th Century (1953). Both The Scarlet
Pumpernickel and Duck Dodgers In The 24½th Century
find Daffy at his self-important best, while Scaredy Cat is
an underrated Porky gem, one in which Sylvester actually manages steal a
good part of the show.
Disc
three is Looney Tunes All Stars and features the following
animated shorts: Elmer's Candid Camera (1940), Bugs
Bunny And The Three Bears (1944), Fast And Furry-ous
(1949), Hair-Raising Hare (1946), The Awful Orphan
(1949), Haredevil Hare (1948), For Scent-imental
Reasons (1949), Frigid Hare (1949), The Hypo-Chondri-Cat
(1950), Baton Bunny (1959), Feed The Kitty
(1952), Don't Give Up The Sheep (1953), Bugs Bunny
Gets The Boid (1942) and Tortoise Wins By A Hare
(1943). This disc features a bit more Bugs, while adding a bit of early
Elmer Fudd and Pepé Le Pew to the mix. Additionally, even without Warner’s
icons in The Hypo-Chondri-Cat and Feed The Kitty,
these two animated shorts show that a starring character wasn’t always
required to make a classic cartoon.
Disc
four is another volume of Looney Tunes All Stars and
features the following animated shorts: Canary Row (1950), Bunker
Hill Bunny (1950), Kit For Cat (1948), Putty
Tat Trouble (1951), Bugs And Thugs (1954), Canned
Feud (1951), Lumber Jerks (1955), Speedy
Gonzalez (1955), Tweety's S.O.S. (1951), The
Foghorn Leghorn (1948), Daffy Duck Hunt (1949), Early
To Bet (1951), Broken Leghorn (1959) and Devil
May Hare (1954). Even more Bugs shows up on this disc, along with
a bit more Daffy, plus we get some Tweety, Speedy Gonzalez and one of my
favorites- the loudmouthed, but lovable, Foghorn Leghorn.
Warner
Home Video has done a really terrific job with the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN
COLLECTION, offering all fifty-six of the animated shorts in their
proper 1.37:1 full screen aspect ratios. As I have alluded earlier in the
review, these cartoons look better than they have in years (far better
than previous Laserdisc and broadcast versions). However, this is not to
say they look perfect. Because of the various ages of these cartoons, some
of which are over six decades old, there are the expected imperfections
that one would normally associate with vintage films. There are mild
blemishes that creep up here and there, as well as a few scratches, but
none of which are particularly excessive or bothersome. Additionally, a
number of the cartoons demonstrate a noticeable grain structure, but this
too, is never excessive or bothersome.
With
minor variations in quality, the cartoons appear as crisp and as nicely
defined as 2D animation can possibly look. In addition to providing
sharper more detailed images for the cartoons, the transfers appear far
more vivid, with brighter, more richly saturated colors than in previous
versions of these animated shorts. Additionally, colors are far more
stable than they have appeared in the past, without noise or smearing.
Both the black and white elements of the cartoons appear clean and pure.
Digital compression artifacts are never a cause for concern. As for the
Dolby Digital monaural soundtracks, they have been cleaned up rather
nicely in the mastering process, with almost no significant instances of
background hiss or surface noise remaining. There are certain limitations
to the fidelity of these soundtracks, however the delightful musical
complement and sound effects come across well enough to tickle any Looney
Tunes fan. Dialogue is always completely intelligible and the vocal
characterizations of Mel Blanc (amongst others) sound just fine. A French
language track is also provided, as are English, French, and Spanish
subtitles.
Animation
and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive menus. Through the menus,
one has access to standard scene selection and set up features, as well as
the generous array of supplements, which pertain to individual cartoons,
as well as those being relative to the Warner Bros. cartoons as a whole.
There are audio commentaries provided for twenty six of the various
cartoons spread across the set, as well as twelve cartoons that feature
isolated musical tracks. Additionally there are twelve brief featurettes
that supplement various cartoons contained in the collection.
The
larger supplemental programs include The Boys From Termite Terrace,
a vintage documentary that looks at the colorful characters that comprised
Warner Bros. animation unit during its heyday, and I don’t mean those
cartoon icons that were up on the screen. This hour long documentary is
divided into two parts and appears on discs one and two. Irreverent
Imagination: The Golden Age of Looney Tunes is a new hour-long
program that features recent interviews with surviving members of the
animation department, which looks back on the creative genius and joy that
were the Warner Bros. cartoons. Toon Heads: The Lost Cartoons
runs forty-five minutes and looks at the so-called lost cartoons produced
by the Warner Bros. animation unit, which are not so much lost, as they
are out of circulation. Other supplements include a Chuck Jones
Introduction, stills galleries, pencil tests, cartoon schematics and
excerpts of films that feature animated sequences. While I’ve only
managed a brief rundown in this review, all of these wonderful supplements
really help to make the Golden Collection even more golden.
Bravo Warner!
The
LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION truly is a first glimpse of The Holy
Grail of classic animation. Warner Home Video has done a truly marvelous
job of mastering these vintage cartoons for release on DVD, as well as
providing truly excellent supplemental materials for the collection. I
know I am looking forward to future volumes of the Golden Collection,
and hope that in the future Warner will release every one of these classic
cartoons, without any omissions. Absolutely recommended.
I
have glimpsed The Holy Grail of classic animation and it is the LOONEY
TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION ($65). As someone who has owned all the
volumes of THE GOLDEN AGE OF LOONEY TUNES, I can honestly say that
this first DVD release is a welcome upgrade. As much as I enjoyed the
Laserdisc release of the classic Warner Bros. animated shorts, the new
transfers used to master this first DVD set, marks a significant visual
improvement that will allow one to enjoy these films even more than they
have in the past. When I was a child, I loved the slapstick nature of the
Warner Bros. cartoons; however, when I became an adult, I came to
appreciate the sophistication of the humor and the beauty that the
animators brought to the characters and situations of these delightful
animated shorts. The LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION offers
fifty-six classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, spread across
a four-disc set.
Disc
one is the Best of Bugs Bunny and features the following
animated shorts: Baseball Bugs (1946), Rabbit
Seasoning (1952), Long-Haired Hare (1949), High
Diving Hare (1949), Bully For Bugs (1953), What's
Up Doc? (1950), Rabbit's Kin (1952), Water,
Water Every Hare (1952), Big House Bunny (1950), Big
Top Bunny (1951), My Bunny Lies Over The Sea (1948),
Wabbit Twouble (1941), Ballot Box Bunny (1951)
and Rabbit Of Seville (1950). While I’ve always enjoyed
the adventures of that wascally wabbit, and his ability to turn the tables
on every adversary- the hilarious exploits of Daffy Duck have always held
more appeal for me. Still, every cartoon on disc one is an absolute gem,
especially personal faves Rabbit Seasoning and Rabbit
Of Seville.
Disc
two is the Best of Daffy and Porky and features the
following animated shorts: Duck Amuck (1953), Dough
For The Do-Do (1949), Drip-Along Daffy (1951), Scaredy
Cat (1948), The Ducksters (1950), The Scarlet
Pumpernickel (1950), Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943), Porky
Chops (1949), Wearing Of The Grin (1951), Deduce,
You Say (1956), Boobs In The Woods (1950), Golden
Yeggs (1950), Rabbit Fire (1951) and Duck
Dodgers In The 24½th Century (1953). Both The Scarlet
Pumpernickel and Duck Dodgers In The 24½th Century
find Daffy at his self-important best, while Scaredy Cat is
an underrated Porky gem, one in which Sylvester actually manages steal a
good part of the show.
Disc
three is Looney Tunes All Stars and features the following
animated shorts: Elmer's Candid Camera (1940), Bugs
Bunny And The Three Bears (1944), Fast And Furry-ous
(1949), Hair-Raising Hare (1946), The Awful Orphan
(1949), Haredevil Hare (1948), For Scent-imental
Reasons (1949), Frigid Hare (1949), The Hypo-Chondri-Cat
(1950), Baton Bunny (1959), Feed The Kitty
(1952), Don't Give Up The Sheep (1953), Bugs Bunny
Gets The Boid (1942) and Tortoise Wins By A Hare
(1943). This disc features a bit more Bugs, while adding a bit of early
Elmer Fudd and Pepé Le Pew to the mix. Additionally, even without Warner’s
icons in The Hypo-Chondri-Cat and Feed The Kitty,
these two animated shorts show that a starring character wasn’t always
required to make a classic cartoon.
Disc
four is another volume of Looney Tunes All Stars and
features the following animated shorts: Canary Row (1950), Bunker
Hill Bunny (1950), Kit For Cat (1948), Putty
Tat Trouble (1951), Bugs And Thugs (1954), Canned
Feud (1951), Lumber Jerks (1955), Speedy
Gonzalez (1955), Tweety's S.O.S. (1951), The
Foghorn Leghorn (1948), Daffy Duck Hunt (1949), Early
To Bet (1951), Broken Leghorn (1959) and Devil
May Hare (1954). Even more Bugs shows up on this disc, along with
a bit more Daffy, plus we get some Tweety, Speedy Gonzalez and one of my
favorites- the loudmouthed, but lovable, Foghorn Leghorn.
Warner
Home Video has done a really terrific job with the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN
COLLECTION, offering all fifty-six of the animated shorts in their
proper 1.37:1 full screen aspect ratios. As I have alluded earlier in the
review, these cartoons look better than they have in years (far better
than previous Laserdisc and broadcast versions). However, this is not to
say they look perfect. Because of the various ages of these cartoons, some
of which are over six decades old, there are the expected imperfections
that one would normally associate with vintage films. There are mild
blemishes that creep up here and there, as well as a few scratches, but
none of which are particularly excessive or bothersome. Additionally, a
number of the cartoons demonstrate a noticeable grain structure, but this
too, is never excessive or bothersome.
With
minor variations in quality, the cartoons appear as crisp and as nicely
defined as 2D animation can possibly look. In addition to providing
sharper more detailed images for the cartoons, the transfers appear far
more vivid, with brighter, more richly saturated colors than in previous
versions of these animated shorts. Additionally, colors are far more
stable than they have appeared in the past, without noise or smearing.
Both the black and white elements of the cartoons appear clean and pure.
Digital compression artifacts are never a cause for concern. As for the
Dolby Digital monaural soundtracks, they have been cleaned up rather
nicely in the mastering process, with almost no significant instances of
background hiss or surface noise remaining. There are certain limitations
to the fidelity of these soundtracks, however the delightful musical
complement and sound effects come across well enough to tickle any Looney
Tunes fan. Dialogue is always completely intelligible and the vocal
characterizations of Mel Blanc (amongst others) sound just fine. A French
language track is also provided, as are English, French, and Spanish
subtitles.
Animation
and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive menus. Through the menus,
one has access to standard scene selection and set up features, as well as
the generous array of supplements, which pertain to individual cartoons,
as well as those being relative to the Warner Bros. cartoons as a whole.
There are audio commentaries provided for twenty six of the various
cartoons spread across the set, as well as twelve cartoons that feature
isolated musical tracks. Additionally there are twelve brief featurettes
that supplement various cartoons contained in the collection.
The
larger supplemental programs include The Boys From Termite Terrace,
a vintage documentary that looks at the colorful characters that comprised
Warner Bros. animation unit during its heyday, and I don’t mean those
cartoon icons that were up on the screen. This hour long documentary is
divided into two parts and appears on discs one and two. Irreverent
Imagination: The Golden Age of Looney Tunes is a new hour-long
program that features recent interviews with surviving members of the
animation department, which looks back on the creative genius and joy that
were the Warner Bros. cartoons. Toon Heads: The Lost Cartoons
runs forty-five minutes and looks at the so-called lost cartoons produced
by the Warner Bros. animation unit, which are not so much lost, as they
are out of circulation. Other supplements include a Chuck Jones
Introduction, stills galleries, pencil tests, cartoon schematics and
excerpts of films that feature animated sequences. While I’ve only
managed a brief rundown in this review, all of these wonderful supplements
really help to make the Golden Collection even more golden.
Bravo Warner!
The
LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION truly is a first glimpse of The Holy
Grail of classic animation. Warner Home Video has done a truly marvelous
job of mastering these vintage cartoons for release on DVD, as well as
providing truly excellent supplemental materials for the collection. I
know I am looking forward to future volumes of the Golden Collection,
and hope that in the future Warner will release every one of these classic
cartoons, without any omissions. Absolutely recommended.