Looney Tunes : DVD : Golden Collection,
Volume One & Two |
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Editorial
Reviews : Amazon
Looney
Tunes : Golden Collection, Volume One & Two
Looney Tunes - Golden Collection Volume
One
For years, animation buffs have waited impatiently for
the Warner Bros. cartoons to appear on DVD. The Warner
shorts never commanded the budgets and prestige of the
Disney and MGM films, and won fewer Oscars than they
deserved. But decades after the best ones were created,
they remain the quintessential Hollywood cartoons: brash,
fast-paced, aggressively funny and uniquely American.
Virtually everyone in the U.S. under the age of 60 grew
up on these films, in theaters and on TV. The 56 cartoons
in the set (out of a studio output of over 1,000) were
transferred from good prints--which means the viewer
can see dust, scratches, and occasional mistakes by
the cel painters. The films are all presented uncut,
in defiance of the killjoys who have insisted on censoring
alleged "violence" in the versions shown on
television. Warner Bros. is obviously testing consumer
response with this set. Although the erratic selection
includes many classics, purists will argue (correctly)
that it offers neither a fair representation of the
directors' oeuvres, nor anything approaching a coherent
history of the characters or studio style. (Nearly half
the films were directed by Chuck Jones; only three are
by Bob Clampett, and there's nothing by Tex Avery or
Frank Tashlin.) But it seems petty to carp about omissions
and biases when the discs offer excellent, uncensored
prints of some of the funniest films ever made in the
U.S.--or anywhere else. (Rated G, suitable for all ages:
cartoon violence)
Looney
Tunes - Golden Collection Volume 2
Brash, fast-paced, and hysterically funny, the Warner
Brothers cartoons rank among the undisputed treasures
of American animation and American comedy. This second
collection, a follow-up to Looney Tunes: Golden Collection,
includes such gems as "Porky in Wackyland,"
"A Bear for Punishment," "Gee Whiz-z-z,"
The Great Piggy Bank Robbery," and "I Love
to Singa." A short documentary about director Bob
Clampett features several cartoon historians, animator
Eric Goldberg, Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont,
and Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi (enthusiastic
but over the top). But Warners continues its scattergun
approach to selecting films. There are only eight cartoons
by Clampett in the set, plus three by Tex Avery and
one by Frank Tashlin. "Rabbit Fire" and "Rabbit
Seasoning" appear on the first set, but the third
cartoon in Jones's trilogy, "Duck! Rabbit! Duck!"
isn't on either. More than two-thirds of the films are
by Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones. That's not necessarily
a bad thing. "Show Biz Bugs," "Bugs Bunny
Rides Again," and the Oscar-winning "Tweety
Pie" showcase Freleng's razor-sharp timing. "What's
Opera, Doc," "The Dover Boys," and the
justly celebrated "One Froggy Evening" rank
among Jones's boldest experiments and most brilliant
successes. Volume Two includes some genuine rarities,
among them, "Sinkin' in the Bathtub" (1930),
the first Looney Tune, and the Oscar-winning documentary
"So Much for So Little." With 60-plus cartoons,
transferred from good prints Looney Tunes - Golden Collection,
Volume 2 is a collection to treasure. (Rated G, suitable
for all ages: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon |
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