Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Voyage to Your Childhood
Review: This 2 disc DVD set features all but one of the "Color Classics" that were released by Paramount Pictures in the 30s and 40s. These cartoons were originally shown in theaters between features. In the 50s through the 70s, these cartoons were shown on TV. In the 80s and 90s, with the cartoons in the public domain, they were put on VHS and sold cheaply by various companies. Now they are available on DVD.As all of these cartoons are in the public domain, and these prints are made from the best available copies, these prints have faded, scratches and in some cases poor soundtracks. However being the only DVD release of all but one of the "Color Classics" makes this a well worthwhile buy. The DVD has audio commentary for some cartoons, one with a commentary by Betty Boop herself. There is also an artwork gallery showing some original conceptual sketches for certain cartoons. Some prints of cartoons have been digitally enhanced, and some of these prints are the best quality that I have seen thus far, or at least until the original studio makes prints from the original negatives. It's a worthwhile buy to relieve your childhood.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Voyage to Your Childhood
Review: This 2 disc DVD set features all but one of the "Color Classics" that were released by Paramount Pictures in the 30s and 40s. These cartoons were originally shown in theaters between features. In the 50s through the 70s, these cartoons were shown on TV. In the 80s and 90s, with the cartoons in the public domain, they were put on VHS and sold cheaply by various companies. Now they are available on DVD. As all of these cartoons are in the public domain, and these prints are made from the best available copies, these prints have faded, scratches and in some cases poor soundtracks. However being the only DVD release of all but one of the "Color Classics" makes this a well worthwhile buy. The DVD has audio commentary for some cartoons, one with a commentary by Betty Boop herself. There is also an artwork gallery showing some original conceptual sketches for certain cartoons. Some prints of cartoons have been digitally enhanced, and some of these prints are the best quality that I have seen thus far, or at least until the original studio makes prints from the original negatives. It's a worthwhile buy to relieve your childhood.
Rating: 
Summary: Dream along or dream on
Review: This collection represents a quest to track down every one of the 36 Fleischer Studios 'Color Classics' cartoon series. There are 40 cartoons on these two disks, 35 are 'Color Classics' and one called, "Hunky and Spunky" and another called, 'Always Kickin' feature a mother donkey and her son, and the other five cartoons are sequels to them, making 7 Hunky and Spunky cartoons in all. One of the 'Color Classics', "Time For Love" has only survived in a single black and white print found in Europe. The one 'Color Classics' cartoon not included is "Tears Of An Onion" which is explained as not being here because "it is under copyright and therefore not in 'public domain'" This explains a lot because obviously Jerry Beck and company are on a budget. Despite the poor condition of some of the prints included here, there are two processes that I know of that are used to transfer film to video and/or digital; one is a frame-by-frame reader that takes the image directly off of the film for maximum clarity and color but it is a tedious process and is costly. Look at the excellent Disney collection of 'Silly Symphonies' if you want to see how it should be done. The second process which seems to be used by all other DVD/VHS collections of cartoons I've seen, including this one, is projecting the film onto a reader screen that will inevitably shave a little off the top, bottom and sides of the image and loses some image and color integrity. The result is one we cartoon affectionados are becoming used to in VHS and DVD collections, kinda dark and kinda fuzzy and it makes you wish you could have been there at the theater at the time. But for now this is all we're going to get. I've watched this one several times now anyway though. DISK ONE
1. Poor Cinderella (starring Betty Boop) **
2. Little Dutch Mill **
3. An Elephant Never Forgets **
4. Song of the Birds
5. Dancing On the Moon 1935 **
6. Somewhere in Dreamland **
7. The Little Stranger
8. The Cobweb Hotel
9. Greedy Humpty Dumpty
10. Hawaiian Birds
11. Play Safe
12. Christmas Comes But Once a Year **
13. Bunny Mooning
14. Chicken A La King
15. A Car-Tune Portrait
16. Peeping Penguins
DISK TWO
1. Educated Fish" (1937)
2. Little Lamby
3. Hold It! **
4. Hunky and Spunky (1938)
5. All's Fair At the Fair **
6. Playful Polar Bears
7. Always Kickin' (starring Hunky and Spunky)
8. Small Fry
9. Barnyard Brat (starring Hunky and Spunky)
10. The Fresh Vegetable Mystery **
11. Little Lambkins
12. Ants In the Plants **
13. A Kick In Time (starring Hunky and Spunky)
14. Snubbed By A Snob (starring Hunky and Spunky)
15. You Can't Shoe A Horsefly (starring Hunky and Spunky)
**optional audio commentary by Jerry Beck** THE LOST EPISODES
A documentary about the making of this collection of the complete 'Color Classics' cartoons. It includes four uncut ultra-rare cartoons:
1•The Kids In the Shoe
2•Time For Love (the only known copy in existence is this black & white version)
3•Musical Memories
4•Vitamin Hay (starring Hunky and Spunky) ART GALLERY
Working sketches of various characters from the 'Color Classics' and other cartoons plus photographs of production activities inside the Fleischer studios in the 1930's.
Rating:
Summary: Dream along or dream on
Review: This collection represents a quest to track down every one of the 36 Fleischer Studios `Color Classics' cartoon series. There are 40 cartoons on these two disks, 35 are `Color Classics' and one called, "Hunky and Spunky" and another called, `Always Kickin' feature a mother donkey and her son, and the other five cartoons are sequels to them, making 7 Hunky and Spunky cartoons in all. One of the `Color Classics', "Time For Love" has only survived in a single black and white print found in Europe. The one `Color Classics' cartoon not included is "Tears Of An Onion" which is explained as not being here because "it is under copyright and therefore not in `public domain'" This explains a lot because obviously Jerry Beck and company are on a budget. Despite the poor condition of some of the prints included here, there are two processes that I know of that are used to transfer film to video and/or digital; one is a frame-by-frame reader that takes the image directly off of the film for maximum clarity and color but it is a tedious process and is costly. Look at the excellent Disney collection of `Silly Symphonies' if you want to see how it should be done. The second process which seems to be used by all other DVD/VHS collections of cartoons I've seen, including this one, is projecting the film onto a reader screen that will inevitably shave a little off the top, bottom and sides of the image and loses some image and color integrity. The result is one we cartoon affectionados are becoming used to in VHS and DVD collections, kinda dark and kinda fuzzy and it makes you wish you could have been there at the theater at the time. But for now this is all we're going to get. I've watched this one several times now anyway though. DISK ONE
1. Poor Cinderella (starring Betty Boop) **
2. Little Dutch Mill **
3. An Elephant Never Forgets **
4. Song of the Birds
5. Dancing On the Moon 1935 **
6. Somewhere in Dreamland **
7. The Little Stranger
8. The Cobweb Hotel
9. Greedy Humpty Dumpty
10. Hawaiian Birds
11. Play Safe
12. Christmas Comes But Once a Year **
13. Bunny Mooning
14. Chicken A La King
15. A Car-Tune Portrait
16. Peeping Penguins
DISK TWO
1. Educated Fish" (1937)
2. Little Lamby
3. Hold It! **
4. Hunky and Spunky (1938)
5. All's Fair At the Fair **
6. Playful Polar Bears
7. Always Kickin' (starring Hunky and Spunky)
8. Small Fry
9. Barnyard Brat (starring Hunky and Spunky)
10. The Fresh Vegetable Mystery **
11. Little Lambkins
12. Ants In the Plants **
13. A Kick In Time (starring Hunky and Spunky)
14. Snubbed By A Snob (starring Hunky and Spunky)
15. You Can't Shoe A Horsefly (starring Hunky and Spunky)
**optional audio commentary by Jerry Beck** THE LOST EPISODES
A documentary about the making of this collection of the complete `Color Classics' cartoons. It includes four uncut ultra-rare cartoons:
1*The Kids In the Shoe
2*Time For Love (the only known copy in existence is this black & white version)
3*Musical Memories
4*Vitamin Hay (starring Hunky and Spunky) ART GALLERY
Working sketches of various characters from the `Color Classics' and other cartoons plus photographs of production activities inside the Fleischer studios in the 1930's.
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