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Looney Tunes - The Golden Collection

Looney Tunes - The Golden Collection

List Price: $64.92
Your Price: $48.69
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: These toons are a blast to watch and they hold up beautifully. I also enjoyed the commentary from cartoon historians and mini-documentaries. One of the coolest box sets in my collection. Hopefully Warner Brothers will put out future sets with more classics: More Road Runner, Foghorn, etc.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: What's up? Documentary?
Review: Granted it's a great set and has a lot of great WB cartoons - many of the classics and a few lesser knowns but to paraphrase another reviewer: where are "The Count Dracula one (Bugs sings "Abra-ca-pocus)" and One Froggy Evening?

Too many intentional oversights it seems...a shame, really.

And so the more you watch, the more favorites you realize are missing. It seems criminal that on four discs clocking in at over 7 hours, Warners couldn't include more animation instead of people talking about the process, context and the many talented players on the Lot. We know how animation works already! This is the kind of stuff that's background (create a "Historical/Documentary Edition" ok?) - the cartoons themselves are what most people, myself included, want.

DVD extras is one thing but in a "Golden Collection" i expected to see more of what the WB market research must have surely revealed (and amazon reviewers as well...) to be the best and most loved cartoons for the money.

Restored? The dust on some cels/frames is distracting as it moves about in an (how ironic!) animated fashion. What is the official line on this anyway? At times it almost appears as snow. Looks to me like the put they dust back IN...now THAT'S RESTORATION!

All in all - complaints aside, everywhere I looked this DVD was sold out. Obviously a seller's market. We take what we can to relive our youth and laugh again but it's too bad that WB laughs all the way to the bank at our expense.

After decades of royalty generating syndications, T-shirt and coffee mug sales, bedsheets, bubblegum and movie remakes, etc, etc, etc ad nauseum, is it just too much for some of these marketeers to give something back? I guess so. It still seems generous but in all the wrong places - still i wouldn't return it but neither would I buy it again if i knew then what i know now.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Looney Tunes DVD Box - A Definite Buy
Review: After years of waiting, Warner Home Video finally released Looney Tunes on DVD in October, 2003. This release was definitely worth the wait. A childhood favorite of three generations, the Looney Tunes cartoons have transcended time and are still some of the funniest, freshest shows on television. Now you can watch them at your leisure on DVD.
The DVD box set has four disks of a selection of Warner Brothers' most popular characters. Each disk has 14 shorts. Disk 1, the best of Bugs Bunny, pits Bugs against all those characters who seek to disturb him. "Of course you know this means war." In Long-Haired Hare Bugs goes up against an opera singer at the Hollywood bowl. In Bully for Bugs he accidentally enters a bull-fight. "I knew I should have made a left turn at Albuquerque." In Big House Bunny, Bugs thwarts Yosemite Sam again and again in a prison.
Disk 2, the best of Daffy and Porky, is my favorite of the four disks. It contains Dough for the Do-Do, that surrealist masterpiece where Porky seeks to capture the last Do-do in Africa. In Rabbit Fire, Daffy and Bugs argue over Duck Season and Rabbit Season with Elmer Fudd. And, of course, there is no need to discuss Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century. Disks 3 and 4 contain Looney Tunes All Stars, a mix of all your other favorite characters including Tweety & Sylvester, the Road-Runner and Coyote, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzalez, Marvin the Martian, the Tasmanian Devil and many others. In addition there are commentaries and music-only tracks for many of the shorts and many documentaries and bonus features.
Warner Brothers has restored the cartoons excellently. The picture is clear and dust free, stable, sharp and the color is beautiful. Furthermore, they have used uncut versions of the cartoons. Over the years, network television has censored many of the cartoons for violence and political correctness. The networks have also sped them up and clipped as much transitionary material as possible in order to show more commercials. There are many scenes of the DVD version of cartoons that I have never seen before and the cartoons are paced naturally and smoothly. The restored cartoons are head over shoulders better than what has been destroyed slowly but surely and is now broadcast on Saturday mornings.
One might complain that their favorite cartoon was left out. Notably missing is What's Opera, Doc? However, there are limits to the number of shorts that will fit in onto four DVD's and in order to include one short another would have to be left out. The collection also focuses on the shorts of the big three directors of the 50's: Jones, Freiling and McKimson. Where are Tex Avery and Bob Clampet? Golden Collection probably should have been left out of the title. However, each short was clearly chosen for a reason, whether it be popularity or that the cartoon was a breakthrough in character development or style.
In the future, I hope to see many more Looney Tunes released on DVD with the same, top-notch quality. I know that I will buy each one.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Read this before reading the "5 star" recommendations..
Review: I am certainly one of the biggest Looney Tunes Fans alive, but I was VERY disappointed with this. Although most of the shorts are good ones, most of the ones deserving of a "Golden Collection" status have been left out of this collection. I feel that WB could have put so much more on this and at the price they're charging, they're simply being too greedy...missing from this collection are: Robin Hood Daffy, One Froggy Evening, the Abominable Snowman Episode, Yosemite Sam as head of the Roman Legions, What's Opera Doc, The Singing Sword, etc. The list of what has been left out is simply offensive. My advice is to save your money and wait for WB to back to the drawing board and come up with another collection that is truly worth both the money and the claim to be a "golden collection".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I'm in Toon heaven!!
Review: I must admit, I was happily surprised with this collection! I already had nearly all these cartoons on Laserdisc and the quality was exceptional, but I was almost shocked at just how good the restorations of these classic cartoons were. They almost look too good quite frankly.

The commentaries to many of the cartoons are quite enjoyable, but it's all the other extras that made this worth the price tag. There are two documentaries that are exceptional and don't miss the cartoon, "Bug's Bunnys 51st and a half Birthday special", a cartoon that came out in the late eighties with the twist of the the whole cartoon being "out-takes" and such, with a most modern twist.

I can only hope that this won't be the only "Golden Collection" that Warners puts out. "What's Opera Doc" as well as many other worthy cartoons deserve this restoration work and release. It's about time Warners did thier biggest money makers a good turn! (If you look at accumilated dollars, the Warners cartoons have made more money than oany other productions the studio has ever made.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's what you remember
Review: Simply fabulous. Yeah, the set doesn't have our every favorite but it has many of the ones I remember from the days when I used to peel carrots and watch 'em on Saturday mornings.

The restoration of video and sound is outstanding. I always loved Mel Blanc's voices, but I've never appreciated the orchestral music as fully as I do now.

These are classics; they're even better today than they were yesterday.

I look forward to more!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I'm Completely Amazed!!!
Review: I decided to order this collection for my ten-year-old sister as a Christmas gift. Truth be told, I was just as excited about seeing these classic tunes as she was. It may be considered dopey or sophomoric, but I'm nineteen years old, and these cartoons (especially the ones from the Clampett/Freleng era) hold a magnificent appeal for me. The amazing thing is this; there are only four discs in this set, so I figured this entire $45 set to be four, maybe five hours tops. Not so. Altogether, this set is around seven hours long! It is literally CRAMMED with extras, some of which have never even been seen, such as the shorts featured in the Toon Heads: The Lost Cartoons documentary. I have been utterly bowled over by this set. The quality is unbeatable, the price is well worth it, the information and commentaries are thorough and insightful, and the cartoons picked for this set are top choice!!! And of course, these cartoons are richly restored on DVD and the result is rich, vivid color and amazingly crisp lines, even on the REAL oldies! It is my sincerest wish that Warner Bros. decides to follow up this set with a second installment. I'll lay my money down in a heartbeat if they do. I'd love to see the next one focus on some of the best shorts from the early years (1930-1945 maybe?). I'd love to see more Bob Clampett shorts (like the one where Daffy Duck fancies himself a Tracy-esque sleuth and battles psychedellic super-villains, or the classic battle between wartime Bugs Bunny and the little green gremlin). But overall, this set is very complete and features most of the signature cartoons, plus some hilarious rare treats from the early years (Yanky Doodle Daffy and Elmer Fudd's Candid Camera come to mind). You won't find a better investment if you're an animation or classic film buff. So fire up those DVD players, and enjoy!!!

---Barrett

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Worth the money
Review: Finally, what many Looney Tunes fans have been drooling over ever since the concept of 'DVD' came out, is a collection of 56 shorts, many of which strike a chord with most fans.

There are all these disappointed/disgruntled/unsatisfied fans out there, and although I am not outrightly discrediting them or shooting down their opinions, it must be considered that Warner Bros. couldn't satisfy EVERYONE. Sure, I don't entirely agree on some of the choices of this DVD collection either but bear in mind, this is only the first. And given that there are over 1,000 episodes to choose from, we Bugs & company aficionados will most likely have several good collections to look forward to.

The contents of the DVDs are nevertheless satisfying. Classic episodes, Bugs vs. Daffy vs. Elmer, uncensored shorts and some that I haven't seen before ("Baseball Bugs") jam-pack the set. I must admit that some beloved shorts did not make the collection ("What's Opera, Doc?" "Robin Hood Daffy" "Knighty-Knight Bugs" "Beanstalk Bunny" come to mind...and Wile E. Coyote episodes as well - where are they? But that's just me.) However, as was said before, there are 1,000+ episodes out there. (I wonder who had the daunting task of choosing the 56 shorts for this one...) We also don't want to overdo the Bugs episodes, even if many famous shorts feature him.

All this being said and done, the Looney Tunes Golden Collection is pure entertainment featuring some of the most famous, funniest, well-loved and popular cartoon icons ever to appear on the small and big screens. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the shorts!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Worth buying
Review: Given the vast number of vintage cartoons in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies vault, there has yet to be a fairly comprehensive collection of sets or one well-constructed video library that would satisfy Looney Tunes fans (including completists). However, this set is a good start and hopefully the beginning of further major releases of classic Warner Brothers cartoons.

The most immediately noticeable characteristic of this set is the absolutely amazing restoration process used on these UNCUT gems. Each has beautiful color, clarity, and sound. Definite highlights are:

"Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid" (Bugs has fun with a less-than-enthusiastic and slow vulture named Killer.)
"Bully for Bugs" (Bugs should have made that left turn at Albuquerque. Instead, he's forced to outsmart a stubborn bull in a hysterical cartoon.)
"Bunker Hill Bunny" (Bugs slugs it out with Yosemite Sam to defend his fort at all cost. "I got ya outnumbered one to one.")
"Canned Feud" (An absent-minded couple forget to put out Sylvester before going on vacation. Thus, he is at the mercy of a house mouse to try and get something to eat. "Quick! Gimme the can opener!!")
"Dough for the Do-Do" (One of the wackiest cartoons featuring Porky Pig and a color remake of an earlier black-and-white 'Porky in Wackyland.')
"Drip Along Daffy" (Self-appointed Sheriff Daffy along with Deputy Porky Pig encounters Nasty Canasta...and Porky wins the fight.)
"Duck Amuck" (Bugs the animator has fun with a frustrated Daffy.)
"Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century" (Daffy and Porky in a classic meeting with Marvin the Martian.)
"Hair Raising Hare" (Bugs' encounter with our favorite orange-haired monster...with sneakers.)
"Haredevil Hare" (First appearance of Marvin the Martian and his green dog ... with sneakers.)
"Long-Haired Hare" (Bugs gets revenge on an uptight and mean Giovanni Jones at his Hollywood Bowl concert.)
"Putty Tat Trouble" (Sylvester and a rival kitty duke it out with Tweety as the grand prize.)
"Rabbit Fire" (The classic "Duck season! Rabbit season! Duck season! ... Elmer season?)
"Rabbit of Seville" (A true masterpiece. Elmer gets a nice close shave...and a whole lot more.)
"Tortoise Wins By A Hare" (The classic racing re-match between Bugs and Cecil. "What? Again?!!")
"Wabbit Twouble" (A classic cartoon featuring a portly Elmer Fudd trying to get "West and wewaxation." Bugs thinks otherwise.)
"Water, Water Every Hare" (Another meeting with our favorite orange monster. "Never send a monster to do the work of an evil scientist.")
"What's Up, Doc?" (Bugs' Hollywood story...as told by Bugs. Of course, he can't seem to get out of the chorus. "I was a rabbit in a human woild.")

The remaining cartoons as well as interviews, trailers, and "Behind The Tunes" mini-features make for a nicely packaged collection. However, there's even more included.

Feature highlights include:

1) A 1975 documentary on Termite Terrace where all the hard work was done.
2) Audio commentary on many of the cartoons.
3) Music only tracks on a number of cartoon gems to honor the work of Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn.
4) Stills galleries with rough sketches of characters and advertisements that are fascinating to view.
5) Bridging sequences from "The Bugs Bunny Show" that have not been seen in decades.
6) "Bosko, The Talking Kid" - the first major Looney Tunes character and the start of it all.

The list of omitted, classic cartoons is simply impossible to provide in one review and it would be just as impossible to include them all in a single box set. Fans like me can only hope that this box set is just the first of many Golden Collections that ultimately will provide a fairly complete and fairly comprehensive library of classic cartoons spanning all decades. My only major disappointment with this set is that it fails to include "What's Opera, Doc?" (Kill the rabbit! Kill the rabbit! Kill the rabbit!) and "Robin Hood Daffy" ("Actually, it's a buck-and-a-quarter quarter staff. But I'm not telling him that.") Should this be a single release by Warner Brothers, then omitting these classics is unforgivable. For possible future Golden Collections, it would be nice to see vintage Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies from the beginnings of Schlesinger studios as well as wartime-era and post-war era cartoons.

In a nutshell, this is still the best collection of Looney Tunes cartoons available despite its shortcomings. (The corresponding 2-disc release is not as good an investment as this package.) Here's hoping that future releases will be based on thoughtful research and the same restoration process.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Near Perfect Collection Of Animated Treats
Review: Looney Tunes fans should be delighted that Warner Bros. has finally released a collection of shorts on DVD. Bugs, Daffy, Elmer, Yosemite, Coyote, Roadrunner, Foghorn, Tweety, Slyvester, Marvin, and even the banned from Cartoon Network Speedy are all here in this four disc fifty six episode DVD set. Watching these cartoons I was thinking, "they don't make them like this anymore."

Some of the highlights include Rabbit Seasoning, a cartoon in which Daffy Duck is going out of his way to see Bugs Bunny shot but dull witted hunter Elmer Fudd only to end up repeatedly getting shot himself. Also there is Fast and Furry-ous, the debut of the Roadrunner and Wild E. Coyote which is a hoot. And there is Ballot Box Bunny which has Bugs and Yosemite Sam running for mayor. After some rather violent debates and competitions neither candidate wins and ends in our two characters playing Russian Roulette. I bet you never see the Power Puff Girls doing that.

Not all of the cartoons featured on this set are winners. As a matter of fact there are a few bombs, most notibly a cartoon featuring a blatant chip and dale rip off who are upset that their home (a tree) has been cut down in the name of progress. Thankfully the bombs are few and far between. Also, most of the cartoons are from the fifties, when the looney tunes were great. None of the post Mel Blanc material ended up to soil this set.

There are also some vintage cartoons from the thirties before Mel Blanc voiced the Looney Tunes. They are not great but a fun to watch, especially since Elmer Fudd looks a lot like Fred Mertz. But even back then the 'Tunes had the attitude and sense of politcal incorrectness which made them a lot of fun to watch in the first place.

I am sure a lot of fans will be disappointed that this is not a complete set. There are a lot of classic cartoons missing, including the singing frog and the opera cartoon featuring Elmer and Bugs Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbitand really too many more to mention. I am sure they will all end up on other boxed sets in the future. If you are a Looney Tunes fan this should quench your thirst for other sets to come. I give the Looney Tunes Golden Collection an 4 out of 5 Stars.


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