Today's #VideoWednesday begins our long weekly retrospective of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection one disc at a time.
#LooneyTunes #LooneyTwt
Video releases of the Looney Tunes were dormant after the release of Looney Tunes Presents and Collector's Edition series (and Japan's I Love Tweety series). Enter 2003, Warner Bros. was gearing up towards Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
Baby Looney Tunes was selling well at the time and in late March 2003, WB launched a public survey asking participants for their opinions on how the label should move forward with Looney Tunes cartoons on DVD with overwhelming response.
Accoridng to The Bugs Bunny Video Guide, "the bulk of the survey attempted to gauge reactions to a variety of proposed packages for the cartoons on DVD, including examples of potential packaging and cover artwork...
For each proposal that was shown, the survey boasted that this is the first time Looney Tunes have been available on DVD and special bonus material will also be included."
The four titles were...
"Looney Tunes Hit Reality" (a web series compilation disc)
"The Bugs Bunny Carrot Collection" (1 disc)
"Looney Tunes Premiere Collection" (2 discs)
And one that stood out was a four disc "Looney Tunes Golden Collection" prices at $69.95.
"The set would nevertheless "contain 60 of the best classic Looney Tunes cartoons. These cartoons include the best of favorite characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, and the episodes that introduced each character."
"Like with the hypothetical Premiere Collection, the cartoons on this set would also be "restored and remastered to their original quality." Strangely, such a claim wasn't made for The Bugs Bunny Carrot Collection."
October 28th, 2003 marked the day when cartoon and film enthusiasts celebrated with the release of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection on four discs.
"The set was the brainchild of George Feltenstein and Jerry Beck, who not only repeated but also topped many of the decisions that made their Golden Age of Looney Tunes laserdisc sets from MGM/UA such a hit with collectors."
"The boxed set relied heavily on the former post-1948 library for a very simple reason: Warner Bros. had always kept the master elements of those shorts in relatively good shape, so they required a mininum amount of restoration...
....The pre-1948 titles, however, had traded hands so many times and had been subjected to so many different forms of editing, duplicating, and mangling that additional time and expense was required to bring them back to their original Technicolor glory...
...Warner Home Video was not abandoning those early classics, but they needed more time in order to do right by them. Of the fifty-six cartoons in this first volume's main program, only nine were from the pre-1948 library.
You can also say that this might be Warner Home Video's response to the Walt Disney Treasures DVDs conceptualized by Leonard Maltin.
The 4-disc set includes 56 cartoons and are organized by these themes.
Disc 1 - Starring Bugs Bunny
Disc 2 - Starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
Disc 3 - Looney Tunes All Stars Part 1
Disc 4 - Looney Tunes All Stars Part 2
Today, we look at Disc 1: Best of Bugs Bunny. Alongside the 14 cartoons present, we will also check out the audio bonuses and audio commentaries for each short. We also highlight the disc's bonus features.
All 14 shorts star Bugs Bunny.
- "Baseball Bugs", Friz Freleng (1946).
- "Rabbit Seasoning" with Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd. Chuck Jones (1952). Music only track / Audio commentary - Michael Barrier
- "Long-Haired Hare", Chuck Jones (1949). Audio commentary - Michael Barrier
- "High Diving Hare" with Yosemite Sam. Friz Freleng (1949). Audio commentary - Greg Ford.
- "Bully for Bugs", Chuck Jones (1953). Audio commentary - Michael Barrier
- "What's Up Doc?" with Elmer Fudd. Robert McKimson (1950). Music only track / Audio commentary - Greg Ford.
- "Rabbit's Kin", Robert McKimson (1952). Music only track / Commentary - Stan Freberg.
- "Water, Water Every Hare", Chuck Jones (1952).
- "Big House Bunny" with Yosemite Sam. Friz Freleng (1950).
- "Big Top Bunny". Robert McKimson (1951). Commentary - Michael Barrier.
- "My Bunny Lies over the Sea", Chuck Jones. (1948)
- "Wabbit Twouble" with Elmer Fudd. Bob Clampett (1941).
- "Ballot Box Bunny" with Yosemite Sam. Friz Freleng (1951)
- "Rabbit of Seville" with Elmer Fudd. Chuck Jones (1950)
From the Vaults
- Bonus cartoon: (Blooper) Bunny (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam; 1991)- with optional commentary by Greg Ford
- Bugs Bunny at the Movies Excerpts: My Dream Is Yours, Two Guys from Texas
- The Astro-Nuts audio recording sessions with Mel Blanc
- Trailer gallery: Bugs Bunny's Cartoon Festival, Bugs Bunny's Cartoon Jamboree (Region 1 only)
- Stills gallery
Behind-the-Tunes
- Bugs: A Rabbit for All Seasonings: A look at Warner Bros. (and Looney Tunes) most popular wascally wabbit, Bugs Bunny
- Short-Fuse Shootout: The Small Tale of Yosemite Sam: A look at Yosemite Sam, the fiery redheaded cowboy character that served as one of Bugs' many adversaries
- Forever Befuddled: A look at Elmer Fudd, the naive (and often neurotic) everyman and hunter who also was one of Bugs' many adversaries.
Also included are...
- A greeting from Chuck Jones
- Camera Three: The Boys from Termite Terrace: Part 1
Golden Collection Volume 1 starts off strong with some of Bugs Bunny's best shorts. The ones selected truly define Bugs' character as a whole. The emphasis on his co-stars Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam are also prominent for the theme.
Review example here.
animatedviews.com/2003/looney-tu…
The post-1948 shorts meant easy access and minimum time for restoration. In fact, some of the shorts had already been remastered in 1998. Back to Bugs, fans will love having Baseball Bugs, Bully for Bugs, Rabbit Seasoning, and Rabbit of Seville on one disc.
The inclusion of "Wabbit Twouble", "What's Up Doc?" and "Big House Bunny" also add more to the disc. Finishing today's review, "The Best of Bugs Bunny" lives up to its name.
We will also culminate how the bonus features stand out as we finish covering each volume.
Next #VideoWednesday, we will look at Disc 2 - Best of Daffy & Porky. #LooneyTunes #LooneyTwt
Any favorites from "The Best of Bugs Bunny"? (1/4)
Any favorites from "The Best of Bugs Bunny"? (2/4)
Any favorites from "The Best of Bugs Bunny"? (3/4)
Any favorites from "The Best of Bugs Bunny"? (4/4)
@threadreaderapp unroll
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.