The Looney Tunes Golden Collection on DVD |
This four-disc compilation rights a great
wrong, but for true fans (like me, for instance), it's still a frustrating experience. The
great wrong, of course, is the fact that none of the classic Warner Bros. cartoons has
been available on DVD until now.
In that respect, The Looney Tunes Golden Collection
is a gift from heaven. It collects 56 of the 1000 or so animated shorts created in
"Termite Terrace," as Warner's animation department was called, and it presents
them in masterfully restored versions, supplemented by a host of featurettes,
commentaries, and supplementary material.
So what's the rub? Well, sins of omission mostly. Of
course, that's one of those areas where true fans can argue for hours, but no collection
of the great Warner's animation can be considered complete without "What's
Opera Doc?," "One Froggy Evening," "Wacky Wabbit," or
"Little Red Riding Rabbit." There may be dozens of other titles that can be
debated, but no collection that lacks those four can pretend to comprehensivity (is that a
word?).
But that's splitting hares. It's an oversight that can
easily be corrected with new DVD editions dedicated to the individual directors. Which
brings us to my other minor quibble with the current set: it quite properly puts the Chuck
Jones shorts front and center, but in doing so, it omits wonderful material by the other
great animated directors, such as Tex Avery, Frank Tashlin, and Bob Clampett.
What we do have in The Golden Collection is
pretty choice, however. The discs are divided thematically. Disc 1 is "The Best of
Bugs Bunny." The choices are all quite fine; the extras are sublime. Disc 2 is
"The Best of Daffy & Porky," while the remaining pair are dedicated to
"The Looney Tunes All Stars." Twenty-six of the shorts have audio commentary,
most of it fascinating. All of the discs are crammed with extra features and filled with
fascinating factoids.
The transfer quality is stunning. If you have a new TV you
want to show off, these babies will make your eyes pop out of your head. The sound is much
improved over the laserdisc release of Looney Tunes material, but does show its age (as if
most people will care). From a technical standpoint, this edition is every bit as good as
it ought to be.
Even if you think you know this material by heart, its
freshness and genuine wit will startle you. Compared to contemporary computer-generated or
computer-assisted animation, these shorts were drawn by hand -- frame by painstaking
frame. As a result, they have a richness and depth nothing being produced today can match.
The scripting is phenomenal, too -- although The
Simpsons may equal the wit and jokes-per-second delivery rate of these classics,
nothing has ever packed in more material in seen minutes than these cartoons.
Is The Golden Collection perfect? Darn near, but it
falls tantalizingly short of that goal. Just as well -- Bugs and his cohorts were ever the
consummate professionals and the first rule of show business is always leave 'em
wanting more.
The Golden Collection, great as it is, certainly
does that. But it also gives us all something fantastic to while away the hours until more
arrives.
Almost seven hours, to be precise. And they're guaranteed
to be seven of the most delightful hours you'll ever while away.
...Wes Phillips
wes@onhometheater.com
