Mr. Bug/Hoppity Goes to Town on Blu-ray? (1 Viewer)

[Brent Reid]

Calm down: sadly for now at least, I'm asking, not telling. What are the chances of one of the greatest cartoons ever finally appearing on BD? This 1941 Fleischer classic has never – apart from a fabled Japanese DVD a few years back – even had a decent home video release. This despite the fact there seem to be three restored/good quality copies available...

I'm assuming Mr. Bug is tied up in rights issues, as it's ludicrous that such an important work remains unavailable to the majority of animation fans.

 

[Konstantinos]

I think chances are that Thunderbean could release it.
Mr. Stanchfield has said that it is among his favourite animation films so maybe if a rights issue is cleared we could see it from them.

 

[Interdimensional]

It's easily in my top 10, sometimes top 5 most wanted titles for bluray release. If the UCLA restoration can be licensed for release, I will pre-order it day one.

I just want a nice copy with original titles and cover-art that isn't some off-model airbrush atrocity.

 

[Rodney]

I wouldn't be surprised if Thunderbean announces it sometime this year.

 

[Brent Reid]

I was , of course, going to mention Thunderbean in my OP but hoped he might weigh in himself! Of course any good quality BD would be most welcome, but it would be even better if we got the very best version of the three, whichever that is...

 

[bob kaplan]

i really enjoy this feature as well. It was released on LD a long time ago that i was able to purchase and eventually transfer to DVD-R. But the picture is a far cry from even a well done DVD. A blu ray would most certainly be welcomed.

 

[Christian P]

This 1941 Fleischer classic has never – apart from a fabled Japanese DVD a few years back – even had a decent home video release.

I didn't know that. I own this DVD release. What's the problem with it?
Or is it a different movie after all?

 

[LeoA]

That's the same movie.

 

[Dan_Shane]

I didn't know that. I own this DVD release. What's the problem with it?
Or is it a different movie after all?

Same movie, but the transfer is the worst example of digital artifacts I have ever seen. It looks like an interlaced YouTube video with only the even-numbered lines of resolution visible. Absolutely unwatchable.

 

[Rodney]

I wouldn't be surprised if Thunderbean announces it sometime this year.

Here I go quoting myself. Steve on Cartoon Research announced it coming out on blu-ray:

Mr. Bug Goes to Town (from the master neg!!) June 2017

 

[Tony Bensley]

Here I go quoting myself. Steve on Cartoon Research announced it coming out on blu-ray:

Mr. Bug Goes to Town (from the master neg!!) June 2017

You called it, Rodney!

As it happens, MR. HOPPITY GOES TO TOWN (Alternate title) was one of those titles I had taped off our First Choice Movie Channel in the late '80s, only to accidentally tape over it just a couple years later!

Glad to see it getting a proper Blu-ray release!

CHEERS!

 

[LeoA]

Has there been any news about this finally coming out?

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Anyone ever notice that the label on the laserdisc of this movie says Rated R?

 

[Dick]

I wouldn't be surprised if Thunderbean announces it sometime this year.

I respect Mr. Stanchfield a lot for the great work he has actually released, but an announcement and an actual release are very different animals. He announced a collection of Van Beuren cartoon shorts on Blu-rays years ago, and it has yet to come out. I contacted him about this several times because a few of my favorite cartoons are/were going to be on it, and the answer is, "We're making progress." This man apparently works pretty much on his own, so the work load must be stifling. He has indicated an interest in MR. BUG, and even made that announcement for June of 2017 (see post #10), but I don't really expect it to actually happen in my lifetime.

 

[Rodney]

Thunderbean is a one man shop, and it appears Steve tends to bite off more than he can chew. His stuff is always worth waiting for, but he always seems to be more optimistic with his release dates.

Mr. Bug Goes to Town may never get a proper release from him, but he did say back in March that he was going to scan a 35mm IB Technicolor print of it and release it as a special disc.
Still waiting....

 

[50th Street Studio]

What do you all consider to be the best quality release of Mr. Bug? And where does one acquire it?

 

[DVBRD]

I'm assuming Mr. Bug is tied up in rights issues, as it's ludicrous that such an important work remains unavailable to the majority of animation fans.

Allegedly, Paramount owns the rights. The copyright was renewed in 1969 by National Telefilm Associates, whose assets were later absorbed into Paramount. However, there have been some unauthorized DVD releases, under the assumption that the film is public domain. I think that when the film was retitled "Hoppity" the new title card didn't have the copyright info (much like what happened when Laurel and Hardy's "Babes in Toyland" became "March of the Wooden Soldiers"). If Thunderbean does go through with that BD, they probably would have to go through Paramount first.

 

[Dick]

I wouldn't be surprised if Thunderbean announces it sometime this year.

Announcing a project and producing results are very different animals. Mr. Stanchfield is essentially a one-man animation restoration guru, and he's backlogged as it is. 18 months out, I still await a copy I pre-ordered of AESOP'S FABLES, which will contain several of my favorite Van Beuren cartoons. He has been good about responding to my inquiries, and says this is nearly ready, but he stumbled upon some better source material for a few of the films, causing further delay. Yes, he has repeatedly stated his enthusiasm for HOPPITY/MR. BUG, and hopes he can do it, but don't be thinking it will come to fruition before some of us have passed on...

 

[adw001]

Always checking to see if the restored Blu Ray is yet available but this morning have found a full HD fan-restoration that is the best picture and sound I have seen.

"You Tube Link to pirated video deleted by Moderator"

 

[dana martin]

https://linktr.ee/maxfleischercartoons

by the way they have nightly blocks that they run in Instagram Live

but the latest that I have found in researching is that the estate is working with the cooperation of Paramount to restore all of the Fleisher Library, that means that the possibility exist for an Official Studio release,

would love to see this get a full on Paramount Presents with all the bells an whistles.