Anyone Know the status of Woody Woodpecker? (1 Viewer)

[Randy Korstick]

Anyone know release status of the Walter Lantz cartoons done by Universal; Woody Woodpecker, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy? Is there some sort of rights hold up. I would think these would have been out by now. I enjoy these as much as Looney Toons and would buy all of them.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

I think it's more indifference on Universal's part than any kind of rights issue. A good number of the prime Walter Lantz cartoons of the 1940s-1950s were released on DVD via the Columbia House subscription program a few years ago, but several of those shorts were edited-for-content TV prints from the old WOODY WOODPECKER SHOW (hosted, Disney-style, by Walter Lantz).

I'd personally be content with an un-cut/un-altered collection (or collections) limited to the black & white Lantz cartoons of the 1930s, the complete color cartoon output of directors James "Shamus" Culhane, Dick Lundy, Tex Avery, Don Patterson, Ray Patterson, Alex Lovy and Jack Hannah, plus a few Sid Marcus cartoons (HALF-BAKED ALASKA, THE THREE LITTLE WOODPECKERS), and some of the better, 1950s cartoons of Paul J. Smith (whose subsequent work went downhill fast), like the Woody Woodpecker cartoon BUNCO BUSTERS (1955).

The majority of the 1960s-1970s Lantz cartoons are pretty dire, IMO, and not worth the space they'd take up on potential DVD collections. But the better Lantz cartoons deserve to be on legit DVD, and can hold their own against their competition at WB, MGM, Disney and the Fleischer/Famous Studios output.

Please, Universal, please!

 

[Randy Korstick]

I agree the 60's and 70's cartoons are poor compared to the prime 40's and 50's stuff which I would want 1st of course. The Lantz 60's and 70's cartoons are about on par with the 60's Looney Toons. Personally I would take the Lantz 60's output over the Looney Toons 60's output.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

A lot of the Lantz 50's cartoons were pretty crappy too.

The studio was definitely at their pinnacle in the 40's. I'd kill for a decent uncut collection of the 30's-40's theatrical cartoons (not tv sourced eps!) on DVD!

In fact, these are some of the strongest animated shorts produced during the timeframe and the quality stuff was just as easily on par as anything turned out at Warners or any of the competing studios.

Universal are complete idiots for not recognizing the value and potential of the properties they are sitting on. There's no reason for the total neglect of these characters, films and franchise... it's really upsetting.

 

[Paul Miller]

This listed about two years ago now as coming out by Universal on an advertisement in one of the seasons of Quantum Leap, I wonder what happened. I would buy this show in a heart beat, I'm a big fan of the Chilly Willy shorts.


Paul