Looney Tunes on DVD SURVEY! (2 Viewers)

[Patrick Taylor]

I am on a Mac and got the survey to work using the Apple Safari web browser about 20 minutes ago. A few images where not correct though. Got through the whole survey too. I am/was a collector of Looney Tunes merchandise when the WB stores were around. I would buy the 4 DVD version in a heartbeat if the cartoons are uncut.

PAT

 

[David Williams]

Patrick wrote:

and they're only asking for $70...that's $1.16 per episode

Even if you paid retail for WDT: The Complete Goofy that works outs to $.72 per short. EDIT: I looked back to see that I paid $24.99 street at the Disney store, which makes it $.54 per short. Quite a bargain.

 

[Patrick McCart]

I really don't see a difference if it's a 60 disc set with one short on each disc... Disney manages to get about 50 shorts on 2 discs with extras for a more than reasonable price, why can't WB? Are they planning to be the Paramount of the animated set?

Disney only had to produce extras for their sets. The masters they used for the Disney Treasures (except for a handful of cartoons) are all from 1992 masters made for very expensive laserdiscs.

Since Warner is having to remaster about a couple hundred cartoons for DVD, it's going to cost quite a lot.

If Disney had to restore and remaster all 46 of the Goofy cartoons in time for a DVD, it would have been even more expensive.

What it all boils down to... do you want to pay more for high quality or pay less for poor quality?

 

[David Williams]

I'm willing to pay more, don't get me wrong. The only difference between me and the die-hard collector is that there is a limit to how much I am willing to pay. I think WB is, well, Looney Tunes, if they think that $69.95 MSRP for 60 shorts is going to sell to your average DVD-holic.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

To me, Disney shorts are damned good hamburger, but LT/MM are steak. I don't buy my cartoons by the pound and just look for the best deal.

Yes, I'd like to see a little better value proposition. And if they were somebody else's shorts at this price I might it out. But there's no way in hell I'll pass on these.

I paid over a buck a cartoon for these on Laserdisc, and I have absolutely no regrets.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Well, I signed up for them to E-mail me when the survey is prepared for more entries.

The part that scares me here, is that the first post seems to imply that the 4 disc (60 toon) set is the most that we will ever see. If this is true, then I am truly disappointed. I want to own each and every cartoon that exists in the WB library. I will buy the 4 disc set no matter what, but I will be greatly disappointed. I don't see the point in releasing multiple 4 disc sets when the first set features (The 60 greatest). Why not do what Disney is doing?

 

[JonathonSan]

They need to release the DVD just like the laserdiscs they did years back. They were a bit overpriced, but very prised possesions now(and still a bit pricey on Ebay). A big mega collection of all shorts separated chronologically in sets so mainstream can buy the popular years.

 

[PaulP]

The part that scares me here, is that the first post seems to imply that the 4 disc (60 toon) set is the most that we will ever see.

Yeah it does somehow look that way. I hope that's not their intention, and I hope they restored ALL of their shorts, and nor just 60. It would be wise for them to follow Disney and release 4-disc character sets. Starting off with Bugs Bunny is a good idea. What I hope they realize is that no matter the marketing research, the vast majority of those who'll buy these sets IS only those crazy DVD-collectors. I can't see a mom shopping in Walmart picking up even a 2-disc LT collection for around $30 bucks, when her kids can see the toons on Cartoon Network for free. So they should stop kidding themselves and see that Disney is doing the right thing. They're catering to those who are interested in investing the money into these sets.

 

[MarkHastings]

which makes it $.54 per short. Quite a bargain.

True, $.54 is cheaper than $1.16, but my point is that $1.16 per episode is still a great price. You can't argue that.

 

[Patrick McCart]

The part that scares me here, is that the first post seems to imply that the 4 disc (60 toon) set is the most that we will ever see. If this is true, then I am truly disappointed. I want to own each and every cartoon that exists in the WB library. I will buy the 4 disc set no matter what, but I will be greatly disappointed. I don't see the point in releasing multiple 4 disc sets when the first set features (The 60 greatest). Why not do what Disney is doing?

You'll probably see a lot of mega-sets. The people who worked on the Golden Age of Looney Tunes laserdisc sets are working on the DVDs. Now, with the entire library to work from, they can do a lot more with the DVDs.

You're likely to see a lot of B&W Porky and lots of Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, and Frank Tashlin.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Patrick,

I hope you're right. It just doesn't make sense to release a box containing the "60 Greatest" and then follow it up with more sets that contain "Lesser" cartoons. Might it be that all of the above options are being considered for the more casual fans and that yet another option is looming?

 

[Michael St. Clair]

The first laserdisc box was not labled 'volume 1', it was just the 'Golden Age of Looney Tunes'.

The last couple of volumes weren't as good as the first two or three.

You can pick what one person thinks are the 60 'best' and there are still a ton of great cartoons.

Frankly, I don't believe every LT/MM will get released on DVD. Some won't due to censorship, and some won't due to quality. This is just my prediction. As far as the 'censored eleven (or twelve or whatever)' go, I hope that at least some day they get a separate release (mail order only?) along with introductions that put them in their proper context.

I'd love for every LT/MM to be released but I am certain Warner is not going to commit to this, and I'm certainly going to buy whatever the release regardless. Any true cartoon fan will do the same.

You know, it used to be the Disney shorts on laserdisc that cost more than the Warner/MGM ones. So this time it is the other way around.

The real animation enthusiasts and cartoon fans aren't going to blink at a buck or so per episode.

 

[PaulP]

I'm not looking at the price at all. Seventy bucks retail for a 4-disc is pretty reasonable, considering this is priceless stuff. Plus with coupons and various discounts I bet this could be had for around $45-50 or so. But what's imperative is that EVERY SINGLE short be released. If some shorts are deemed by Warner racist etc. then they can always preface them with warnings, which is fine by me, as long as they're fully 100% uncut and unedited.

 

[Jeff_HR]

The real animation enthusiasts and cartoon fans aren't going to blink at a buck or so per episode

A buck an episode is just dandy with me! I'll be buying. The only thing that is of any concern to me is censorship.

 

[WillG]

I would think very stongly that the cartoons with perceived racial overtones will be either left off sets or will at least be censored

 

[Patrick McCart]

Censorship probably won't be an issue. The laserdiscs and tapes have been uncensored (not always uncut...some cartoons have alternate opening/closing titles from re-release prints).

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

Yes, we need to pound our message into Warner's (hopefully not too) thick skulls like a barrage of artillery fire... no censorship, no cutting, no crap quality, and no Snappers.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

The laserdiscs and tapes have been uncensored (not always uncut...some cartoons have alternate opening/closing titles from re-release prints).

Simply not correct. Policy mandated these not be released on LD or tape:

"All This and Rabbit Stew"-Avery/1941
"Angel Puss"-Jones/1944
"Clean Pastures"-Freleng/1937
"Coal Black & De Sebben Dwarfs"-Clampett/1943
"Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears"-Freleng/1944
"Hittin' The Trail to Hallelujah Land"-1931
"The Isle Of Pingo Pongo"-Avery/1938
"Jungle Jitters"-Freleng/1938
"Sunday Go To Meetin' Time"-Freleng/1936
"Tin Pan Alley Cats"-Clampett/1943
"Uncle Tom's Bungalow"-Avery/1937

Also, "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips" was removed from later pressings of the first LD set.

 

[PaulP]

Michael, hopefully, in light of what Disney's done with their controversial shorts on the Treasures DVDs, Warner will include these 12 and others in their original complete form. Disney's touchy shorts were prefaced by Leonard Maltin explaining why Mickey was smoking and why all the blackface, etc. So Warner could start each "bad" short with a skippable intro, which would explain what's to come and why, putting it in historical context. And really, I don't see why studios make such a big deal about this stuff. These shorts were made at a totally different time, when people accepted things that would be deemed racist today. But as much as studios want to think that cartoons are just entertainment for kids, I disagree with them. If parents want to entertain kids today with cartoons, there are plenty of modern animated shows they can watch - none of which, I suppose, would require censorship. On the other hand, classic shorts from the 1920s and into, I guess, 60s-70s probably shouldn't be watched by kids at all. They were made with a wholly different mindset and sensibilities, and even many ordinary things depicted in them would not be understandable by today's children. Sorry, I'm rambling, but I hope people will understand what I'm trying to get at. Sorry for the rant.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Simply not correct. Policy mandated these not be released on LD or tape:

I was referring to cartoons being censored, not supressed. Those 11 have been in supressed distribution since AAP was sold to United Artists.

None of the cartoons were censored for the "Golden Age" set, nor the Warner laserdiscs. They either appeared or didn't.