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Next Hanna-Barbera set? (14 Viewers)

Ken_Martinez

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Greg Chenoweth said:
WAC's Reply: Some are among upcoming plans, but while we have no further info to impart at the present time, you never know when a surprise announcement will appear. Stay tuned!
That's exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about. Case in friggin' point. With maybe one of two exceptions, THIS is the default answer to any animation question.
 

Greg Chenoweth

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Ken_Martinez said:
Unless you can prove with with a specific, recent example, no they don't. These releases are just dumped onto the market unceremoniously.
I share your frustration, Ken, on the erratic release schedule. However, Warner Archive's website does have a Pre-Order listing where upcoming releases are showcased; not all of them are mentioned there but some are. BEWARE THE BATMAN was on pre-order for three weeks before it was released. The same thing happened with BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD. When YOGI'S GANG was released a year ago, we had about a one to two week lead time to pre-order the set. The all-time pre-order, though, goes to SHAZAM! which was up for pre-order almost three to four months.
 

Mark Y

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When I first read the post quoting the Facebook page stating "some" of the shows mentioned were in the works, I thought great, since most of them are ones I really want. Then I looked at the list again and saw a few 1980s titles at the end of it and how much you want to bet THOSE are the ones in the works. So I'm not gonna get too excited. But still, that's something!Younger68 mentioned the Banana Splits having been released in Region 2 -- this raises a question...are there any other Hanna-Barbera shows that came out in the UK but not (yet) in the US? I know some cartoon collections of Huckleberry Hound, Pixie & Dixie and Peter Potamus (at least) were released in Spain. I did pick up the two volumes of Huckleberry Hound and it's just separate cartoons (Huck only), no other show elements, and every cartoon also appears on the Huckleberry Hound Volume 1 set released years ago -- but interestingly, they used different masters: the ones on the Spanish DVDs are the old syndicated TV versions with the short (single title card) intros, like they would have been seen in syndication in the US (prior to USA Network).I did ask Warner Archive on Facebook about the Banana Splits a while back and the response was that they were still wanting to put together a decent quality set of shows (but no timeframe for when or if this might happen). I take that to mean if it does eventually come out, it would be through the Warner Archive attempting to reconstruct the one-hour shows from the available elements. The UK set is called "The Banana Splits And Friends Show -- Complete Season 1" and it is essentially the half-hours as shown on Boomerang. Nice quality, but a good chunk of stuff from the original shows is missing and of course, these versions don't even have the full theme song. I am hoping it's a good sign that it wasn't released in the US that way.That is an impressive list someone compiled of the H-B shows WA has released so far -- and as mentioned earlier, that doesn't even count the Ruby-Spears titles and other animation releases. Still though, it is very light on 1960s, apart from the superhero shows. They've got to get around to more 1960s stuff sometime.
 

Ken_Martinez

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But Greg, dropping pre-order links a week before release is little better than merely releasing them with zero hints beforehand.

WHV retail in past years might have released less shows, but we also knew which ones were coming months in advance.
 

JoHud

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Ken_Martinez said:
But Greg, dropping pre-order links a week before release is little better than merely releasing them with zero hints beforehand.

WHV retail in past years might have released less shows, but we also knew which ones were coming months in advance.
That's because the window between the telecines and video transfers being finished and the actual product being released is usually much smaller than WHV. The weekly scheduling of releases is often not locked until as little as a mere week in advance. The WAC doesn't give absolutes because it can't guarantee exactly which day they come out until shortly before it does and would like to avoid being called "liars" if a deadline made over a month in advance can't be met.

However, "soon" does mean something is definitely coming. Eventually.

I don't mind. I like the weekly surprises (or disappointments)
 

Randy Korstick

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Well said Joe. This applies to all WAC releases they do not give definite answers or release dates on any of their product releases other than occasional pre-orders a week or two in advance. They can only give you an idea if it is planned, being worked on or has issues holding it up. These may be frustrating answers but definately understandable answers since they are dealing with older material that can have many different issues.
JoHud said:
That's because the window between the telecines and video transfers being finished and the actual product being released is usually much smaller than WHV. The weekly scheduling of releases is often not locked until as little as a mere week in advance. The WAC doesn't give absolutes because it can't guarantee exactly which day they come out until shortly before it does and would like to avoid being called "liars" if a deadline made over a month in advance can't be met.

However, "soon" does mean something is definitely coming. Eventually.

I don't mind. I like the weekly surprises (or disappointments)
 

MattPriceTime

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Perhaps we need to refreshen the memories of what actually was said here...

Marine Boy Set 2: Greg was told a soon before it's release

Cabbage: A post was we would see more Ruby Spears about two weeks before

Space Stars: Revealed at comic con, it's hold up was responded to on facebook, was put up for pre-order, was hinted at in a multiple post and received an unboxing video

Casper: Cartooncrew was told more holiday specials were coming soon before release

Captain Caveman: Revealed at comic on with a date, came out on that date, was also been said to been in the works for a long time prior

60s Popeye: Put up for pre-order in advance

Marine Boy: Was said to been in works in advance of release

Roman/Hair Bear: Revealed by TVshowsondvd.com early

Yogi's Gang: Told it was in the works months in advance, was given a poll on their page to hint about plus receieved unboxing video

Ed Grimley: Put on pre-order two weeks in advance

Butch Cassidy: Was hinted at in a multiple guess post at the end of the previous year

Police Academy: Total surprise

Korg: Was told HB "animation was done for the year", however this was a play on words bc the next one was live action

Flintstones specials: Were told a Flintstones release was coming for months

Snorks: Total surprise but had been told in the past about conditions of Snorks material

Pac/Sky Commanders: Revealed at comic con

Heathcliff: Revealed early by Tvshowsondvd.com was hinted at in a multiple post before hand

Chan Clan: Given a post on fb wall in advance of release

Sealab: Total surprise

Inch: Was hinted at in a multple post in advance

Shazzan: Given two posts on fb wall in advance of release

Real JQ: Given a post on fb wall in advance of release
I may have missed some but either way all of this has been previously documented throughout this thread. Very few of their releases were just dropped on the market.

And also there's also been a collective group of projects posted multiple times. And if you actually recall what they said it's not hard to take a logical guess which titles on that list are the ones likely.

Even then though when another year comes to pass and the even when their hints pay off, i bet some people will still not consider it enough. It would be one thing if they were BOTH non-specific and non-accurate. However unless you are not accurately reading their posts nor this thread, one of those is not true.
 

Ken_Martinez

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So, I guess that means that WAC makes no plans at all for the year. They have no product roadmap and just make it up on the fly as they go along.That's why releases are so dumbfounded and random and no one knows what's coming out until almost immediately before it comes out. How come WAC can give tentative ballpark estimates for Tarzan or The F.B.I. or Night Court, but not any cartoons? How come WHV can finish those shows up in a timely fashion, but not The Jetsons or The Snorks?

Sorry, Matt. Notice a week before release pretty much IS being "dropped on the market". "Coming soon" can mean any number of things, asd GoBots and Centurions has proven.

WHV doesn't give asbolutes for cartoons because they give nothing at all. "Coming Soon" =/= "tentatively planned for [insert time frame here". The latter is an example of a non-specific, non-absdolute answer that most would be okay with, the former is just a cop-out.

Some people will be satisified by whatever WAC does and whatever they say. WAC could put out sets with no discs inside and that would make many people very happy. I hardly think being more critical of them is inherently a bad thing.
 

Randy Korstick

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We need evidence that they gave ballpark estimated dates for Tarzan, The F.B.I. and Night Court. I check their FB page 3-4 times a week and the only answers I've seen on FB for these shows are "Soon", "We're currently working on it". "Hopefully by the end of the year", "Hopefully next year it needs remastering" but nothing definative until its a week or two away. Exactly the same answers that the animation releases get.
 

Nebiroth

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Greg Chenoweth said:
WAC's Reply: Some are among upcoming plans, but while we have no further info to impart at the present time, you never know when a surprise announcement will appear. Stay tuned!
And there you have the perfect illustration of the sort of reply that drives people nuts. It's designed to give the impression they're answering you, but actually not saying anything at all. It's the precide strategy that politicians use and precisely why they are held in such general contempt.

It doesn;t actually tell you anything because it's just a vague "some are, some aren't, but since I'm not telling you which titles fall into which category, I'm not actually telling you anything meaningful at all whilst giving you false hope about some that some that are definitely off the table"

I don't see why titles that aren;t being worked on shouldn't be indicated, such as "we have no plans for xyz at this time". I do understand why they don;t give timeframes unless something is right in the final stages, because lots of things can go wrong and as has been said above you then get loads of whining about it.

But I think that titles that are non-starters should be revealed as such.
 

Ken_Martinez

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What Neibroth said. Also, their posts on live-action are usually more explicit. They said that Tarzan was being remastered. They said that the latest season of Night Court was being finsihed up. And so on.

I should also note that the live-action release schedule is far more consistent. Night Court was released bi-annually since WAC got it until it was finished. The FBI actually got THREE releases last year and is on track for completion as well. Eight is Enough and Alice have been coming at a steady clip. They did two Maverick sets within the span of a few months. While the gap between the two Tarzan seasons was lengthier, the wait was FAR less than Gobots, Centurians, Police Academy, Mr.T, Snorks or any of the other shows they've failed to finish.
 

MattPriceTime

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Personally i still don't get why after all this time some people still plague them with huge long lists or repeating asking 'are you doing this'. It would be more practical to be taking guesses with "are you working on this show currently" to get a more direct answer than giving them of a mountain to play around with.While this is certainly less fair to those who haven't been prowling around those pages for years, taking that last list for example, those of us that have been should have a very good guess what those hints are more than likely leading to. Given of the ten releases on that list, only two of them have not been talked about with some more indicative responses within a little over the last year.

And on the models. I believe there are more than enough responses already in this topic, the WA discussion topic and the predict WA tv thread to illustrate how their models differ (the one on tv shows and one on HB shows) and why the vast majority of people in this forum are fine with it or at least understand it
 

Greg Chenoweth

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I asked Warner Archive on Facebook about two specific projects: LOOPY DE LOOP and a 1977 special called YABBA DABBA DOO! THE HAPPY WORLD OF HANNA-BARBERA. In both instances, Warner Archive said that they have finished remastering them and that they have gone to the legal department for clearance. This was over two years ago and neither one of them have seen the light of day on home video.

Here is a situation where Warner Archive said that a release was imminent but has not happened yet, for reasons unknown. I approached the 1977 special on the new Warner Archive Cartoon Collection Facebook page and got a real glib answer about it. This is where Warner Archive gets shot in the foot for stating that things are ready for release but for some reason there is a hold up. I would like both selections in my DVD collection. Maybe there was legal holdups that WA did not foresee; I don't know. It is better, sometimes, for Warner Archive to be vague about things than to start to get people excited about something that may not happen for a while.
 

Ken_Martinez

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MattPriceTime said:
And on the models. I believe there are more than enough responses already in this topic, the WA discussion topic and the predict WA tv thread to illustrate how their models differ (the one on tv shows and one on HB shows) and why the vast majority of people in this forum are fine with it or at least understand it
If there was one, I must have missed it. Maybe you can explain to be why the live-action TV shows get treated well with consistent releases and updates, while animated TV shows are treated like red-headed stepchildren.
 

Greg Chenoweth

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Here's another example of Warner Archive saying that something was coming out before the end of the year and it has never happened. Back in 2011 I asked WA about Huck and Yogi; as well as THE GOOD, THE BAD AND HUCKLEBERRY HOUND. The Archive assured me that we would see more Huck and Yogi before the end of the year (their words) as well as THE GOOD, THE BAD AND HUCKLEBERRY HOUND. Well, they were right about the Huck movie but we still haven't seen the classic Huck and Yogi. I think they learned a lesson and decided to be more vague if something is in the pipeline than get everyone's hopes up for a release and then not to be able to deliver on it. I still think it's amazing that Warner Archive is willing to answer people's questions on different shows and films; something no other studio is doing.
 

Ken_Martinez

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so, those couple of extraordinary cases preclude them saying anything about animation, even newer shows with no master issues, no clearance issues, and few other problems (i.e. Jetsons and Johnny Quest).
 

JoeDoakes

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I think it's worth asking them questions about items that may be coming. First, they may give you an answer. Second, even if they don't answer, it might remotely influence what they release. I asked them about releasing the Great Gildersleave films a few years ago. I received no reply, but they did release a complete set last year.
 

Greg Chenoweth

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rmw650 said:
Hell, I've asked them numerous times about when Jetsons Season 3 would be coming out and I never even heard back from them about it. At least you guys managed to get an answer to your requests, albeit in a form letter type format.
I recently asked about Season 3 of THE JETSONS as well and they indicated that it would be coming soon!?! This is a must buy for me because then the Jetsons collection will be complete.
 

JoeDoakes

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rmw650 said:
At least you got them to answer your question Greg but that's really good news to hear as well. Now hoping we get that Popeye Volume 4 set that was mentioned to be released in July.
Maybe that's newer news, but the last I heard, Famous Popeyes are on hold for the 2015 feature film. I asked about the 1960s Popeyes, and they said no news at this time.
 

Randy Korstick

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There are so many TV shows me and many others have been asking about for many years that they give no clearer answer than the animation titles: Bronco, Lawman; The Dakotas; Colt .45; 77 Sunset Strip; Hawaiian Eye; Surfside 6; The Alaskans; Bourbon Street Beat; The Roaring 20's. I'm sure others can add more. We get the exact same answers as the animation titles on all these so I guess these are red headed step children too. Not to mention we still don't have Volume 4 of The Bowery Boys. There was nearly a year between Season 1 and 2 of Courtship of Eddie's Father and then almost a year and a half between season 2 and 3. There was well over a year between season 1 and 2 of Tarzan.
The few shows that you mentioned like F.B.I. all meet 3 qualifications: 1.) No rights issues; 2.) Had been remastered on tape in the 80's or had existing masters in excellent shape so they only required a digital cleanup; 3.) Are among their top selling products.
None of the other shows I'm requesting or the animation titles you mentioned meet all 3 categories so they are either delayed, planned or being worked on. There is really nothing else they can say until the shows are ready. The Jetsons Season 3 is being worked on, it needed remastering like Season 2. When its finished they will release it. If you ask them about it they will tell you its on the way or its being worked on.
I'm still surprised that they continue to answer questions on FB as well since no other studio does this even WHV.
Ken_Martinez said:
If there was one, I must have missed it. Maybe you can explain to be why the live-action TV shows get treated well with consistent releases and updates, while animated TV shows are treated like red-headed stepchildren.
 

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