WHV Popeye 2007 (1 Viewer)

see the Home Media Retailing article on HTF's front page...

The distribution deal covers all of the original 231 Popeye animated shorts released theatrically by Paramount Pictures between 1933 and 1957. Warner also has licensed the exclusive rights to 220 Popeye made-for-TV animated shorts produced from 1960 to 1962, 65 episodes of "The Continuing Adventures of Popeye," produced from 1978 to 1981 (and consisting of 161 animated shorts) and 26 "Popeye & Son" shorts produced in 1987.

I supposed this wasn't exactly unforseeable, especially post-Blade Runner.

What the hell am i rambling about?

THIS IS GREAT! The is wonderful. This is fantastic! I loved the old Popeye cartoons.

This is great news. I've been waiting for these for a while.

Jeez. So many "Holy Grails" being announced this year (Blade Runner, Superman II: Donner Cut, The Tick, etc). The hits just keep on coming.


I'm so in line for Popeye!

THANK YOU,
GEORGE FELTENSTEIN!!!!!!

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!





THANK YOU!!!

Excellent news indeed! I hope they are able to restore the original Paramount logos and main titles instead of using the AAP ones.

Wow this great! I can't wait to see all the old Max Fleischer toons again (and some for the very first time)! If these are treated like the Looney Tunes sets, which I believe they will, these should be a real treasure on DVD.

This is great news only if the 1930's cartoons are in their original Black and White versions and not the terrible colorized versions.

On that subject, I would like to see Warner Bros. do a featurette on the Colorization of the Popeyes in Korea (and the abysmal results), if only to show people an attempt to keep the films commercially viable

When Cartoon Network had their Popeye show a few years ago , the cartoons were restored and included the Paramount logos. I don't know if all the black and white cartoons were shown or if it was just a select few.

Restoration has already been completed on many of the films, I thought.


Anyways -- why did this get moved to the TV forum?


These are theatrical films from the 30's and 40's, well before the advent of television.

In fact, the Fleicher films rarely got any widespread syndicated broadcast at all, save for some screen time in the 60's and 70's and limited exposure with the Popeye show in the 90's.

But this announcement is in regards to the theatrical films!


This really deserves to be in the Film forum.

I don't think we should ignore the fact that these films are significant not only from a historical perspective as pioneering an industry in 1930's Hollywood which gave way to the Golden Age of animated film, but on par with any other classis films from that era. It just adds to the growing widespread fallacy that cartoons are nothing more than Saturday morning children's fare.

I think this topic should be moved back to the Film forum alongside every other Warner classic movie box set announcement. Because that's exactly what this is.

Masterpieces of artistic craftmanship, visual surrealism, technical innovation and entertainment that stand next to any other acclaimed filmic works of the classic Hollywood period.

Marco, I purposefully started this thread in film and documentary, I assume this was moved due to someone's unfamiliarity with Popeye's history. All animation shown theatrically, including Looney Tunes should be in the Film forum.

Tim

I'm pretty sure WB has been restoring the Popeye cartoons for a few years now. Apparently, the original negatives didn't have titles replaced, so no more AAP.

This will be pre-ordered as soon as it can be... I've been waiting for this ever since I got into DVD. Popeye is great mainly for being a cartoon hero who wasn't afraid to solve problems with his fists.

The chronological format is perfect. I really don't care for the Famous Studios work (save for the first year or two, which includes the brilliant "Me Musical Nephews"). The Max Fleischer cartoons are poorly represented - mostly public domain junk. Now that we will finally have official, remastered DVDs of the Supermans and Popeyes, I hope people will rediscover Fleischer Studios.

That just leaves the rest of the Fleischer cartoons with Paramount (via Republic) to be released.

http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg....zc8nSiIqOhrQ--

Well, blow me down!!

absolutely chuffed tobits

I've never understood the logic of moving the Looney Tunes Golden Collection threads here either. And like the Looney Tunes, the Popeye shorts are 35mm films designed for theatrical exhibition. They are no more television programs than Citizen Kane. Intentionally or not, placing them in the television forum ghettoizes the films and shows a little disrespect for the filmmakers and disinterest in film history.

Anyway, Jerry Beck has posted this additional tidbit on the Animation Show Forums:

I loved these Popeye cartoons! I wonder how many discs it would take for the whole collection. How long was each cartoon?

Each cartoon was roughly 7-8 minutes, roughly, except for the 2-reel "Special Editions" done in Technicolor.

Done right (and Warners will do right), this set is arguably only second to the Harold Lloyd boxed set in the entire history of "rare film collections" on DVDs. This is going to be the home video event of 2007.

I couldn't make the chat last night, and I'm disappointed that nobody thought to ask about the upcoming SUPERMAN and ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN serials, which are being released on DVD by Warner's TV division. I would've asked if Warners owns the rights to other vintage Columbia serials based on DC characters, such as THE VIGILANTE, CONGO BILL, and HOP HARRIGAN. I don't think so, but I would've asked. Another good question would've been whether Warners also now has distribution rights/ownership of other Fleischer/Famous cartoon series, such as the ScreenSong singalongs, the Gabby shorts, the caveman shorts (I forget the name of that prototype FLINTSTONES series), et al? I guess Betty Boop would be too much to even hope for, since she wasn't included in the press release.

If the Popeye DVD's are going to recieve the same "royal treatment" as the Looney Tunes DVD's, i wonder how Warner is going to split the cartoons up. If they follow the Looney Tunes route and put 60 cartoons in a 4-disc Box Set, the Entire Max Fleischer/Famous Studios Theatrical output (231 Cartoons) could be comfortably housed in 4 Sets.

But that leaves the question of the 400+ Made-for-TV Popeyes. If they only do one set a year, that means everything won't get released until well after HD-DVD/Blu-Ray render Standard Definition DVD obsolete.