DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Looney Tunes 4 Disc Golden Collection (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). (1 Viewer)

[Scott Weinberg]

Just got done with Disc 1.

The title is fitting: this stuff is solid gold!

 

[Rik P]

Just picked up mine at Sams for $38.24. I didnt really have to have it but for that price I couldnt pass it up!

Rick

 

[John KB]

I love Feed the Kitty!!! First one I watched, and now it's time to go check out some more. What an excellent set!!!

 

[Patrick McCart]

BTW examining Disc 2 (Best Of Daffy & Porky), Golden Yeggs and Rabbit Fire suffer from the same fate,
and excerpts from Rabbit Fire appear on one of the Carl Stalling Project CD's at its correct speed.

Disc 3 (Looney Tunes All Stars) has altered The Awful Orphan, and Disc 4 (same title) has altered Kit For Kat and Early To Bet in the same manner.

While I'm not screaming 'recall', I am disappointed in that for all the care and attention that the color restoration has received, detail to correct projection speed has not.,

Well, projection speed would not vary...so how would they screw it up?

 

[Chris Britton]

Am I the only one to get one with three of the four disc holders smashed up and unable to hold the discs in place?

 

[Greg S]

For anyone wanting LTGC and Space Jam needs to check out the Weekly Roundup thread in the Coupon & Bargains section because you can get the 2 of them for $40 total!!!

Greg

 

[Keith Paynter]

Patrick, there may be more to this.

At this point, I have only viewed the set on my PC. BTW, the menus are 16x9 compatible, as my display flips back and forth from 4x3 to 16x9.

I have spoken by e-mail with Jerry Beck, and he was unaware of any problems.

I don't get Cartoon Network up here in Canada, but Teletoon runs WB cartoon anthologies, including The Bugs Bunny And Tweety Show (which replaces openings with a generic 50th Birthday pose from Bugs), and (shockingly), original 16mm prints (telecined or converted to video) of the late 60's/early 70's Road Runner Show produced during the Warner Brothers/Seven Arts era in its late night 'Teletoon Retro' block (these had title sequences replaced with either poses of Bugs or head shots of several minor characters with a music bed from the DePatie-Freleng era). The RRS programs showed their age, and had to be 16mm reduction prints, as they were getting very red, were very soft and 'thick' looking, and sound quality typical of 16mm optical prints.

If you really want more proof that there has been alteration to these films, check out Rabbit Fire on disc 2. Listen to the English language track (via single playback, not 'play all'), then compare it to the music-only production track provided, and you will hear a noticeable difference in pitch - not tempo, but pitch.

If these cartoons have been 'time compressed', then the pitch had to have been electronically reduced without changing the sample length (easily accomplished with computer software), then the new video master would have been sped up so that there would be no noticable difference in the sound to the untrained ear.

 

[David Galindo]

Its quite a difference watching these toons uncut. In the edited version of BALLOT BOX BUNNY, the toon ends with the line "Dark Horse? Mare?"

Imagine my surprise when the show on DVD continues after that line, with Bugs and Sam playing Russian Roulette for fun. GEEZ, thats insane!

Glad to know that Warner has the cojones to have these toons unedited

EDIT: Thanks Keith. I meant mare, but the Dark Horse reference is lost on me

 

[Keith Paynter]

Actually, that's 'Dark Horse', and 'Mare' - those are the gags...

 

[perrin]

Does anybody know the title for the short with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd in which Bugs and Daffy are trying to confuse Elmer as to which kind of hunting season it is?

Some of the dialogue goes as they are by a tree with hunting posters they tear off when they announce it.

Bugs "It's duck season!"

Daffy "No, it's rabbit season!"

Bugs "It's duck season"

Daffy "No, it's rabbit season!"

As Daffy tears off the last hunting poster, they see a poster with Elmer Fudd on it, and Elmer runs away.

Finally, Bugs and Daffy say "Say, we are hunting for
Elmers."

perrin

That one is funny and hilarious.

 

[Bill Burns]

Great work, Herb; mine's already in the mail. Any chance you'll have a review up for the other big WB set released today, Lon Chaney Collection? Together, these should make for an exceptionally long Halloween weekend.

 

[Keith Paynter]

Perrin, that is the aforementioned Rabbit Fire on Disc 2

Sadly missing from this disc is the third episode in the Bugs/Daffy/Elmer trilogy, Duck! Rabbit! Duck!, in which Bugs tells Elmer it's baseball season!

 

[Shane_Anthony]

I'm very pleased with this set so far they did a great job cleaning them up considering how old they are..

I also thaught the xtras were very informative and well rounded

Only seen the first disc so far my favourite xtra is the audio recording only of Mel Blanc doing bugs. This guy was so talented it's ridiculous. I could just listen to his voice with no visuals for hours

Well done Warner Brothers

 

[Keith Paynter]

I have had further conversations with Jerry Beck, and after checking over the discs, he was good enough to ask me about what I considered additional audio discrepancies in the following shorts (along with Rabbit Of Seville):

High Diving Hare
Bully for Bugs
Golden Yeggs
Rabbit Fire
Awful Orphan
Kit for Cat
Early to Bet

He did hear what he considered 'minute' differences in the complete and music-only tracks for 'Rabbit Fire', and offered to forward my concern to George Feltenstein, Sr. VP of Warner Home Video, which was a very generous thing to do on his part.

For all the wonderful work WB has done with this set, it's uncomfortable that about 14% (8 out of 56) of the original cartoons are altered in this way. I hope that further editions can see this problem avoided.

 

[Xenia Stathakopoulou]

My favorite extra on the set so far is the bugs bunny shows opening and closings , where all the looney tunes characters are on parade !It was a real treat to see it after so many years.

 

[Ruz-El]

I sampled different cartoons, not watching all of any of them except...

BOSKO!

We need more Bosko on these sets!

This is easily one of the best sets I've ever purchased, and makes me hope that Disney pushes the bar a little higher on their Treasures.

 

[PaulP]

Not to sound too critical, but I'm just a tad disappointed in this set. Perhaps my expectations were unreasonably high. The fact that they're uncut and have tons of great extras is huge, of course, and all the props to WB for that. However, prior to the set's release it was really hyped up by Jerry Beck (and I'm not criticizing Mr. Beck either), that I was expecting Snow White or Sleeping Beauty restorations. The amount of debris in the prints is really troublesome for me. Yes the colors are outstanding. But I'd rather wait longer and pay more and get crystal-clear prints, than have these semi-restorations done. Having said that, I'm ecstatic to have this set, and I'm still going through it. I'll buy all subsequent Golden Collections too. Just thought I was the only one mentioning this problem.

 

[Ric Easton]

My only problem with the set is that it doesn't say "Volume One" Here's hoping that's not all, folks!

Ric

 

[Michael St. Clair]

But I'd rather wait longer and pay more and get crystal-clear prints, than have these semi-restorations done.

Too many cartoons. I'd prefer to not be dead before they all come out.

If the discs sell well, the chances of future 'high-end' restorations for at least selected cartoons should increase. The franchise needs to make some money, let's help prove it can do just that.

 

[Kristian]

Has anyone else read this article over at CNN?

'Looney Tunes DVD' Ticks Off Buyers

I just love how they take the extremely negative opinions of one Amazon.com costumer and then assume everyone else on the internet feels the same way. :rolleyes