Looney Tunes? (1 Viewer)

[DEAN DE FURIA]

So what's holding up Looney Tunes on DVD?

 

[Patrick McCart]

Restoration, remastering, producing...etc

There's about 1500 Warner Bros. cartoons in all and nearly all of the 1929-1948 cartoons need some extensive remastering. All of them could use Lowry Digital Images cleanup because many of the pre-1950's cartoons have photographed-in cel dust. A few test restorations have been done to some Technicolor cartoons and the results are fantastic.

 

[DEAN DE FURIA]

Sure there are 1500 cartoons but what about a 2 disc set of about 40 "greatest"? Just to tide everyone over!

 

[Kevin McCorry]

Still, there is no excuse for Warner not releasing
compilations of post-1948 cartoons to DVD.
Then again, we'd likely get them in cardboard cases
with inflexible and brittle plastic spindles, badly
glued DVD-14s susceptible to damage from the force
required to remove them from the spindles, and a
tendency to rot. Maybe we're better off getting the
cartoons on discs from Japan. But here again, this
begs the question, if Japan, why not U.S.A.? What's
wrong with the post-1948 cartoons? Why are they
undeserving of a R1 DVD release BY THEMSELVES? What's
wrong with at least releasing a Chuck Jones tribute
DVD while the man's still alive and able to record
a commentary?

 

[Kevin McCorry]

Just obtained the third Tweety DVD released in Japan,

and yet again the quality of transfer is outstanding.

One of the cartoons, "A Bird in a Bonnet" was never

on any video format and looks fabulous. As do all of

the others. Much better than the Japanese laserdiscs

containing some of the same cartoons and further

evidence that the post-1948 cartoons are ready to

be released now.

 

[Mike Brantley]

OK, I'm sold. Can someone point me in the right direction as to a source for purchasing these Japanese import DVDs. I have a code-free player in my AV arsenal. Thanks.

 

[Kevin McCorry]

Here's where I picked up the third Tweety DVD.
The service was very prompt and efficient.
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/

 

[Scott Leopold]

I'm just as eager as anyone to see the Looney Tunes on DVD. My big question is, how do you want them released (other than "in anything other than snap cases")? I'd like to see yearly compilations. I'd want them totally unedited and uncut (keep the B&W cartoons B&W). As for extras, I'd like any archival footage/photos they could find, examples of original & pre-production art, introductions and interviews with the creators (I can't think of anyone other than Chuck Jones who's still alive, so hopefully they'd have archival footage that could fit), and possibly a music-only track.

 

[Kevin McCorry]

One more Tweety DVD and every post-1948 Sylvester and

Tweety cartoon will be on DVD. I quite fancy the idea

of character compilations with a thorough selection of

cartoons. Maybe if Warner Bros. Japan were to next release

Road Runner DVDs with the same format and then start Bugs Bunny volumes we'd see large portions of the cartoon library making it to DVD. This might work for the more popular

characters. The others could share discs, like a Foghorn,

Leghorn, Pepe Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales set of compilations,

possibly with a classic one-shot cartoon, like "One Froggy Evening", included in each.

Right now, we have 33 Warner Bros. cartoons on DVD. 30 Tweetys and three Bugs Bunnies. It's a beginning.

 

[Mike Brantley]

Thanks, Kevin. I'm all over it.

 

[Kevin McCorry]

My pleasure, Mike.

Two cartoons conspicuously absent from the DVDs are

"Birds Anonymous" and "Hyde and Go Tweet". We must

hope Warner Japan sees fit to complete the series,

even though there are some unflattering Japanese

stereotypes in "Trip For Tat" and "Tweety and the

Beanstalk", two cartoons also not released yet.