In 1987, the legendary animation team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera created a series of ten feature-length animations for television, all of which would highlight their most popular cartoon characters. Compiled as the HANNA-BARBERA SUPERSTARS 10, each film provided irresistible entertainment. Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo each star in three productions, along with a one-time-only meeting of THE FLINTSTONES and THE JETSONS. Judy Jetson takes the spotlight in her own adventure, while HUCKLEBERRY HOUND heads up an exciting all-star Western, and the loveable TOP CAT and his gang star in a story set in Beverly Hills. Hanna-Barbera was able to use many of the original voice actors to re-create their roles for these films. Animation voice talents include Daws Butler, Don Messick, Mel Blanc, and the original voice casts of THE JETSONS. Arnold Stang, Marvin Kaplan, and Leo De Lyon once again provide their TOP CAT character’s voices, and of course, all the Scooby-Doo gang is on hand to top off the fun. Each of these unique productions provides an opportunity for audiences of all generations to celebrate Hanna-Barbera favorites of years past. This first-ever complete collection, remastered in High-Definition, offers a wealth of animation history as well as entertainment for youngsters discovering these characters for the first time.

For thoughts on Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

Warner Archive brings Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10 to Blu-Ray with ten of their classic films available on ten separate discs in this single box set. Each of these discs is also available to purchase separately. Eight of these films were remastered in HD from their original film elements. The two outliers are Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf and Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears, which have no existing film elements due to being created in an early form of digital ink and paint. Companies were a bit shortsighted when the opportunity to create animation much more cheaply arrived, and audiences are paying the price when they now want these titles in HD.

For the eight features that were created through traditional means derived from film elements, the results are very pleasant. These features do not quite reach the dazzling heights of something like Hey There, It’s Yogi Bear, mainly due to the quality of the animation itself, but most will agree that these titles are the best they have ever looked and are a welcome sight in high definition. These features contain bold, bright colors and no signs of damage to be found. Black levels hold up really well with no instances of black crush to be found. There is the occasional indication of noise reduction applied, but these moments are fleeting at worst. These features have been treated very well and will put a smile on the faces of kids and kids at heart.

Things are a little less cut and dry when it comes to Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf and Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears. As mentioned previously, there are text warnings before each feature noting the source deficiency of these titles, basically telling the viewer this is the best that can be done. To assuage some of the disappointment over the level of quality, both features contain some excellent additional specials that you can learn about in the special features section below. If the choice is between not having these in HD at all or owning what we are given, we pick the HD upscales every time. Yes, these do not look as good as the other eight features, but they are not a complete eyesore either. The colors are still decent with hues saturating the screen. The source does not allow for a natural appearance, but we are still overall happy with how things look. This Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10 set is a dream come true for animation fans.

Audio Quality

The audio quality of the Blu-Ray set is even more consistent than the video side of things as all ten are graced with resplendent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono tracks that render without issue. Most of these features include a song or two, and every tune is presented with a pleasing fidelity. Even with some years under their belt, they do not experience much at all in the way of age-related wear and tear. This track provides clarity to the dialogue, sound effects, and music throughout. The exaggerated effects are given impeccable depth and are layered well to give the track a robust sound. Every track seemingly reaches its highest potential. These discs also include optional English (SDH) subtitles.

Special Features

Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf

Scooby Goes Hollywood: The 50-minute special from 1979 is provided here beautifully restored in HD. This fits right in line with the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! series as Scoob and the gang attempt to conquer Tinseltown.

Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears

Yogi’s Ark Lark: A 43-minute special of Yogi’s Gang is provided here beautifully restored in HD. This tackles the important issue of ecological conservation with an array of fun characters from the Yogi universe.

Final Thoughts

Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10 is a joyous voyage into the past as you reconnect with classic Hanna-Barbera characters in some truly entertaining feature films. While it is true that most of these stories have quite a bit of filler to reach “feature” length, they provide some giant belly laughs when the characters are working. Even beyond the headlining characters, it is fun to spend time with underrated characters like Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, and more. Not to fear, you spend plenty of time with the likes of Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, and The Flintstones throughout these features. For those who want a delightful broad overview of what Hanna-Barbera has to offer, this is a good snapshot. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a mostly strong A/V presentation and a couple of great additional specials. If you are a fan of Saturday morning cartoons, this is an essential addition to your collection. Essential

Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10 can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.