TONS OF HARE-RAISING FUN IN ONE WILD COLLECTION! From deep inside the Warner Bros. vault comes an anthology chock full of animation gold! Restored, remastered and uncut, the shorts in Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice Volume 1 have been carefully selected for discerning fans. Enjoy the finest and funniest golden-era cartoons with the brilliance of high-definition audio and video. These treasures feature A-listers like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat and Porky Pig, just to name a few. Even better, included among these 20 shorts are classics that have never before been released on home video. Whether you grew up with them or you’re introducing them to a new generation, these timeless and iconic characters will keep fans of all ages young at heart.
- BEANSTALK BUNNY – Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck & Elmer Fudd (1954, Chuck Jones)
- THE BEE-DEVILED BRUIN – The Three Bears (1949, Chuck Jones)
- CATCH AS CATS CAN – Sylvester (1947, Arthur Davis)
- CRACKED QUACK -Daffy Duck & Porky Pig (1952, Friz Freleng)
- DAFFY DOODLES – Daffy Duck & Porky Pig (1946, Robert McKimson)
- DOGGONE CATS – Sylvester (1947, Arthur Davis)
- THE FOXY DUCKLING – (1947, Arthur Davis)
- A FRACTURED LEGHORN – Foghorn Leghorn (1950, Robert McKimson)
- GREEDY FOR TWEETY – Tweety & Sylvester (1957, Friz Freleng)
- HIP-HIP-HURRY! – Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote (1958, Chuck Jones)
- HIS BITTER HALF – Daffy Duck (1950, Friz Freleng)
- HOT ROD AND REEL – Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote (1959, Chuck Jones)
- LITTLE ORPHAN AIREDALE – Porky Pig and Charlie Dog (1947, Friz Freleng)
- A MOUSE DIVIDED – Sylvester (1953, Friz Freleng)
- PLOP GOES THE WEASEL – Foghorn Leghorn (1953, Robert McKimson)
- STOOGE FOR A MOUSE – Sylvester (1950, Friz Freleng)
- TALE OF TWO MICE – Babbit & Catstello (1945, Frank Tashlin)
- TWO GOPHERS FROM TEXAS – Goofy Gophers (1947, Arthur Davis)
- UNRULY HARE, THE – Bugs Bunny & Elmer Fudd (1945, Frank Tashlin)
- WHAT’S BREWIN’ BRUIN? – The Three Bears (1947, Chuck Jones)
For thoughts on Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice: Volume 1, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Warner Archive delivers a really good presentation on Blu-Ray for this initial volume of the Collector’s Choice series which only falls slightly short of the usual quality from the premiere label. This would appear to be due to this release utilizing a mixture of masters that were created for HBO Max a few years ago and newer remasters conducted by the team at Warner Archive. While these masters are largely gorgeous, there are a few small issues that keep this from being your typical 5-star release from Warner Archive.
The first is that there is a light amount of DNR applied to some shorts, but nowhere near the level as the recent release of Max Fleischer’s Superman. The other apparent drawback is that some of the title cards have been altered from their original aspect ratio to provide a more uniform appearance across the disc. Neither of these should keep you from this amazing batch of titles, but it is a slight hiccup that we do not normally experience from Warner Archive.
Even still, these shorts have never looked better on a home entertainment platform. There is a nice amount of film grain which helps preserve some of the subtle details of the animation. While most of the masters do not seem to have been created by the Warner Archive division, you can at least count on them to provide a healthy encode which allows these masters to look the best they possibly can. The new disc is bursting at the seams with vibrant colors that really capture the beauty of the animation. There are no obvious signs of color bleed, compression artifacts or any other digital anomalies. Despite a couple of drawbacks, animation fans will still be thrilled to have these looking so good.
Audio Quality
The audio quality of the Blu-Ray disc is not quite up to the level we have come to expect from the label, but it still delivers a decent enough collection of DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (mono) tracks. The main issue is that these shorts do not offer any kind of uniformity in terms of quality, as some sound practically perfect while others seem to be suffering from a bit of age-related strain. They are still much more pleasant than when we used to catch reruns on TV several decades back, but some sound closer to the DVD quality of the Golden Collection sets as opposed to a fresh audio experience. This presentation may showcase a bit more age-related wear and tear than we are used to, but everything appears to be working together in harmony to give you the best listening experience possible. This disc also includes optional English (SDH) and French subtitles during all 20 shorts.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on this disc.
Final Thoughts
Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice: Volume 1 is a truly enjoyable collection of classic shorts that have been missing in action in the high definition space. There are a couple of inclusions that are less exciting, but even middling Looney Tunes is better than most entertainment. It is such a joy to kick back and spend some time with these beloved characters. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a pretty solid A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features. We do not want these volumes to stop until every last morsel has been released. Essential
Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice: Volume 1 will be available to purchase directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers on May 30, 2023.
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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.