Publisher: Warner Home Video
Ages: six and up
Parental
Advisory:
Cartoon
violence
For baby boomers who grew up with their televisions, and for a new generation
of animation fans, Warner Home Video's
The Looney Tunes Golden Collection offers 56 classic animated shorts
that have been restored and re-mastered to their original form. Bugs Bunny,
Daffy, Porky, Tweety and the gang are all here in an amazing and entertaining
four-disc set. And there's lots of interesting background information for
animation fans in the form of commentaries, documentaries and features.
The first disc, Best of Bugs Bunny, presents 14 cartoons that include such notables as "Rabbit Seasoning," "Rabbit of Seville" and more. The restored shorts on this disc, as well as those on the others, look fantastic. Eight of the shorts here come with commentary by animation experts. Of particular interest, there's the vintage documentary "Camera Three: The Boys Termite Terrace," which serves lots of background on the shorts and characters and interviews with the greats that include Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc and Bob Clampett.
The second disc offers 14 of the best of Daffy & Porky. Some fun shorts here include "Duck Amuck" and "Duck Dodgers in the 24 ½ Century." The third and fourth discs, titled Looney Tunes All Stars, offers 14 cartoons that include "Elmer's Candid Camera," "Bugs Bunny and The 3 Bears," "Fast and Furry-ous," "Hair-Raising Hare," "Speedy Gonzales," "Tweety's S.O.S.," "Foghorn Leghorn," and more, some with commentary. A special treat, "Toonheads: The Lost Cartoons," presents little-seen animated shorts of historical significance.
The collection offers animated classics that are entertaining and funny. However, the shorts are edgy, often politically incorrect and feature lots of cartoon violence. Characters constantly hit each other. In the case of the Three Bears, Father Bear often strikes his son. And the toons carelessly wield and use guns-shooting each other and walking away from the mayhem with comic effect. As long as parents can accept these elements (it was, after all, okay for them as kids), The Looney Tunes Golden Collection is a great addition to any family library.
2/3/04 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
