{2jtab: Movie Review}

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 - blu-ray review

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5 Stars

For a kid who grew up in the Eighties, Saturday morning cartoons were a heavenly institution. Six solid hours of animated splendour! And, as the years progressed, and the likes of Transformers, Masters of the Universe, The Smurfs, (and I could go on and on and on!) came and went there was always one mainstay on Aussie Saturday’s: The Looney Tunes.

Little did this young guy know back in the day these cartoons were from an era LONG before his time, and their unique combination of manic energy, wit, and intelligence certainly would have flown way above his head, but the combination of these factors made for a quality and spirit that has never stopped connecting with kids. I don’t think they ever will.

A sad indictment of the world we now live in is a sort of disclaimer on the packaging that claims this set is intended for adult collectors, with content in it unsuitable for the young. WTF? These shorts were made to bond with the young and the young at heart! Yes, some of these shorts contain racial stereotypes that were wrongly accepted back in the day; yes, they are violent, but for heaven’s sake put some context in the mix, recognise that children are not morons, these are CARTOONS, not the floor of congress, and we’re good to go.

What is contained in this collection is not a chronological set, but a kind of best of. There are plenty of classics in this set with all your favourite characters, with Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Sylvester and Tweety, Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian, Speedy Gonzales, and Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner all appearing copiously. You also get some complete sets from lesser known, but just as loved, characters like Witch Hazel and Marc Antony, the long suffering Bulldog and his kitty. Highlights for this reviewer are the Bugs’ cartoon Rabbit of Seville and One Froggy Evening.

These cartoons still evoke belly laughs from my household, no matter the age of the viewer. There is nothing now, or in a very long time, that comes close to the effect this eclectic bunch of animated misfits have on a collective audience. There is true genius, a unique and wondrous eternal appeal in each of these characters and the way they’re drawn.

Warners are the mischievous cousin of Disney; their irreverence speaks an honesty about children or the child within us, which Disney so carefully sidesteps at times. The Looney Tunes are a product of their age, and some things depicted within them have thankfully gone by the wayside in our modern world, and I would argue we need to see the mistakes of the past to improve in the future; but, with those small elements aside, they’re really just an unbeatable and unrelenting collection of laughs, enjoyably presented by a talented bunch of folk the likes we haven’t seen in a very long time.

Attempts have been made since the Warner Bros shorts shut up shop; with the PC obsessed/Sue-happy world we now live in, it is an impossible feat. Evening modern day classics like The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Family Guy owe their push the boundary ways to Bugs and company, but, in this reviewer’s mind, even they haven’t come close yet.

{2jtab: Film Details}

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 - blu-ray reviewMPAA Rating: G for General audiences.
Runtime:
357 mins.
Director
: Tex Avery; Bob Clampett; Friz Freleng; Hugh Harman; Rudolph Ising; Chuck Jones; Robert McKimson; Frank Tashlin
Stories: Warren Foster; Tedd Pierce; Michael Maltese
Cast: Various
Genre
: Animated
Tagline:
That's All Folks!
Memorable Movie Quote: "What's up, Doc?"
Distributor:
Warner Bros.
Official Site:
Release Date:
1936-1966
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
November 15, 2012

Synopsis:

{2jtab: Blu-ray Review}

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 - blu-ray review

Component Grades
Movie

Blu-ray Disc

5 Stars


4 stars



Blu-ray Experience
4.5 stars

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - November 15, 2012
Runtime: 357 mins.
Screen Formats: 1.33:1, 1.37:1, 1.38:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, French, Spanish, German SDH
Audio:
English: Dolby Digital Mono; Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono; German: Dolby Digital Mono
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Three-disc set (3 BDs)

Warners have encased this three disc set, containing 50 shorts (not including some bonuses), in a wonderful Digi-book; thick, sturdy, foiled, attractive, and worthy of the Looney Tunes. A faithful restoration of the material contained inside means you’re seeing these cartoons at a quality never experienced, but there are some source flaws, such as pops and specks, from time to time, that the makers have decided not to clean away. Most of the cartoons featuring the stars of the franchise you can barely notice it, but some of the filler cartoons show some wear and tear. Nevertheless, the MPEG-4 AVC transfer is a revelation on Blu-ray, and, coupled with the content itself, easily builds anticipation for the next release. Even though you may have seen these cartoons a thousand times, you really haven’t until you’ve seen this. Audio retains a faithful, if cleaned up, Dolby Digital mono track; your speakers won’t be taxed, but there is suitable delineation between voices, sound effects and music, and a noticeable reduction in noise from previous DVD releases. Special features focus a lot on the legendary Charles M. (Chuck) Jones, one of the legends behind most of Warner’s revered classics. There are tonnes of documentaries dedicated to him, and rightly so.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • 37 total audio commentaires - 23 on disc 1. 14 on disc 2

Special Features:

  • Alternate Audio Programs (Discs 1-2)
  • Behind the Tunes (Discs 1-2)
  • A Greeting from Chuck Jones (Disc 3, SD)
  • Documentaries (Disc 3)
  • The Animated World of Chuck Jones (Disc 3)
  • Bonus Cartoons (Disc 3)
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas Pencil Test (Disc 3)
  • The Door (Disc 3)
  • 52-page DigiBook
  • Framed Lithograph cell
  • Collectible character glass
  • Souvenir tin sign

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