Looney Tunes Golden/Platinum Collections

Small Screen Specials, Series and Direct-To-Video
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GeorgeC

Looney Tunes Golden/Platinum Collections

Post by GeorgeC » October 28th, 2004, 10:40 pm

"Chuck Amuck" is basically a companion video to Chuck Jones' first autobiography of the same name. (Jones wrote two autobios, "Chuck Amuck" and "Chuck Reducks." Only "Chuck Amuck" has been reprinted recently...)

I haven't reviewed the video ever, and last time I saw it on a shelf was for rental in Chicago five years ago. To my knowledge, "Chuck Amuck" has never been released on DVD.

There is another documentary about Chuck Jones that's been released on DVD, though. It's "Chuck Jones: Extremes & Inbetweens - A Life in Animation." I don't know if this DVD is still in-print, but it was released in late 2003 so there's a chance copies are still available at a cheap price. This documentary was originally shown on PBS before its DVD release.

The advantage of this documentary is that it's more up-to-date and has a number of Jones' cartoons that I don't think are available anywhere else on DVD at the moment.

I wouldn't count on finding the DVD in most stores, though. You probably have to special-order it or get it online.

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Post by Ben » October 29th, 2004, 1:47 pm

Extremes And Inbetweens is still an "active" title, so ordering shouldn't be a problem.

I reviewed it for DVD Toons:
http://www.dvdtoons.com/reviews/101

The only two added cartoons were Feed The Kitty and Duck Dodgers In The 24th-And-A-Half Century - both included on the first Looney Tunes box set, I believe.

Chuck Amuck was a 50 minute TV special that got a VHS release, as you say. It's not on DVD, but was rumored, as our story on the main page said, to be included in the new LT boxed set.

I'm just onto disc three for the DVD Toons review, and no Chuck Amuck I'm afraid... :(

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LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLL Volume 2

Post by Ben » October 29th, 2004, 9:43 pm

Okay...it's finally here!

While the extras don't add up to the rareness and wow factor of last year's first volume, the cartoons included, among them some of the most requested and all-time great WB titles, could be an even better selection.

This is a definite MUST HAVE for classic animation enthusiasts, as well as anyone who bought Volume One.

And the word is still the same - don't go for the half cut 2-disc edition, it's the FOUR DISC GOLDEN set that you want, and "th-th-th-that's all, folks!"

The exhaustive DVD Toons review:
http://www.dvdtoons.com/reviews/344 :)

GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » October 29th, 2004, 10:52 pm

I never understood why WB Home Video was pushing the Premiere Collection releases in the first place.

I mean it's almost like somebody at WB wants to sabotage the Golden Collection releases.

Sure, there's the rationale that some parents don't want to spend $50-$60 on a cartoon collection but half the Looney Tunes discs available (the good ones, anyway) are only available with the Golden Collections!

(The question inevitably comes up that if the Golden Collection is "too expensive" for families, why not lower the MSRP? I don't know about anybody else, but I didn't have problems finding the Golden Collection for under $50. Both Target and Wal-Mart had the Golden sets on sale for under $45 last year.)

The word got out fairly quickly last year about the differences between the Premiere Collection and the Golden Collection. Most animation fans on various websites and at Amazon.com made pretty darn sure that anybody visiting those sites was educated about the differences between the sets and urged fans to buy the Golden Collections.

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Post by Ben » October 30th, 2004, 9:14 am

...and they're not even keeping to type this go around.

Last year it was the Premiere Collection - this year it's The Spotlight Collection Volume 2.

I think that actually tells you all you need to know about WB's handling of the lower, cut-priced deal.

Simple: Go for Gold! :)

GeorgeC

Problem with some Looney Tunes Golden Collection V2 sets...

Post by GeorgeC » November 3rd, 2004, 1:24 am

There's a problem with some copies of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2 sets out there.

Apparently some sets shipped with a replication error on disc 1. Instead of having cartoons on it, disc 1 has the out-of-print Warners/Tim Burton film "Mars Attacks" on it.

This has been reported by more than one person at the Golden Age cartoons site.

Persons having defective discs are urged to contact Warner Home Video for replacement discs or to exchange defective sets wherever they bought them.

The problem is apparently originated at a replication plant Warner Bros. uses for its DVD.

In a year where there have been many problems in several DVD titles (3-4 glitchy anime titles a month) and several major disc set releases (Ren & Stimpy "Uncut," Tom & Jerry Vol. 1), I guess these mix-ups do happen in 3's!

Darn... Now I've gotta check my set to see if disc 1 is OK!

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Post by Ben » November 3rd, 2004, 4:55 am

Thanks for pointing that out George.

Luckily, my review copy was a-okay! Phew! :)

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Post by Special_Ed » November 7th, 2004, 3:00 pm

But, will any of these wrong movie on the wrong disc be worth money decades from now? I mean if everyone returns them that makes them rare. And how neat would it be to have Prince of Egypt on a disc that says Pinocchio?

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Looney Tunes GC V3 might have the BEST extras yet!

Post by GeorgeC » July 19th, 2005, 2:37 pm

Look at this list of extras that were originally posted at CartoonBrew.com a
and http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/looney-dvd3.html

Bonus Features:

•"Philbert" - a rare 1963 TV pilot (Theatrical version)
•Private Snafu in "Gas" •Private Snafu in "Rumors" •Private Snafu in "Spies"
•"Point Rationing of Foods" (a rarely seen wartime short released 2/25/43)
• "The Bear That Wasn't" (the 1967 MGM Cartoon by Chuck Jones, based on the book by Frank Tashlin)
• THE BUGS BUNNY SHOW - "The Honeymousers" (Production #1822 telecast 7/24/62)
• STORYBOARDS (includes deleted scenes):
1. "Falling Hare"
2. "Porky's Party"
• FROM THE VAULTS:
1. "Sinkin' in the Bathtub" (1930 - first Looney Tunes cartoon)
2. "It's Got Me Again" (1932 - the first Warner Bros. cartoon nominated for an Academy Award)
• New Documentaries on:
1. Frank Tashlin
2. Black & White cartoons
3. Restoration of cartoons
4. Pepe Le Pew
5. The Bugs-Elmer-Daffy Trilogy
6. Looney Tunes Go To War
7. Birds Annonymous tribute



It's incredible!



I don't care for "The Bear That Wasn't" (most of the 1960s Chuck Jones' work is weak excepting "The Grinch"), but the documentaries and ESPECIALLY the Private SNAFU shorts are appreciated!

I'd like just the SNAFU shorts alone! I'm not chucking my SNAFU DVD since it's likely WB will NEVER issue a DVD of just the SNAFU shorts alone, but the copies of SNAFU on the set ought to be 5-8 times better than the condition of the public domain/private collector copies on the old Bosko DVD!

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Post by impregnable » July 29th, 2005, 4:47 am


impregnable

Post by impregnable » August 8th, 2005, 7:13 pm


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Looney Tunes - Golden Collection

Post by Ben » August 11th, 2006, 9:12 am

I can't believe we didn't have a thread open for this, but I think we've discussed LTGC releases before.

As mentioned on the main page, the list of cartoons and extras is out. Here's what I thought on some of the supplements:


"Bugs Bunny, Superstar" Parts 1 and 2 (1976 documentary)

Dang! Time to retire my old LD, but a lot of this release is made up of older toons that I doubt are restored. Would have been better to present the documentary footage in one lump as a 20-30 minute program in itself. This is mainly Termite Terrace home movie footage narrated by Orson Welles with around 8 or so toons spread through.


"Fifty Years of Bugs Bunny in 3½ Minutes" (1989 short)

Yah! Just what I asked for, though where is the one-hour documentary that preceeded this in TV airings?


"Friz on Film" (A new one hour documentary)

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about, though I'm a little Friz'd out at the moment after ploughing through the Pink Panther toon set!


Nice selection though. Less on the rarities this time, but plenty of alternate audio streams and featurettes! :)

GeorgeC

Post by GeorgeC » August 11th, 2006, 2:40 pm

I was wondering WHEN they were going to get around to re-releasing Bugs Bunny Superstar!

Great program. Definitely a worthy extra. Hope they keep ALL the shorts on the release uncut... There's an infamous blackface scene in one of the Bugs Bunny shorts in the documentary that's cut out of all the broadcast releases of that short.

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Post by Ben » August 12th, 2006, 11:41 am

Is it in the LD? I'll do a comparison when it comes out.

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Post by eddievalient » August 12th, 2006, 12:44 pm

So far, I don't have any of the Golden Collections (someday though...) but I know for sure I'll be getting volume four just to get the Speedy Gonzales disc, cause he's my favorite LT character. I probably won't be getting it the day it comes out though be cause that's the same release date as Gummi Bears, Ducktales and Rescue Rangers and those are going to wipe me out. I love Looney Tunes, but for me Disney always comes first.
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