Looney Tunes Collector's Choice

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Looney Tunes Collector's Choice is a series of Blu-ray discs from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Warner Archive division collecting various Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated short subjects from Warner Bros. Cartoons.

Contents

This is the first Looney Tunes Blu-ray to be released through Warner Archive, as opposed to the main home video division (second overall home media release after the Porky Pig 101 DVD set in 2017).

According to Jerry Beck, the aim of this series is to release Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that have been previously unavailable in remastered form to animation fans and collectors on the various DVD and Blu-ray sets (roughly 400 shorts, before the release of this series); such as the Looney Tunes Golden Collection , Platinum Collection , Super Stars and Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection sets.

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1 was announced on March 28, 2023 [1] and released on May 30. [2] Keeping with tradition with other Golden Age of Animation releases by Warner Archive (such as Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s and Tex Avery Screwball Classics ), Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1 is a single-disc set with no bonus material. The set contains 20 cartoons that were previously unavailable on DVD or Blu-ray, presented uncut and digitally restored.

Animation historian and curator, Jerry Beck and Warner Archive President George Feltenstein indicated that strong sales of Volume 1 could result in future volumes, with more cartoons and multiple discs. [3]

On September 18, due to strong sales of Volume 1, Warner Archive announced Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 — which included 25 cartoons and was released on December 12, 2023. [4] On January 23, 2024, Warner Archive announced Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 3, which was released on March 12. [5]

Volume 1

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1
LT Collector's Choice V1.jpg
Blu-ray Cover
Directed by Chuck Jones
Friz Freleng
Arthur Davis
Robert McKimson
Frank Tashlin
Produced by Leon Schlesinger
Eddie Selzer
John W. Burton
Starring Mel Blanc
Music by
Distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release date
May 30, 2023 [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1 was released on May 30, 2023. The set includes 20 cartoons- none of which have previously been released on DVD or Blu-ray before. They are all presented uncut and digitally restored. [2]

Beanstalk Bunny and Catch as Cats Can were sourced from new 4K scans from the original camera negatives. [6] According to Jerry Beck, the set was delayed for almost a full year because the Library of Congress had difficulty shipping the camera negatives for Catch as Cats Can to the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank. [3] The other cartoons on this set had previously been restored for HBO Max streaming service in 2020 [7] - with HBO removing many of them being earlier that same year. [8] However, for this release Warner Archive corrected many of the errors initially made by HBO Max, such as Photoshopped titles. [7]

#TitleCharactersYearDirectorSeries
1 Beanstalk Bunny Bugs, Daffy, Elmer 1955 Chuck Jones MM
2 Catch as Cats Can Sylvester 1947 Arthur Davis MM
3 The Unruly Hare Bugs, Elmer1945 Frank Tashlin MM
4 His Bitter Half Daffy1950 Friz Freleng MM
5 Daffy Doodles Daffy, Porky 1946 Robert McKimson LT
6 Cracked Quack Daffy, Porky1952Friz FrelengMM
7 Little Orphan Airedale Charlie, Porky1947Chuck JonesLT
8 Hip Hip-Hurry! Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner 1958Chuck JonesMM
9 Hot-Rod and Reel! Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner1959Chuck JonesLT
10 Greedy for Tweety Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Hector 1957Friz FrelengLT
11 Stooge for a Mouse Sylvester, Hector1950Friz FrelengMM
12 A Mouse Divided Sylvester1953Friz FrelengMM
13 A Fractured Leghorn Foghorn 1950Robert McKimsonMM
14 Plop Goes the Weasel Foghorn, Barnyard 1953Robert McKimsonLT
15 Tale of Two Mice Babbit and Catstello 1945Frank TashlinLT
16 The Foxy Duckling 1947Arthur DavisMM
17 Two Gophers from Texas Goofy Gophers 1948Arthur DavisMM
18 Doggone Cats Sylvester1947Arthur DavisMM
19 What's Brewin', Bruin? The Three Bears 1948Chuck JonesLT
20 The Bee-Deviled Bruin The Three Bears1949Chuck JonesMM

Volume 2

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2
LT Collector's Choice V2.jpg
Blu-ray Cover
Directed byChuck Jones
Friz Freleng
Tex Avery
Robert McKimson
Frank Tashlin
Arthur Davis
Abe Levitow
Norman McCabe
Maurice Noble
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
Eddie Selzer
John W. Burton
StarringMel Blanc
Music by
  • Carl Stalling
  • Milt Franklyn
Distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release date
December 12, 2023
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 was released on December 12, 2023. This set included 25 cartoons never before released on DVD or Blu-Ray - five more than on Volume 1. [9] In contrast to the previous volume, Volume 2 focuses more on miscellaneous "one-shot" cartoons and characters. [10]

Like the previous volume, only two cartoons (Brother Brat and Ghost Wanted) were specifically restored for this release, while the other cartoons were previously restored for HBO Max and Me-TV, with Warner Archive correcting the Photoshopped titles (most notably on A Hound for Trouble). [11] In addition Cross Country Detours had its original opening title sequence restored, as opposed to the Blue Ribbon re-issue titles featured on previous releases. [10]

Volume 2 includes the following cartoons:

#TitleCharactersYearDirectorSeries
1 Behind the Meat-Ball 1945 Frank Tashlin LT
2 Brother Brat Porky 1944 Frank Tashlin LT
3 Catty Cornered Sylvester, Tweety, Rocky 1953 Friz Freleng MM
4 Cross Country Detours 1940 Tex Avery MM
5 Daffy's Southern Exposure Daffy 1942 Norman McCabe LT
6 Ding Dog Daddy 1942 Friz Freleng MM
7 The Eager Beaver 1946 Chuck Jones MM
8 Fair and Worm-er 1946 Chuck Jones MM
9 Fin'n Catty 1943 Chuck Jones MM
10 From Hand to Mouse 1944 Chuck Jones LT
11 Ghost Wanted 1940 Chuck Jones MM
12 Greetings Bait Wacky Worm1943 Friz Freleng MM
13 Hamateur Night Proto-Elmer 1939 Tex Avery MM
14 Hare-Breadth Hurry Bugs, Wile E. 1963 Chuck Jones, Maurice Noble LT
15 A Hick, a Slick, and a Chick 1948 Arthur Davis MM
16 Hiss and Make Up 1943 Friz Freleng MM
17 A Hound for Trouble Charlie 1951 Chuck Jones MM
18 I Wanna Be a Sailor 1937 Tex Avery MM
19 The Leghorn Blows at Midnight Foghorn, Barnyard, Henery 1950 Robert McKimson LT
20 Lickety-Splat Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner 1961 Chuck Jones, Abe Levitow LT
21 One Meat Brawl Porky, Barnyard 1947 Robert McKimson MM
22 The Penguin Parade 1938 Tex Avery MM
23 Rabbit Rampage Bugs, Elmer (cameo)1955 Chuck Jones LT
24 The Rebel Without Claws Sylvester, Tweety 1961 Friz Freleng LT
25 The Wacky Worm Wacky Worm1941 Friz Freleng MM

Volume 3

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 3
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 3.jpg
Blu-ray Cover
Directed byChuck Jones
Robert McKimson
Friz Freleng
Tex Avery
Arthur Davis
Gerry Chiniquy
Earl Duvall
Maurice Noble
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
Eddie Selzer
John W. Burton
StarringMel Blanc
Music by
  • Carl Stalling
  • Milt Franklyn
Distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release date
March 12, 2024
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Volume 3 was released on March 12, 2024. [5]

Like the previous volumes only two cartoons were specifically restored for this release - Mexican Joyride and Riff Raffy Daffy - while all the other cartoons were previously restored for HBO Max and MeTV, with Warner Archive fixing most of the Photoshopped title cards. Riff Raffy Daffy was originally released on the Looney Tunes Super Stars' Porky & Friends: Hilarious Ham DVD set but in an unrestored form. For this release Riff Raffy Daffy was given a brand-new transfer. Since the original separation exposure negatives are missing, critics noted that while Riff Raffy Daffy doesn't look as pristine as the other cartoons on the set, it still looks far superior than on previous releases. [12] Hobo Bobo also had its original opeining titles restored. [12]

Volume 3 contains the following cartoons: [13]

#TitleCharactersYearDirectorSeries
1 A Feud There Was Proto-Elmer 1938 Tex Avery MM
2 China Jones Daffy, Porky 1959 Robert McKimson LT
3 Cinderella Meets Fella Proto-Elmer 1938 Tex Avery MM
4 Dumb Patrol Bugs, Sam 1964 Gerry Chiniquy LT
5 Egghead Rides Again Egghead 1937 Tex Avery MM
6 Elmer's Pet Rabbit Bugs, Elmer 1941 Chuck Jones MM
7 Hobo Bobo 1947 Robert McKimson MM
8 Honeymoon Hotel 1934 Earl Duvall MM
9 Hop, Skip and a Chump 1942 Friz Freleng MM
10 I Only Have Eyes for You 1937 Tex Avery MM
11 Mexican Joyride Daffy 1947 Arthur Davis LT
12 The Mouse on 57th Street 1961 Chuck Jones MM
13 Mr. and Mrs. Is the Name Buddy 1935 Friz Freleng MM
14 Of Rice and Hen Foghorn, Barnyard, Prissy 1953 Robert McKimson LT
15 Pre-Hysterical Hare Bugs, Elmer 1958 Robert McKimson LT
16 Punch Trunk 1953 Chuck Jones LT
17 Quentin Quail 1946 Chuck Jones MM
18 Riff Raffy Daffy Daffy, Porky 1948 Arthur Davis LT
19 Saddle Silly 1941 Chuck Jones MM
20 Sheep Ahoy Ralph and Sam 1954 Chuck Jones MM
21 The Sheepish Wolf 1942 Friz Freleng MM
22 There Auto Be a Law 1953 Robert McKimson LT
23 Tugboat Granny Sylvester, Tweety, Granny 1956 Friz Freleng LT
24 War and Pieces Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner 1964 Chuck Jones, Maurice Noble LT
25 Wet Hare Bugs, Blacque Jacque 1962 Robert McKimson LT

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Millard, Tim (April 3, 2023). "Warner Archive May Part 1 Release Announcement: Border Incident, Clash By Night, Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 1". The Extras. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Miller III, Randy (May 15, 2023). "Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1 Blu-ray". Blu-Ray.com. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Millard, Tim (May 23, 2023). "Looney Tunes Review & Collector's Choice Vol. 1 Preview". The Extras. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Warner Archive Announcement". Facebook. September 18, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Millard III, Tim (January 23, 2024). "Warner Archive February & Early March Release Announcement". The Extras.TV. Otaku. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  6. ↑ Beck, Jerry (April 10, 2023). "Looney Tunes Collectors Choice Vol. 1". Cartoon Research. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Komorowski, Thad (May 16, 2023). "Thad K Reviews "Looney Tunes Collectors Choice" Vol. 1". Cartoon Research. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  8. ↑ Spangler, Todd. "HBO Max Removes 256 'Looney Tunes' Shorts, Three Seasons of 'The Flintstones'". Variety . Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  9. ↑ Miller III, Randy (December 13, 2023). "Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 Blu-ray Review". Blu-Ray.com. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Millard, Tim (December 12, 2023). "Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 2 Blu-Ray Preview". The Extras. Otaku Media. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  11. ↑ Komorowski, Thad (December 11, 2023). "Thad K Reviews "Looney Tunes Collectors Choice" Vol. 2". Cartoon Research. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Komorowski, Thad (February 22, 2024). "Thad K. Reviews Looney Tunes: Collector's Choice Vol. 3". cartoonresearch.com. Cartoon Research. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  13. ↑ "COMING TO BLU-RAY FROM THE WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION ON MARCH 12th: LOONEY TUNES COLLECTOR'S CHOICE VOL. 3". Warner Archive Collection. Facebook. January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
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