You may not know this about me, but even though I’m now officially halfway to 80, I still love cartoons. Not those crappy merchandise-inducing ones that have glutted the market over the last 20 plus years, oh no. And you know the ones I mean. They usually have limited animation and lack the fluid motion of a true animated short. I love the cartoons that are made by animators who create out of a need to entertain and actually care about the quality of end product. Animators who consider their creations to be living actors as opposed to flat images on a cel. If you have any kind of an appreciation for animation you must agree with me that the Looney Tunes series created by the geniuses of Termite Terrace are the greatest cartoons ever made. These guys knew the score. Guys like Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett and Tex Avery knew how to create cartoons that transcended generations and genders, appealed to the inner child in all of us, and were simply hands-down, drop-dead, side-splittingly funny.

Of course we cannot forget the master himself, Charles M. Jones, known as ‘Chuck’, whose death last year marked nothing less than the passing of a legend.

I was so into the old Warner Brother cartoon that my library is full of books about the animation studios, the animators and of course, voice over artist Mel Blanc. I had even planned once to make an attempt to record all of the original cartoons of off TV, but gave up that idea when I realized they would all be horribly chopped up versions. I have longed for the day when these gems would be released in DVD format.

Well I ‘long’ no longer…. Warner Brothers is gearing up to release some really great sets and I recently got my hands on the “Looney Tunes Golden Collection.” I thought I was in heaven when I started looking over the set. Not only are there 56 of the best, original, remastered and UNCUT animated shorts, but also an extensive collection of extra features. But more on those later.

Some of my absolute favorite cartoon shorts have been included on this set. I almost felt like I was watching “What’s Up Doc?” and “The Rabbit of Seville” for the first time, knowing that these versions hadn’t been cut in order to make room for commercials. Both of these are classics among animated shorts and showcase the brilliant marriage between animator and composer. The only one oddly missing from this set is “What’s Opera Doc.” I’m really curious why it wasn’t included.

As much as I love Bugs, I have to admit an even stronger affinity for Daffy Duck, not so much in his early incarnation as a ‘hooting’ whirling dervish, but more his later image as the backstabbing egomaniac who is willing to step over anyone to make it big. I don’t care how many times I see “”The Scarlet Pumpernickel”, “Drip-Along Daffy”, or my number one favorite animated short of all time, “Duck Amuck”, I still laugh my butt off every time. And I still love “Duck Dodgers in the 241/2th Century” and nearly cringe when I see the network’s feeble attempt to bring back that character which fails miserably to capture the style and humor of the original.

Again however, there appears to be a classic Daffy Duck short left out. I would have liked to have seen “Robin Hood Daffy” included on this set. I really miss that one and still start laughing just thinking of the immortal line, “Yoiks and away!” I really can’t complain, though. With all the hundreds of animated shorts these guys created, I guess it would be impossible to include everybody’s favorites. (Unless of course, they someday release an ultra super duper 25-disc set of every single stinkin’ Looney Tunes short…. please, oh please…)

The “Looney Tunes Golden Collection” doesn’t just focus on Bugs and Daffy, however. Among these 4 discs, you’ll find some of the best animated shorts featuring Sylvester, Tweety, Pepe le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, Speedy Gonzalez, even the Road Runner and Coyote.

All of these animated shorts are just the tip of the iceberg. Scattered across all the discs are hours and hours of extras. History buffs will love the three-part feature, “The Boys from the Termite Terrace.” Produced several years ago, it features tons of interviews, photos and film footage and recounts the story of the greatest group of animators to ever work together.

There is also a greeting from Chuck Jones, and commentaries on many of the shorts by noted animation historians and critics. You’ll find numerous features focusing on the origins of many of the characters, as well as about some of the other members of the creative team including the incomparable Mel Blanc and musical genius Carl Stalling.

I’ve been working my way through the myriad of extra features, pencil tests and recording sessions and also found a newer documentary on the Looney Tunes that allows us to not only hear from some of the original animators, but most of their (now grown up) children. Do not miss this feature under any circumstances.

Is this a set worthy of being added to my 2003 ‘must-own’ list? Are you kidding? It’s at the top. The “Looney Tunes Golden Collection” is an animation buffs dream set. The amount of extra features is staggering, with its treasure trove of behind the scenes information. I never get tired of hearing about the history of the brilliant animators, and only wish that there were a group like them alive today. Animators who animate for themselves not for the almighty dollar. This isn’t to say there aren’t any new cartoons worth watching, but the list is incredibly short. And no one will ever be able to recapture or even recreate the magic born at Termite Terrace.

On an additional note, if you’re really into the history of the Looney Tunes, I highly recommend the following books:
“That’s All Folks: The Art of Warner Bros. Animation” by Steve Schneider
“Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist” by Chuck Jones
“That’s NOT All Folks” by Mel Blanc

The Animated Shorts:
Disc 1 –
Baseball Bugs
Rabbit Seasoning
Long-Haired Hare
High Diving Hare
Bully For Bugs
What’s Up Doc?
Rabbit’s Kin
Water, Water Every Hare
Big House Bunny
Big Top Bunny
My Bunny Lies Over the Sea
Wabbit Twouble
Ballot Box Bunny
Rabbit of Seville

Disc 2 –
Duck Amuck
Dough for the Do-Do
Drip-Along Daffy
Scaredy Cat
The Ducksters
The Scarlet Pumpernickel
Yankee Doodle Daffy
Porky Chops
Wearing of the Grin
Deduce, You Say
Boobs in the Woods
Golden Yeggs
Rabbit Fire
Duck Dodgers in the 241/2th Century

Disc 3 –
Elmer’s Candid Camera
Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears
Fast and Furry-ous
Hair-Raising Hare
The Awful Orphan
Hardevil Hare
For Scent-imental Reasons
Frigid Hare
The Hypo-Chondri-Cat
Baton Bunny
Feed the Kitty
Don’t Give Up the Sheep
Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid
Tortoise Wins by a Hare

Disc 4 –
Canary Row
Bunker Hill Bunny
Kit For Kat
Putty Tat Trouble
Bugs and Thugs
Canned Feud
Lumber Jerks
Speedy Gonzales
Tweety’s S.O.S.
The Foghorn Leghorn
Daffy Duck Hunt
Early to Bet
Broken Leghorn
Devil May Hare

Starring: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd
Extras: A Greeting from Chuck Jones, Commentaries and Behind the Tunes Featurettes with Animators and Historians Profiling Particular Cartoons, Characters and Creators. Extensive Historical Documentaries on the Talents of Termite Terrace. “Lost” Cartoons and the History of the Looney Tunes. Music Only Tracks on Selected Shorts, Excerpts from the Original Primetime “The Bugs Bunny Show” and the Rascally Rabbit’s Live Action Movies and Documentary Tributes. From the Vaults Galleries with Stills, Pencil Tests and Schematics.
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 10/28/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
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We'll give Looney Tunes Golden Collection an A+.