Plot: What’s it about?
Over the past few months (yes, I realize this will be out of date soon), we’ve been bombarded with Looney Tunes. From their appearance on “Casablanca” to “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and even the new “Space Jam” DVD. This, of course, is just a teaser until the Golden Collection arrives and is the debut of Looney Tunes on DVD (their own DVD, that is). For the collector who’s not going to plop down their hard earned money for 4 discs of Looney Tunes, we have this; the Premiere Collection. This contains 28 of the same cartoons that are found on the more elaborate edition, but minus many of the features. Lest we forget, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn and Elmer Fudd (among others) have been entertaining several generations of us for some time now. Personally, my favorite Looney Tunes character is the Road Runner, but that’s just me. But the big deal about these cartoons is the fact that they haven’t been available on DVD until now. And for fans of the shows, which are many, we have some hand-selected episodes that are sure to please any fans, and maybe even gather some new ones.
Twenty eight of the episodes that appear on the Gold collection also appear here and all have been digitally re-mastered to appear as good as they possibly can. Some rather classic episodes are included in which Bugs Bunny has an encounter with a huge, orange fur ball that wears tennis or Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner in “Fast and Furry-ous”. Truly, words can’t describe how classic these are. Included in the two-disc set, here’s what episodes are included: Elmer’s Candid Camera, Bugs Bunny and The 3 Bears, Fast and Furry-ous, Hair-Raising Hare, The Awful Orphan, Haredevil 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 Two includes: Canary Row, Bunker Hill Bunny, Kit for Cat, Putty Tat Trouble, Bugs and Thugs, Canned Feud, Lumber Jerks, Speedy Gonzales, Tweety’s S.O.S., Foghorn Leghorn, The, Daffy Duck Hunt, Early to Bet, Broken Leghorn, Devil May Hare. Though serious collectors will pick up the Gold Collection, this has more than enough to keep the “average” fan happy for hours.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented I their full-frame format as was the way they were originally aired. The re-mastering process has improved the cartoons and they look very bright and vivid. Colors are rich and full and though they vary from episode to episode, the overall quality is impressive. There are some scratches on the transfer, but more likely than not it’s a result of the age of the material (compare movies of this age with how these look and the result is better). Though not as eye-popping as the more recent Pixar movies, these are still sure to please and delight fans new and old.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is much like you’d from a television cartoon release, solid and acceptable, but basically unmemorable. As with most stereo level tracks, this one is able to give us some nice pans and decent presence, but it simply cannot provide enough power in some scenes, though it never becomes a real problem. The material is well represented and that is what counts, so I doubt anyone will be let down with this mix. The action comes through in clean & enjoyable form, while dialogue is also good, no real complaints in the end.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The supplements have really been reserved for the “Gold Collection”. All we get here is some DVD-ROM material (in the form of a flash game) and a featurette telling about the making of the game. That’s it when it comes to supplements, however the real treat is having these episodes on DVD.
