Which is the Best Home Video Release of Looney Tunes

 

For 40 years, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies have been in the relm of home video.  The idea of owning a copy of your favorite cartoon instead of going through the TV listings and finding where said cartoon would air and when would be reduced by many knowing they have their copies available to watch at any time.  Not to mention these should look better than on TV.  The Looney Tunes have had many different home video releases, some good, others not so good.  For this list, we are counting down a la Watchmojo style all know Looney Tunes releases from worst to best.

This list is for the original theatrical cartoons only.  Any release involving movies, TV reboots, or any newer content will not be covered on here.  No bonus cartoons or Saturday Morning sets will be covered since they are not the main bread and butter.  Nor will any repackaging such as two packs, 4 Kid Favorites, or ....and Friends will be covered either.

32. Unauthorized releases from various companies: For being limited to only those cartoons in the public domain and depending on the release various issues such as picture quality, pitch issues, edits, intent, redrawn colorized cartoons, and a handful of tapes accidentally having porn on them

It's hard to pinpoint each individual line of videos here, but numerous companies had put Looney Tunes out on video due to about 1/10th of them are public domain.  This limits the cartoons being put on each of the tapes made only slimmer when focusing on the major characters.  Though some releases were well received such as Inside Termite Terrace and Private Snafu Golden Classics, others range from meh to horrifying.  Many have picture quality issues usually due to using dupe prints.  Some have pitch issues causing the cartoons to slightly slow down.  Edits were done usually on the titles to get rid of any reference to Warner Bros, Looney Tunes, and Merrie Melodies, but also some companies edited the cartoons for content or to "enhance" the experience.  Many of the black and white cartoons come from redrawn colorized versions.  Some of the tapes had bad intent (looking at YOU Happy Hamster you pedo furry), and on rare occasions reused tapes led to "unfriendly" content within the tapes.  Because of the mixed bag, anything not baring the WB or MGM/UA logo should be considered the bottom of the barrel for numerous issues.

31. The Best of Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes Unleashed:  For only including 3 cartoons per disc

As far as official releases are concerned, these two are by far the worst.  Each disc contained only 3 cartoons per disc which led to a waste of disc space and a waste of money.  These two did not sell well and resulted in no more Looney Tunes releases of this type.  By far the worst home video release ever to come out of Warner Bros.  Oh yeah, and some of the cartoons were cropped widescreen.

30. Stars of Space Jam (DVD): For very few cartoons per disc and picture quality issues including PAL masters appearing on disc

Cashing in on the nostalgia of Space Jam, this DVD series came out way too late, years after the original VHS line.  This multi volume line features very few cartoons per disc and we do run into major picture quality issues especially with some of the cartoons being in PAL time compressed form.  This was the only line of release to have the cartoons this way hence why so high on the list.  A one disc bundle of all the compilations came out, but picture quality was not much better.

29. Vid-Y-Oh for Kids Cartoon Festival: For chopping off the opening titles and the beginning cartoon using a weird AAP intro

This was the first home video release for MGM/UA and its AAP library.  Unfortunately it has major issues.  While the picture quality was fine, the presentation was questionable.  The first cartoon opens with the AAP title card then the intro to Inki and the Lion with the wrong music cue followed by the cartoon's title card.  The rest of the cartoons had no opening titles whatsoever.  This release was strictly for the kids and family market and for them to go out of their way to create these issues baffles the mind.

28.  Looney Tunes Parodies Collection:  For some picture quality issues and being somewhat of a mess

This DVD release is filled with many different Looney Tunes themed to parodies so it claims.  Unfortunately it is a mess.  Some of the cartoons were not restored to decent quality by today's standards though those would quickly be corrected on later Blu-ray releases.  Worse yet is that Super Rabbit is not the original 1943 version rather it was the 2014 episode of The Looney Tunes Show.  While that episode was one of the best ones, the fact that they couldn't tell the difference between the two shows a lack of quality control for this release.

27.  Modern Looney Tunes Series: Mostly focusing on the newer theatricals at the time and very few cartoons per release.

This line of VHS releases was themed to the main cartoon per tape.  Considering these new theatricals were all attached to an unprofitable family film each and every time, this was a nice way to show off the new productions such as Carrotblanca.  Unfortunately this leaves very little room for the original cartoons with You Ought to Be in Pictures being in its computer colorized form.  This series was not at all aimed for collectors though some collected them just to see these newer shorts at the time.

26. Stars of Space Jam (VHS): For being a smaller compilation of cartoons promoting the new Space Jam movie

Cashing in on the new Space Jam movie at the time, Warner Bros. released these cartoons as part of the Space Jam series.  Unfortunately this also meant that it was aimed toward kids and families with not as many cartoons per tape.  While some fans praised it for new to video material at the time, it was obvious it was made for Space Jam which many classic Warner Bros Cartoon fans hate.  A box set of all the volumes was also released for the series.

25. Looney Tunes Center Stage: For being a much smaller version of the Spotlight Collections

Take Looney Tunes Golden Collection vol 1 and slim it down to Spotlight Collection vol 1.  Take that and slim it down to just one disc.  That basically sums up the Center Stage discs.  Though the cartoons are in pristine condition, it is basically a smaller version of much better collections out there.  Fortunately, only 2 volumes were made.

24. The Looney Tunes Video Show: It offered a vast variety of the cartoon library.  However, only 3 volumes were released in the US and many of these prints are inferior by today's standards

This was the first official Looney Tunes home video release ever and were presented as if they were like a Bugs Bunny Show of some sort with a mix of famous characters.  The tapes advertised as a series of 7 and had it continued on as it did in the UK, there would have been 19 volumes total.  Unfortunately there were only 3 volumes released.  Also being the first release, the cartoons varied print to print and does not hold up to today's standards of picture quality anymore.  

23. Authentic and Original Looney Tunes Cartoons (VHS): For continuing where Cartoon Cavalcade left off, but made more for casual fans and the black and white cartoons being computer colorizied

This release is somewhat a nice collection of cartoons and continued where Cartoon Cavalcade left off.  Unfortunately there were not a lot of cartoons per tape and the black and white cartoons were computer colorized.  The VHS version separated itself with the Laserdisc versions due to collectors strictly collecting VHS may have already had these cartoons on previous collections.

22. Looney Tunes Super Stars: For well representing each of the characters with some excellent surprises such as the complete Pepe le Pew.  However, issues are spread throughout such as cropping issues, picture quality, and content.

This collection is a mixed bag with collectors.  Most of the cartoons are restored in good quality and had some unique collections such as the complete Pepe le Pew.  However, quality control was all over the place.  For the first two volumes, many of the cartoons were presented in 16:9 widescreen making them look weird.  Some of the cartoons were not restored at all.  In the case of the Road Runner disc, all of the cartoons were post classic with many being Rudy Larriva cartoons.  Many of the restorations were sourced from interpositives instead of negatives.  Still, it had its moments.  A couple of boxed sets were done later on and the Pepe le Pew disc at one time went for big money due to a foe-paw cancel culture movement causing scalpers to inflate the price.

21. Bugs Bunny Collection: Nice collection of Turner owned Bugs Bunny cartoons.  However, they were somewhat cheaply produced for casual fans as opposed to die hard fans

For Bugs Bunny's 50th anniversary, MGM/UA did a series of tapes featuring the best of Bugs Bunny.  The artwork for each cover was attractive, but it was obviously made for casual fans.  Also, the tapes were somewhat of a mess with confusion as to what cartoons are on where.  Still, they were somewhat decent quality for that time.

20. Looney Tunes Essentials: Nice collection of cartoons.  However, only 2 volumes and only features Bugs and Daffy

These nice DVD sets includes the best of each character as well as some bonus later cartoons and specials making them somewhat collectible.  However, the series was only limited to just 2 characters, Bugs and Daffy, and they really weren't aimed much at collectors.  Interesting to note that Rabbit of Seville is in the correct pitch and is the only time it was for a DVD/Blu-ray release.  

19. Looney Tunes Presents: Mostly focusing on the most popular characters in merchandising aiming strictly towards kids and casual fans

This collection was part of the next generation of Looney Tunes being that they now share the spotlight with Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, and Cartoon Network for Warner Bros.  This release was based off of marketing as to who are the most popular characters.  This was the era where you guess which character you'd see the most being worn in clothing, Taz, Tweety, or Marvin.  This does limit the amount of cartoons per tape, but they are pretty comprehensive otherwise.  It should be noted one of the releases ended up as a DVD release many years later, but since it was more so a copy and paste in terms of picture quality, it was decided not to include this release on the list and talk about it as if it were a DVD release at the same time as these VHS tapes.

18. Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces: For being a fair compilation of the most musical moments in Warner Bros. Cartoons history

While not aimed at the collector's market, this compilation mainly consisted of musical moments from the Looney Tunes including familiar favorites.  Though not an amazing set, it still gets the job done and will make any casual fan pleased.

17. Best of Warner Bros. 50 Cartoon Collection: For a fair compilation of some of the best cartoons

For Warner Bros. 90th, this DVD collection was made to show off some of the best of the Warner Bros. Cartoons.  Though it was easily ignored by collectors, it has a nice mixture with some familiar favorites.

16. Warner Bros. Cartoon Cavalcade: For being the first release to showcase the cartoons with new remasters from 35mm elements.  However, very few volumes were released

This VHS series came out at the same time as Warner Bros was remastering their cartoons for a new generation.  While the Bugs tape had a unique theme, the series only lasted 5 volumes and 3 being the classic cartoons.  A boxed set would appear years later but it was more so to get rid of remaining tapes in stock and made them part of the Authentic and Original Looney Tunes Cartoons VHS series.  It did, however, came with a unique intro that would be carried over to the Authentic and Original sets both on VHS and Laserdisc.

15. Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: For being a smaller version of the Golden Collection with less cartoons gearing towards a casual fan

When Looney Tunes were starting to appear on DVD, the Spotlight Collection offered a cheaper release yet being very fair to what the casual fan may enjoy.  Many volumes were released including one including 2 Looney Tunes movies.  And although it is not as comprehensive as other bigger releases, it was still a nice way to collect Looney Tunes even acting as a starting point for collecting Looney Tunes on home video with excellent picture quality.

14. Bugs Bunny Golden Carrot Collection: Great collection of Bugs Bunny cartoons with some nice bonus features.  However, discs were taken straight from the Golden Collection taking the Bugs disc from the first 5 volumes

Slightly larger than the Spotlight Collection, this collection puts the 5 Bugs Bunny discs from the Golden Collection together into one nice sized collection.  The only downside is that some of the bonus documentaries are incomplete due to half appearing on another disc.  Fun fact, this was planned for release before the Golden Collection, but would end up being a reality years later, and although it was too late for collectors, the casual fan will find this very collectible 

13. Porky Pig 101: For compiling all of the black and white Porky Pig cartoons.  However, intro music issues appear in some of the cartoons and the cartoons are not as pristine as other collections at the time

This Warner Archive collection was made to gather all of the black and white Porky Pig cartoons and was well targeted towards collectors.  However, there were issues throughout.  Many of the cartoons have been restored, but many also only got new remasters as opposed to restorations and a handful being old masters.  This results in cartoons varying print to print.  Also, some of the new masters made had some of the original music altered as that's how they appeared on the prints used.  Still, this was well aimed at collectors and contained cartoons that will probably NEVER appear on home video ever again.

12. Warner Bros. Cartoons Golden Jubilee 24 Karat Collection: For being the first made for collectors set despite a few issues with time compression.  Also picture quality is now inferior by today's standard

This was the first collection to be ever made for the collector in mind.  Showcasing the best of the Warner Bros. Cartoons, it contained classics featuring many of the classic characters.  Though it is not perfect as a handful were time compressed to fit within the tapes, and the picture quality for this release would be considered outdated just a few years later.  Still, it set the stage for collecting Looney Tunes on home video with quality better than what was airing on TV at the time.

11. MGM Cartoon Moviestars: For bringing the Turner library for collectors with some clever ideas.  However, some AAP prints were used

This collector's edition of classic cartoons from the MGM/UA library included many Looney Tunes titles which included unique ideas to further curate the cartoons such as the documentary Bugs Bunny Superstar and the Leonard Maltin hosted Bugs and Daffy the Wartime Cartoons.  Though earlier releases used old AAP prints and titles, this series would set the standard of good Looney Tunes releases for many years to come (or any classic cartoon release for that matter) 

10. Bugs Bunny Superstar DVD: Features the cartoons as shown from the documentary and along the way provides context of the original cartoons.  However, not all cartoons were pristine using new scans for stuff not yet restored.

Though this documentary filled with cartoons from the AAP library had appeared alone on VHS and part of the Golden Collection on DVD, this first ever Warner Archive Looney Tunes release put this in much better quality using new remasters for the documentary segments and mostly restored cartoons.  

9. Authentic and Original Looney Tunes Cartoons (Laserdisc): For bringing the best of the best Looney Tunes to Laserdisc with new remasters and well themed discs.  However, no where near as collectible as MGM/UA's Golden Age of Looney Tunes though they act more so as a companion due to separate ownership of the cartoons at the time.

This was Warner Bros answer to MGM/UA's Golden Age of the Looney Tunes.  It was a well curated collection of Laserdiscs.  Though they could only be collected one disc at a time, you get a vast majority of the classic shorts as well as some rarer black and white shorts.  These felt more like a companion to MGM/UA's laserdisc releases and helped collecting Looney Tunes on Laserdisc a breeze.

8. Looney Tunes the Collectors Edition: For bringing together many of the best cartoons in well themed tapes and the best available elements possible at the time including some restorations.  However, being a Columbia House release, it couldn't be purchased all at once.

Columbia House got the license to release Looney Tunes on a collector's edition VHS line.  15 tapes were released featuring many different themes based on characters, directors, mice, dogs, etc.  Although you had to do a mail in order to get a different tape each month, it was so worth it to the collectors at the time.  Especially since Warner Bros. at that time had no plans for a DVD release and VHS releases were all Looney Tunes Presents line of tapes.

7. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Entertainment Collection: For including the very best Looney Tunes based on what the Academy picked over the years.  However, had to share screen time with the WB owned MGM and Paramount cartoons (which isn't that bad of a problem)

In 2008, Warner Bros released this unique collection which has all the Academy Award Winning animated shorts that Warner Bros. owns in one collection as well as some nominated shorts.  This includes a good number of Looney Tunes with some new restorations included.  Though it limits the number of shorts, the different shorts from Fleischer and MGM helps make up for it along the way.  This could have been a better collection if more nominated Looney Tunes were added, but it was still a well curated collection

6. Chuck Jones Mice Collection:  For bringing together all of the Sniffles and Hubie and Bertie cartoons in restored quality

More so a set to help fill in the gaps, the Chuck Jones Mice Collection features all the Sniffles and Hubie and Bertie shorts restored in HD.  There were some other bonus shorts featuring different mice characters, but were not restored in HD (many of these have since been restored)

5. Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: For compiling the cartoons in HD quality.  However, alongside smaller issues such as photoshopped titles, this release was made to compliment previous better releases to help the collector get as much on disc as possible.

Likewise with the Chuck Jones Mice Collection, this release acted specifically to fill in the gaps of what hasn't been out on home video in restored quality.  This features a mix of classic, fan favorite, and unfamiliar.  As of this writing, 4 volumes have been released with on box set of the 4 discs also available, and although they are not perfect by all means (some photoshopped issues remained), they are all in glorious HD quality which could have brought other home video releases to shame for it not being a follow up to what was released in previous collections

4. Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection: For compiling a great majority of Bugs Bunny cartoons in high definition and with nice bonus features

For Bugs Bunny's 80th, Warner Bros. released this huge box set full of Bugs Bunny cartoons.  It not only included the best of Bugs Bunny but also filled in some gaps as to what wasn't released on home video or in HD.  It also came with a Funko Pop and great bonus features

3. The Golden Age of Looney Tunes: For collecting as many of the Turner library as possible using the best available elements at the time and some interesting bonus features not seen in other releases in some cases

One of the most comprehensive collections ever to be made was The Golden Age of Looney Tunes on Laserdisc.  It may not seem like a great collection since it was put out by MGM/UA meaning that the library was limited to the Turner library, but looks can be deceiving.  This attempted to compile as much as the Turner library as possible with well themed discs.  The AAP logo was carefully removed in 98% of the cases, and although the prints themselves may not be the best all the time (especially by today's standards), this was the ultimate collection at the time.  In some cases, they went to private collectors for help since Turner never had the negatives to the films and relied on 35mm prints, and in other cases some of the films you will never see on home video again.  Simply put, it's a collectors' item

2. Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: For bringing the Looney Tunes in HD quality for the first time supplemented with bonus features some of which not seen anywhere else.

When it comes to collecting the absolute best Looney Tunes in the best possible quality, nothing could top the Platinum Collection.  150 cartoons came to Blu-ray for the first time in pristine quality and in HD which had never been done before.  The 3 volume sets were also loaded with bonus features some exclusive only to this collection, and a limited edition of volume 1 was also released loaded with extra products like cels, certificates of authenticity, and even a shot glass.  Each volume except for volume 1 came with a booklet whereas volume one was packaged as a digi-book.  An amazing collector's edition for sure, but it's only number 2 on our list.  That's because although it was in HD, something even better came out almost a decade prior that fans still talk about and reference when it comes to Looney Tunes on home video.

1. Looney Tunes Golden Collection: For being the most comprehensive collection of cartoons mixing the best with rare material supplemented with amazing bonus features not seen anywhere else and using the best restorations at the time.  

Out of all of the releases, this was the best.  Alongside Walt Disney Treasures, Looney Tunes Golden Collection set the precedent on how to release cartoons on home video.  For starters, all of the cartoons are pristine and restored from the original masters.  In many cases they were restored in HD, a first for the cartoons and for Warner Bros.  They're also loaded with bonus features, many originated from this set that would be passed down in other collections.  It also came out at the right time as Looney Tunes at the time of release were seldom seen on television making it the go to place to watch these cartoons again.  The first volume received awards seldom seen in a classic cartoon collection.  This was made completely for the fans, and although not perfect (not every character was well represented), this brought excitement to animation fans everywhere seeing these newly restored versions on DVD.  6 volumes in all with over 300 cartoons and excellent bonus material ranks this as the best home video release of Looney Tunes.

Do you agree with our list?  Which release is your favorite?  Let us know.

Public Domain Highlights: Star Classics

 There seems to be a lot of talk of public domain these days with Mickey Mouse.  Therefore it's time to mention a company that has released Mickey Mouse at one point and had a slight impact on me, and that is Star Classics.

The actual origins to the company is unclear, but it's believed to have started in the mid 80's.  The original purpose of the company was to release old public domain content to VHS.  These include movies, TV shows, and cartoons.  It is believed that this was done for the collector's market since none of the tapes were targeted towards kids and many of these at the time had not yet been on home video.  They were, however, done cheap. 

When the series of tapes began, they were all in generic boxes with an image and title of whatever was on the tape.  As time progressed they began adding putting in some effort with art covers.  Though each tape was generic, there was a series of tapes that read Color Cartoon Festival, but by the time they ended the generic boxes, it was mostly just the name of the character or the name of the cartoon with no set volumes.  A series of Cartoon Time tapes were released promoting 1 hr of cartoons and a 3 pack set called Wacky Toons was released.

This is basically a repeat from my Vidtape post, but I remember seeing these tapes available for rental at may local Broadway Video/Movie Gallery.  They were usually side by side with Vidtape's Cartoons R Fun tapes.  For example, Vidtape's Heckle and Jeckle and Star Classic's Heckle and Jeckle were next to each other as if it were a competition.  Like with Cartoons R Fun I chickened out in fear of these looking too dupey which could be off putting to a child.  I did see a lot of PD tapes at school, so I kinda would know.  That said, I ended up renting the Road Runner volume from Cartoon Jubilee, Tom and Jerry Cartoon Festival, Mickey Mouse Disney Classic Cartoon Favorites, Mickey and Minnie's Sweetheart Stories, and Bugs Bunny Superstar.  With the exception of Tom and Jerry as it was the very first official release of the cartoons, because I ended up playing smart without knowing it, I went for all the official releases in excellent quality at the time.  Looking back, I may have dodged a bullet somewhat on these tapes because to get this out of the way, the tapes appear to have been cleaned of any wrongdoing; no reused tapes and no issues with accidental porn as far as I know.  Also, the tapes are what you got advertised; no issues of buy at your own risk........sort of..........

Art cover quality was indeed somewhat bad.  Though they tried to make these look as authentic as how they appeared on the cartoon, they still looked a little bit off.  It's as if you know you're gonna get something that could be old and dupey.  The star cartoon would be featured on the cover with text placed somewhere saying "also starring Bugs Bunny and Little Lulu" depending on the contents of the cartoon.  Each cover looked as though they were all hand drawn by someone, so you could unfortunately easily tell that these weren't authentic.  Hey, at least the art covers introduced me to who was Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle.

Now, if there is one cover that drove me bonkers for years, it was this........................

Oh......My.......Sweet.......Zombie.......Gosh..........what the hell is that?  I had been following the history of Mickey Mouse at that time and this threw me through a loop.  He looks like he has pupils, they're not pupils.  His eyes are big and wide (though years later I learned about his Plane Crazy design).  His head was not round and at the time he looked fat.  Like early Porky Pig fat.  And while I never rented this tape, the image NEVER left my mind.  Sometimes as a kid when I thought about it, a musty smell starts to appear.  Even now I still feel weird about it.  I guess they really didn't want Disney to know about this release.  For the record, The Mad Doctor was in the public domain as was Minnie's Yoo Hoo.  There was a Donald Duck tape too, but at least he looked like Donald.  I'm sure any child would tell you, that is not Mickey Mouse.

Which now brings us to picture quality.  It's bad.....really bad.  Star Classics themselves didn't tamper with the cartoons, but the sources they come from are indeed of question.  A lot of these appear to be dupes, and we know for sure they're dupes because of some alterations done on the prints themselves including Kit Parker which even those are dupes of dupes.  My guess is that a lot of these prints came from a film pirate as opposed to a film collector where many of these dupe prints were badly damaged from bad projectors and mishandling.  Dirt, scratches, and in some cases splices are throughout nearly each and every cartoon.

Generally speaking when it came to Warner Bros. cartoons, the AAP logo was blacked out with the music still going.  This change had to have been done prior to being transferred to tape because you could still see some dirt on the film, but also sometimes the slate will go by the screen.  All Star Classics did was cheaply slap together what they could and go from there.  How bad were they?  Let's check some of the cartoons out.

We start with Cartoon Color Festival #5 .  Chick and Double Chick is splicy.  Hamatuer Night has the AAP logo which appears to splice over the WB Shield, but this might have been a rare moment that AAP did this themselves.  The Dover Boys has its AAP logo as well, but when we get to Wackiki Wabbit, oh man this one is in really bad shape.  The cartoon just starts with no titles as it all got damaged beyond repair, and the splices, they are the worst.  Almost the whole cartoon had splices.  The last two cartoons are what to expect from Star Classics with AAP/Kit Parker with AAP logo prints from this point on as they have the AAP logo blacked out (and bad audio).  Cartoon Classics #6 has a non PD cartoon: Lulu's Birthday Party.  Only the animators title card survives the print as it is filled with splices throughout.  An end title from a random WB movie around that time is spliced into the print.  The Wabbit Who Came to Supper still has its slate shown and is splicy.  This tape would be reissued as a Bugs Bunny tape a couple of times with the same issues.

I do want to take a look at one more tape, and that is a Daffy Duck one.  Anywhere the AAP shows up is blacked out.  A handful of opening titles have been chopped off.  More specifically The Impatient Patient and Fresh Hare.  By far this is the worst print of Fresh Hare as it too had splices.  I am pleased to say, however, that Wackiki Wabbit is a much better print.  Though still dupy with the AAP logo  blacked out, the cartoon appears to be complete with titles.

Some other cartoon highlights/low lights are All This and Wabbit Stew not only being dupy and splicy, but also a black and white print.  And interestingly enough, a Popeye tape had She Sick Sailor which is NOT in the public domain making it the only home video release for nearly 30 years, but it was the AAP print of it and does not have the Paramount titles that had begun appearing on Turner networks at the time.  Things get weirder as Star Classics also released The New Zoo Revue and Gigantor.  Whether or not these are official releases remains in question, but based on what I see, I highly doubt it.

Star Classics went out of business by the early 1990's.  They hardly made an impact other than a handful of rare cartoons being found on these tapes, but the big impact was just how bad these tapes were in picture quality.  Dupe prints, choppy prints, almost unwatchable in some cases, and cheaply assembled.  Probably a good thing I didn't rent these tapes, but who knows, maybe I still would have enjoyed them; at least they're not at all like the Cartoons R Fun tapes.

The Best and Worst of 2023 (if any)

 

What an unusual year 2023 is ranging from the fear of AI to the writers and actors strikes causing a major dent in the entertainment industry.  While it wasn't a rotten year (though I can't promise that for next year), it hasn't been a peaceful one either.  Shake ups, break ups, and hardly any make ups.  We now look back at the year 2023 as we do traditionally on this site.

Animated Features

As it takes on average about 4 years to make an animated feature, the strikes did not affect the animated film industry much except for when the actors struck causing promotion to slow down by celebrities.  But regardless if Chris Pratt and Jack Black could promote their films or not, it's the characters that sell the show.  And boy did we get a big surprise out of Universal and Illumination with The Super Mario Bros. Movie.  If there is any proof that Mario may be more popular than Mickey Mouse, this is it.  The film made money despite critics trying to destroy it due to no messaging, fans showed up in the movie theater to watch it and love it.  It was a love letter to Nintendo fans everywhere.  Yes, I said movie theaters; this movie could ONLY be seen in theaters.  And it made bank.  Covid is no longer an excuse for when a movie does bad.  Universal had the worst movie with Ruby Gillman, but it was Disney that struggled this year,  Elemental and Wish did.......meh.  Not terrible, but bad news for a Disney film.  Disney's glory days since the 2010's with Frozen and Zootopia may be over.  Paramount released a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie.  Though it didn't do great at the box office, merchandise sales increased and interests of past incarnations of the turtles increased making this, possibly, Turtlemania 2.0 as Turtles were seen promoting both Paramount and Nickelodeon and Turtles were more present than Spongebob in the Nickmas game this year with Raphael helping call play by play.  As I understand the Turtle franchise more, I can't say I'll become a major fan, but rather just something to watch like a Saturday Morning Cartoon for fun.  

Animated TV Series

As we've said time and time again, TV Cable ratings are dying, and they'd had to adapt to new changes.  Like last year, many of the same shows would also be released on Max and Paramount +.  There hasn't been a lot of new shows this year with some shows returning such as Spongebob, Loud House, and The Ghost and Molly McGee with new shows mostly being at Disney Channel such as Hailey's On It and Moon Girl.  As fear of cartoons "indoctrinating kids" these days rose, so too did ratings for older reruns.  This is where Cartoon Network took the cake with adult swim's Checkerboard Past block rerunning old Cartoon Network shows such as Dexter, Ed Edd N Eddy, and Courage.  Me TV continues to air classic cartoons with the return of Woody Woodpecker and Friends.  Discovery Family, meanwhile, begins their reruns of cartoons such as Looney Tunes, Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, Baby Looney Tunes, Paddington Bear, and The Smurfs now that WB has a hand in it.  However, they only own 60% of the channel with 40% still by Hasbro, so My Little Pony reruns continue to dominate the spotlight there.  The Nicktoons Network has brought the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back on TV, and it seems the Turtles may be the new face of Paramount, a title once held by Popeye in the 30's-50's.  

Streaming

Hoooooooooooo Doggies this alone could be a separate blog post.  That's because everything has been going on with Streaming.........EVERYTHING.  As I said, some shows were made for both TV and streaming, and Tiny Toons Looniversity is no exception.  But the hatred of Zazlav continues, and I will admit, I was wrong.  This guy knows nothing about the Entertainment Industry.  It's not so much he hates cartoons, but rather he's just a bean counter, and as animation fans and historians would tell you, this is where issues arise.   Coyote vs Acme did very well in test screens, but Zazlav snapped his fingers and now it is on life support for seeing the light of day.  We hope that happens soon.  Meanwhile, Max was able to release the worst cartoon EVER according to IMDB, and the less we talk about it.....the better (Velma).  Disney + meanwhile treated us with some new restorations of old shorts and films, but The Proud Family hit major controversy with its episode where the kids are singing a song about how slaves built this country and using political opinions during a powerful kids segment.  This can be extremely dangerous and kids CAN pick up on stuff like that.  The response to this type of content opened up a new streaming service for kids called Bentkey.  Controversy arises as this is run by the Daily Wire which leans right and the big cartoon is simply a rip off of Bluey.  Granted, the goal with the service is to make it a safe space for kids with no politics whatsoever, but the Bluey fans were still ticked off.  The rise of FAST Streaming linear channels is apparent with many shows being successful on Pluto TV.  Granted, it's all reruns, but enough for Paramount to continue investing with the service.  Paramount also put the Classic Ninja Turtles for streaming and will continue to do so in the new year.  Tubi has also grown a lot with officially licensed titles from Warner Bros. mostly Hanna Barbera bringing all hope that was lost with Velma.  We may be seeing more from Tubi in the near future. 

We couldn't leave the streaming section without talking about The Amazing Digital Circus.  This was well anticipated for a while and produced independently only releasing on the Glitch Youtube channel.  The pilot video had surpass around 10 million views and the fandom exploded doing what fandoms like that does best.....fan art and shipping.  Everybody was picking their favorite character, some picked ships, but most enjoyed the psychological comedic horror it has to offer, and overall, it was trying something new.  New art style, new style of animation, and creative driven.  More is expected to come from this and if you think the major studios aren't keeping an eye on this, you are sadly mistaken.  They'll find a way, whether it's copying the idea or flat out buying it, to make it their own.  For now, independent media was able to dominate the streaming landscape. 

Anime

A while back anime was all I kept my eye on.  Nowadays I seem to be out of it.  Anime still tends to be popular though, with hit franchises still being hits.  We now have a new main character in Pokemon, but I haven't caught up with Pokemon in a while.  Many journalists are listing Scott Pilgrim as a hit anime, but is it really an anime.  The only new one I saw this year is a movie called Suzume from the same people that brought you Your Name and Weathering With You.  One Piece's fandom is growing as Luffy is now a balloon at the Macy's Parade, and we hope to see more of our old favorites by next year.

Woody Woodpecker Walkaround Costumes

 

Since his creation in 1940, Woody Woodpecker had brought laughter and joy from his own laughter all over the world becoming one of the most popular cartoon characters at one point in time.  While not as popular anymore due to waning television airings he still would sometimes get around even in Universal and Portaventura theme parks.  In honor of Me TV bringing Woody Woodpecker back to television, here is a lookback on some of the walkaround costumes used over the years

Please note that this is not comprehensive, and some of the costumes may not be official.  Names of each costume is given by me; no official names have been given for any of these costumes.  Dates are approximate as track records of these costumes were lost to time.

Universal Studios Tour (early 1970's at least-late 70's early 80's)

It is unclear what the earliest of these costumes were and what year, but as far back as 1972 we found this from an old postcard from back when Universal was just a Studio Tour and entertainment center.  Woody looks a little bit plasticy probably with the head made out of paper mache.  His suit is very baggy.  Not the best looking woodpecker, but being among the earliest, not too bad.

 Old Chicago Woody (1976)

In 1976, Woody Woodpecker appeared during the holiday season at Old Chicago Amusement Park along side Santa Claus.  This is a very good Woody costume; he's much more furry and not baggy.  His head has distinct features.  It's unclear if this costume was used anywhere else nor is it clear if this is an official costume or not

Creepy Woody (early 1980's-late 1980's)

Universal Studios found the need to redo the Woody costume at its studio tour, but it looked bad.  While Woody looked much furrier his head is much smaller.  It literally looks like a man in a woodpecker suit.  Now to be fair, I'm going by this picture alone, but there is another one from 1987.

This makes the costume look much more decent, but by how much?  It still looks a bit cheap.  At least his head looked slightly detailed

Classics 34 Woody (1981-mid 80's)

When Woody turned 40, Walter and Gracie Lantz appeared on a local PBS show called Classics 34 which showcased old movies.  As part of the interview, Woody Woodpecker made an appearance on set.  The costume is really well done.  Similar to Universal's, but much more elaborate.  Woody's got a bigger head with bigger eyes and is much more furrier.  His top knot is much fuller.  This is an official costume since it appeared with Walter and Gracie Lantz on set.  

If you want to see it in action, I recommend the Thunderbean DVD A Conversation with Walter and Gracie Lantz which has the show with the interview.  This costume also appeared in Walter, Woody, and the World of Animation in 1983.  It must have toured with Walter and Gracie whenever they went somewhere or did something on camera.

Universal Studios Woody (late 1980s-late 1990's)

With the new Universal Studios Florida opening up in Orlando, it was time to update Woody again.  He had a pointier beak, skinnier eyes, and bigger smile.  He is no longer cheap looking than he was at Universal beforehand and is accompanied by Winnie, Chilly Willy, and Andy Panda.  This costume would be used for years and seen on shows such as Coach and Kids for Character as well as a special video to promote recycling.  

BONUS: Restored version of the costume

Sometime recently, someone was able to dumpster dive from Universal and found the head of the costume.  They restored it, fixed it up, and made a new body to go with it.  While not exactly how it was in the 90's, this version of Woody now looks better than ever and gives an idea on what he looked like if it were made today.

Universal Studios Woody ver 2 (around 1994-late 1990's)

Another version of Woody was refined in the mid 90's, but it wasn't seen as much.  His eyes are much bigger and his head is more detailed, but it lacked the friendliness of the previous costume.  This would be retired shortly

New Woody Woodpecker Show/Kidzone Woody (1999-present)

With the new Woody Woodpecker Show airing on Fox Kids and with the opening of Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone, it was time to update the costume to make him more refined.  As a result of the character design for the show looking similar to what he did in the 1940's, his costume would be designed the same way.  His top-knot is bent back and the character has distinctive features such as a birdlike grin on his beak, very detailed eyes which were somewhat skinnier, and he also got a little more fat.  Winnie would also have updates too.  This costume would be used in Universal Parks as well as Portaventura in Spain.

Islands of Adventure Woody (1999-late 2000's)

Likewise with the opening of the new theme park, Islands of Adventure, a similar Woody was made for the park only this time in his safari gear and a skinnier top-knot so that it could fit through the hat.  Woody doesn't appear much at this park anymore, and when he does, it's usually the standard version without the Islands of Adventure gear.

Why does America HATE Woody Woodpecker

 

In celebration of the return of classic Woody Woodpecker and Walter Lantz cartoons to television, I wish to do an opinion piece and try to answer a question that has been bugging me for the last decade or so......does the general public HATE Woody Woodpecker????!!!!!!

First of all I can say for certainty that he isn't a forgotten character.  The iconic laugh, one of the first things to come to mind when you think of woodpeckers is Woody.  The original cartoon series lasted from 1940-1972 outlasting Bugs Bunny by 8 years and the original Tom and Jerry by about 14 years (both series debuted the same year as Woody).  Even when the cartoons went into TV reruns whether it was syndicated or Saturday Mornings, Woody Woodpecker continued to grace the theater screens even if the budget got lower and lower as the years progressed.  Woody Woodpecker at one point became the mascot for Universal Parks and Resorts (now Universal Destinations and Experiences), and many of his adventures have been released on DVD and Blu-ray.  The 1944 cartoon Barber of Seville had been listed in Jerry Beck's 50 Greatest Cartoons Book and the theme song was even nominated for an Academy Award.  Lantz himself would receive the award for Lifetime Achievement.  

So.........What Happened???!!!!  Could it be Universal's fault for not using Woody enough?  Could it be the general public's fault for not caring enough for Woody?  Or maybe the combination of the two?  Or is it something else?  Well, I've tried figuring this out for myself.  After all, Woody Woodpecker was a star character in his day and he should have been Universal's own Bugs Bunny since he came from the same era.  The problems, it seems, could have started in the late 80's early 90's.  By that point, Woody hasn't been on TV as much.  The Program Exchange had begun syndicating the cartoons real cheap, but still could not achieve the success of their other programs like Bullwinkle.  Universal on their own began seeking out other properties to buy in order to find a beloved character because their own character, somehow, did not achieve the beloved-ness.  First they bought some rights to Jay Ward's Rocky and Bullwinkle, but it only worked for a while (though even now, Bullwinkle remains more beloved than Woody Woodpecker).  They made an agreement with the Bagdasarians for Alvin and the Chipmunks and all sorts of projects only to be dwindled down to 2 monster themed movies and giving that share back to the Bagdasarians.  Now they're going for Illumination and Dreamworks which are much more beloved.

As far as theme parks they tried Woody Woodpecker, but by the time Universal Studios Florida was conceived, two other headliners were at the park that would gain more attention than Woody: Hanna-Barbera and Nickelodeon.  In fact, Universal almost bought Hanna-Barbera only to be outbid by Turner.  They brought in Barney the Dinosaur, but his popularity would peak over the years and he too would overstay his welcome.  Dr. Seuss was brought in and seems to be working, but not a true headliner like Mickey Mouse.  Harry Potter was brought in, but that franchise isn't really the face of Universal despite its massive popularity.  The Simpsons were brought in, but how long will that last now that they are Disney property?  When Woody Woodpecker returned with a new show in 1999, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone opened in Florida with Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster.  Alas, no new updates were ever done to the area, and NOBODY really liked the area.  Even complaints about the coaster was enough to say "oh yeah I'm done with Woody Woodpecker".  By 2023, the Kidzone was no more, and by that time it was clear now what the plan is to out Mickey the Mouse with Nintendo.  The first Super Nintendo World opened in Japan in 2021, the second in 2023 in Hollywood, and a third coming when Epic Universe opens in Orlando.  Pokemon arrived in Japan in 2023 with hopes to expand to other parks.  Pokemon by itself gets the highest sales in merchandise more than Mickey Mouse.  One could argue that Mickey is more popular than Mario, and I believed that as well.......until The Super Mario Movie in 2023.  With Mario having 4 decades under his belt, he has become a beloved character from multiple generations giving Universal the "cartoon" ambassador it needed all these years.

There are many reasons we as a whole do not like Woody Woodpecker all that much.  Perhaps the most obvious one could be that Woody never was able to materialize in an era of cartoons that brought back the classic style such as Animaniacs.  Disney was able to compete during their Disney afternoons with Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, and more.  Warner Bros. had their share of shows like Tiny Toons and Animaniacs, but while it took a few years for new series with classic characters, constant reruns of the classics and how well they held up gave them everlasting power.  Even Mighty Mouse with Mighty Mouse the New Adventures was able to appear in this new era.  Woody meanwhile.....an occasion rerun in syndication?  Maybe at a not so regular time slot?  With not the best cartoons airing?

Therein lied another problem, while the 40's Woodys held up pretty well, most of the cartoons Woody was in was during the 1950's and 60's.  As each year progressed, the budget on the cartoons got cut more and more, and while they were great for old cartoon reruns, they couldn't hold the same quality that other golden age theatrical cartoons had in the 40's and 50's.  And it certainly isn't a generation issue either as Popeye is much older and obviously looked at as an old cartoon, but constant reruns had helped the Spinach Eatin Sailor continue to remain a classic.  It also didn't help that the most exposure of Woody may have been Pantry Panic as it is in the public domain, and as such, many VHS and DVD companies have used the same faded prints of it over and over again showing its age to the eyes of the younger generation. 

In recent years, however, we discovered that some foreign countries absolutely love Woody Woodpecker.  Brazil, in particular, absolutely LOVES the laughing woodpecker, and because of this, Universal does see the need to do more Woody Woodpecker stuff including an awful live action movie and a new series starting in 2018.  Why Woody is beloved in Brazil?  Well, from what I was told (and I could be wrong) it may have something to do with a lot of exposure down there via some sort of public television station.  It's basically the same way we as Americans love Sesame Street.  Whatever the reason is, the discovery of the popularity happened when Universal began uploading old episodes of The Woody Woodpecker Show and The New Woody Woodpecker Show to YouTube where millions of views were counted. 

In Spain, PortAdventure has seen many success still using Woody Woodpecker despite not being a Universal Park anymore.  There, you can meet Woody in his home as you would Mickey in Disneyland and there are Woody Woodpecker themed rooms at their hotel . To the dismay of Coaster Studios who is based in America (see where I'm going) most if not all of the merchandise centers around Woody Woodpecker. Because of foreign countries loving Woody Woodpecker, we as fans lucked out because that gave Universal the means necessary to restore more Woody Woodpecker cartoons whether in HD or not.  You may see the cartoons in excellent quality on Me TV when they come on.

Will Woody's return to TV work?  Time will tell.  This could gain awareness to the bird, but let's face facts; time has not been kind to Woody, and half of the classic stuff is pretty much lackluster to Disney, Warner Bros., or MGM.  Still, I hope the general public will see once again that Woody Woodpecker is a great fun character to watch.