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.
