Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on October 28, 2003. The first release of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD series, it contains 56 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements.Release and content information: The set won the Classic Award at the Parents' Choice Awards.
Related releases In Regions 2 and 4, the discs were packaged as follows: Disc 1: Best of Bugs Bunny Disc 2: Best of Daffy and Porky Disc 3 (Region 2): All Stars - Volume 1 Disc 4 (Region 2): All Stars - Volume 2 Discs 3 and 4 (Region 4): All Stars - Volumes 1 and 2
In Region 1, discs 3 and 4 were also released separately as the more family-friendly Looney Tunes Premiere Collection (also known as Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 1). In 2014, discs 3 and 4 were reissued as Looney Tunes Center Stage: Volume 1 and Looney Tunes Center Stage: Volume 2, respectively.
Disc 1 - Best of Bugs Bunny All cartoons on this disc star Bugs Bunny. #TitleCo-starsYearDirectorSeries1Baseball Bugs The Gashouse Gorillas Baseball Team1946Friz FrelengLT2Rabbit SeasoningDaffy, Elmer1952Chuck JonesMM3Long-Haired Hare1949Chuck JonesLT4High Diving HareSam1949Friz FrelengLT5Bully for Bugs1953Chuck JonesLT6What's Up Doc?Elmer1950Robert McKimsonLT7Rabbit's KinPete Puma1952Robert McKimsonMM8Water, Water Every HareGossamer1952Chuck JonesLT9Big House BunnySam1950Friz FrelengLT10Big Top Bunny1951Robert McKimsonMM11My Bunny Lies over the Sea1948Chuck JonesMM12Wabbit TwoubleElmer1941Bob ClampettMM13Ballot Box BunnySam1951Friz FrelengMM14Rabbit of SevilleElmer1950Chuck JonesLT
Special features
Audio bonuses Music-only audio tracks on Rabbit Seasoning, What's Up Doc?, Rabbit's Kin Audio commentaries Michael Barrier on Rabbit Seasoning, Long-Haired Hare, Bully for Bugs, Big Top Bunny, Wabbit Twouble Greg Ford on High Diving Hare, What's Up Doc? Stan Freberg on Rabbit's Kin
From the Vaults Bonus cartoon: (Blooper) Bunny (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam; 1997) - with optional commentary by Greg Ford Bugs Bunny at the Movies Excerpts: Two Guys From Texas (1948), My Dream Is Yours (1949) The Bugs Bunny Show: A Star is Bored bridging sequences; The Astro-Nuts audio recording sessions with Mel Blanc Trailer gallery: Bugs Bunny's Cartoon Festival, Bugs Bunny's Cartoon Jamboree Stills gallery
Behind-the-Tunes Bugs: A Rabbit For All Seasonings: A look at Warner Bros. (and Looney Tunes) most popular wascally wabbit, Bugs Bunny. Short-Fuse Shootout: The Small Tale of Yosemite Sam: A look at Yosemite Sam, the fiery redheaded cowboy character that served as one of Bugs' many adversaries. Forever Befuddled: A look at Elmer Fudd, the naive (and often neurotic) everyman and hunter who also was one of Bugs' many adversaries.
Others A greeting from Chuck Jones Camera Three: The Boys From Termite Terrace: Part 1 (1975)
Disc 2 - Best of Daffy & Porky All cartoons on this disc star Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, or both. #TitleDaffy,Porky,or Both?Co-starsYearDirectorSeries1Duck AmuckDaffyBugs1953Chuck JonesMM2Dough for the Do-DoPorky1949Friz FrelengMM3Drip-Along DaffyBothNasty Canasta1951Chuck JonesMM4Scaredy CatPorkySylvester1948Chuck JonesMM5The DuckstersBoth1950Chuck JonesLT6The Scarlet PumpernickelBoth1950Chuck JonesLT7Yankee Doodle DaffyBoth1943Friz FrelengLT8Porky ChopsPorky1949Arthur DavisLT9The Wearing of the GrinPorky1951Chuck JonesLT10Deduce, You Say!Both1956Chuck JonesLT11Boobs in the WoodsBoth1950LT12Golden YeggsBothRocky1950Friz FrelengMM13Rabbit FireDaffyBugs, Elmer1951Chuck JonesLT14Duck Dodgers in the 24½th CenturyBothMarvin1953Chuck JonesMM
Special features
Audio bonuses Music-only audio tracks on Duck Amuck, Drip-Along Daffy, The Scarlet Pumpernickel, Rabbit Fire Audio commentaries by Michael Barrier on Duck Amuck, Drip-Along Daffy, The Scarlet Pumpernickel, The Wearing of the Grin, Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century
Behind-the-Tunes Hard Luck Duck: A profile on Daffy Duck. Porky Pig Roast: A Tribute to the World's Most Famous Ham: A look on Porky from his early black and white beginnings to the development of Mel Blanc, who brought to the character the famous stutter. Animal Quackers: A look at the teaming of Daffy with his ultimate foil, Porky Pig and the introduction of Marvin The Martian and the Duck Dodgers In The 24½ Century persona.
Others Camera Three: The Boys From Termite Terrace: Part 2 (1975) Stills gallery
Disc 3 - Looney Tunes All-Stars: Part 1 Cartoons 1-12 are directed by Chuck Jones (10 co-directed by Abe Levitow), 13 and 14 by Bob Clampett. #TitleCharactersYearSeries1Elmer's Candid CameraElmer, Proto-Bugs1940MM2Bugs Bunny and the Three BearsBugs, The Three Bears19443Fast and Furry-ousWile E. Coyote and the Road Runner1949LT4Hair-Raising HareBugs, Gossamer1946MM5Awful OrphanCharlie, Porky19496Haredevil HareBugs, K-9, Marvin1948LT7For Scent-imental ReasonsPepé, Penelope19498Frigid HareBugs, Playboy PenguinMM9Claude Cat, Hubie and Bertie195010Baton BunnyBugs1959LT11Feed the KittyMarc and Pussyfoot1952MM12Don't Give Up the SheepRalph and Sam1953LT13Bugs Bunny Gets the BoidBugs, Beaky1942MM14Tortoise Wins by a HareBugs, Cecil1943
Special features
Audio bonuses Music-only audio tracks on Baton Bunny, Feed the Kitty Audio commentaries Stan Freberg on Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears Michael Barrier on Fast and Furry-ous, Haredevil Hare, For Scent-imental Reasons, Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid Michael Barrier and Greg Ford on Hair-Raising Hare Greg Ford on Feed the Kitty
From the Vaults ToonHeads episode "The Lost Cartoons" (originally broadcast March 2000) Hair-Raising Hare and The Hypo-Chondri-Cat schematics Stills gallery
Behind-the-Tunes Too Fast, Too Furry-ous: A look at the creation of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons, Chuck Jones' famous chase cartoon series. Merrie Melodies: Carl Stalling and Cartoon Music: A look at Carl Stalling and how he composed music for the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodie cartoons. Blanc Expressions: A look at voice actor, Jerome Melvin "Mel" Blanc (colloquially known as "The Man of 1000 Voices") and how he voiced the Looney Tunes characters.
Disc 4 - Looney Tunes All-Stars: Part 2 Cartoons 1-9 are directed by Friz Freleng, 10-14 by Robert McKimson. #TitleCharactersYearSeries1Canary RowSylvester, Tweety, Granny1950MM2Bunker Hill BunnyBugs, Sam3Kit for CatElmer, Sylvester1948LT4Putty Tat TroubleSylvester, Tweety19515Bugs and ThugsBugs, Rocky and Mugsy19546Canned FeudSylvester19517Lumber JerksGoofy Gophers19558Speedy GonzalesSpeedy, SylvesterMM9Tweety's S.O.S.Sylvester, Tweety, Granny195110The Foghorn LeghornFoghorn, Henery, Barnyard194811Daffy Duck HuntBarnyard, Daffy, Porky1949LT12Early to BetSupreme Cat1951MM13A Broken LeghornFoghorn, Prissy1959LT14Devil May HareBugs, Taz1954
Special features
Audio bonuses Music-only audio tracks on Putty Tat Trouble, Speedy Gonzales, A Broken Leghorn Audio commentaries Jerry Beck on Canary Row, Canned Feud, Speedy Gonzales, and Devil May Hare Michael Barrier on Tweety's S.O.S. and The Foghorn Leghorn
From the Vaults Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid (1929) Virgil Ross pencil tests Stills gallery
Behind-the-Tunes Needy For Speedy: A look at Speedy Gonzales, Robert McKimson's heroic Mexican mouse who tricked gringo pussycats (and later, Daffy Duck) to help get cheese for his starving friends. Putty Problems and Canary Rows: A look at how Sylvester and Tweety were created and how their pairing led to some of the most memorable cartoons in Warner Bros. history. Southern Pride Chicken: A look at Foghorn Leghorn, the loud-mouthed, trickster rooster loosely based on Fred Allen's Senator Claghorn character.
Others Irreverent Imagination: The Golden Age of Looney Tunes (documentary)
Reception In their review of the set, the Parents' Choice Foundation, at their Parents' Choice Award site, awarded the release the "Classic Award" for its high quality in presenting classic material. While cautioning parents about some of the cartoon violence, the review called the set, "solid gold, not just because of the brilliant animated shorts but because of the plethora of commentaries, historical documentaries on the minds behind the madness," and "a true treasure of imagination worth having in your DVD library."
The DVD site, The Digital Bits claimed that Looney Tunes had been one of the most anticipated releases since the inception of the DVD format, and noted that the wait had been "long, but in the end definitely worthwhile." The site's reviewer wrote that the cartoon shorts on the DVDs looked, "brighter, much more colourful, cleaner, sharper, and generally better-framed than their Laserdisc counterparts," which, until that time, had been the best home-format for viewing the cartoons. The reviewer noted that the "very generous selection of supplements" were "almost uniformly informative and entertaining."
The multimedia news and reviews website, IGN complained about the selection of shorts offered on the first set in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection series. First pointing out that it would be impossible not to leave out major cartoons by selecting only 56 out of the 1,100 Looney Tunes, the review criticized the selection for the omission of Knighty Knight Bugs, an Academy Award-winning 1958 Bugs Bunny cartoon. IGN complimented the restoration of the shorts, but noted that dust was visible in some cases. The reviewer noted that there were more extras than cartoons on the set, and singled out the audio commentaries for praise due to their variety.
References
External links
See also Looney Tunes Golden Collection Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1929–1939) Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1940–1949) Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1950–1959) Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1960–1969) Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1970–present)