NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Looney Tunes Golden Collection

The Looney Tunes Golden Collection is a yearly series of four-disc DVD box sets from Warner Bros.' home video unit Warner Home Video, each containing about 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated shorts. The series began in October 2003, with Warners following the lead established by Disney's Walt Disney Treasures DVD box sets by releasing their own animation for the collector's market. DVD (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... Warner Bros. ... The home video business rents and sells videocassettes and DVDs to the public. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Looney Tunes opening title Looney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969. ... Merrie Melodies end title Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for October, 2003. ... The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... The Walt Disney Treasures are two disc DVD sets of classic Disney works, covering work from the studios earliest days to more recent work. ...

The cartoons included on the set are uncut, unedited, and digitally restored and remastered from the original successive Technicolor film negatives (or, in the case of the black and white shorts, the original black and white negatives). However, some of the cartoons in these collections are derived from the "blue ribbon" reissues (altered from their original versions with their revised front-and-end credit sequences), as the original titles for these cartoons are presumably lost. Logo celebrating Technicolors 90th Anniversary Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation (a subsidiary of Technicolor, Inc. ...

A handful of cartoons in the first two collections have also had digital video noise reduction (or DVNR) applied to them, which unintentionally erases or blurs some of the picture on certain scenes of the cartoons, which has caused controversy among some Looney Tunes fans. The most recent collections, however, has largely abandoned such noise reduction. Noise reduction is the process of removing noise from a signal. ...

Beginning with Volume 3, a warning was printed on the packaging explaining that the collection is intended for adults and the content may not be suitable for children. That presumably goes along with Whoopi Goldberg's filmed introduction that explains the history of ethnic imagery that frequently appears in cartoons of the 1930s and 1940s. Whoopi Goldberg performing stand-up at a benefit for Rainforest Action Network. ...

The DVDs also feature several special features including interviews/documentaries of the people behind the cartoons such as Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, Carl Stalling, and Mel Blanc, pencil tests, and audio commentaries by animation historians Jerry Beck, Michael Barrier, Greg Ford. Chuck Jones in 1976 Charles Martin Chuck Jones (September 21, 1912 â€“ February 22, 2002) was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. ... Isadore Friz Freleng (August 21, 1906[1]â€“May 26, 1995) was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. ... Robert Emerson Bob Clampett (May 8, 1913â€“May 4, 1984) was an American animator, producer, director, and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes series of cartoons from Warner Bros. ... Frederick Bean Fred/Tex Avery (Wednesday, February 26, 1908 â€“ Tuesday, August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during the Golden Age of Hollywood. ... Carl W. Stalling (November 10, 1892â€“November 29, 1972) was a noted composer and arranger of music for animated cartoons. ... Melvin Jerome Blanc (May 30, 1908 â€“ July 10, 1989) was a prolific American voice actor, performing on radio, in television commercials, and most famously, in hundreds of cartoon shorts for Warner Bros. ... Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955) is a well known animation historian, with ten books and numerous articles to his credit. ... American actor, best known for appearances on Star Trek: The Original Series. ...

Volume 1 (released on October 28, 2003) contains cartoons mostly from the 1950s with a smaller selection of shorts from the 1940s. Popular shorts include Rabbit of Seville, Duck Amuck, Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid, Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century and Drip-Along Daffy It also contains the cartoon where Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd are introduced which is Elmer's Candid Camera. Volume 1 contains 56 cartoons, all in color.

Volume 2 (released on November 2, 2004) contains a broader selection of cartoons from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s including What's Opera, Doc?, One Froggy Evening, A Bear for Punishment, The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, and I Love to Singa. Volume 2 contains 60 cartoons: 58 color and 2 black & white.

Volume 3 (released on October 25, 2005) contains an even broader selection of cartoons, mostly from the 30s and 40s, but with some from the 50s and 60s including such popular shorts as Robin Hood Daffy, Hillbilly Hare, and the Academy Award winner Birds Anonymous. Additional features include three Private Snafu cartoons, a 1963 television show pilot entitled Philbert, and two Harman-Ising era shorts: Sinkin' in the Bathtub (the first Looney Tunes short ever) and It's Got Me Again, the first WB cartoon nominated for an Academy Award (originally going to be Lady, Play Your Mandolin!, the first Merrie Melodie). Volume 3 contains 60 cartoons: 52 color and 8 black & white. Not many popular characters with the exceptions of Bugs and Daffy were featured in this set.

Volume 4 (released on November 14, 2006) continues the broad range of cartoons, with selections ranging from 1936 to 1966 (the latest Looney Tunes cartoon yet). The set focuses not only on Bugs Bunny, but also on Speedy Gonzales and on obscure cats. There is also an entire disc dedicated to director Frank Tashlin. Volume 4 contains 60 cartoons: 52 color and 8 black & white.

Volume 5 (To be released on October 30, 2007) disc one will feature Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Disc two will feature fairy tale stories, Disc three will feature the work of director Bob Clampett, and disc four will feature Porky Pig and other classics. special features will include the 2000 PBS documentary "Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Bbetweens, a Life in Animation." Volume 5 will contain 60 cartoons.

While each Golden Collection provides a healthy dose of Bugs Bunny cartoons, additional focal points have varied in each year's release. Volume 1 primarily focused on cartoons by directors Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng from the 1950s. Volume 2 paid tribute with Bob Clampett and Tex Avery shorts from the 1940s. Volume 3 paid a small tribute to often-overlooked animation director Frank Tashlin and cartoons featuring Hollywood caricatures. Volume 4 continues to honor to Frank Tashlin and Friz Freleng and features several Speedy Gonzales cartoons. October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Rabbit of Seville is a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released in 1950 and directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. ... Scene from Duck Amuck Duck Amuck is a surreal 1951 animated cartoon produced by Warner Bros. ... Bugs Bunny Gets The Boid is a 1942 Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Bob Clampett, produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, and released to theatres by Warner Bros. ... Duck Dodgers is the fictional star of a series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. ... Drip-Along Daffy is a Warner Bros. ... Elmers Candid Camera is a 1940 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, and first released on March 2, 1940 by Warner Bros. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Face The 1930s (years from 1930â€“1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Bugs loses his headgear in Whats Opera, Doc? Whats Opera, Doc? is a short animated cartoon directed by Chuck Jones in which Elmer Fudd chases Bugs Bunny through a six-minute operatic parody of Wagners operas, particularly Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). ... Michigan J. Frog One Froggy Evening is an approximately seven-minute long Technicolor animated short film written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones. ... A Bear For Punishment is a 1950 animated Warner Bros. ... Daffy Duck in Duck Amuck. ... I Love to Singa is both the title of a song written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg and a later Merrie Melodies animated short subject based on that song. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Robin Hood Daffy is a 1958 Warner Brothers cartoon featuring Daffy Duck as legendary outlaw Robin Hood. ... Hillbilly Hare is a 1950 Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, produced and released by Warner Bros. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Birds Anonymous is a 1957 Warner Bros. ... Private Snafu is the title character of a series of black-and-white instructional cartoon shorts produced between 1943 and 1945 during World War II. The character was created by director Frank Capra, chairman of the Armed Forces Motion Picture Unit, and the shorts were written by Theodore Dr. Seuss... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hugh Harman (1908 â€“ 1982) and Rudolf Rudy Ising (1903 â€“ 1992) were an animator/film director/film producer team best known for founding the Warner Bros. ... Sinkin in the Bathtub is a landmark in animation history as it was the very first Looney Tunes cartoon produced, and launched the Warner Bros. ... This class was known as Short Subjects, cartoons from 1932 until 1970, and as Short Subjects, animated films from 1971 to 1973. ... Lady, Play Your Mandolin! was the first Warner Bros. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Bugs Bunny is an Academy Award-winning fictional animated rabbit who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ... For the Speedy Gonzales song, see Pat Boone. ... Cats may refer to: Felines, members of the animal family Felidae The domesticated animal, cat The musical, yeah right, I bet that this was really dumb. ... Frank Tashlin (February 19, 1913 - May 5, 1972) was an animator, screenwriter, and director. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Bugs Bunny is an Academy Award-winning fictional animated rabbit who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ... Daffy, as Duck Dodgers, faces off against Marvin the Martian in the 1953 short Duck Dodgers in the 24Â½th Century, a parody of Buck Rogers. ... Robert Emerson Bob Clampett (May 8, 1913â€“May 4, 1984) was an American animator, producer, director, and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes series of cartoons from Warner Bros. ... Porky Pig is an Academy Award-nominated animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ... Bugs Bunny is an Academy Award-winning fictional animated rabbit who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ... Frank Tashlin (February 19, 1913 - May 5, 1972) was an animator, screenwriter, and director. ... For the book of comics by Daniel Clowes see Caricature (Daniel Clowes collection) A common caricature of Charles Darwin focuses on his beard, eyebrows, and baldness, while often giving him the features of an ape or monkey. ... For the Speedy Gonzales song, see Pat Boone. ...

A Looney Tunes Golden Collection will be released once a year into the foreseeable future. Given the Warner cartoon studio output, at the rate of 60 cartoons per set the series could run ten years or more. If the collections continue as is, there could be 17 releases total, at the most.

Along with the release of the Golden Collections, WB also released Looney Tunes Spotlight Collections which packaged only half of the cartoons of the Golden Collection on two DVDs. The exception to this practice was in 2005, with Warners Home Video instead releasing the somewhat-misnomered Looney Tunes Movie Collection, which featured DVDs containing edited versions of The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie and Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales. The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie is a 1979 Looney Tunes film with a compilation of classic Warner Bros. ...