“Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 4” DVD Review
It’s November, which means it’s time for the latest installment of the Looney Tunes: Gold Colllection, Warner’s annual four disc set compiling some of the best (and worst) the Looney Tunes brand has to offer. Unlike my reviews for Superman: The Ultimate Collector’s Edition, Justice League Unlimited: Season One and Batman Beyond: Season Two, this will be a short review of the collection. Having never really reviewed a collection like this before, made up of various animated shorts, I’m going to focus more on the DVD itself than the cartoons found within.
It goes without saying that these Looney Tunes cartoons are some of the best ever presented, with great writing, directing and animation. Now, not every short on this set is a winner, but the vast majority of them are. Personally, I’m not a fan of Speedy Gonzolas and couldn’t really care for most of the cartoons on his disc. We have four discs, all given their respective themes. Disc one focuses on Bugs Bunny, the second disc on animator Frank Tashlin, the third on Speedy Gonzolas, and the fourth on focusing on cat-themed cartoons. There’s something here for all types of Looney Tunes fans who will no doubt get their money’s worth.
Like I said, not every cartoon on here is gold, but it’s another solid collection of sixty cartoons, inching ever closer to putting every single Looney Tunes short on DVD. While I wish they would speed up the releases of these sets, I appreciate the time and effort that goes in to presenting a truly solid collection year after year.
And how good do these cartoons look? Well, Warner Home Video has done a great job restoring these cartoons. Sure, the odd flicker and grain still remain on most of the shorts, but these are the best these cartoons have ever looked. Year after year, Warner is able to show how admirable of a job they’re doing on these releases. They look clean, sharp, and bright, a fine change from the VHS and “off the television” copies we’re all used to having. The audio is in mono so the sound is as good as can be in that sound setting. Packaging, of course, is as solid as the previous three releases.
As for the extras, I’m not even sure where to begin? You want commentaries, documentaries, featurettes, and other type of goodies? It’s all here, and in huge amounts, too. Each collection has a wide-array of commentaries, some a handful, others up to ten per disc. Participants vary on most of the discs, covering different aspects of the cartoons. I could go into detail about each and every one, but it’s so much to cover. The factoids dropped, interesting behind the scenes tidbits made are just monumental. You can even listen to select music and sound effect track son these discs, highlighting some of the most memorable tunes and effects used in some of these cartoons. It’s an excellent extra that I’d love to see employed on other animated collections.
I really wish I could go into detail, but given how pressed for time I am, all I can do is really compliment on how much of a complete package this is, and how excellent the collection is. This is the fourth fully packed and successful Golden Collection release from Warner Home Video. I do worry that maybe some day they’ll run out of fascinating extras and features, but given the depth and history involved with these cartoons, I doubt we’ll ever see that. It’s another Highly Recommended collection for Looney Tunes and animation fanatics, and that goes without saying. Looney Tunes: Golden Collection – Volume Four is a must own!
Originally posted on DVD Discussion forum in December of 2006.