Looney Tunes: Collector's Vault Vol. 1 (BD)

This two disc of classic Warner cartoon shorts cover a variety of eras and characters. While a chronological presentation would have been preferred, it’s hard to argue with the generous helping of shorts included here. Despite the hyper announcement, about half of these have been available on DVD but they haven’t looked this sharp or popped quite this much in terms of image quality. The colors look great. One can tell the older scans (“Terrier-Striken as an example) from the newer ones because they tend to be softer with less detail and sharpness. Nevertheless, they still outclass the DVD versions for those previous released. Likewise, there’s a bit too much grain management on some of the older scans. They don’t look horrible by any means just a bit too smoothed over for my taste. Film should look like film. The audio sounds quite good with a robust mo o presentation true to the original sound quality of the shorts. The extras? Aye, that’s the rub. The previously released versions of some these titles (10 or 11 by my count) had audio commentary tracks, music only/effects tracks and there were featurettes from the previous DVDs. All have been dropped. I realize this was to get these to be on budget however they are a loss as some were excellent. Why not release them online so folks can listen while watching? Many fans want the shorts and it’s great that Archives has put this out however many also like those features. Is this set perfect? No. Is it worth picking up? Absolutely. The quality and uptick in image quality makes this worthwhile. Great job Warner and George Feltenstein (who runs the label) however ai do w8th Warner would give you the budget to include the stuff missing that were on previous releases. We are not asking for new special features just port over the old ones.

I've been collecting Looney Tunes Blu-rays for some time and knew this naturally had to be added to the list. I wasn't disappointed. The Collector's Vault series is a little different from previous collections. The volume has two discs. Disc #1 is for Looney Tunes (and Merrie Melodies) cartoons that have not yet received a home video release. For most, this is their first time in any collection. Disc #2 consists of cartoons that were previously released on DVD (such as the Golden Collection) and are just now getting their first Blu-Ray release. The cartoons are all great. The usual cast of characters from Bugs to Yosemite Sam and all in between. I enjoyed the first disc as there were cartoons that I have never heard of, let alone seen. All were pleasant surprises. I like the second disc as well because I have had all volumes of the Golden Collection for years and have long been waiting for some of them to come to Blu-Ray. Some were previously given the Blu-Ray treatment in the Platinum and other collections, but the ones on Disc #2 have only been on DVD previously. The quality of all cartoons is great as well. Excellent color and sound. Some people have complained that these restorations and enhancements make the cartoons look too bright and artificial, but I've never had that problem. The mistake I mentioned is the cartoon Double or Mutton starring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog. This was presented on Disc #1 as a new Blu-Ray release, but it had already been released on Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Volume 4 within the last couple of years. Warner Bros. realized their mistake eventually and promised to release one additional cartoon in the following Collector's Vault volume. There is a small critique in that there are no commentaries or documentaries in this package. However, it can be overlooked this time. Also, this is the last volume of Blu-Rays that is missing the "Product of their Time" disclaimers. As of Collector's Vault Volume #2 and the recent Tom & Jerry Golden Era collections, Warner Bros. has resumed their practice of talking down to customers and "warning" them of any "offensive" material. Enjoy the fact that you don't have to sit through that disclaimer when you watch Collector's Vault Vol. 1. All in all, a good addition for anybody who is collecting Looney Tunes cartoons. You won't be disappointed.

This is a great set AND a great value. While you are getting 25 (24 - I’ll tell you in a minute) new cartoons remastered (read: cleaned up) for a great price (about a dollar per cartoon), you ALSO get 25 cartoons that had previously been remastered in other sets but not released on BluRay. That’s a long sentence (with parenthetical content). The fact they were supposed to release 25 cartoons which were previously unreleased but I indicated there were just 24, means they made a mistake. They are aware of this fact and they have already stated that the next volume (yes, there is another one coming) will give us 26 cartoons that were not released on any prior format, and also a second disc of content not available on BluRay before. They used to price these one disc sets at about $22 or something in that area. For just a few dollars more, they include the extra disc. So you get 25 quality upgraded cartoons on the second disc. Since they decided not to renew the license for HBOMAX, this is the best way to see these cartoons. This is a great value for great quality content. They also have a great variety of different cartoons. I always show some before the feature every movie night. The #1 comment I get is, “Wow, I don’t think I ever saw that one before.” And they are amazed by the quality of the image on my 8 foot wide screen and projector. So if it looks great that large, it will look great on any screen. The sound is awesome. Mono, but clean. Any cartoon fan would love this set.

This Blu-Ray edition of Looney Tunes doubles the program, combining never before available on disc titles with previously released material making debuts in HD. A smart move, considering the amount of previously unavailable celebrated shorts has been exhausted. There are still many classics that have not been released in HD, so all the major stars will maintain a presence on future editions. Disc one really starts to delve into the oddities and curiosities. We have one short from the misbegotten directing team of Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, Bars And Stripes Forever. Fans consider this one of their better efforts. I beg to differ, but I would like to see more of their shorts in future volumes. There are two new restorations from director Tex Avery, A Day At The Zoo and Of Fox And Hounds. The former isn’t one of his better shorts, but is best viewed back to back with other Egghead/Proto-Elmer shorts. The latter is easily one of his best from WB. Johnny Johnsen’s oil backgrounds look breathtaking in HD. Fortunately, better audio tracks were sourced. Beauty And The Beast, an early Cinecolor short, imitates the Silly Symphonies on a low budget, but is still a very charming short about childhood. Other early shorts include Let It Be Me, which (along with Bingo Crosbyana, which was in production at the same time) appears to have been made by Freleng to get Bing Crosby’s negative attention. He is portrayed in a negative light. Disc two features all star classics never before available in HD. I personally am not really eager to upgrade what I already own in SD, but some SD versions do look out of focus compared to the HD equivalent. Another home run compilation. Hopefully we’ll see more deeper cuts from Tex Avery, Friz Freleng (from his 30s musical stint), and Hardaway/Dalton. (Hoping for Plenty Of Money And You with a better audio source) On previously released material, I hope they redo the masters done in the early 2010s that either lacked color correction or used lesser materials (e.g. Mouse Menace and Pest Who Came To Dinner) There’s still a lot of cartoons to mine from the vault that will appeal to the casual viewer and the long time die hard.

Remarkably restored. Excellent release!

I'll give WB credit. They see enough value in Looney Tunes to continue to see physical releases in an age where major studios are far more reliant on streamers. Must have for any preservationist that makes it revision-proof in changing cultural times.

I have always been a fan of classic animation, particularly that of the Warner Bros. studios. Back in the early days of VHS recorders I would set timers on multiple VCRs and record Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies off of cable stations such as TBS, TNT & the Cartoon Network...come home from work edit out the commercials and transfer the cartoons to another tape. I did this for years. With all the hard work and effort I put into doing so, when I look at those copies today...although watchable they look sickly compared to what we have been presented with in recent years first with dvd transfers and now blu ray. I cannot believe all of the whining, nit picking and low ratings because ones favorite cartoon or character has maybe been overlooked. I never could have imagined that one day I would be watching these cartoons with the clarity and high definition that have been given to us in the comfort of our own homes anytime we wanted. Disc 1 of this volume focuses more on the the 1 shot non well known characters rather then the more coveted Bugs, Daffy, Porky,etc. That is fine with me as many of those cartoons are becoming scarcer and scarcer to view. A cartoon such as "I'd Love To Take Orders From You" about a young scarecrow boy who wants to grow up to be just like his scarecrow Dad is incredible both animation wise and as a stand alone story. I marvel at the fact that that was done about 90 years ago. I for one am extremely grateful for these dvd/ blu ray releases. Kudos to Animation historian Jerry Beck and George Feltenstein from Warner Archive for continuing to keep churning out more unreleased material. I suppose if it were up to me I probably would have liked a chronological release of all the cartoons including all the Buddy, Bosko & Black and White cartoons instead of Golden, Platinum, Superstar, Choice & Vault collections which I think adds to a bit of confusion. Enjoy these! You will never see animation like this again. It's a great part of Americana!

Vaya cosa me alegro tanto que los loonitos han parecido por segunda versión en el volumen 1 del colector baúl lástima que terminó el de collector choice solo fue el uno y el cuatro bueno al menos más caricaturas nuevas han parecido pero lo importante que en el baúl apareció más caricaturas a los nuevos y a la mitad a las versiones de golden collections superstars y otras versiones también personales pero al menos si están recuperando más más 4k HD y todo eso sea realmente increíble que tantos looney Tunes debería llegar a 1002 caricaturas clásicas en menos de Texas fabricarán otras 1200 o 1220 para más caricaturas y así de la nostalgia es más poderosa que un millón de dólares a 8 millones

Plenty of laughs in this wonderful two disc set of cartoons with 25 never before released on dvd or blu-ray. Some rare titles fully restored from the Looney Tunes vault make this set well worth the money.

Valio la pena

Admittedly, the selection for Collectors Choice Vol 1 was much better than this one, but there are still some good shorts on disc 1 that makes this worth the purchase. There is a repeat short on Disc 1 called “Double or Mutton” which was also on featured on the Collectors Choice Vol 4. So it technically has 24 new shorts and not 25 as advertised. Disc 2 is as expected and it’s nice to see these shorts in high definition.

Great!

Los cortos muy buenos todos, el único punto negativo para Warner, es que a diferencia de todos los anteriores productos de Looney Tunes, este no trae doblaje ni subs en español, Muy Mal por ti Warner, aunque reconozco que odio el nuevo redoblaje en español de mis queridos Looneys.