The Golden Collection Vol. 1 is a 4 disc DVD set.

Video:

1.33:

This is the TV standard ratio. This has been cleaned up to an impressive degree.  If you compare the quality of these to some of the unrestored clips in the extra features (or other releases), I think you’ll agree. There are still imperfections in the film, but everything is brighter, sharper, cleaner, clearer. That means, though, if you’re a purist that wants to see the image exactly as it was originally aired, you’re stuck dealing with lesser releases. Tough luck. You’re a distinct minority and a bit too looney for me. As I’ve hinted already, the restoration efforts doesn’t necessarily apply to the special features.

Audio:

1.0 Dolby:

It sounds fantastic! For one of my all-time favorites “Rabbit Of Seville” I felt like was watching it for the first time all over again! I was so enthralled by the cleanliness of the music that I watched it back-to-back probably 3 times or more. It's still just a mono mix, though. It does have a little fill in the rear channels, but it's so faint it's almost insignificant.

Packaging:

The packaging is a folder in a box. There isn’t much other art or printed materials in general which belies the care put into the actual DVD content. The packaging is the one sore spot with me. I mean it’s pretty standard, I suppose, but for the $50 these originally cost the package could offer more. 

The contents of the discs are printed on the flaps of the folders, but I feel like I'm always instinctually looking at the wrong flap. The layout just doesn't feel natural to me. A separate book would have been better.

Most TV show releases these days list the original air dates with their respective episodes. There’s no better reason for listing dates than having a series like this which spans such a large number of years. Liner notes (noting the first appearance of Elmer Fudd or Marvin the Martian and that sort of thing) would have also been most welcome. But you get what you get, and everything else is so exceptional that the less outstanding packaging doesn’t keep me from recommending the release as a whole.

The interface differs from disc to disc though with last two you may feel like you’re seeing a repeat. The screens feature some original animation some of which is pretty humorous. The graphics are different for each disc, but the basic layout remains the same keeping navigation very simple. I enjoyed the originality instead of the exact same interface being copied and pasted onto all 4 DVD’s.

There are multiple ways to access many of the extra features. Take, for example, the commentaries; they are all grouped in a menu of their own but are also listed with their respective shorts on the cartoons list. Most groupings of short features have a play all function for minimal return trips to the menu. It’s extremely easy to navigate for such a large assortment of material.

Some of the broadcasts in recent years have censored certain toons to be a bit tamer (I mentioned some specifics in the morality section of the main review); there is none of that here. These are uncut.  Everything here is the same as it was upon its first airing as much as possible (even to the point of restoring some of the original credit sequences that had previously been lost).

Extras:

-Commentaries: 26 episodes have commentaries (the episode list has details) usually by historians with a filmmaker or voice actor here and there. You can access these episode-by-episode or as a group with a play all option.

-Music Only Programs: 12 episodes have isolated music tracks. Like the commentaries you can access these episode-by-episode or as a group with a play all option.

-Stills Gallery: Each disc has an image gallery (4 total) with promotional materials and concept art for the episodes on the disc. They are automated slideshow, but you can jump ahead or back using chapter skip. My only complaint is that the images are too small; there’s a lot of wasted space that could have been used for a larger display.

-The Boys from Termite Terrace Part 1 (28:56) This was originally created for a series called “Camera 3.” It’s a hosted documentary that includes interviews, behind-the-scenes video, and cartoon clips. They are informative but not especially good apart from the subject matter. The host has no personality, and there are no features specific to the show that are particularly gripping. In other words, if you didn’t have a particular interest in the subject, you’d likely find the show boring. You still might.

-The Boys from Termite Terrace Part 2 (28:01) Here's another half hour of documentary info.

-From the Vaults: These seem to be the things that don't fit under any other heading. There is a play all option for each group.

-Schematics: 2 episodes have schematics (see the episode list for which ones) which mix animation with the original rough drawings along with the final audio track of the episode. There's a play all for the group.

-Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid (4:45) This is the full version. The sound is bad as is the image quality. It’s more of a novelty than anything being the first Looney Tunes short and one of the first animated shows to ever try using sound. It’s interesting from historical perspectives, but I got bored with it after a bit. It stars Rudolph Ising as the cartoonist and Carmen Maxwell as Bosko.

-Virgil Ross Pencil Tests (1:11) Some simple animation with colors and notes that flicker by almost too fast to see.

-Blooper Bunny (8:26) It’s Bugs’ anniversary, and the cast of Looney Tunes is sending best wishes from the stage. The cartoon is about a minute and a half. From that point we are taken on a “behind-the-scenes” type of tour throughout the day as the various characters get ready for their parts. It has a reality show kind of feel to it and is a lot of fun. There’s an optional commentary to go along with it.

-Toonheads The Lost Cartoons (45:39) The other additional show is a special edition of Cartoon Network’s “Toon Heads” series. It is also a documentary show, but it’s focused on the history behind the cartoon shorts rather than how they are made. It’s entirely animated except for the occasional live-action clip thrown in to illustrate something the host is saying and features several of the cartoon shorts in their entirety. A normal episode would basically be like taking 3 or so of the toons from the DVD and playing them back in a documentary frame. The host has a good voice and a lively personality (she’s also a radio DJ in Atlanta, Georgia whose morning show I’ve listened to on occasion). The show incites some viewer participation with trivia. Here’s something fun to do when you’re watching: when she asks the trivia questions, pause the DVD and try to answer them. They were designed to give you the commercial break to think about them so the DVD skips right to the answer. It’s a well-done series that I have often watched on air (I've actually been hoping for more of these in other Looney Tunes collections).

The episode title for this one is “The Lost Cartoons.” It’s actually a longer special rather than a standard episode and is a collection of some of the oldest and rarest cartoons from the Warner Brothers studio. Some of these same clips (specifically Bosko and the live-action movie segments) are included as extras in other portions of the release and may have slightly different editing. There are clips of more shows than I will list here, but they are played underneath the host’s narration which is why I haven’t included them. Here are the complete cartoons you get: Bosko The Talk-Ink Kid (this one is edited cutting out a good bit of the middle), Crying For The Carolines (the only existing Spooney Melodies toon because the series became Merrie Melodies - it includes Milton Charles), Lady Play Your Mandolin (the first Merrie Melodies), Any Bonds Today (a military service announcement featuring Bugs), Spies (a Snafu toon written for the military by Dr. Seuss), The Return Of Mr. Hook (a military morale toon with Seaman Hook), Bugs Bunny appearances in the live-action movies 2 Guys From Texas and My Dream Is Yours (includes the complete scenes that involve Bugs but not the whole movies), So Much For So Little (a public service announcement), Drafty Isn’t It (a toon designed to make the public feel better about the military and the draft), Tang Commercial (featuring Bugs and Marvin), and clips from the Road Runner Show that were cut from any airings. This show could be boring if you have no interest in the history of Warner Bros. cartoons; they are not as purely entertaining as the cartoon shorts the DVD revolves around. However, this is a fascinating look at the state of America during World War II and the beginnings of cartoons with sound.

-Behind the Tunes: There are 3 short, similarly formatted behind-the-scenes features on each disc. Each group has a play all option. They are more fast-paced than the “Camera 3” stuff with narration-over-animation kind of like the “Toon Heads” episode though much shorter than that. They tend to be fun and informative.

-Bugs A Rabbit for All Seasonings (5:41) All about Bugs.

-The Small Tale of Yosemite Sam (3:05) All about Sam and Friz.

-Forever Befuddled (3:27) The evolution of Elmer.

-Hard Luck Duck (3:43) All about Daffy and his rivalry with Bugs.

-Porky Pig Roast (3:45) Where Porky came from.

-Animal Quackers (4:19) About the team of Porky and Daffy.

-Too Fast Too Furry-ous (5:02) About the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote.

-Blanc Expressions (4:25) The talent of Mel.

-Merrie Melodies (4:23) The greatness of Carl Stalling's music.

-Needy for Speedy (3:13) Where he came from and changes from the original.

-Putty Problems & Canary Rows (5:37) The team of Tweety and Sylvester.

-Southern Pride Chicken (3:03) Where Foghorn and his voice came from.

-A Greeting from Chuck Jones (3:51) This offers an overview of the show and its characters.

-Irreverent Imagination (50:44) This an in-depth look at the animation studio. Despite being so long, it’s well done and very interesting.

-Bugs Bunny at the Movies: These movie clips are presented elsewhere as well but are available here in an easy-to-access format. Intros provide some historical background.

-2 Guys From Texas (3:34) An animated dream sequence.

-My Dream Is Yours (4:53) A live-action dream this time with an animated Bugs.

-The Bugs Bunny Show Show: Intros give some background, and there's a play all option.

-A Star Is Bored Bridging Sequences (5:51) Clips of some of the animation created specifically for this series.

-The Astro Nuts Audio Recording Session (4:11) This gives you the chance to sit in on a recording session with Mel Blanc (with various still images for visuals). The best part of this one is hearing the multiple takes he does.

-Trailer Gallery:

-Bugs Bunny's Cartoon Festival (1:22) An old promo for a Bugs Bunny show.

-Bugs Bunny's Cartoon Jamboree (1:23) Another old theater promo.

-DVD-ROM

-Web links: included in case you want to check out the internet side of “Looney Tunes.”