I had to think a while about how to format a Looney Tunes review. Typically things like this are released in seasons or as a complete series. Looney Tunes is an orange of a different color. Buy a DVD of these cartoons and you'll get any number of shorts from a variety of decades. There is no season 1 and so forth to group these together, and trying to release the entire series at once is apparently more than any company wants to tackle.

 

Since doing multiple Looney Tunes reviews would mean just repeating myself a lot before covering many of the same things I normally include in the DVD buying guides I've decided that this time I'm going to write one all-encompassing review of the series and link to various guides that will give you more information on the different products available. I'll do episode guides according to what's in the release and might add a few extra comments on the cartoons in them.

 

Where to begin? There is so much that could be said about Looney Tunes and the series that often accompanies it, Merrie Melodies. The difficulty in writing a review of the whole series is that I could be referring to anything within around 80+ years' worth of material. Some of the shorts on these DVD sets come from a time when sound in film was a new idea while others may come from a time when computers are used to generate the graphics (the more modern ones are usually included as extra features).

 

Do you know what Looney Tunes is? Should I try to explain it to you? It’s virtually impossible to give an accurate description without literally writing a book. Bugs Bunny is said to be the most popular cartoon character in the world so chances are you already have an idea of who he is. The creators were among the pioneers of animation. In fact, the first Looney Tunes short was one of the first animated shows to experiment with using sound.

 

Keep in mind when comparing this to modern animation that the classics cartoons are all done by hand-drawn cells. That alone gives the animation a look and feel that’s different from more contemporary art. The style feels simpler, almost rustic. That allows for more flaws and less perfect art which gives it a visual personality that is distinctive and allows for experimentation and deviations that don't usually show up in any modern series.

 

The pace of a cartoon is typically fast with comedy ranging from slapstick to more subtle humor (some of these same gags can even be seen in more adult oriented shows). It’s not uncommon for an adult that doesn’t much care for cartoons to enjoy Looney Tunes. It can often be the common ground between people who don't otherwise see eye to eye on the types of animation they like.

 

Am I saying that EVERYONE will like Looney Tunes?  … Yes, but not exactly. The shorts are similar in a lot of ways depending on the era (common characters, different takes on similar stories, etc.) but they have much individuality (background styles, character movements and expressions, sight gags, and camera angles) that varies between different artists and directors. While someone may dislike the elements used in one short, they may very well love the next one. Case in point, I don't care much for the cutsey musicals but can watch Bugs and Daffy argue for hours at a time.

 

There is so much diversity in virtually every aspect of these cartoons that sooner or later most people are going to see at least one that they like. Some are silly, some heartfelt, some pointless, some poignant, some political, some patriotic, some encouraging, some dark, some energetic, some serene. And if you don't like all that maybe you'll appreciate those that pay tribute to famous operas, classical music, popular music (of that era, of course), movies, TV shows, and personas… Get the idea? They’ve survived more than half a century being arguably more popular now than when first released. If that doesn’t tell you something about the quality of entertainment we’re dealing with then you may end up left with the misnomer that ignorance is bliss. 

 

Another element that sets the Looney Tunes apart from the average show is the full orchestra used to score every short. The composers (Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn for the most part for the older cartoons) made grand use of this resource and more. You never know what you’ll hear in one of these cartoons. Maybe it will be original, maybe classical, operatic, a show tune, or songs popular at the time. Or maybe it will be one of those elements for a few seconds swapping to another style and back. This isn’t just background music either, sometimes the score is used like sound effects or like a music video with everything centering around the music you hear.

 

It doesn’t stop there. The sound effects are innovative and the voice characterizations are world-renowned. The voice of virtually any of the primary characters is instantly recognizable in any form. They are constantly imitated and referenced. Voice actor Mel Blanc holds a number of world records in relation to the voices he did for the series.

 

I talk a lot about the comedy because that's what I come to the table to see, but that's not really the only element here. Especially in some of the older Merrie Melodies the stories may be more cutesy or endearing than silly, wild comedy. Sometimes they can feel more like a Disney musical than a Bugs Bunny romp. Still, while those might not be my favorites generally, they make up the diversity that draws more fans to the series.

 

I could go on and on about all the factors and contributors, but there are plenty of people more knowledgeable about the history and techniques with greater skill in writing to tell you about it. I’ll just say if you’ve never seen any of these cartoons, you don’t know what you’re missing. Check out Cartoon Network or video clips online.

 

Of course, with hundreds of cartoon shorts (over 1000 I believe) that are so diverse not many people are going to like them all. Many, including myself, have been disappointed when renting a tape of Looney Tunes to find ourselves watching a couple of good toons along with several disappointing ones. Usually this has to do with preference in the eras of the cartoons. For example, I haven't found many made from the mid-40’s on (not necessarily counting the contemporary stuff) that I don’t like at least a little, but the further back you go from there, fewer are the shows that I enjoy (at least to the point that I would want to watch them multiple times). Some viewers will be less picky than that while many are more so. So when past VHS collections would feature one or two Bugs toons along with several old, obscure ones I would come away feeling that the rental hadn't been worth the effort.

 

The more recent collections that I've been picking up have been great at providing many of the absolute best toons in my memory. Oh, sure there are a few here and there that I could live without owning, but by and large I have been impressed with the selections. I think it's because they have grouped them so well. I can focus on getting the classic Bugs and Daffy toons that are my favorites while making the collections of old black and white musical toons lower on my priority list. Looking for more Road Runner or Speedy Gonzales? You'll be able to find collections that focus on them. How about Taz? The first Blu-ray set has them all in one place.

 

On the other hand, with so many toons there getting everything you want may be difficult. With all the toons I have there are still some favorites I haven't been able to find or have only found on unrestored budget collections. The Blu-rays have done better with this than the earlier DVD's by giving us complete collectnions of some of the lesser used characters (like Witch Hazel - who wouldn't want all of those toons in one place).

 

What are you waiting for? Get out there and get you some Looney Tunes!