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Looney Tunes.
They hold a large place in
my heart. They've been
a massive influence on my
life, both creatively, intellectually, and on my writing
and art.
They've been a large reason for my obsession
with animation of all forms, and showed that cartoons
can appeal to both adults and children if teamed with
talented writers and a group of artists who have a grasp
on comedy. It's also how I learned to mimic voices.
Max Fleischer, Tex Avery,
Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett, Frank Tashlin, Charles McKimson, and of
course, who can forget Chuck Jones? These people from
the Termite Terrace made
the magic happen, while Mel Blanc voiced almost all of
the characters from Bugs, to Daffy, to Tweety.
Warner Brothers releases yet
another fantastic set of Looney Tunes cartoon
compilations that have been open to the public unedited,
and untouched, and who could ask for anything more?
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Volume 4 focuses on 28
episodes, fourteen featuring cat and mouse cartoons, and
the other fourteen celebrating my boy Bugs Bunny who
appears with many of his best episodes in his Looney
Tunes run voiced by none other than the man of a
thousand voices, Mel Blanc.
As is the prerequisite,
Bugs, trying to simply go about his business, ends up
running afoul many villains, from ravenous dogs trying
to catch a rabbit, to Roman guards led by the ubiquitous
Yosemite Sam who happens to battle hungry lions, a
psychotic gorilla, a cocky knight, the intelligent Wile
E. Coyote, and a wicked sheriff in the era of Robin Hood
(Errol Flynn makes a cameo). Thankfully, and not
surprisingly, the shorts featured are still utterly
entertaining. They not only continue to drip with wit,
and pure laugh out loud physical gags, but Bugs Bunny is
still hysterical in his sly sarcasm ("You're a
sorcerer?! Come on, let me see you sorce!"), and endless
bag of tricks; how he manages to convince people he's a
gorgeous woman is beyond me.
The voice work from the
legendary Mel Blanc is still rather amazing as he
manages to voice about 98 percent of the characters
on-screen, make them sound unique, and still churn some
hilarious double takes that fit the top notch animation
like a glove. All of the cartoons presented are still
very funny, and I still found myself near tears watching
Bugs outwit Wile E. Coyote who declares he's a genius
and can't escape the simplest of traps. Also featured
is, the piece de resistance, the Academy Award
Winning "Knighty Night Bugs." The treat of watching
Looney Tunes is the combination of the fantastic score,
grade A animation, wonderful voice work, and humor that
is accessible to both adults and children.
On the flip side are a
variety of shorts featuring cat and mouse shenanigans,
which are nothing short of comedic gold. Featured in the
Cat/Mouse collection is "The Night Watchman," not one of
my favorites, in which a mouse has to take over for his
ailing father and fight a gang of cats, "Conrad the
Sailor" an early episode featuring Daffy Duck outwitting
a cat sailor, a rich cat gets a taste of his own
humiliating deeds in "The Aristo-Cat," and many more.
My favorites of the
second collection are "Dough Ray Me-Ow" in which a bird
is trying to kill his friend Heathcliff who stands to
inherit a million dollars, and "Kiss Me Cat" which is a
hilarious and adorable cartoon featuring a dog named
Spike who cares for a precocious black kitten named
Pussyfoot. The Cat and Mouse collection is a hilarious
series of shorts, but my loyalty lies with Bugs in the
end. Volume 4 of the Spotlight is a treasure trove for
animation buffs.
That's All Folks.
Exclusive:
Video,
Video,
Video
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Felix Vasquez Jr. |
