Jon Cooke sent me this link to a TVShowsonDVD (which has an accuracy rating rivaling Wikipedia) page announcing the contents of the Looney Tunes Superstar Road Runner & Coyote release coming in May, and I had to agree with him that it’s the worst line-up from that series possible. Actually, it sounded like something a cyber-prankster (i.e. me) would come up with. I asked Jerry Beck, and he confirmed that the announcement is accurate.
We all know Warner Home Video’s definition of “classic”, as used for their animation library, is nebulous at best, but it’s obscene to pass off three 3-minute Flash cartoons the Kids WB website put online eight years ago as the genuine article. But this is also a chance for them to air out some of those absolutely charming Road Runner cartoons farmed out to Rudy Larriva at Format Films; unlike the Gene Deitch Tom & Jerry cartoons, which if interpreted correctly may explain certain aspects of the schizophrenic experience, these home-made in the U.S.A. cartoons are kind of the equivalent of taking the formula for a chocolate malt and turning it into a stimulant for syphilis and marketing it to school children.
Yes, these releases are intended for the Wal-Mart and Target crowd (well, I think they are, even though I’ve never encountered these Super Star releases in any actual store). But the original Chuck Jones entries were probably my favorite cartoons as a kid (and in some ways still are), and I definitely knew my time was wasted when one of these imposters aired on Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon. I tell you, if I got a collection like this when I was seven, I’d be pretty disappointed.
As I’ve already stated at TZ and GAC, this is a letdown of epic proportions. Let’s go over why this set sucks:
-FOUR double dips from other DVDs: “Soup or Sonic”, “Freeze Frame”, “Whizzard of Ow”, and “Little Go Beep”
-Mostly Larriva Road Runners
-No Chuck Jones Road Runners from the theatrical golden era (come on, not one??)
-Three webtoons
Only two positives are “Chariots of Fur” and “Sugar and Spies”, but they’re definitely not enough to make me want to spend $20.
WB has hit a new low.
The weird thing is that around 10 of the Chuck Jones Road Runners haven’t been released on DVD yet, meaning that they could have easily put them all on one disc and filled out the rest with misc. stuff. Pretty dumb if you ask me.
In defense of Wal-Mart, and Target throw-away cheapo cartoon anthologies, as such — before all the digital re-releases and restoration collections of today, way back in the late 80’s when it wasn’t so easy to land this stuff, I found random vhs cartoon anthologies at the supermarket which gave me my first taste of the Fliescher Superman and also gave great,totally random Terrytoon and Warner anthologies for just a few bucks. Like an afterthought, and suddenly I’ve got Corney Concerto and A Tale of Two Kitties. It’s like, reading Mice and Magic when it was only a few years in print, and totally at the mercy of broadcast programming! Collectors of celluloid would have no choice but to endure the convention circuit, and I admit I was not that prodigous an adolescent as to do such, let alone be aware of the possibility of owning a 16mm print. No, that was all inaccessable, inconcievable.
But sure, these new collections suck, surprise, surprise, suurrprise!
“…the upcoming release of “Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks” will actually includes both full frame and widescreen versions of each short.”
I WANT the widescreen versions of “Little Go Beep” & “Whizzard of Ow”!
question: The 3 “NEW 2010 ROADRUNNER” are the CGI or the webtoons???
Warner Bros. continues its recent tradition of helping me save money. Pass.
@ baby grace- Why would you need the widescreen version of Little Go Beep?
I can understand wanting the widescreen Whizzard of Ow (even though it’s not that great), but Little Go Beep was made like the post-53 shorts where when formatted to widescreen, the top and bottom are cut off.
No matter anyway, it’s on the Quackbusters DVD.
oy! that bill lava music make it feel like looney tunes by way of the Inner Sanctum… which in a way is a really amusing and twisted take on the series, if you’re in the right mood…but how often is one in the mood to view wile e’s struggle as a perplexing psycho-drama?
Thanks for the info,Brandon!
I’m afraid of the new Sylvester & Friends and Bugs Bunny DVDs…
Why webtoons… why???
-Wild King Dumb:
http://pdl.warnerbros.com/looneytunes/us/toons/toons_WildKingDumb.swf
-Wile E. Coyote Ugly:
http://pdl.warnerbros.com/looneytunes/uk/toons/LT3J_Wiley Coyote Ugly_WEB_UK.swf
Thad, tell us again why you think Warners is trying to kill the Looney Tunes and I’ll tell you again why I agree with you.
Dear god, I just sat through those linked webtoons. Wish I hadn’t.
What!–STILL no “War and Pieces”???? Chuck Jones’ last RR cartoon of the “classic” era has NEVER been released on home video in ANY format!
P.S. If I’m wrong about that, if theres an obscure VHS release of the 1964 cartoon out there somewhere, I won’t be offended if someone contradicts me.
I won’t lie to you, the release is a SNAFU. But I’ll buy because even though some people don’t, I enjoy the Larriva shorts. True, they aren’t as great as what Chuck made but it got the job. And hopefully they’ll be restored/remastered. Plus, maybe will see Whizzard Of Ow in it’s original widescreen (unlike the Golden Age shorts this was made in widescreen to begin with.) and a restored copy of Chariots Of Fur. What is completely stupid is that it has the web toons and they have no purpose to be in the Super Stars sets whatsoever. And what’s more stupid is that Soup or Sonic and Freeze Frame will have a matted-widescreen option since those two were made for TV and therefore intended to be matted. If I have made this release, it would have the Larriva shorts on the list BUT also have the Chuck shorts (especially Wild About Hurry, Hopalaong Casulaity, Beep Prepared, and Fastest With The Mostest). But if we throw WHV our 2 cents maybe they’ll learn their lesson (again) and won’t screw up the future releases. Don’t forget these release aren’t targeted for us collectors, they for all ages (kids, families, etc.) so we’re sometimes not gonna get what we want. This has been my 2 cents.
Sorry made a mistake about the TV shorts. I meant to say:
“And what’s more stupid is that Soup or Sonic and Freeze Frame will have a matted-widescreen option since those two were made for TV and therefore were never intended to be matted.”
Well since someone brought up the awful flash cartoons, take a look at the latest, over-produced, excrement:
http://www.123video.nl/playvideos.asp?MovieID=929548
What is this besides a lot of shit flying at the screen ?
Oh yeah, Coyote gets it in the balls. That’s funny right ? Right in the balls. That never fails.
That pathetic fuckin’ cartoon is obviously far more interested in raping the audience with 3D tricks than actually being good. It’s like Warners enjoys taking massive shits all over these characters.
The Rudy Larriva shorts are unwatchable. They have more in common with the stiff Pink Panther shorts done for TV at Depatie-Freleng. The Panther cartoons, at least, had some interestin backgrounds. The Larriva shorts are totally lacking in scenic design. Made for the mill without any grace that I can see.
That Tom Sheppard guy really needs to quit writing these new Roadrunner cartoons. He can’t do it.
We clearly have the winner for the worst DVD of the year and there is still 1 day left of january.
thanks for the heads up.
I will make it my responsibility to slap those DVDs out of the hands of potential customers.
The way to deteriorate a great series (since I think these all star discs are semi-sequels to the LTGCs).
I have an update on the release! WHV Direct updated their product page. The stupid webtoons are out and the 2010 CGI shorts are in! Also Soup or Sonic and Freeze Frame have been replace by Boulder Wham! and Harried and Hurried. Dissapointing for Chuck Jones fans I know, but good news to those who are fans of Road Runner no matter who the director is. Special thanks to this news goes to GAC Forums member Greg Method
With the webtoons and double-dips out and the CGI toons in, I wouldn’t mind owning this collection in spite of myself. I DO want these cartoons restored on DVD, as a completist. I actually LIKED the 2 CGI Roadrunner shorts I’ve seen, and a handful of Larriva’s cartoons are still funny and clever despite the bad animation. But I also want the rest of the Chuck Jones classics, and it’s a crying shame that some poor, unsuspecting mom or dad is going to buy this for their kids and introduce them to Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner in this shameful way. This SHOULD have been a 2-disc set, with the remaining Jones shorts on disc 1 and the 11 Larriva Shorts on disc 2, with the rest of it as bonus material. I’d buy a set like THAT in a heartbeat!
Will I die before “Lickety Splat” gets a restored DVD release?
Cancel my rant of Jan. 28 – I WAS wrong…War and Pieces is on the Natalie Wood DVD “Inside Daisy Clover”, one of the last of Warner’s “Night at the Movies” sets before they ended THAT series, too. Not that it makes me like this crummy Supergenius Hijinks (which I hear is in limbo)any better.
Hey, guys!
Check out this reveiw from Amazon.com!: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2OM2ZP7GJVW54/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004L9GM5S&nodeID=130&tag=&linkCode=#wasThisHelpful
We might have a big change of cartoons.
I don’t care what anyone says, the Chuck Jones T&J’s are much better than Road Runner!