For years, animation buffs have waited impatiently
for the Warner Bros. cartoons to appear on DVD. The Warner shorts
never commanded the budgets and prestige of the Disney and MGM
films, and won fewer Oscars than they deserved. But decades after
the best ones were created, they remain the quintessential Hollywood
cartoons: brash, fast-paced, aggressively funny and uniquely
American. Virtually everyone in the U.S. under the age of 60 grew up
on these films, in theaters and on TV. The 56 cartoons in the set
(out of a studio output of over 1,000) were transferred from good
prints--which means the viewer can see dust, scratches, and
occasional mistakes by the cel painters. The films are all presented
uncut, in defiance of the killjoys who have insisted on censoring
alleged "violence" in the versions shown on television. Warner Bros.
is obviously testing consumer response with this set. Although the
erratic selection includes many classics, purists will argue
(correctly) that it offers neither a fair representation of the
directors' oeuvres, nor anything approaching a coherent
history of the characters or studio style. (Nearly half the films
were directed by Chuck Jones; only three are by Bob Clampett, and
there's nothing by Tex Avery or Frank Tashlin.) But it seems petty
to carp about omissions and biases when the discs offer excellent,
uncensored prints of some of the funniest films ever made in the
U.S.--or anywhere else. (Rated G, suitable for all ages: cartoon
violence) --Charles Solomon
