Let’s talk about some cartoons. We’re following the lead of an historic dvd release of one of film’s great treasure troves. The four disc, 60 cartoons & tons-of-extras Looney Tunes Golden Collection was released annually, in six volumes, between 2003 and 2008. And yes, it was and continues to be a commercial venture, not only carefully curated but aggressively sold by people who stand to profit by your expenditure.
Shouldn’t we be more independent? Wary, even? Probably, often. But we’re also remembering that it’s still possible for product to be pleasing, and for the consumer not only to be filled but actually nourished thereby. We think that the Warner Brothers made a ton of great cartoons, especially entertaining/instructive for younger audiences. And we think that these discs strike a nice balance between selective and open-handed, by collecting so many of these treasures in one place.
Tell us, Wikipedia: http://bit.ly/1dEDHKG
Want more? Scholars help, even and especially when films are just for fun. You might want to check out Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald’s Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons (1989). Beck oversees a large animation website, here: http://cartoonresearch.com/. You’ll want Michael Barrier’s Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age (1999), for WB, and all the animation activity surrounding it.
There’s actually tons of stuff available on this material. Why add to it? Well, as it suggests in the “about” section of this very website, we’ve got “enthusiasm with footnotes,” and “scholarship[,] with a place for the personal pronoun.” We think they’re fun! And we want to tell you how and why. Let’s start with volume 1, dvd 1, cartoon #1…