Bugs Bunny Superstar (1975/Warner Archive DVD)/Sesame Street – Preschool Is Cool: Making Friends
(2012/Warner DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B/C Main Programs: B/B-
PLEASE NOTE: Bugs Bunny Superstar is only available from Warner Bros. in their
Warner Archive series and can be ordered from the link below.
And now
for more children’s favorites you will likely find of interest…
First we
have Larry Jackson’s Bugs Bunny
Superstar (1975), a documentary on the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies characters
based on the pre-1948 cartoons originally produced by United Artists when they
handled the older Warner Bros. Catalog (it had been sold-off to TV back then,
but Warner owns it all now) and narrated by no less than Orson Welles in what
plays as a Mockumentary in the vein of Welles’ own film F For Fake (issued by Criterion) and also as a showcase for some of
the great early shorts that had been out of circulation from movie theaters at
the time. The result was a moderate hit
that revived the shorts for theatrical use.
Issued as
an on-line exclusive thru Warner Archive, they have made the 90-minutes-long
fan favorite into a special edition including stills and a terrific feature
length audio commentary by Director Jackson talking about how the film was made
against many odds, how Warner and the entire industry had shockingly dismissed
the popularity of animated shorts and how the results of all their hard work
paid off.
Bob
Clampett, Tex Avery and Friz Freleng are among those interviewed, we get to see
some rarer-than-ever memorabilia and the actual shorts look really good here
(the three-strip Technicolor is impressive throughout), possibly upgraded for
this new transfer. Eight shorts in all (What’s
Cookin’ Doc?, A Wild Hare, A Corny Concerto, I Taw
A Putty Tat, Rhapsody Rabbit, Walky
Talky Hawky, My Favorite Duck, Hair-Raising
Hare and The Old Grey Hare) give us early classics to enjoy and
re-remind us of the massive achievement this home of characters actually is and
has been for longer than some may realize.
For kids of all ages, I strongly recommend this great, fun film that has
actually become better with age.
Continuing
their release of DVDs from the most successful street address in TV history,
Warner has issued Sesame Street –
Preschool Is Cool: Making Friends (2012) as a fine guide to help young
children understand the plusses of going to any school for the first time. Very child-friendly, this is well-rounded,
well thought out and includes a bonus program simply called Ready
For School, though three free songs to download are also available.
Another
high quality release with Grover, Elmo, Big Bird, Telly and the gang, it is a
solid key title for young children to enjoy.
The 1.33
X 1 image on Bugs all originates on
35mm film, with the newer shooting in regular color and shorts (again)
dye-transfer, three-strip Technicolor and though some of the newer footage
looks grainier, it all looks generally good and the actual cartoons great. The 1.33 X 1 image on Sesame is more high quality, colorful (now digital) video (likely
an HD shoot with 1.33 X 1 consideration) and is just fine. The lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 on both are also
equally fine with the monophonic sound on Bugs
clean and consistent and stereo on Sesame
simple, fresh and clear.
To order Bugs Bunny Superstar, go to this link:
http://bit.ly/SsEd1q
-
Nicholas Sheffo
