Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volumes One & Two: Must-Owns for Fans & Collectors (Blu-ray)

The Shorts:

Hot on the heels of reviewing the "Looney Tunes: Collector's Vault - Volume 1" compilation, we once again find ourselves delving back into the wacky, wild, and wonderful world of Bugs & the gang with the "Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volumes One & Two," a pair of releases that came out back in 2011 & 2012, but have recently been re-issued in order to give more collectors a chance to get a hold of these beloved classics.

As far as a synopsis goes, well, it's not that different than before, except that these sets focus almost entirely on the most well-known characters of the "Looney Tunes" line-up, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote & the Road Runner, Speedy Gonzalez, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, and Pepe Le Pew, as well as a multitude of one-shot classics featuring Marvin the Martian, the Tasmanian Devil, Witch Hazel, Beaky Buzzard, and many more. Both sets feature six hours of escapades that have these classic characters getting into all kinds of mischief, typically with some kind of goal in mind, one that they'll do just about anything to accomplish, even at the risk of the usual violence that follows. But hey, they're cartoon characters, so it's all in a day's work for them.

As mentioned, recent reviews included the first volume of the "Looney Tunes: Collector's Vault" series, which had been a fantastic set, though it had been more of a mix between the classic characters and other miscellaneous cartoons. When it comes to the "Platinum Collection," we have marvelous sets that are hard focused on the most beloved (and a few lesser-known) characters from the extensive ensemble. That is to say, these are the ones that most fans really want to see, and would most want to have assembled into collections such as these.

Featured in these compilations are some of the most famous cartoons from the entire series, with Volume One including "What's Opera, Doc?" with Bugs Bunny & Elmer Fudd, "One Froggy Evening" with Michigan J. Frog, "Duck Amuck," in which Daffy Duck is tormented by the animator, "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century," which pits Daffy against Marvin the Martian, and "Rabbit of Seville," once again featuring Bugs and Elmer Fudd parodying opera.

Volume Two includes such classics as The Hunting Trilogy ("Rabbit Fire," "Rabbit Seasoning," and "Duck! Rabbit, Duck!"), which feature Bugs, Daffy, and Elmer Fudd & the rabbit season/duck season running gag, "A Wild Hare," which features Bugs Bunny's first appearance in his most well-known iteration and with his famous "What's Up, Doc?" catchphrase, and "Ali Baba Bunny," which has Bugs and Daffy getting mixed up with pirates.

Obviously these are just a few highlights from these extensive sets, both of which have 25 cartoons on their first discs, a series of one-shots & complete collections of shorts for several other characters on the second disc, and a third disc loaded with documentaries about the people behind the cartoons, as well as several additional shorts. To put it simply, these are fantastic sets that any serious collector or "Looney Tunes" fan should have on their shelves, and now that they've been re-issued to keep up with demand, it's the perfect time to get a hold of them and add these beloved classic cartoons to your own personal collection.

Video/Audio:

"Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volumes One & Two" come to Blu-ray in 1.33:1, 1080p High Definition transfers of excellent quality. The shorts have been cleaned up beautifully, perfectly highlighting the gorgeous vintage animation with its sharp & clear picture. Likewise, the 1.0 Dolby Digital audio tracks are fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Warner Bros. has done a marvelous job in both areas for these wonderful collections.

Special Features:

Volume One

Disc 1:

Commentaries

Alternate Audio Programs (Music- & Voice-Only Tracks)

Wagnerian Wabbit: The Making of What's Opera, Doc? (10 Minutes)

"Powerhouse" in Pictures (2 Minutes)

A Chuck Jones Tutorial: Tricks of the Cartoon Trade (13 Minutes)

Twilight in Tunes: The Music of Raymond Scott (7 Minutes)

Putty Problems and Canary Rows (6 Minutes)

The Charm of the Stink: On the Scent of Pepe Le Pew (7 Minutes)

Disc 2:

Commentaries

Alternate Audio Programs (Music- & Voice-Only Tracks)

It Hopped One Night: The Story Behind One Froggy Evening (7 Minutes)

Mars Attacks Life on the Red Planet with My Favorite Martian (15 Minutes)

The Ralph Phillips Story: Living the American Daydream (7 Minutes)

Wacky Warner One-Shots (9 Minutes)

Razzma-Taz: Giving The Tasmanian Devil His Due (12 Minutes)

Disc 3:

A Greeting from Chuck Jones (4 Minutes)

Chuck Amuck: The Movie (51 Minutes)

Chuck Jones: Extremes & In-Between, A Life in Animation (85 Minutes)

Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood (26 Minutes)

The Animated World of Chuck Jones (9 Shorts)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Pencil Test (7 Minutes)

The Door (7 Minutes)

Bonus Cartoons (9 Shorts)

Volume Two

Disc 1:

Commentaries

Alternate Audio Programs (Music- & Voice-Only Tracks)

Man from Wackyland: The Art of Bob Clampett (21 Minutes)

Bosko, Buddy and the Best of Black and White (9 Minutes)

Leon Schlesinger: The Merrie Cartoon Mogul (20 Minutes)

Disc 2:

Commentaries

Alternate Audio Programs (Music- & Voice-Only Tracks)

Forever Befuddled (3 Minutes)

A Hunting We Will Go: Chuck Jones' Rabbit Season Trilogy (10 Minutes)

Looney Tunes Go Hollywood (9 Minutes)

A Conversation with Tex Avery (7 Minutes)

Looney Tunes Go to War! (10 Minutes)

Disc 3:

King-Size Comedy: Tex Avery and the Looney Tunes Revolution (42 Minutes)

Tex Avery: King of Comedy (52 Minutes)

Friz on Film (55 Minutes)

Toonheads: The Lost Cartoons (46 Minutes)

Real American Zero: The Adventures of Private Snafu (9Minutes)

The World of Leon Schlesinger (Intro & 6 Shorts)

Fritz at MGM (5 Shorts)

The Best of the Rest of Tex ( 11 Shorts)

Private Snafu (8 Shorts)

Mr. Hook (3 Shorts)

As you can see, both volumes come packed with hours and hours of incredible extras that include dozens of commentaries, several additional shorts, and a ton of featurettes that look at the making of the cartoons, as well as the people behind them. Warner Bros. truly went above and beyond in putting all of these together, giving fans plenty of great behind the scenes material to delve into.

Conclusion:

"Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volumes One & Two" are marvelous compilations of classic cartoons that both feature 25 primary shorts, several one-shots & complete collections of other characters, and a multitude of bonus features that take you behind-the-scenes of the cartoons and the incredible artists who helped bring them to life. Simply put, these collections are must-owns for "Looney Tunes" fans, who, thanks to their re-release by Warner Bros., now have another opportunity to add them to their own collection.

Score: 5/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

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