Looney Tunes Collector's Choice

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Looney Tunes Collector's Choice is a series of Blu-ray discs from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Warner Archive division collecting various Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical animated short subjects from Warner Bros. Cartoons. According to Jerry Beck, the aim of this series is to release Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that have been previously unavailable in restored form to animation fans and collectors on the various DVD and Blu-ray sets, such as the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Looney Tunes Platinum Collection, Looney Tunes Super Stars, and Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection sets. Roughly 400 shorts had yet to be released in said DVD or Blu-ray format before the release of this series, but the series also includes shorts that were previously released as bonus features on various Warner Bros. DVDs. However those shorts included as bonus features were usually presented in unrestored form, whereas the Collector’s Choice series uses newly restored versions.

This is the first Looney Tunes Blu-ray to be released through Warner Archive, as opposed to the main home video division (second overall home media release after the Porky Pig 101 DVD set in 2017). A four-disc set, Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volumes 1–4, containing the four volumes in the series was released on November 26, 2024.[1]

On March 14, 2025, Warner Archive announced a spiritual successor to the Collector's Choice series, entitled Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - which would include 2 discs and contain 50 cartoons, with the first volume releasing on June 17, 2025.[2]

Volume 1

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Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1
Blu-ray Disc cover
Directed byChuck Jones
Friz Freleng
Arthur Davis
Robert McKimson
Frank Tashlin
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
Eddie Selzer
John W. Burton
StarringMel Blanc
Music by
Distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release date
  • May 30, 2023 (2023-05-30)[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1 was announced on March 28, 2023[4] and released on May 30, 2023.[3] Keeping with tradition with other Golden Age of Animation releases by Warner Archive (such as Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s and Tex Avery Screwball Classics), Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1 is a single-disc set with no bonus material. The set contains 20 cartoons that were previously unavailable on DVD or Blu-ray, all presented uncut and digitally restored.[3]

Beanstalk Bunny (1955) and Catch as Cats Can (1947) were sourced from new 4K scans from the original camera negatives.[5] According to Jerry Beck, the set was delayed for almost a full year because the Library of Congress had difficulty shipping the camera negatives for Catch as Cats Can to the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank.[6] The other cartoons on this set had previously been restored for the HBO Max streaming service in 2020[7] - with Warner Bros. removing many of them from the service earlier that same year.[8] However, for this release Warner Archive corrected many of the errors initially made by HBO Max, such as Photoshopped title cards.[7]

The set includes the following cartoons:[3]

Volume 2

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Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2
Blu-ray Disc cover
Directed byChuck Jones
Friz Freleng
Tex Avery
Robert McKimson
Frank Tashlin
Arthur Davis
Abe Levitow
Norman McCabe
Maurice Noble
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
Eddie Selzer
John W. Burton
David H. DePatie
StarringMel Blanc
Music by
Distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release date
  • December 12, 2023 (2023-12-12)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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Animation historian and curator, Jerry Beck and Warner Archive President George Feltenstein indicated that strong sales of Volume 1 could result in future volumes, with more cartoons and multiple discs.[6] On September 18, 2023, due to strong sales of Volume 1, Warner Archive announced Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 — which included 25 cartoons and was released on December 12, 2023.[9]

This set included 25 cartoons never before released on DVD or Blu-ray - five more than on Volume 1.[10] In contrast to the previous volume, Volume 2 focuses more on miscellaneous "one-shot" cartoons and characters.[11]

Like the previous volume, only two cartoons - Brother Brat (1944) and Ghost Wanted (1940) - were specifically restored for this release, while the other cartoons - including One Meat Brawl (1947), which was initially released on the Looney Tunes Super Stars' Porky & Friends: Hilarious Ham DVD set in an unrestored form - were previously restored for HBO Max and MeTV, with Warner Archive correcting the Photoshopped title cards - most notably on A Hound for Trouble (1951).[12] In addition Cross Country Detours (1940) had its original opening title sequence restored, as opposed to the Blue Ribbon re-issue titles featured on previous releases.[11]

The set includes the following cartoons:[13]

Volume 3

Quick facts Directed by, Produced by ...
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 3
Blu-ray Disc cover
Directed byChuck Jones
Robert McKimson
Friz Freleng
Tex Avery
Arthur Davis
Gerry Chiniquy
Earl Duvall
Maurice Noble
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
Eddie Selzer
John W. Burton
David H. DePatie
StarringMel Blanc
Music by
  • Carl Stalling
  • Milt Franklyn
  • William Lava
Distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release date
  • March 12, 2024 (2024-03-12)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Close

On January 23, 2024, Warner Archive announced Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 3 — which also includes 25 cartoons and was released on March 12, 2024.[14]

Like the previous volumes, only two cartoons were specifically restored for this release - Mexican Joyride (1947) and Riff Raffy Daffy (1948) - while all the other cartoons - including Punch Trunk (1953), which was previously released as a bonus short on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6 DVD set in an unrestored form - were previously restored for HBO Max and MeTV, with Warner Archive fixing most of the Photoshopped title cards. Riff Raffy Daffy was originally released on the Looney Tunes Super Stars' Porky & Friends: Hilarious Ham DVD set but in an unrestored form. For this release Riff Raffy Daffy was given a brand-new transfer. Since the original separation exposure negatives are thought to be lost, critics noted that while Riff Raffy Daffy doesn't look as pristine as the other cartoons on the set, it still looks far superior than on previous releases.[15] Hobo Bobo (1947) also had its original opening titles restored.[15]

The set includes the following cartoons:[16]

Volume 4

Quick facts Directed by, Produced by ...
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 4
Blu-ray Disc cover
Directed byFriz Freleng
Robert McKimson
Chuck Jones
Tex Avery
Bob Clampett
Arthur Davis
Norman McCabe
Hawley Pratt
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
Eddie Selzer
John W. Burton
David H. DePatie
Friz Freleng
StarringMel Blanc
Music by
  • Carl Stalling
  • Milt Franklyn
  • William Lava
Distributed byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release date
  • November 26, 2024 (2024-11-26)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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On July 30, 2024, Warner Archive announced Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 4 — which also includes 25 cartoons and was released on November 26, 2024.[17] This time there were three newly restored cartoons for the set: Holiday for Drumsticks (1949), Muzzle Tough (1954) and Peck Up Your Troubles (1945). The rest - including Mouse-Warming (1952), which was originally included as an unrestored bonus short on the Looney Tunes Mouse Chronicles: The Chuck Jones Collection Blu-ray and DVD sets - were all previously restored for HBO Max and MeTV.[18] The set also included two bonus cartoons: Stork Naked (1955) and Lighter Than Hare (1960) presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratios (both cartoons were previously released on the Looney Tunes Super Stars DVD sets, however were cropped to 16:9).[19]

The set includes the following cartoons:[20]

Bonus shorts

More information #, Title ...
# Title Characters Year Director Series
B1 Lighter Than Hare Bugs, Sam 1960 Friz Freleng MM
B2 Stork Naked Daffy 1955 Friz Freleng MM
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See also

References

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