DVDSleuth.com is your source for daily DVD news and reviews.
The Looney Tunes Show: Season One,
Volume 3 (2011)
Warner Home Video
DVD Released: 3/13/2012
All Ratings out of
Show:
Video:
Audio:
Extras: No Extras
Review by Mike Long, Posted on 4/2/2012
We talk a lot about the "re"s that we see today -- remakes, reboots, re-imaginings and revisionings. And, it's fair to say, that many of these don't work. They stray too far from the original, lose the beloved spirit, or simply turn into something new entirely which bears no resemblance to the first product. Cartoon Network's The Looney Tunes Show somehow manages to avoid that trend. By taking classic characters and giving them a modern spin, we get a fun and funny show which will appeal to the young and the old.
The Looney Tunes Show takes place in a world very similar to our own. Bugs Bunney (voiced by Jeff Bergman) is wealthy and he's taken in Daffy Duck (also voiced by Bergman) as a border. In this world, Bugs isn't a movie star, but simply a regular guy who happens to be financially independent. He spends most of his time keeping Daffy out of trouble. Daffy is an out-of-work freeloader who ignores the fact that he's completely ignorant about the world and is constantly telling people what to do. The two run into the classic Looney Tunes characters, but most episodes deal with The Odd Couple-like relationship between Daffy and Bugs.
The DVD contains four episodes of the show:
"The Foghorn Leghorn Story" -- Daffy Duck gets in line for what he thinks is a movie, but it's actually auditions for "The Foghorn Leghorn Story", and despite the fact that he's a duck, he gets the leading role. Of course, Daffy refuses to listen to anyone and soon puts the production into jeopardy. Meanwhile, the Tasmanian Devil (who is Bugs' pet in this universe) digs a hole in the yard between Bugs' property and Yosemite Sam's place. They both fall in the hole and find an ancient vase. Due to the fact that Bugs says that it's interesting, Sam becomes determined to sell it.
"Eligible Bachelors" -- Porky Pig hosts a bachelor auction for charity and Bugs and Daffy agree to help. Lola Bunny (voiced by Kristen Wiig) buys Bugs and takes him on a trip to Paris, where she proves that she knows nothing about the city. Granny (voiced by June Foray) buys Daffy (in a scene stolen from Groundhog Day) and makes him clean her attic. While doing this, Granny shares a story about her adventures in Paris during World War II.
"Peel of Fortune" -- Daffy is jealous of the fact that Bugs is independently wealthy and learns that Bugs made his money with an invention. Daffy (literally) steals a page from Bugs' idea book and the invention makes Daffy an overnight success. However, Daffy's invention makes Bugs' obsolete, and Bugs finds himself having to move back into his old rabbit hole.
"Double Date" -- Daffy wins a dinner at a romantic restaurant and is intrigued by Bugs' suggestion that he take a date. Knowing nothing about women, Daffy asks Lola for tips on how to find a date. Instead of simply being a tutor, Lola finds herself falling for Daffy. When Daffy asks someone else out, Lola becomes jealous and attempts to use Bugs to get Daffy's attention.
Each episode is accompanied by a short. All four episodes offer a Road Runner and Coyote short which are, in chronological order; "Silent But Deadly", "Winter in Blunderland", "Heavy Metal", and "Wile E. Sisyphus". This animation here looks like a combination of hand-drawn animation and CG. As far as the stories go, this is simply a snazzier looking version of the old Road Runner cartoons, as we simply watch Coyote try to catch the elusive bird. Two of the episodes offer "Merrie Melodies" songs. "We R in Love", found on "Peel of Fortune", is a very funny duet between Bugs and Lola which further cements her reputation as a stalker. "Double Date" offers "Be Polite", a song featuring the overly polite gophers, Mac and Tosh (I don't think I ever knew their names until I researched it for this review.)
We've seen the Looney Tunes characters updated several times through the years in things like Tiny Toon Adventures and
Space Jam. So, some of which were successful and some which weren't. But, nothing has every been able to capture the level of irreverence and art found in the original shorts. The Looney Tunes Show does come close though. It's certainly an interesting approach to take these familiar characters and place them in what is basically a standard sitcom situation -- Bugs and Daffy are wacky roommates who get into awkward situations which often involve other familiar faces. The interesting thing about this show is that Bugs, who was often quite madcap in the original shorts, is quite sedate here. Most of the laughs come from Daffy, who often steals the shows. Daffy's acerbic one-liners are hilarious and his conceited yet idiotic way of doings things leads to many laughs. The show is never risque, but some of the humor here will go over the heads of youngsters, especially Daffy's jokes which are dripping with apathy. The Looney Tunes Show does the seemingly impossible -- it takes a group of classic characters and actually moves them in a new, positive direction.The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume 3 introduces us to "mall pants" on DVD courtesy of Warner Home Video. The episodes are letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The image is very sharp and clear, showing no grain or defects from the source material. The colors look fantastic -- this is a very colorful show -- and the image is never overly dark or light. This transfer doesn't highlight any jagged lines or blurring of the animation and it certainly rivals HD broadcast quality. The DVD carries a Dolby 2.0 Surround audio track which provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The dialogue is always audible and the music sounds fine. There were some nice stereo effects highlighting off-screen sounds. The surround effects were very subtle.
The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume 3 DVD contains no extras.
Review Copyright 2012 by Mike Long