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Customer Reviews
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Tex Avery's Droopy - Great Classic Cartoon Collection
Tex Avery's Droopy - The Complete Theatrical Collection
The good:
1. The cartoons are uncut and digitally restored.
2. Every single Droopy theatrical short is included in the set.
3. The packaging style is good & secure - no overlapping discs inside the case.
4. The DVD extras are interesting.
5. The artwork on the inside & outside of the packaging is well-done.
6. The "product of it's time/contains old stereotypes" warning isn't overdone in this collection - just a simple screen that explains the facts at the beginning of each disc.
7. There are no commercials on these discs.
8. The price is low compared to many other cartoon collections.
The bad:
1. There aren't any alternate language or commentary tracks included.
2. A couple of the later cartoons are remakes of earlier ones.
3. Although I'm usually annoyed by them, in my opinion, a couple of spots in this collection genuinely did deserve the "product of their times/stereotype" warning.
Summary: In my opinion, this set is one of the best collections of classic cartoons available for the price. If you are an adult fan of cartoons from this era, this will be a good choice. If, however, you are considering it as a gift for small children or someone who is easily offended, you may want to watch it yourself first.
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tex avery's droopy
love it. it had all the classic uncut versions. the racial issues were indicative of the mentality during that time. today many may feel it as inappropriate but the bleeding hearts should take it for it's intended worth...humor.
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Classic!!
These cartoons take me back to my childhood. Classic Tex Avery at its best.
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Only 2 things wrong with this collection: 1.collectors might be disappointed. 2. Parents might be disappointed.
Let me start by saying that I enjoy all of the films on this DVD. None of them are what I consider "bad animation". It represents a chronological journey through the theatrical life of one cartoon character. I found this very enlightening as to what happened to animated shorts over the span of their popularity. My knowledge of animation is not expert level, but definitely better than the average viewer (it's at this point I "name-drop" my life-long friend and Disney, Family Dog, Fern Gully animator, "The Critic" director and Pixar story director. I owe much of what I know to him). Now that my feelings and credentials are straightened out, let me break down what you should expect from this DVD set from the collectors perspective and the Parents perspective;
P.S.; I'm not going to include a list or synopsis of the shorts. It would be redundant in this forum and not particularly enlightening at this point.
COLLECTORS;
-First things first; as stated on the box, this is a collection of all the THEATRICAL Droopy cartoons ever made. None of the later television appearances are included.
-Many reviews say the same TRUE thing; Shorts 1-11 and 13-18 are directed by Tex Avery (unlike the assertion on the box that states "1-18". A small caveat in this is that (and this is only my speculation as I can't find any real information on this) Number 18 "Millionaire Droopy" is a complete cell-for-cell re-shoot of "Wags to Riches" on new cinemascope friendly (more graphic) backgrounds. This film credited Avery and Michael Lah as Director. I suspect Lah gets credit for putting in the new backgrounds. Tex was probably already gone by then.
-Many reviews here state that the first disk is not restored. I would add that it is worse than not restored. These shorts were put through the DVNR process. This process was designed to automatically remove scratches and artifacts from live-action films. The computer's algorithms detect unusually sharp lines in moving objects and replace them with surrounding hues. Unfortunately this is hard line animation. The undesirable effect is the blurring of black or dark lines with surrounding color. Personally, I would rather watch a scratched and hairy film. That said, I am still thankful that these films are here to view.
-This is a great way to understand how ever tighter budgets changed animated shorts. In the early shorts each frame of film is a unique image. The characters are completely animated from frame to frame. Using this technique Tex was free to use the wild shape changing techniques that made cell animation great. Squishing, stretching, bouncing and dismembering were an advantage Tex understood and employed like no other in animation. Also, the background were very painterly and three dimensional. As time passes you notice the backgrounds become more graphic and flat in nature. Even later, the characters bodies start to slow down or become stiff. By the end you have animated comic books. Often only the extremities and the head move. Sometimes only the mouth would move. To their credit, these later cartoon still (at least) employed full animation to the parts that did move and still obtained a shred of cleverness that existed in the prior films. Near the end, as Hanna and Barbera took over the production of these shorts for MGM, you can see a hint of their early independent animation and character style to come.
-I can't vouch for whether these are completely unedited. Based on some of the un-PC content I'd have to assume any omissions were unintentional. I'm not complaining about the content. Though offensive to the reasonable person, it is great source material for why things can't go back to the way they were.
This is a good time to move on to what concerns parents.
PARENTS;
As a parent I had to think a little bit about whether I want my kids to see some of this. I'm going to break this down into sub-categories to make it simple for all of us.
-VIOLENCE: Yep, there's lots of it!! Lots of gun play (very cartoony for the most part), lots of Road Runner gravity violence and lots of explosions. If your kid has trouble discerning what the real consequences of these actions are, you might want to stay away. Personally, I talk to my kids about the thing that happen (i.e.; what would really happen if you jumped off a tall building?). I let my kids watch a lot of this stuff and they have yet to show interest in repeating any of it. In fact, the stuff they repeat is from current cartoons and it usually pertains to a sassy attitude (unique, I know).
-VICE: Yep, there's lots of that too. Lots of beer drinking, lots of smoking and a fair amount of gambling. I have more problems with my kids seeing this stuff because this is where the consequences get a little blurry. The cartoon characters seem to be having a lot of fun doing this stuff. With alcohol and drug addiction rather rampant in schools these days, it is a tough one to get around. In all fairness only three episodes depict drinking beer as a great thing (I enjoy a beer now and then, but I'm an adult). I don't think the gambling is such a problem to explain to kids. They understand losing something or being tricked out of something (like your money!!). I also don't have a problem with the smoking. My kids will have nothing to do with it.
-SEX: Yep, a fair amount of this too. Lets face it; RED IS HOT by just about any standard. She must have drove soldiers crazy back in her day. However, I have to pause and think what message this sends to my 9 year old daughter (who is nowhere close to the intended audience). In fact it probably sends the wrong message to my 5 year old son as well. This is the new millennium after all.
-BIGOTRY: Though claims can be made that a few of these films have insulting racial images, only one of them has clear bigoted images. This would be "Droopy's Good Deed". If you wish to isolate your kids from the ugly realities of the past, that's up to you. I thought long and hard on this one. I'm going to discuss it with my wife. My argument will be; if our kids don't know where we've been they may end up there again. I think this is a great tool to get your kids to understand how bad things were for anyone who was not part of the mainstream culture of that time.
Here is a list of episodes broken down by potential child hazards;
BIGOTRY: 9 and10 (9 has a very brief post explosion black face gag. 10 has a very clear depiction of an "Uncle Tom" like character who can't count correctly and the term "Blackie").
VICE: 2, 3, 6 and 18 (2 and 3 depict life in an old west saloon. You figure it out. 6 and 18 have one small beer reference)
SEX: 2, 3, 8 and10 (2 and 3 have a very sexy RED and full "body" engorgements. 8 and 10 use curvy women as a prize. 6 references women as "Babes").
VIOLENCE: 1-24. Don't buy this if you're afraid of your kids seeing violence.
So, to wrap things up....
...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T SEND ME A COMMENT SAYING I'M ADVOCATING CENSORSHIP!!! Nothing could be further from the truth. However, as a parent I felt a responsibility to let other parents know what they are in for. For you collectors, despite the quality issues, you're not going to do any better than this apparently. The extras could be better (though I did not expect any on a collection as specific as this). I still think this is an awesome collection and have zero regrets purchasing it. If it were a pristine restoration it would be 5 stars all the way!!
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More Tex Avery, Please.
My favorite poodle (or bassett hound whatever he is)is here. I've been waiting for something like this since DVD's arrived on the scene. Some of Tex Avery's best cartoons on DVD. All of Droopy's best are here. We need more Tex Avery! His fast paced cartoons are some of the funniest made. Until then, enjoy Droopy.
Looks like Mars Phoenix (or Mars Phoenix's ghost) will have to wait another two years for a new companion—the Mars Science Laboratory, originally planned for a launch next year, has been delayed until 2011.
