View Full Version : LTGC Volume 17 release date?
ChrisWinston
11-18-2004, 03:45 PM
Alrighty! Hey!! I gotta question - anyone know the release date for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 17? November in the year 2019?
Has anyone done the math and figured out when (if ever) all the 1000+ cartoons will FINALLY be released? At the current pace Volume 17 or 18 should be through with them all in 2019 or 2020.
Why is this acceptable and how many people reading this have actually thought about the fact that it could take THAT long???
Chris
1) They may be increasing release schedules in the future
2) They may be increasing the number of cartoons as special features dwindle
3) No, it's not acceptable, especially considering BlueRay DVD will probably be mainstream by 2010
FYI, there is a limit to the number of cartoons that they can restore per year, though I understand they had begun the restoration about 5 years before we got the 1st DVD set...
corey3rd
11-18-2004, 03:58 PM
are you really that eager to get "Buddy" mania? It will be nice when they up it to 20 cartoons per DVD.
Kaleido
11-18-2004, 04:05 PM
3) No, it's not acceptable, especially considering BlueRay DVD will probably be mainstream by 2010What makes you think it won't be HD-DVD that takes off?
What makes you think it won't be HD-DVD that takes off? Forgive my ignorance, but isn't blu-ray one of the HD-DVD formats being proposed (http://www.dvdsite.org/)?
:befuddled
Kevin McCorry
11-18-2004, 04:24 PM
Alrighty! Hey!! I gotta question - anyone know the release date for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 17? November in the year 2019?
Has anyone done the math and figured out when (if ever) all the 1000+ cartoons will FINALLY be released? At the current pace Volume 17 or 18 should be through with them all in 2019 or 2020.
Why is this acceptable and how many people reading this have actually thought about the fact that it could take THAT long???
Chris
The Doctor Who television series is forecast to take almost as long to be fully released on DVD, and the fans for the most part find that indeed quite acceptable, the rationale being that if a fan is dead before then, he/she wouldn't be around to worry about not completing their collection.
I find neither the Looney Tune nor the Doctor Who release rate to be acceptable, but then I'm always in the minority anyway. All I can do is plan for the next 5 years or so when I have a good chance of still being alive and young enough to still care about such aquisitive things as a DVD collection.
As it is, I'm only anticipating the next 5 Golden Collections and hoping that as many of my favorites as possible make the list.
Kaleido
11-18-2004, 04:48 PM
Forgive my ignorance, but isn't blu-ray one of the HD-DVD formats being proposed (http://www.dvdsite.org/)?
:befuddledThe Blu-Ray Disc Association, as far as I know, has not submitted and has no intention of submitting Blu-Ray to the DVD Forum. The HD-DVD Association has submitted HD-DVD to the DVD Forum and has gotten it approved.
So, technically, no, but as far as consumers are concerned, yes. There's also DVHS and EVD but those have no chance of catching on.
Back on topic, why does anyone care when the final Looney Tunes Golden Collection is released when only two have been released?
ChrisWinston
11-18-2004, 05:26 PM
...why does anyone care when the final Looney Tunes Golden Collection is released when only two have been released?
I was just tryin' to make a point that whoever's responsible for releasing the Looney Tunes catalog is going at a ridiculously slow pace. I mean come on, Punky Brewster is available on DVD!!! To wait an entire year between releases ain't right. To wait another possibly 12-15 years for the entire catalog is not acceptable. People oughta type and print and mail with a 37¢ stamp a letter and say, "HEY, come on, dudes, a little faster. Please. Thanks for your effort but faster. Please?"
CW
rodney
11-18-2004, 06:47 PM
What makes you think that every cartoon is going to be released on dvd? All we know is that every cartoon is going to be RESTORED, not released.
ChrisWinston
11-18-2004, 07:10 PM
What makes you think that every cartoon is going to be released on dvd? All we know is that every cartoon is going to be RESTORED, not released.
In this day and age there's no reason NOT to release every cartoon on DVD. Like i said, Punky Brewster is on DVD. Punky-freakin'-Brewster. Mayhaps a few people reading this could care less is every Looney Tunes & Merry Melodies is released onto DVD but I know there are many who think that would be one of the most awesomest things to happen, they'd be blissed out of their skulls. I know i would!! Already you can sit down and watch a different tv episode on DVD and sit there for months on end without watching something different. In a year from now there'll be so many episodes of tv shows on DVD you can sit and watch without repeating for years on end but in a year from now there'll be a mere approximately 180 LT&MM cartoons? Do I think they'll release every one eventually? I don't want to think they won't. That would horrible. This is far from the most important thing in the world but I pray they'll do what's right and get everything released for us to happily feast on. But a pace to finish in 12-15 years is simply not acceptable.
CW
Patrick McCart
11-18-2004, 08:51 PM
I really think Warner will switch to either even larger sets in the next two or three years, or they'll do multiple volumes a year.
However, they need to take their time if it means getting the cartoons to look their best. In the big picture of things, not only are 60 LT's being restored a year, but they're also restoring 25 Popeyes, restoring feature films, and remastering. In the last year or two, along with the LT's, they also restored Strangers on a Train, Gone with the Wind, Dial M For Murder, Around the World in 80 Days, the '31 version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, etc. The 60 LT's probably take as much time to restore as 5-8 feature-length films... not to mention the color cartoons have to have the colors recomposited since they're on sequential exposure negative.
That being said, I'll be enjoying Buddy the Gee Man shortly after my 34th birthday.
I really think Warner will switch to either even larger sets in the next two or three years. That's probably likely. With the amount of material that can be used as special features shrinking, the Golden Collections could have as many cartoons on each disc as "The Complete Goofy". (That would be 22-24 cartoons on each disc, which would equal between 88-96 cartoons in total, which is a hell of a lot :eek: )
corey3rd
11-19-2004, 12:04 PM
I was just tryin' to make a point that whoever's responsible for releasing the Looney Tunes catalog is going at a ridiculously slow pace. I mean come on, Punky Brewster is available on DVD!!! To wait an entire year between releases ain't right. To wait another possibly 12-15 years for the entire catalog is not acceptable. People oughta type and print and mail with a 37¢ stamp a letter and say, "HEY, come on, dudes, a little faster. Please. Thanks for your effort but faster. Please?"
CW
Until you spend a couple hours at the studio seeing how much work is truly being done by the staff, don't crack the whip on them. Comparing 70 year old cartoons with episodes of Punky Brewster is wrong on every level. It takes time. If Warners was truly dragging their butts, don't you think Jerry Beck and Leonard Maltin wouldn't be complaining?
And Warners understands that you can't flood the market with these releases. You build a paying audience on a project like this. There is only so much shelf space at Best Buy - and Warners has to sell more than just Looney Tunes boxsets.
Warners could probably just grab the syndication prints off the shelf, run them through a telecine and cram them on discs and send them out like a PD collection. But that's not what sells these collection - it's quality. In the near future, they will probably put out more collections a year that contain more cartoons, but until that time, just relax and don't harrass WB. You want Warners to know that you're eager for more - buy them - give them as gifts. Don't let them be returned to the warehouse. If there is a demand, it moves up the priority ladder. Writing a letter is cute, but it doesn't get the attention of the Burbank beancounters.
And if you insist on writing them a letter, thank them for doing such a great job on the restorations and mention how you are eager for the next batch. Don't tell them to move faster.
Larry T
11-19-2004, 12:56 PM
And if you insist on writing them a letter, thank them for doing such a great job on the restorations and mention how you are eager for the next batch. Don't tell them to move faster.
Well said.
In addition, it takes time to do the actual Cartoon Research and planning for the DVD sets. Warners could have shoved the BR versions of those recently restored prints on the DVDs just to be lazy, but they didn't. Jerry is seeing to it that if a cartoon is available that is an original version, it will be included, and it takes some time for things to surface. "Hare Ribbin" (director's version), "A Wild Hare", and the upcoming "Dog Gone Cats" are all prints from private collector's keeps- and we want this kind of rare stuff to show up on future sets, so it's important for everything to be timed just right.
That being said, I'll be enjoying Buddy the Gee Man shortly after my 34th birthday.
My only hope is that my eyesight is still functioning enough by that time to enjoy what will be on the final release :( :p .
and the upcoming "Dog Gone Cats" ...
Larry, do you know something we don't know :O
:sylvester
Larry T
11-19-2004, 01:50 PM
Larry, do you know something we don't know :O
An original print with full titles was recently retrieved from a private collector's archives, and Jerry said it will be used for an upcoming collection. Which LTGC, I don't know- it can't be soon enough for me, that's one of my favourite Davis cartoons :sylvester !!
Well said.
In addition, it takes time to do the actual Cartoon Research and planning for the DVD sets. Warners could have shoved the BR versions of those recently restored prints on the DVDs just to be lazy, but they didn't. I think it's great that WB actually cares about restoring the original titles to the cartoons. In this year alone, original frames of Tex Avery cartoons were discovered (or brought of eBay) and 4 out of 11 Blue Ribbons (not including those with credits) were restored on the second Golden Collection, which is a great achievent. :)
ChrisWinston
11-19-2004, 02:54 PM
Warners could probably just grab the syndication prints off the shelf, run them through a telecine and cram them on discs and send them out like a PD collection. But that's not what sells these collection - it's quality. In the near future, they will probably put out more collections a year that contain more cartoons, but until that time, just relax and don't harrass WB. You want Warners to know that you're eager for more - buy them - give them as gifts. Don't let them be returned to the warehouse. If there is a demand, it moves up the priority ladder. Writing a letter is cute, but it doesn't get the attention of the Burbank beancounters.
And if you insist on writing them a letter, thank them for doing such a great job on the restorations and mention how you are eager for the next batch. Don't tell them to move faster.
I agree on not harrassing them. I didn't mean to make it sound like that's what people should do. I have written WB three or four times now, not via email, via a real letter. Each time I've been very courteous and thankful and that's what I would encourage others to do. That is how I am letting WB know I am eager. As much as I love Looney Tunes I have not completely enjoyed buying these first two DVD sets. As much as I love the cartoons I sit here feeling like maybe WB's getting $atisfaction from these little compilation releases without knowing how much some people want all the cartoons. They might be sitting there thinking, "Okay, this is fine, this all we need to do, one of these once a year." Why can't they issue a statement that has their plan so people know if they're going to release them all or not? I absolutely don't want them to haphazardly release bad quality prints in order to speed things up, no way! But I also don't want to be so tremendously patient until I'm 40 something years old... 4 or 5 years is okay but not 12-15 years.
Chris :bugs2:
Chris,
I agree with your sentiments and we all share them here and at the Animation History Forum.
All corporations are soulless, their only motive to do something is to make money so it can stay alive. Just be thankful that the people within the corporations that are behind this project (people like George Feltenstein) truly seem to understand how special these cartoons are. See page 2 of this interview (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/robertharris/harris102504b.html) and page 4 of this interview (http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/showinterview.php3?ID=55). George is working closely with animation historians like Jerry Beck to do the Looney Tunes justice for collector's and we (as animation fans) have to take some solace in that and put our trust in these people.
Jerry Beck occasionally posts here and is moderator of this forum (http://www.animationshow.com/forums/index.php?act=SF&f=8) where there is a similar discussion as this one going on there right now.
A couple things I've learned from Mr. Beck in these forums are:
1) Jerry has the content of the next eight Golden Collections planned out. :eek::D. By my count that's at least half of all the cartoons out there, so hopefully that means WB is in for the long haul...
2) Jerry has hinted that they may increase the release schedule of the Golden Collections in future years. :D
3) The best place to get feedback to WHV is through these types of forums (a surprise to me) which means that someone in WB-land watches these forums. :eek:
4) Jerry cannot disclose any details about upcoming projects due to agreements with the corporations. :(
Regards,
Jeff
Patrick McCart
11-19-2004, 07:38 PM
3) The best place to get feedback to WHV is through these types of forums (a surprise to me) which means that someone in WB-land watches these forums.
Very true. I know they read the Home Theater Forum often (which awarded them "Best DVD Studio" in 2003).
Patrick McCart
11-24-2004, 12:53 AM
By the way, it looks like Shout! Factory has the rights to Punky Brewster, which makes me wonder what that had to do with the Looney Tunes and Warner Bros. in the first place.
Tim Lones
11-24-2004, 01:53 AM
By the way, it looks like Shout! Factory has the rights to Punky Brewster, which makes me wonder what that had to do with the Looney Tunes and Warner Bros. in the first place.
Nothing..I just think that Chris was talking in relative terms..such as.."If someone can put Punky Brewster (relatively short lived sitcom) out on DVD they certainly can do more of the Looney Tunes"
Warners could probably just grab the syndication prints off the shelf, run them through a telecine and cram them on discs and send them out like a PD collection. But that's not what sells these collection - it's quality. In the near future, they will probably put out more collections a year that contain more cartoons, but until that time, just relax and don't harrass WB. You want Warners to know that you're eager for more - buy them - give them as gifts. Don't let them be returned to the warehouse. If there is a demand, it moves up the priority ladder. Writing a letter is cute, but it doesn't get the attention of the Burbank beancounters.
And if you insist on writing them a letter, thank them for doing such a great job on the restorations and mention how you are eager for the next batch. Don't tell them to move faster.
A big fat ditto to your whole post. IMO, complaining about the release times is kind of silly. GAOLT Vol. 1 and (from what I hear) Vol. 2 have been absolutely amazing works. The cartoons look fantastic, the extras are outstanding. If we get one release a year, but it's of that quality, then who cares that it'll take until 2019 to release all the cartoons on DVD? Show some patience.
Remember, video tape was around for 20 years and WHV released only a portion of the number of cartoons they owned, and never in nearly as good or thoughtful a package as what is coming about now with the DVDs.
Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I just don't get it when people complain their TV shows on DVD (and really, that's the closest equivilant to the GAOLT DVDs) are only being released at the rate of one season a year. I mean, have we become that "instant gratification" type of a society that one season a year in a market that five years ago never even existed is now insufficient?
Mike
A big fat ditto to your whole post. IMO, complaining about the release times is kind of silly. GAOLT Vol. 1 and (from what I hear) Vol. 2 have been absolutely amazing works.
...
Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I just don't get it when people complain their TV shows on DVD (and really, that's the closest equivilant to the GAOLT DVDs)
NOTE: The DVDs are called "Golden Collections" (GC) which are different from the Laserdisc collections, "Golden Age of Looney Tunes" (GAOLT), which were released several years ago.
NOTE: The DVDs are called "Golden Collections" (GC) which are different from the Laserdisc collections, "Golden Age of Looney Tunes" (GAOLT), which were released several years ago.
Woops, I meant the Golden Collections, not the "Golden Age" DVDs. But I figure everyone probably knows that. Hence, my point is still valid. And now, more valid than ever! :D
Mike
frizfrelengfan
11-25-2004, 08:34 PM
I think that Warners is doing a wonderful thing with the Golden Collection and should be given sufficient time to restore the cartoons properly. For me a release-a-year schedule is fine.
I wonder if they plan on releasing some of the lesser-known (read: MGM) cartoons that they also own...
ChrisWinston
12-02-2004, 03:23 AM
I think that Warners is doing a wonderful thing with the Golden Collection and should be given sufficient time to restore the cartoons properly. For me a release-a-year schedule is fine.
Maybe for you it's okay, but no, a release a year, if it's going to take 12-15 years to be completed, is not fine. They absolutely should not be careless in restoring prints and they've done a great job thus far, very welcomed, but at some point in time they've gotta speed up releases and cut that current 12-15 year pace AT LEAST in half. At the currently super slow pace some people reading this'll be in their 50's and even 60's when the last cartoon comes out... if the last one ever does come out at all. They oughta make it more like 5-7 years to finally get it all done.
Chris :ysam:
P.S. How they gonna handle all the controversial cartoons in the catalog?
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