12. Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 1 & 2
The name Tex Avery is one of the most iconic in the medium of classic cartoons. The man is responsible for some of the greatest characters of all time. He co-created many a kids favorite characters, from Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, The Big Bad Wolf and Droopy Dog.
These two volumes contain some of Tex’s zaniest and screwiest ‘toons ever. And each one is a winner. If you combine the two sets you get 40 uncut, classic cartoons. They are not technically in chronological order but the fine folks at Warner Archive of sort of picked the best of the best. And that is what is truly remarkable about these two sets. Is there is really no drop off in the quality of the cartoons. Each one is funny (at times offensive, but hey they are over the top cartoons), violent and maybe the best way to describe them is out of control in the best possible way.
The cartoons themselves are so iconic that they have been the inspiration for cartoon makers for generations. You might not have seen “Red Hot Riding Hood” but your sure as hell know the Big Bad Wolf’s reaction to her, trust me you’ve seen it somewhere else, perhaps Jim Carrey’s film The Mask.
These are must buys for cartoon fans. Warner Archive is the go to place for high quality classic cartoons.
Here’s what cartoons you get with each volume;
Volume 1
Red Hot Riding Hood
Who Killed Who?
What’s Buzzin’ Buzzard?
Batty Baseball
The Hick Chick
Bad Luck Blackie
Garden Gopher
The Peachy Cobbler
Symphony in Slang
“Screwy Squirrel Shorts”:
Screwball Squirrel
The Screwy Truant
Big Heel-watha
Lonesome Lenny
“George and Junior Shorts”:
Hound Hunters
Red Hot Rangers
“Droopy Dog Shorts”:
Dumb Hounded
Wags to Riches
The Chump Champ
Daredevil Droopy
Volume 2:
“Screwball Classics”:
Little Rural Riding Hood
The Cuckoo Clock
Magical Maestro
One Cab’s Family
The Cat That Hated People
Doggone Tired
The Flea Circus
Field and Scream
The First Bad Man
“Droopy Dog Shorts”:
Out Foxed
Droopy’s Double Trouble
Three Little Pups
Dragalong Droopy
Homesteader Droopy
Dixieland Droopy
“Spike Shorts”:
Counterfeit Cat
Ventriloquist Cat
“Cartoons of Tomorrow”:
House of Tomorrow
Car of Tomorrow
TV of Tomorrow
Farm of Tomorrow
Whew! That’s a lot of greatness.
The video presentation of Tex Avery’s Screwball Classics is nothing short of spectacular. Warner Archive has painstakingly remastered all the shorts and delivered two stunning packages. I love hand drawn animation in HD. I love seeing the brush strokes in the backgrounds, I love seeing the colors pop. Volume 1 is a tad sharper, but that doesn’t mean Volume 2 is a slouch. All the cartoons look phenomenal and that alone is worth the purchase price.
The slaps, the whistles the mayhem come through crystal clear on Tex Avery’s Screwball Classics. The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio on both volumes are amazing. No hiss, no pops, no cracks. Truly a master class in sound design.
As far as extras go, Volume 1 does not contain any. Although I would argue just getting these cartoons in HD is a treat by itself.
Volume 2 does come with one extra:
Tex Avery: King of Cartoons: A truly great nearly hour long documentary about the legendary director. With contributions from many friends including Chuck Jones, this a delightful watch. What’s even more amazing is the clips of the shorts on this documentary show exactly how much work went into restoring these films, it is truly unbelievable.
You can own 40 classic cartoons brilliantly restored for less then $40. It’s a no brainer purchase.
Film: Volume 1: A+ Volume 2: A
Video: Volume 1: A+ Volume 2: A
Audio: Volume 1: A Volume 2: A
Extras: Volume 1: N/A Volume 2: A
Overall: Volume 1: A Volume 2: A