This really isn’t a Scrooge Month review but I’m honestly running out of versions so I thought it would be fun to talk about the Looney Tunes. I love the Looney Tunes. Last year I caught a lightning round on amazon and was able to get the complete Looney Tunes collection on DVD and as I watched them I was so impressed with the animation, intelligence and great laughs. I finally understood why they were such formidable competition to Disney for so many years. They are brilliant.
Then I heard about a new show that ran from 2012 to 2014 and my friends told me it was horrible . Just the drawings convinced me of that fact but I hadn’t watched an actual episode until this project.
I mean just look at these characters. Look how weird they look. Daffy’s beak is strangely shaped . The eyes are off. There are characters I don’t remember seeing.
In contrast look at the original.
The proportions look right . The characters we all know and there is a sense of fun about it. The new is so unpleasant to look at.
But I always say that with good writing anything can be good so I sat down to give both old and new versions of a Christmas Carol a shot. See what you think
Old
New (Just a clip since it is 22 minutes but it definitely gives you the idea)
To me there is no comparison. Neither really has anything to do with the Christmas Carol but the old is actually funny in a Home Alone style way with pratfalls and great music cues that add to the humor. The new is Lola, a most unfortunate character, bossing everyone around and talking about manicures. The whole episode was crass and trying to be modern and sarcastic. The voices are also off. Let’s just say whoever they got is no Mel Blanc… Urgh! That’s not Looney Tunes. Warner Brothers should be ashamed of themselves! I’m serious!
They have a brilliant legacy to uphold and if you are going to stick Looney Tunes on the label you better make sure it is bright and creative and funny. Not cool, hip, lazy and unpleasant looking. I’m telling you if they mess up with Animaniacs there will be no end to my wrath.
In contrast look at the recent Mickey Mouse show by artist Paul Rudish and how it respects the old shorts but adds a little bit of modern humor.
So in conclusion Warner Brothers I want more of this…
And less of this…
Have I made myself clear? End of rant….
Nice post! I have to be honest and say that I’ll always prefer the Looney Tunes set of recurring characters to those in the Disney shorts. Daffy Duck is still my hero. By the way, have you already reviewed the old ‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’?
Daffy is amazing. I have watched a lot more of the Looney Tunes than Disney shorts but from what I’ve watched I would agree with you. They are so smartly written and the amount of work that went into a 5-7 minute spot is remarkable. The artistry, voicework, writing, are first rate. My favorite is probably Daffy Duck as Sherlock Holmes.
That’s why this new series made me so mad. They have a legacy to uphold and it is loud, garish and trying to hard to be hip.
I did review Mickey’s Christmas Carol http://54disneyreviews.wordpress.com/2014/11/27/scrooge-2-mickeys-christmas-carol-blu-ray-review/
Would love your thoughts on it! Thanks for commenting. Go Looney Tunes!
Maybe part of it is Warner Brothers just focused on shorts where Disney had many more distractions of feature films and parks.
Have you seen the new series?
No, I didn’t even know there was one. I’ve generally not been big on updated version of old stuff. Like the more modern Tom and Jerry versions where they could talk all of a sudden.
Me too. Havent seen that one. Sounds awful
It is. And Disney sequels! Ever seen Jungle Book 2? Or the Aladdin sequels? Or Lion King 2?
So true and Aladdin are some of the better one’s. The sequels were for the most part an embarrassing cash grab for Disney