A question on DePatie-Freleng Looney Tunes Cartoons...

[Toony Loon]

Are there any DePatie-Freleng Looney Tunes cartoons on VHS or DVD?

[Gary L Thompson]

I have no idea. I do know that my relatively-recent viewing of the "Road Runner" cartoons revealed to me what my original uncritical childhood viewing of the Sat AM "Road Runner Show" missed--they were pretty bad compared to Chuck Jones' originals.

Now the problem wasn't that they ignored Jones' strict rules for the series--directors have made superb "Bugs Bunny" cartoons that ignored every Jones rule for that character--but what those cartoons lacked was timing. The same problem plagued the live-action movie "The Bandit" that was supposedly a tribute to the "Road Runner" cartoons. Now Kirk Douglas was a gifted actor, even good comic actor--but he was not one of those extremely rare breed, a great physical comedian. To make the Wile E. Coyote-like star role work; they needed a Buster Keaton, a Dick Van Dyke, a Lucille Ball, or a Rowan ("Mr. Bean") Atkinson; plus a director that understood comedic timing. If DePatie-Freleng directors understood comedic timing, they must have been kept on the "Pink Panther" cartoons and kept far away from the WB cartoons.

[Jon Cooke]

Are there any DePatie-Freleng Looney Tunes cartoons on VHS or DVD?

There was an exclusive DVD packaged with THE POLAR EXPRESS at Wal-Mart stores last year called "4 CLASSIC CARTOONS" which had "Snow Excuse", "A-Haunting We Will Go" and "The Chocolate Chase" on it. You might be able to find a copy of that on eBay.

It is likely some D-F WB shorts will be on the Speedy disc on this year's LT Golden Collection Volume 4.

[Toony Loon]

There was an exclusive DVD packaged with THE POLAR EXPRESS at Wal-Mart stores last year called "4 CLASSIC CARTOONS" which had "Snow Excuse", "A-Haunting We Will Go" and "The Chocolate Chase" on it.
Are they restored?