A Short Review of Coraline

I saw Coraline last Sunday with my sister. Although it wasn't the best animated film, I really enjoyed it. The artistry on display in this film is amazing. There are some really beautiful and creepy sequences. The climactic sequence with the villainess is just amazing to look at.

Although this movie is PG-rated, it's not a film I'd take a little kid to see. However, I think older kids would enjoy it. I saw the movie in 2D and I can imagine that this movie is fantastic in 3D.

I definitely recommend checking this movie out before it leaves theaters.

DVD Review: Academy Award Animation Collection (Winners And Nominees)

At one point, the only way you'd have seen Tom & Jerry, Droopy, Bugs Bunny, Superman, and Popeye in one sitting was to watch cartoons on local TV. Now, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings them together on their new Academy Awards Animation Collection featuring 15 Academy Award-winning and 26 Academy Award-nominated animated shorts. Although classic animation fans will notice some overlapping with previous DVD sets, there is more than enough here to warrant checking this collection out.

The first thing to note about this set is that all the cartoons are uncut. Two of the three discs in the set begin with a text disclaimer similar to that on the Looney Tunes Golden Collections. The 41 cartoons on the set are spread across three discs. Disc one features the Academy Award-winning shorts while discs two and three feature the Academy Award-nominated shorts.

There is great variety to be found on this set. Many of the nominated and winning shorts feature the first appearances of popular characters including Tom & Jerry (“Puss Gets The Boot,”), Speedy Gonzales (cartoon of the same name), Bugs Bunny (“A Wild Hare”), and Foghorn Leghorn (“Walky Talky Hawky”). This set also includes the first Sylvester & Tweety cartoon (“Tweety Pie”) and the first Superman cartoon.

Although this collection is somewhat dominated by Tom & Jerry cartoons (there are 13 here in all), there are many other excellent cartoons. Friz Freleng's brilliant “Birds Anonymous” has Sylvester attempting to give up birds. “Peace On Earth” is a haunting anti-war cartoon that has animals living in a world without humans. It's on the same disc as Tex Avery's hilarious “Blitz Wolf,” a twist on “The Three Little Pigs” with the Big Bad Wolf being a thinly veiled parody of Hitler. Little Ralph Phillips daydreams in school in Chuck Jones' excellent “From A to Z-Z-Z-Z” and Popeye sparkles in full-color in “Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor.” The inclusion of “So Much For So Little” is notable because it's the only cartoon on this collection that wasn't nominated for a Best Animated Short Subject Oscar. This informational film won in a tie for Best Documentary Short Subject.

The extra on this set may pale in comparison to those on the Looney Tunes Golden Collections but they are great nonetheless. Roughly half of the cartoons on this set have either a commentary track or a music-only track available. The set's two other special features are contained on disc three. The first is a bonus short, Bob Clampett's “What's Cookin' Doc?”. This short features Bugs at the Academy Awards trying to convince the crowd that he's deserving of one. It even features a clip from “Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt,” an Academy Award-nominated Bugs Bunny cartoon also included on this set.

The other special feature is the documentary “Drawn for Glory: Animation's Triumph At The Oscars.” Running for about an hour, this documentary is essentially a history of the Best Animated Short Subject category at the Oscars. Featuring narration by Bonnie Hunt and commentary by animators, historians, and creators, this documentary is informative and well-made. Despite being made for a Warner Bros. DVD set, the piece is fairly impartial and doesn't gloss over the importance of Walt Disney.

Overall, the Academy Award Animation Collection is a very good set for animation fans. If you don't own any of WB's previous classic animation collections, this is a good way to start. If you already own some WB classic animation collections (such as the Looney Tunes Golden Collections), this set is still worth a purchase for the new-to-DVD cartoons (such as the restored “A Wild Hare”) as well as the commentary tracks and excellent documentary. Let's hope that this set also gets WB to release more of the non-Looney Tunes cartoons in their library.

Thoughts On The New Biker Mice From Mars

Way back in 2005, I wrote about the 1990's cartoon Biker Mice From Mars, which I enjoyed watching back in the day. In 2006, a new version of the show premiered in the UK. Recently, I was able to see the first two episodes of the new Biker Mice show. Overall, I have to say that it's a pretty good show.

The first thing that makes the 2006 Biker Mice show stand out from other reboots of 1980's and 1990's series like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers is the fact that it's not exactly a reboot. It's a continuation of the original series. The new show picks up 10 years after the old show ended (the old show ended in 1996, so the 10 year gap is in real time too).

The Biker Mice are on Mars and are fighting new aliens called Catatonians. I don't want to give too much away since the show hasn't yet aired in America but needless to say, circumstances happen that end up with the Biker Mice returning to Earth. The mice reunite with friend/gear jockey Charley in Chicago, which is more or less ruled by the real-estate mogul Ronaldo Rump. Rump and the Catatonians (who are led by the brawny Cataclysm and his nutty brother Hairball) join forces to stop the mice and capture General Stoker, the mice's mentor and key to their nefarious plans (and the survival of Mars).

The original show had a very good voice cast and featured a variety of talented actors including a pre-Everybody Loves Raymond Brad Garrett and a pre-King Of Queens Leah Remini. The voices of the three Biker Mice, Rob Paulsen (Throttle), Ian Ziering (Vinnie), and Dorian Harewood (Modo) all return for the new show. Peter Strauss, who played Stoker in the original show, also reprises his role. All of them slip back into their characters like they never left. With the new characters, we also get some more great voice talent. Clancy Brown does a nice job with Cataclysm and Jess Harnell (aka Wakko from Animaniacs) is hilarious as Ronaldo Rump.

The animation for the new show is very nice and takes advantage of the advances in technology in the 10 years between shows. The show is mostly 2D but uses 3D for bikes and vehicles. The 2D and 3D meld pretty well and the show doesn't look awkward. The character designs are quite different than the original show and take a little getting used to. However, the overall design of the show is nice. The show has a somewhat futuristic look to it now. The animation is pretty good and the show is animated in widescreen. I'm betting that it was done in HD, so it will probably look great on DVD.

The writing in the episodes I watched was good as well. The dialogue takes full advantage of the chemistry between the voice actors. Some of the jokes were a bit lame but for the most part, none of it made me cringe. It seems a little less violent than the original show but the story is better. The original show did a lot of multi-part storytelling (it had two three-part episodes) and this time around, the writers have created an overarching story.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of this show when it eventually comes to the U.S. It's a fun action show that doesn't take itself too seriously. Also, it's not anime. Don't get me wrong, I love anime but I really miss the days of good, American action shows. The new version of Biker Mice From Mars is sort of a throwback to those days and that's why I hope it finds a home whether it's on Jetix, Cartoon Network, or 4Kids TV.

There's More To Black Cartoons Than "Coal Black"

I found out via Cartoon Brew that ReFrederator.com is featuring a week of cartoons dealing with racial stereotypes. Dubbed “Black Comedy Week,” this event features Emru Townsend of the great fps Magazine as guest blogger and producer.

I have to admit that as a black animation fan, it's really odd to watch older cartoons with these racial stereotypes. There is a part of me that is fascinated by the way people back then felt about black people and part of me that wonders if there is any redeeming quality at all to these cartoons apart from historical value. I touched on these feelings back in February when I wrote about “Coal Black And De Sebben Dwarfs” and they certainly came back when I found out about Black Comedy Week.

If you are a classic cartoon fan or someone who is interested in the history of blacks in entertainment, I encourage you to check out this event.

New Anime Thoughts

I watched the first episodes of two new anime series recently. Can you believe neither one of them was Death Note?

The first one I watched was Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion. In theory, this could've been great. You get CLAMP character designs for a Sunrise mecha show. Unfortunately, it was a bit underwhelming. The show takes place in the future where the evil Western empire of Britannia has fought a war with Japan (using mecha, of course) and has taken it over. Japan is stripped of its name and seven years later is now “Area 11.” The Lelouch in the show name is the main character, a smart student who vowed as a child to destroy Britannia.

The main problem with this show is that its premise is a ripoff of Gundam Seed. When Lelouch encounters a Britannia soldier who is actually his childhood friend Suzaku, I was reminded a whole lot of the scene in the first episode of Gundam Seed where Athrun and Kira meet again. The animation for this show is very nice and the action sequences were good. Despite that, the “been there, done that” feel of the story keeps it from being more than so-so.

The other show I watched was Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (aka The Wallflower). Imagine Ugly Betty as a wacky anime comedy with bishounen and you'll pretty much describe this show. Four guys all live together in a huge house owned by a rich woman. The woman offers the guys a deal. If they can turn her niece into a “magnificent lady” then they will be able to live in the house rent-free. The guys agree and the lady leaves on an around-the-world search for love. The guys meet the woman's niece, Sunako, and are scared to death of her. After being rejected by a guy because of her looks, Sunako became somewhat of a weird recluse. She wears her hair very long, wears cheap clothes, hates “beautiful” things, gets nosebleeds when she sees something beautiful, and loves horror movies. Oh, and let's not forget that she's actually ugly.

For the most part, I liked this show. I enjoy anime comedies (Azumanga Daioh and Excel Saga are two of my favorite shows), and this one is wacky and fun. I liked the fact that all the scenes with Sunako were treated kind of like a horror movie. The male characters on the show are overdramatic and over-the-top. The character designs, which match the style of the manga, are a little off-putting, though. There's something kind of disturbing about anime characters with lips. This show doesn't scream “new favorite” the way Ouran High School Host Club did when I first watched it, but I think I'm going to keep watching it.

Next time, I will finally watch Death Note, Busou Renkin, and D-Gray Man and see if they're any good. Or maybe I'll watch something else. Who knows?

TV Review: Thugaboo - "Sneaker Madness"

When I first heard about Thugaboo, the new animated project for kids from the Wayans brothers, I wasn't sure what to make of it. On one hand, the Wayans' over-the-top and sometimes cartoony humor seems like a perfect fit for a kids' show. However, given that most everything they've done has been for a decidedly adult (or at least teenage) audience, I wasn't all that confident that they could make something where they would have to really limit themselves. Now that I've watched the first installment of it...I still don't know what to make of it. As an adult, I kind of enjoyed it. However, I'm not sure if this is really something for kids.

Created by Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, and Keenen Ivory Wayans, Thugaboo combines elements of shows such as Fat Albert, Peanuts, and Hey Arnold. It takes place in a fictional version of New York called Boo York and revolves around a large cast of kids. The main character of this first of three planned specials is D-Roc (George Gore). D-Roc is an aspiring rapper who lives with his mother (Kim Wayans), unseen father, and little sister Dee Dee (Countess Vaughn). Summer is about to end in Boo York and D-Roc really wants a new pair of sneakers for back to school...a pair of sneakers that cost $150. When his mother won't let him get the shoes and buys him cheap ones from the market instead, D-Roc enlists the help of his friend Soo Young (Nancy Lee) to make him a bootleg version of the shoe he wanted. The kids at the school are impressed and continually ask him where he got his shoes. Seeing an opportunity, D-Roc starts making and selling bootleg shoes for his classmates. Everyone's shoes are so low quality that people come back to him complaining. At the end, D-Roc gives everyone their money back and learns that he should be himself.

Now, that storyline doesn't sound all that bad so why am I questioning whether or not it's for kids? Because of everything else about it. Let's start with the supporting cast of characters. You name the stereotype and it's probably found in Thugaboo. There is the already mentioned Asian character Soo Young who just happens to also be adept at making bootlegs. There is a white character named DJ (Michael Rapaport) who acts black, a fat kid named Slim (Shawn Wayans), and two Latino characters including a "baby" who raps in Spanish at the end of the special. There are also race-related jokes to be found throughout the special. There were two jokes at the expense of Africans who were sent things that characters in the show didn't want. Another joke had DJ referring to himself as mixed and being laughed at for being confused. I was also surprised at a sequence of gags that dealt with God and Jesus Christ. One of these gags had Jesus Christ with a pair of cheap sneakers noting that he "can't walk on water in these."

A lot of the things associated with the humor of the Wayans appears in Thugaboo. There are some grossout gags that are funny (like when the Pigpen-esque Dirty goes into the swimming pool) and unfunny (the aforementioned Dirty using his snot to help make D-Roc's bootleg sneakers). Hip-hop references are present as well. Jay-Z (Mad TV veteran Aries Spears) appears a couple of times in the special while D-Roc's talking dog Money (Spears) is a spot-on parody of rapper DMX. There are also some funny, off-the-wall elements that really stand out. First, there's Ms. Attitude (Kym Whitley), the unseen person behind every P.A. When the swimming pool closes for the summer, she tells the kids to get out of the pool and mentions that she has own kids to take care of. When the kids at school “model” their back to school clothes, she tells one white kid that his jeans are tight...too tight to be wearing. Then, there is D-Roc's mother. She likes to spend tons of time on the phone with hilarious results. She chats up a wrong number like they're family and in one scene, is still on her corded kitchen phone even when she's at the mall.

Thugaboo isn't a terrible show. The voice cast is pretty decent and there are a good amount of laughs to be found. However, this show is really confused about who it's supposed to be appealing to. The character designs make it look like a show for kids younger than 10. The dialogue and situations make it feel like a show for older kids and teens. The use of tired stereotypes to define characters makes it feel more like a Family Guy ripoff than something intended for kids of any age. I guess the Wayans feel that it's never too early to learn that fat kids eat all the time, Asians make the best bootlegs, and white kids with black attributes are phonies who should be laughed at. I'm hoping that the next Thugaboo special will figure out what audience to appeal to but I'm not all that optimistic.

The hourlong Thugaboo special, "Sneaker Madness" will debut on Nickelodeon proper on Saturday August 12th at 9 p.m. ET. It will also air again on Nicktoons Network on Sunday August 13th at 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. ET.

DVD Review: Animaniacs Volume 1

In 1990, Steven Spielberg helped usher in what some would later call the "Silver Age" of Warner Bros. Animation with the animated kids' show Tiny Toon Adventures. With Spielberg as executive producer and a talented crew of animators, writers, voice actors, and composers behind the scenes, it became a big success. The next Spielberg/WB collaboration to follow that hit was Animaniacs. Premiering in 1993, Animaniacs took everything Tiny Toon Adventures did to the next level. This animated gem is finally available on DVD and fortunately, it is just as great as it was 13 years ago.

The stars of Animaniacs are the Warner brothers Yakko and Wakko and their sister Dot. This trio of kids are cartoon characters that were created in the 1930's. They caused so much havoc at the studio that they get locked up in the Warner Bros. water tower. They escape in the present time and cause havoc for studio psychiatrist Dr. Scratchnsniff, CEO Thaddeus Plotz, Ralph the Security Guard, and the studio nurse (or "Hello, Nurse!" as Yakko and Wakko like to call her). Part zany cartoons and part Marx Brothers, the Warners are the most prominent part of Animaniacs.

However, the Warners are just one part of a menagerie of characters. These other characters star in their own cartoons as well and give the show a variety and flexibility that few animated comedies have today. These characters include:

Pinky & The Brain: The only Animaniacs characters to spinoff and get their own show, they are genetically altered lab mice who try to take over the world in each cartoon. The Brain is a hilarious sendup of Orson Welles while Pinky is kind-hearted but incredibly dim.

Slappy Squirrel: Slappy is a retired Looney Tunes star who takes care of her nephew Skippy. Featuring great voice work and dialogue by writer/creator Sherri Stoner, Slappy Squirrel cartoons skewer both old Hollywood and old cartoon conventions.

Buttons & Mindy: Mindy is a cute but overly inquisitive child and Buttons is the faithful dog who is always put in charge of her safety. These cartoons are somewhat of a parody of Lassie but they also work as a none-too-subtle jab at parents who don't parent.

The Goodfeathers: This parody of Goodfellas paints the three main characters from that film as pigeons. The quality of these cartoons are hit-or-miss.

Rita & Runt: These cartoons revolve around Rita, a sassy cat voiced by Bernadette Peters, and Runt, a dog who doesn't realize that Rita is a cat. These cartoons are almost always musical.

Chicken Boo: These bizarre cartoons revolve around Chicken Boo, a human-sized, non-anthropomorphic chicken who tries to blend in with humanity.

Katie Kaboom: Katie is a teenage girl who literally becomes a monster when she gets angry.

The Hip Hippos: These cartoons about a couple of rich endangered hippos are the only ones that are consistently unfunny.

In addition to the regular cartoons, there are interstitials that keep things fresh and interesting. They range from the Warners figuring out new ways to escape their water tower to a boy telling stories about his friend, a mime that has bad things happen to him, and the Goofus and Gallant-esque "Good Idea/Bad Idea." You really never know what to expect in each episode and the only things you're guaranteed to see in each episode are the Warners.

Animaniacs is really more of a family show than a kids one. Kids will love the slapstick humor and parents will like that this show even has its educational moments (the great "Yakko's World," for example). At the same time, there is plenty for the adults to enjoy including pop culture references and sly dialogue that will fly right over the kiddies' heads.

Volume 1 of Animaniacs contains the first 25 episodes of the first season across five discs. The packaging of this release is very well-done. The front cover nicely combines the flat and the glossy while the digipak containing the discs features a lot of brand-new artwork. My only complaint with the packaging is with the overlapping style trays that contain discs 1-2 and discs 3-4. In order to get to disc 2, for example, you have to take disc 1 out.

The audio on this release is very nice. Each episode has been remixed in 5.1 channel sound and the remix especially highlights the show's wonderful music. However, the video leaves a little to be desired. It's dirtier than you'd expect and some episodes may not look that good if you play them on a computer or a HDTV. I hope that on the next release, Warner cleans up the video a little better.

The biggest disappointment of the set is the special features. Apart from some trailers on disc 5, there is only one special feature. That special feature is "Animaniacs Live!", an interview of the various voice artists of the show presided over by Maurice LaMarche, the voice of The Brain. This 20-plus minute featurette appears on disc 3 and is a joy to watch. The voice actors seem to all like each other and it's fun to see the faces behind the characters. However, this featurette also reminds you of what could've been. Why is there not a single commentary to be found on this set? I'd kill for just one commentary with the voice actors behind Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.

From its stellar writing and voice acting to its excellent orchestral score and refreshing variety, Animaniacs is certainly one of the best animated TV shows of the 1990's, if not one of the best ever. This is a high-class production that certainly belongs in the collection of any animation or comedy lover. If you haven't seen the show before and want to check it out before you think of buying the DVD set, then go to AOL's free In2TV service where you can watch streaming versions of many of the episodes contained on the DVD. With Animaniacs (and Pinky & The Brain) finally on DVD, I hope to see the other Spielberg/WB shows (especially the cult classic Freakazoid!) on their way to DVD soon.

New Biker Mice Show In Action

The opening of the new version of the animated show Biker Mice From Mars is now available to watch on Google Video. There is also another clip of the show available there as well. I talked about the original Biker Mice From Mars show a while ago and the new version is set to appear on UK TV next month. Even though the character designs will take a little getting used to, the animation looks pretty nice. I hope a network in America picks it up soon and maybe, just maybe, the original show will finally make it to DVD.

Old-School Cartoon Network

While I don't hate the current Cartoon Network (or CN) as much as others do, I still miss a lot of of the “old-school” Cartoon Network stuff. One of the things I really miss are the interstitials that used to air between programs.

I always enjoyed the creative short films featuring established classic and Cartoon Network characters. Two types of these interstitials always stuck out: Shorties and Groovies. Shorties were just fun short films while Groovies were essentially little music videos. Now, here are some of my favorite ones from YouTube.

First up is “Pork Jam,” a fun Porky Pig remix:



Here's a great one that has Josie And The Pussycats going through multiple musical genres (and animation styles):



This next one features Atom Ant and has some really interesting animation:



If you've ever wondered what JabberJaw would be like now, check out this one:



This is a cool Marvin The Martian music video:



Next, a modern update of Pixie & Dixie by one of the people who would later do Harvey Birdman:



Elmer, Bugs, and Daffy get remixed in this one:



Finally, rock out Live At Jellystone with “Yogi Bear” by High School Jim:

Who Knew Daffy Duck Was So Gangsta?

What happens when the song "Shoulder Lean" meets the Looney Tunes? Absolute hilarity. Enjoy this wonderful clip.

New Looney Tunes

I remember hearing a while back about a project to make new theatrical Looney Tunes. It was spearheaded by fomer Simpsons producer Larry Doyle. One of these Looney Tunes appeared on the DVD of the movie Looney Tunes: Back In Action. I didn't hear much about them again until a couple of blogs mentioned them.

Jaime Weinman mentioned them on his blog and Thad Komorowski actually posted some on his blog. I watched the cartoons on Thad's blog and to put it simply, these cartoons are bad. They are not very funny. What makes this sad is the fact that some good writers worked on these cartoons. Jon Vitti wrote some very good episodes of The Simpsons and Kyle Baker (assuming that is the Kyle Baker I'm thinking of) has done a lot of great comic book and graphic novel work. Yet, there are many problems with these cartoons...the animation not withstanding.

The first one is the pacing. These cartoons are way too fast-paced. Characters talk too fast and gags are barely given time to register (let alone be set up). Just because Looney Tunes are short doesn't mean that everything has to go fast. It reminds me of the way some live-action comedies speed up the action in an attempt to make it funny (Home Alone has one such scene). Nothing that isn't inherently funny already becomes any funnier when it's sped up. No cartoon suddenly becomes hilarious because gags come at you five times faster than another cartoon.

Another problem that comes up is not understanding why the old cartoons were funny. The best example of this is “Museum Scream,” which is a Sylvester and Tweety cartoon. This cartoon has many many bad things happen to Sylvester. However, these bad things end up making the cartoon feel mean-spirited instead of funny. Why? Well, the cartoon forgot what actually made Sylvester and Tweety cartoons funny. In those classic cartoons, bad things really only happened to Sylvester whenever he attempted to get Tweety. Sylvester would try some ridiculous plan, Tweety would cleverly figure out a way to foil it, and then bad things happened to Sylvester. Sylvester's nefarious plans (and Tweety) would do him in and that's why it was funny. Sylvester wanted to do something bad to the cute Tweety but ends up having something bad to him instead. In “Museum Scream,” it seems like Sylvester is a victim of circumstance. His plans don't do him in...not even Tweety does him in. Instead, everything else does him in. That simple difference is why “Museum Scream,” a cartoon that actually had a creative gag or two, doesn't really work.

The music in these shorts isn't that great and it makes you realize something. There will never be another Carl Stalling. The way he deftly combined original pieces with others' work into a score that didn't just augment the action so much as drive it and magnify it was extraordinary. It's amazing how you could listen to a Looney Tune's music and figure out what was going on without even seeing anything. The music for shows like Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures came the closest to replicating his style in a way that was not as brilliant but still very respectful. When it came to Looney Tunes, the music was equally as important as the animation. The music in these newer Looney Tunes isn't as good and as a result, a large amount of the appeal is missing.

Looking at these poor attempts at Looney Tunes, it begs the question...can a good “modern” Looney Tune even be made? I say that it can most certainly be done but you need the right people to make it. I, for one, enjoyed Greg Ford's “Blooper Bunny,” a cartoon that was certainly “modern” (a behind-the-scenes look at the celebration of Bugs Bunny's 51-and-a-half birthday) but at the same time, respected the original characters. There is a scene involving Daffy Duck almost saying a certain curse word that had me rolling when I saw it. Yes, that particular joke was a little rougher than something in the older cartoons. However, the Daffy portrayed in that cartoon (the Chuck Jones greedy, conniving, jealous Daffy) would probably say something like that. That's a modern update with a nod to the classic cartoons' characterization.

At the same time, I think it would be really intriguing to see what some Looney Tunes' lovers would do with the characters. John K. has always cited Bob Clampett and other Looney Tunes directors as influence. There's a part of me that wonders what he'd do with those characters (and if it would turn out like the bizarre yet funny “Boo Boo Runs Wild”). Would Pixar, a company that has excelled in making short films, be able to make a good Looney Tune? A friend of mine in college once brought up the idea of getting anime directors to give their take on the Looney Tunes on a message board. Could you imagine what would kind of stuff could pop out of the minds of people such as Shinichi Watanabe (director of Excel Saga), Akitaroh Daichi (director of Fruits Basket and Kodocha), Kazuya Tsurumaki (director of FLCL), or even big dogs like Mamoru Oshii (director of the two Ghost In The Shell movies), Hideaki Anno (the director of Evangelion), or the great Hayao Miyazaki (director of Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro)? Even if the cartoons are far from traditional Looney Tunes, they probably would be so much better than the Larry Doyle cartoons.

In the end, there are two things that can give us a little solace. The first thing is that most of the world may never see those modern Looney Tunes. The other thing is that we can still see the original shorts on DVD.