Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Merrily we roll along.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 13, 2023

NOTE: Portions of this review either repeat or repurpose sections of my Volume 1 coverage.

Considering their huge pop culture impact and lasting influence, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts have been woefully mistreated on home video during the last few decades. We've gotten all sorts of piecemeal releases including assorted collections, character-driven sets, other themed releases, and more... but not what most die-hard fans really want: an all-inclusive chronological collection -- yes, that includes "The Censored Eleven" -- or even one spread across multiple sets. Warner Bros. continues this tradition via Warner Archive with Collector's Choice Volume 2, a sequel to the first volume that serves up 25 shorts from deeper in the vault. Like before, there are no real heavy-hitters and the most popular characters only show up once or twice, giving the bench-warmers a little time in the spotlight.

With five more shorts than the first collection (which was a bargain-priced release in its own right, and is currently on sale for peanuts), you can't say that Volume 2 doesn't give you a good amount of bang for your buck. These 25 shorts are presented in alphabetical order rather than chronological or by character.

EPISODE LIST

"Behind the Meat-Ball" (1945, dir. Frank Tashlin)
Fido the dog searches desperately for meat after his owner serves a bowl of "Bugs Bunny food".

"Brother Brat" (1944, Frank Tashlin)
Porky Pig is hired to baby-sit a nasty infant after his mother goes to work in a factory during the war effort.

"Catty Cornered" (1953, Friz Freleng)
Rocky and Mugsy hold Tweety for ransom before Sylvester sneaks in to eat or possibly rescue him.

"Cross Country Detours" (1940, Tex Avery)
A travelogue through the scenic corners of America loaded with dad-grade punnery.

"Daffy's Southern Exposure" (1942, Norm McCabe)
Everyone's favorite duck decides to stick around up north for the winter in this black-and-white short.

"Ding Dog Daddy" (1942, Friz Freleng)
A dim-witted dog falls for a metal statue after being struck by lightning. (Not as "goofy" as it sounds.)

"The Eager Beaver" (1946, Chuck Jones)
A group of hard-working beavers gets into big dam trouble right before a flood threatens their river.

"Fair and Worm-er" (1946, Chuck Jones)
This follow-up to "The Early Bird Dood It!" concerns a worm chased by a crow, cat, dog, and dog catcher.

"Fin 'n Catty" (1943, Chuck Jones)
Claude the cat tries to get a tasty goldfish snack... but without getting wet.

"From Hand to Mouse" (1944, Chuck Jones)
A dumb lion, trying to catch a fast-taking mouse, is outsmarted at every turn. What a sucker!

"Ghost Wanted" (1940, Chuck Jones)
A Casper-like spirit takes an entry-level job haunting houses by is tormented by an older ghost.

"Greetings Bait" (1943, Friz Freleng)
This Oscar-nominated short gives viewers a split-screen view of the ocean from a crab's perspective.

"Hamateur Night" (1939, Tex Avery)
A proto-Elmer Fudd character hosts a variety show where less talented performers are stopped early.

"Hare-Breadth Hurry" (1963, Chuck Jones)
One of two Coyote and Road Runner shorts here, this one actually sees Bugs subbing in as the prey.

"A Hick a Slick and a Chick" (1948, Arthur Davis)
This lopsided love triangle involves a backwoods mouse, well-dressed Blackie, and beautiful Daisy Lou.

"Hiss and Make Up" – (1943, Friz Freleng)
A domestic cat and dog frame each other to compete for sole control of the household.

"A Hound for Trouble" (1951, Chuck Jones)
After being found in a shipping boat, Charlie Dog waits tables at a cozy little Italian restaurant.

"I Wanna Be a Sailor" (1937, Tex Avery)
One of three baby parrots rejects life in a cage to be just like his sea-faring dad.

"The Leghorn Blows at Midnight" (1950, Robert McKimson)
Foghorn and Dawg square off outside with Henery Hawk as a wild card. You know the drill by now.

"Lickety-Splat" (1961, Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow)
The second Coyote and Road Runner short, this one follows the usual formula.

"One Meat Brawl" (1947, Robert McKimson)
Grover Groundhog dodges the hunting attempts of Porky Pig and his dog Mandrake on February 2nd.

"The Penguin Parade" (1938, Tex Avery)
Another variety show-style short like "Hamateur Night", this one takes place at The Club Iceberg.

"Rabbit Rampage" (1955, Chuck Jones)
A spiritual successor to the more well-known "Duck Amuck" where Bugs tormented by an off-screen animator.

"The Rebel Without Claws" (1961, Friz Freleng)
Tweety and Sylvester square off during the Civil War. Oddly, the Confederates aren't seen as the villains here.

"The Wacky Worm" (1941, Friz Freleng)
A quick-witted and fast-moving worm continually outsmarts a hungry crow.

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Though their animated releases are sadly few and far between, Warner Archive has maintained a much better track record than their parent company when it comes to pure visual accuracy regardless of genre or format. It's not at all surprising, then, that unlike WB catalog titles such as Max Fleischer's Superman and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, Collector's Choice Vol. 2 follows the mostly-positive formula of its predecessor: like the first volume, these 25 shorts weren't advertised as new restorations and were likely sourced from the same HD masters seen on Max.

As before, this means that most seem to be in good to very good condition and extremely clean with varying grain levels; some look absolutely true to their nitrate-era original elements, while others -- and perhaps more than the first batch, at least proportionately -- are unfortunately quite a bit more scrubbed and soft. (Only two, "Daffy's Southern Exposure" and "Wacky Worm", look to have been taken from a much lesser source.) These varying grain levels don't come and go from scene to scene -- you'll know what the score is immediately, so refer to these 25 screenshots for a basic idea of each one looks. Luckily the original textures and linework benefit greatly from Warner Archive's reliably solid disc encoding, which means that die-hard fans will find a little less to complain about here than typical animated titles released under the WB banner. Colors look nice and bright with no obvious bleeding or re-grading, rounding out what's ultimately a somewhat compromised but mostly satisfactory presentation of these 25 classic cartoons.

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The sound situation is similarly hit-or-miss. Although thankfully presented in lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio, which preserves their original mono roots as a split-channel track, there are some noticeable sonic discrepancies here if you're watching these shorts back-to-back. Plain and simple, most come through perfectly fine and others have a less dynamic presence overall, qualities that can also be more pronounced by the fact that the volume levels vary quite a bit as well. It's nothing that a little on-the-fly remote work can't fix, but it's a shame that stronger -- or at least more consistent -- restoration work couldn't have been done here; in all honesty, many of them don't sound much better than WB Looney Tunes discs dating back to the Golden Collection DVDs. While again not a deal-beaker, it's still further proof that Warner Archive's parent company should be treating these classic shorts with a lot more love and respect.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during all 25 shorts, whether they need them or not.

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unlike most WB Looney Tunes releases, Warner Archive's one-disc release of Collector's Choice Volume 2 makes a fairly dull first impression with basic design elements, no interior print, and no episode list or description -- not surprising given their track record, but still disappointing. No extras are included either, but at least the price is right.

Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though it's mostly comprised of B-tier Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, Warner Archive's welcome follow-up Collector's Choice Volume 2 is a solid budget release that resurrects 25 cartoons from DVD, VHS, and even Laserdisc obscurity. This Blu-ray's A/V presentation doesn't achieve the high marks I give to the boutique label's best efforts, but its visuals are at least better than the majority of animated releases from Warner Archive's parent company. It's a total no-brainer for die-hard fans, but anyone newer to collecting Looney Tunes on Blu-ray will probably get more mileage out of the Platinum Collections or character-specific sets like the Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection.