7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
122 cartoons starring Popeye the Sailor were produced by Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios (later known as Paramount Cartoon Studios) from 1942 to 1957, after Paramount took ownership of Fleischer Studios, which originated the Popeye cartoon series in 1933. All cartoons were one-reel in length (6 to 10 minutes). The first 14 shorts (You're a Sap, Mr. Jap through Cartoons Ain't Human) were in black-and-white. All remaining cartoons, beginning with Her Honor the Mare, were in color.
Starring: Jack Mercer, Jackson Beck, Mae Questel, Harry Welch (I)Animation | 100% |
Comedy | 48% |
Short | 48% |
Comic book | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Released roughly six months after the first volume, Warner Archive Collection's Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 2 picks up right where we left off: during the early years of Popeye's post-Fleischer "Famous Studios" era, soon after the long-running series switched over to full color. This one-disc collection serves up 15 more classic shorts starring Popeye, Bluto, and Olive; while it doesn't do much to expand the boundaries of what made the series so great to begin with (almost to a fault), it's still an extremely watchable collection that fans should enjoy digging through. As such, there aren't many all-time fan favorite episodes on board but we don't get many clunkers either. Short story shorter: if your idea of a perfect Popeye cartoon is a basic love triangle mixed with spinach-fueled brawls, you'll have a decent time. High art this ain't -- at least from a storytelling perspective -- but the animation and voices are as reliably good as anything else from the Famous Studios era (which would continue for another full decade, believe it or not). It's a slight step down overall from the first volume, in my opinion, but perhaps more consistent in its presentation style.
For a slighter broader overview of the franchise and its history, please read my review of Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 1, which includes 14 earlier Famous Studios shorts originally released between 1943 and 1945. For now, enjoy bite-sized episode recaps of all fifteen Volume 2 shorts and a run- through of the Blu-ray's A/V presentation.
Note: This short begins with a disclaimer regarding "lost footage" (a short scene featuring Popeye in drag) that was edited for its theatrical release due to production code censorship of the era. Unfortunately, this footage was removed from the original negatives and all prints, and is assumed to have been destroyed decades ago.
Much like the last Blu-ray collection, Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Vol. 2 is sourced from brand new 4K remasters of each short's original nitrate negative. Not surprisingly, the amount of detail and natural film grain here is extremely pleasing and likely makes this Blu-ray as close to its theatrical presentation as any classic cartoon in recent memory. The shorts on this collection seem to cover a slightly broader range of locales, from multiple trips to amusement parks to tropical jungles and even the surface of Mars; more often than not, these exotic locations display more vivid color palettes, showcasing strong primaries that pop without suffering from oversaturation or bleeding. Warner Archive Collections's careful treatment of the delicate negatives reveals balanced, natural hues that outshine those pink-tinted masters used for TV broadcast during the last several decades. Black levels also hold up nicely with excellent shadow detail and no obvious signs of black crush. A handful of shots seem much softer than others but retain a high level of film grain -- evidence of this being a source material issue, and one that thankfully hasn't been manipulated with contrast boosting, edge enhancement, or other "corrective measures". Likewise, there are no obvious compression artifacts, aliasing, or banding, easily landing this in "5/5" territory like the previous volume. This is inarguably top-tier work and makes me all the more enthusiastic for future animated collections, which may even include Blu-ray editions of Warner Bros.' earlier Popeye DVD sets (although they're back in print if you can't wait that long).
Similarly, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (mono) track stands far above broadcast versions, which were loaded with hissing, pops, crackles, and other age-related wear. Very little of that damage remains due to the careful treatment of said negatives, resulting in clean audio and music from start to finish. The material still shows its age in spots, but likewise maintains a pure and authentic quality that avoids faux-surround gimmickry. Even if the audio is doomed to trail slightly behind Warner Archive's sparkling remasters, this is very solid work that fans should appreciate.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during all 15 shorts and are formatted nicely with no sync issues.
No bonus features have been included, which is customary for "new" Warner Archive Collection releases.
Although there aren't many stinkers in Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 2, there aren't many high points either; most of these shorts recycle the same formula while just changing the backgrounds. (Maybe not as evident during its original run, but a lot more obvious when everything's played back-to-back.) Still, Warner Archive Collection deserves another big pat on the back for their continued commitment to quality: not only does this pick up right where the last collection left off, but the 4K-sourced transfers are evenly matched in overall quality. Solid pre-orders and early sales have all but guaranteed future Popeye collections on Blu-ray (and possibly Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, which were abandoned a few years ago), so keep the momentum going by picking this up if you haven't already.
Paramount Technicolor cartoons
1942-1957
Warner Archive Collection / Paramount Technicolor cartoons
1942-1957
Warner Archive Collection / Paramount Technicolor cartoons
1942-1957
Warner Archive Collection
1942-1957
1933-1942
1941-1972
1943-1946
The DePatie-Freleng Collection
1976
Disney100
1935-1952
1925
1926
1926
1928
1930
1925
1928
Warner Archive Collection
1940-1967
1964-1980
2009
La course aux potirons
1907
Warner Archive Collection
1930-1969
The DePatie-Freleng Collection
1969-1971
1974