The Huckleberry Hound Show: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

The Huckleberry Hound Show: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Pour a bowl of Corn Flakes and enjoy.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 11, 2025

Warner Archive's long-time commitment to classic TV curation is stronger than ever these days, as seen in the recent releases of live-action shows like The Alaskans, Cheyenne, and Colt .45. These complete series sets haven't just gotten beautiful A/V remasters from original elements; they've also been slightly expanded from "just the basics" with original bumpers, title cards, and of course the full opening and closing credits, some of which hadn't been seen since decades-old broadcasts. WB and MGM's TV animation library has gotten similar love from WAC in recent years; specifically the work of Hanna-Barbera with such releases as Wacky Races, Top Cat, and The Magilla Gorilla Show.

It's important to note that H-B's vast library of cartoon shows was notoriously disorganized, with secondary elements (bumpers, credits, etc.) of each series in total disarray as only the dissected cartoons-within-episodes were typically kept for individual appearances. That's the primary reason why Warner Home Video's DVD sets of yesteryear usually presented these shows in a piecemeal format, which was probably fine enough for casual viewers but likely drove die-hard fans up the wall. Luckily, Warner Archive's valiant attempts at time travel continue with this new complete series set of H-B's early series The Huckleberry Hound Show, which originally aired for four seasons between 1958-61 and introduced viewers of all ages to several great new characters including Yogi Bear himself. A showcase of simple stories and reliably terrific voice work by the legendary Daws Butler and Don Messick, Huck's then-new variety show format and laid-back appeal make it an enduring production that's still fun to watch almost 70 years later.

As for the show itself, very little in the way of deep analysis is required. Each episode is presented here in as close an approximation to its original broadcast counterpart as possible, beginning with the newly-discovered full opening titles and their perpetual focus on Kellogg's breakfast cereals (Corn Flakes and OKs, mostly). These transition into a welcome segment featuring Huckleberry Hound (a character clearly inspired by Tex Avery's eternally chilled-out "Southern Wolf", incidentally also voiced by Daws Butler), who amiably introduces the first of three short cartoons before returning for additional bumper segments along with his co-stars. The first cartoon stars everyone's favorite Jellystone Park escape artist, who appears for the very first time in "Yogi Bear's Big Break", while the second and third cartoons feature mouse duo Pixie and Dixie (along with their wisecracking nemesis, Mr. Jinks) and finally, good ol' Huck himself.

These characters' general order of appearance occasionally shifts around here and there but Seasons 3 and 4 shrewdly trade in Yogi Bear for Hokey Wolf (a downgrade, in my opinion), who was being primed for his own show that debuted in 1961. A short closing bumper typically precedes the Kellogg's-themed end credits, which have likewise been newly unearthed and are presented in black-and-white from different sources depending on the season.

Not enough nostalgia for you? Also sprinkled throughout each episode are vintage black-and-white commercials and other themed promos, all of which either reinforce the Kellogg's sponsorship or promote the Huck Hound Club. These are presented one at a time with four per episode, but the same eight segments loop during Seasons 1-3 with eight more during Season 4. This might get a little repetitive if you're binge-watching the series, but luckily each episode gets more than a dozen chapter stops so you can simply skip these recycled segments if you'd like.

For the most part, The Huckleberry Hound Show's format and feel holds steady through all 68 30-minute episodes, even though a few animators and other crew members changed along the way. (Those early cartoons look a little stiff, to put it mildly.) The voice work is even more consistent, with Daws Butler's lovable hound serving as a fun and folksy host whose charming, laid-back demeanor sets the tone perfectly. Yogi and Boo Boo's predictable antics are established very early, the Pixie and Dixie shorts are different enough from typical Tom and Jerry fare to avoid a lawsuit (plus, Mr. Jinks is loaded with great one-liners), and Huck himself is just as enjoyable in medium doses. Personal preferences for these shorts can and will vary by individual but, aside from Hokey Wolf (a roaming con artist who comes off like a Yogi clone in voice, appearance, and sidekick), it's tough for me to rank my favorites here. Each one has its own unique charm and a similarly fun, lightweight atmosphere that only dulls if you watch these for hours at a time.

Exactly how long it takes you to dig through this compact 11-disc set will likewise vary, but that's the true joy of physical media: it's yours now, so take your time enjoying everything without fear that it'll be pulled from streaming or hastily censored at any given moment. Further benefits include improved audio and video as well as extras and, as usual, Warner Archive delivers a nicely-appointed (and nicely packaged!) set that ensures these vintage cartoons look and sound practically perfect. Housed in three multi-disc keepcases (Season 1, Seasons 2-3, and Season 4) inside a sturdy slipcover, each of these 11 discs contains between four and seven ~30 minute episodes apiece.

Season One: Discs 1-4, 26 episodes total
Season Two: Discs 5-6, 13 episodes total
Season Three: Discs 7-8, 13 episodes total
Season Four: Discs 9-11, 16 episodes total*

* - Disc 11 also includes bonus features (see below)

The Huckleberry Hound Show: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As expected, the varying main cartoon segments, bumpers, commercials, and other elements presented during each episode of The Huckleberry Hound Show were taken from a variety of best-available elements, many of which had likely not been viewed or touched in several decades but were nonetheless in rough shape. Luckily, the wide majority were sourced from the original negatives, including all but one of the main shorts featuring Huck, Yogi, Pixie and Dixie, and Hokey, although it's worth pointing out that the Yogi masters appearing during Seasons 1 and 2 were completed a few years ago for streaming on HBO Max and one was sourced from a 16mm internegative; in comparison to all the other more crisp and grain-heavy cartoons and bumpers, these are smoother in comparison but still look pretty good (see screenshots #6, 12, 22, 23, and 25 for samples). The only other "exemption from perfection" seems to be the Season 1 end credit sequence, whose only available source element was degraded black- and-white 16mm film.

With those slight exemptions out of the way, it's important to remember that the wide, wide majority of what's seen here looks as impressive as anything else that Warner Archive has put out in recent years. As seen from these direct-from-disc screenshots, a strong consistency has been achieved during each of these 68 episodes despite their varying source materials, no doubt due to the fact that all of their best-available elements (aside from those Yogi cartoons) was recently scanned in 4K and treated to a round of careful manual cleanup to remove virtually all signs of age-related wear-and-tear without sacrificing any of the original film grain. I've attempted to grab a fairly decent cross-section of screenshots representing each main cartoon and many of the secondary elements from all four seasons, so hopefully this paints a reasonably accurate picture of how good everything looks. It's awfully close to perfection in all respects and, for die-hard fans, The Huckleberry Hound Show will be an absolute joy to revisit in such great condition.

For more information on this new reconstruction and lots of other neat little tidbits about The Huckleberry Hound Show, please listen to this recent interview between Tim Millard and Warner Archive's George Feltenstein, and by all means seek out every other WAC-related video and podcast from The Extras while you're at it.

The Huckleberry Hound Show: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio offers a faithful presentation of its one-channel source material which, as usual, arrives in a split two-channel container for wider playback that still sounds perfectly authentic. As expected, a few small fluctuations in volume and fidelity can be heard due to the wide variety of source material that's been newly restored, but everything sounds as good as possible and likely far exceeds whatever came out of your tube TV's tiny speakers all those decades ago. The music cues (whose rights issues were apparently the primary reason why Warner Home Video didn't finish the series on DVD all those years ago) sound especially good even if, like their video counterparts, there's no real comparison gauge since so much of the secondary material hasn't been heard in probably more than a half-century. In all respects, this is equally impressive work and absolutely gets the job done.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during all 68 episodes only, not the extras listed below.

The Huckleberry Hound Show: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Similar to Warner Archive's complete series Blu-ray releases of Cheyenne and Colt .45, The Huckleberry Hound Show ships in deluxe packaging with three multi-disc keepcases (Season 1, Seasons 2-3, and Season 4) tucked snugly inside a sturdy outer slipcase that's heavy on magenta. Episode lists are provided on the back of each case, with perhaps the only small oversight being no season identifiers on the spines. As for the extras, the primary ones are on the 11th and final disc, although the newly unearthed bumpers and commercials sprinkled throughout each episode could also be counted as bonus features in their own right so I'm giving the rating a little courtesy bump.

DISC ELEVEN

• Huckleberry Hound: A Linguistical Masterpiece (5:30) - Linguistics expert Dr. Theodore Rexford McGriffin III offers an astute analysis of Huck's unique vocabulary in this lightweight, tongue-in-cheek tribute.

• The Legendary Sound of Daws Butler (12:42) - The late, great voice actor gets a more fitting tribute from industry professionals including Tom "Spongebob" Kenny, historian Mark Evanier, Charlie "Buster Bunny" Adler, Cory "Captain Hook" Burton, Nancy "Bart Simpson" Cartwright, and animation historian Earl Kress, all of whom share personal memories which are paired with photos and clips from Butler's long and influential career.

• Quotable Quotes Music Video (2:21) - A short G-Funk style music video showcasing Huck's swagger.

The Huckleberry Hound Show: The Complete Original Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

H-B's early cartoon series The Huckleberry Hound Show, preceded only by the studio's flagship production Ruff and Reddy, was their first "variety show" and introduced plenty of fun new characters including good ol' Yogi Bear himself. It's decidedly on-brand for H-B with simple stories, easily distinguishable animation, and outstanding voice work, and what's more is that it still holds up nearly 70 years after its TV debut. Long since disassembled from its original non-stop 30-minute format, Warner Archive once again earns their name with this deep dive into the vaults to reconstruct the true Huck experience by way of long-lost bumpers, interstitials, commercials, and more, bringing the series back to life in a way that will absolutely delight long-time fans. Nicely packaged with a handful of DVD-era bonus features to boot, it's an essential purchase for animation lovers and thus comes very, very Highly Recommended.