The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 5 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 5 Blu-ray Movie Review

A little box of magic tricks.

The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Vol. 5 (1976-1978) is a entertaining collection of theatrical shorts featuring some terrific animated efforts full of comedic moments with breezy music. With the classic theme by the legendary composer Henry Mancini at the forefront of this jazz-infused animated series (which has long been beloved for its use of comedy), audiences can once again return to the world of the Pink Panther in all of its glory with this collection of inspired shorts created during the 1970's.

As produced by the great duo of DePatie-Freleng, The Pink Panther cartoon remains one of the most charming and delightful of all 1970's animated series. There's a charming delight to each and every episode. The series always found ways to entertain with its silliness, absurdity, and wit. Without utilizing dialogue at all, the series thrives by setting its storytelling tune to the rhythm of the great music. The score is enveloping and befitting the tone and style. The goofy nature of the show is one which feels perfectly-suited to audiences of all ages and families.

While the series has a habit of sometimes being a bit repetitive (with shorts such as “The Pink of Arabee” and “The Pink of Bagdad” feeling far too similar to one another than one would like), the production also constantly finds new creative ways to expand upon the zany jokes which made these shorts a success in the first place. All of this is possible, in part, due to the superb creation of the Pink Panther himself: a comic character that is constantly getting into mischief (often by accident).

The fun of these shorts is often in seeing how each comedic concept plays out and where it will end. With animation that has stood the test of time, The Pink Panther remains a gem in animation that inspires laughter and delight with its unique style which has never been duplicated. This is one animated series worth revisiting.

An animated classic.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again

The release includes the follow short animated features:

“Mystic Pink” (6 min. 23 sec.) features the Pink Panther coming across a magician's hat laying alongside the road and the hijinks and perils which come into play. A gigantic bunny makes an appearance in this silly take on magic-tricks via the Pink Panther.

“The Pink of Arabee” (6 min. 16 sec.) is a charming short set across the back-drop of the middle east with the Pink Panther encountering a world which is filled with magic carpets and an enchanted rope that is brought to life by the power of a flute.

“The Pink Pro” (6 min. 18 sec.) features the Pink Panther and The Inspector attempting some new tricks as they experience a number of sporting-events (which naturally go awry) from attempts at archery to sky-diving.

“The Pink Piper” (6 min. 20 sec.) is a sweet-natured short involving the Pink Panther as he traverses a countryside as a piper musician. The Pink Panther plays songs as he trollops along and encounters a land of mice and elephants.

“Pinky Doodle” (6 min. 27 sec.) is a throwback short where the Pink Panther is alerted to the fact that that “the red coats are coming!” from a blue-collar war-general. As the Pink Panther scrambles he encounters a mischievous horse who offers far more trouble than bargained for.

“Sherlock Pink” (6 min. 20 sec.) is a delightful theatrical short which features the Panther donning a Sherlock Holmes hat and iconic magnifying glass while he goes on an interesting odyssey which is every bit as creative as it is hilarious at each turn.

“Rocky Pink” (6 min. 6 sec.) is an engaging and humorous short featuring the Pink Panther becoming friends with a small gray rock (!) which he walks with a leash. The rock takes on an otherworldly quality and the panther treats him as his trusty pet rock companion. It's an oddball piece that is a decidedly quirky delight.

“Therapeutic Pink” (6 min. 16 sec.) is a zany short which features the Pink Panther taking a trip to the doctor's office when a rabid dog bites him furiously in the tail (and won't let go of his grip). With a small dog attached to his tail, the Pink Panther walks around carrying this puppy on a strange trip.

“Pink Pictures” (6 min. 46 sec.) takes the panther on a new journey as he travels across the land in search of great material for his photo-shoot. The Pink Panther encounters a troublesome bird, jumping frog, ginormous bear, buzzing bees, and a deadly crocodile.

“The Pink Arcade” (6 min. 47 sec.) features the lovable Pink Panther taking a trip to the local arcade. Entering into an oasis of entertaining games galore, the panther grabs the wheel for a driving game, places gloves on his paws for a boxing challenge, and aims for glory with a bowling extravaganza.

“Pink Lemonade” (6 min. 46 sec.) is a journey into nightmares for the Pink Panther as he experiences firsthand the trials and tribulations of a little girl who treats the panther like a stuffed animal toy.

“Pink Trumpet” (6 min. 46 sec.) is a zany comic piece where the Pink Panther decides to take on trumpet lessons to the chagrin and frustration of The Inspector, who resides next-door and is infuriated by the loud sounds of the trumpet blasting against his thin hotel walls.

“Dietetic Pink” (6 min. 46 sec.) features an anorexic Pink Panther fearing his weight gains as he starves himself while daydreaming about turkey and other luxurious meals. The piece is a dieting fever-dream nightmare.

“Sprinkle Me Pink” (6 min. 46 sec.) is a comical piece which stars the Pink Panther as he goes out for a tasty picnic only to have his meal ruined by rainy storm-clouds. Unfortunately for the Pink Panther, he struggles to get rid of the clouds as the rain follows him out to town in a one-on-one battle against an uncommonly determined cloud.

“Pink U.F.O.” (6 min. 47 sec.) is a science-fiction mind trip with a tiny little alien spacecraft landing in the home of the Pink Panther. Things escalate quickly as the Panther attempts to take down the flying craft with his vacuum cleaner and household oddities.

“Pink Lightning” (6 min. 46 sec.) centers on a bewitched red vehicle (in the vein of John Carpenter's Christine) as it's spirit energy evolves into a furious race against the Pink Panther.

“Cat and the Pinkstalk” (6 min., 47 sec.) is a fun take on the classic fable of Jack and the Beanstalk.

“Pink Daddy” (6 min. 46 sec.) is a unique take on a “parent comedy” as the Pink Panther becomes a unexpected daddy to a dinosaur delivered on accident by a flying bird. After going through a zany experience of Dino-level magnitude, another delivery is made (and this time the issue has fins.)

“Pink S.W.A.T.” (6 min. 46 sec.) is one of the best shorts in the collection. As the Pink Panthers attempts to take down a buzzing fly he uses his trusty vacuum cleaner to try and overtake it before the day is done. Unfortunately, the fly has other plans and his ability to take down the fly is altogether quite questionable.

“Pink and Shovel” (6 min. 46 sec.) features the beloved comic panther as he takes up the working grind of a construction worker while painting the town with his brush.

“Yankee Doodle Pink” is another early-war time-period short focusing on the Pink Panther and his encounters with an energetic horse.

“Pet Pink Pebbles” (6 min. 45 sec.) explores the Pink Panther on a quest to get himself a pet of some sort (whether that be a dog, cat, or mouse). The journey this takes him on is one that is full of surprise mishaps and adventures.

“The Pink of Bagdad” (6 min. 46 sec.) is a humorous short which returns the Pink Panther to the land of the middle east. Enchanted rope and other magical items are utilized in a fantasy-land world which is unlike anything else seen to pantherkind.

The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 5 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The release arrives on Blu-ray from Kino presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The release is presented in 1080p high definition in an MPEG-4 AVC encoded presentation. The release is a bit inconsistent with many of the shorts featuring a lot of wear to the prints with sprinkles of dust, dirt, debris, and scratches on the prints. Some shorts are cleaner and a bit more robust looking but on the whole none of these shorts appear to have received much in the way of a restorative effort.

It's not a home-run presentation and the film stock shows its age throughout. The one area in which the release shows a significant noteworthy improvement is in color reproduction. The colors are relatively good given both the age and quality of the source material. Compression on the release is average and could have utilized higher bit-rates but the release is still a modest high-definition upgrade for these classic animated shorts.

The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 5 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 audio track. The release features the terrific music of Henry Mancini. As the shorts themselves are focused on the music score and sound effects, each animated short emphasizes the music as a prominent backdrop to the cartoon storytelling.

The music is beautiful even if the release has limited fidelity given source limitations. The release is free from having distracting pops, cracks, or hiss. Though the clarity and depth is somewhat limited this is a modest sounding HD audio track that gets the job done.

The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 5 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Volume 5 release includes an assortment of informative audio commentary tracks featuring a wide range of special guests from author Mark Arnold (Mystic Pink, The Pink of Arabee, Pink Piper, Therapeutic Pink, The Pink of Bagdad), cartoon writer William Hohauser (The Pink Pro, Pink U.F.O.), William Hohauser & director Art Leonardi (Rocky Pink, Pet Pink Pebbles), filmmaker Greg Ford (Pinky Doodle, Pink Trumpet, Pink S.W.A.T., Yankee Doodle Pink) and cartoon historian Jerry Beck (Sherlock Pink, Pink Arcade).

Animated Main Titles – 8 Blake Edwards Films (HD, 33 min.) is simply a compilation video of the high- definition main titles from the live-action Pink Panther film series as featuring the animated panther sleuth.

Think Pink – How to Draw the Pink Panther with Art Leonardi (SD, 4 min. 17 sec.) is an entertaining and well-produced look at the creation of a Pink Panther drawing with famed animator Art Leonardi discussing his method to drawing the Pink Panther character from blank canvas to creating a vibrant, creative design.

The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 5 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Pink Panther animated shorts are some of the best classic cartoon shorts ever put onto celluloid. Having grown up watching these cartoons and enjoying the live-action features starring Peter Sellers, revisiting the cartoons on Blu-ray is a true delight. The presentation quality might not be perfect but its still a high-definition upgrade worth collecting for fans of these charming shorts. It's nearly impossible to watch these terrific shorts without a smile or grin on your face.