The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker February 4, 2026

Featuring the work of Walter Lantz, Universal brings the 'Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection' to Blu-ray. Twenty-five episodes starring the famous fowl and other characters are included here on this single-disc release. Extras include an assortment of vintage shorts focused on various aspects of the creation of cartoons (many feature Lantz himself to some degree). along with the "Spook-A-Nanny" short. The release features pleasing audio and video presentations of material much of which is now over fifty years old. Neither a slipcover, nor a Digital Copy are included.

My love of film started years ago. As a youth, the local movie theater (with just three screens) had special summer programming for grade-school aged children to provide them with something to keep them entertained in the days before physical media and streaming put a wealth of content at our population's collective fingertips. For a very modest price, we had access to approximately eight weeks of film-going thrills. Several played twice a week during the afternoons for those two months. While I wasn't necessarily a fan of every film that I saw, several of their number, such as Around the World in 80 Days, Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines and the Sinbad films which featured Ray Harryhausen's wonderful stop-motion work captured my imagination. It was also here, via shorts that played before and between the films, that I was first introduced to Woody Woodpecker and many other cartoon creations that lived outside of the more readily available Looney Tunes and Disney stables. With his limitless energy and unusual laugh, he quickly became a favorite.

It was some number of years later that I happened upon a television airing of interview with Walter Lantz and his wife. which proved the notion that inspiration can come from even the most unlikely source. During the interview, they relayed that the idea for Woody Woodpecker materialized during their honeymoon. As the story went, they were frequently bothered by a noisy woodpecker outside of their window. The contention was that the bothersome bird even made a sound similar to the beloved bird's unmistakable laugh, and his wife, Grace, found she could imitate it rather well. This was all Walter Lantz needed to create the character with which he is probably most closely associated. Perhaps not as popular as a certain rabbit or mouse, he's had a substantial film, television, and comic book presence (thanks especially to Dell and Gold Key), and more contemporarily, a web series and two recent films

Much of the bird's slapstick antics found in this collection are relatively timeless, as he tries to foil his landlady, hitches a ride south for the winter, and the like. But, as with anything created in a different era, the adventures of Woody Woodpecker and his friends that are catalogued here are not without their issues when viewed through modern eyes. Some of the characters and the content of the shorts included here display attitudes and characterizations that haven't aged particularly well and are certainly at odds with modern sensibilities. "Heap Big Hepcat (1960)", for example, sees some problematic representations of Native Americans. The Andy Panda led short "Andy Panda Goes Fishing (1940)" is one tale that becomes increasingly difficult to watch due to its blatantly racist depictions of African and African American characters. 1940's "Syncopated Sioux" once again has additional troubling depictions of Native Americans. Some may view it as a product of its time and understand and view it accordingly. Others who are new to the characters and the stories may simply choose to skip ahead to the next short.

Fans expecting to see the (mis)adventures Woody Woodpecker in each of these shorts should be advised that Woody only features in eight of the 25 cartoons included here. The others follow Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, and other characters. Toward the end of the set, Lantz sets his sights on some traditional fairy tale and nursery rhyme fair, such as his ten-minute take on Sleeping Beauty, a story centered around Tom Thumb, Jr., and another on the "Three Little Kittens". This, I believe, plays to the set's benefit. The troublesome woodpecker's antics are great fun to watch and his ever-ready smile and outlandish laugh do much to soften any of his actions that could potentially be viewed in a negative light. And, as is the case with many of the cartoons from the era that leverage slapstick and violence, none of the impacts of getting bitten by an alligator, shot into space, or blown up are particularly calamitous or long-lasting. But, by adding Chilly Willy, Petey Panda, and other characters, viewers are provided with a more varied and interesting viewing experience that makes it easy to sit through all the material here in one go, and enjoy their vintage charms.

The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, the AVC-encoded image largely looks vital and refreshed. I was immediately struck with how vivid the colors on the Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection release looked. As soon as the action started, vivid reds, blues, and yellows popped, which is important as likely about two-thirds of the titular bird is comprised of these colors. There is, however, some variation in the hues of Woody's body from one short to the next. For example, the blue of his body is deeper and more well-saturated in the first short, "Woodpecker in the Rough", but is dialed back slightly in the next feature, "Get Lost! Little Doggy". Reds appear more consistent across all episodes, and it is worth noting that colors remain consistent within each short. Line work is handled well, representing as consistently smooth and even with no stair-stepping detected. Motion is even, fluid and realistic. While very pleasing to watch, the image is not perfect, as there there are some relatively minor issues on display. White specks, dirt, and age-related damage are visible on occasion, as are periodic density fluctuations. Some shorts fair much better than others. The "Adventures of Tom Thumb Jr." short seems to have faired the worst with, with colors that are less convincing and an image that is much grainier. Damage is also more obvious here, and there are some instances of color instability. On the whole, none of the shortcomings I noticed are dealbreakers, and fans of Lantz's mischievous bird and other cartoon creations should be very happy with the image on display here. All 25 cartoons are housed on one BD-50.

The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track is more than up to the task of what is required here. Character voices are reproduced well, with higher- pitched voices such as Woody's being as clear and intelligible as lower tones, such as Smedley's. Dialogue is properly prioritized and sits neatly on top of the score and cartoon mayhem. Sound effects, and there are many of all sorts, are handled well in shorts that are occasionally chaotic. Volume levels remain extremely consistent from one short to the next, as do dynamic ranges, regardless of the the decade of their creation. Music is likewise handled well, whether it be Woody's familiar theme music, the vintage vocal harmonies found in "The Sleeping Princess" and "Kittens' Mittens", the syncopated rhythms of "The Bongo Punch", or the playful horns, woodwinds, and keys that populate "Paw's Night Out". It's a solid, busy track. English SDH subtitles are also available.

The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release is also host to a variety of shorts, most of which pertain to the art (and business) of creating cartoons, and most also feature Walter Lantz in some capacity. The segments are detailed below.

• Cartoonland Mysteries (10.48) - This vintage, dramatized, black-and-white feature shows viewers how animated shorts are made. All aspects are covered from scriptwriting, to art, to foley work, and scoring.

• Spook-A-Nanny (8.09) - Woody Woodpecker stops by a Halloween party attended by Chilly Willy, and a host of others. It turns out to be more tricks than treats. Colors are vibrant, though stair-stepping is an issue, and it does not match the more impressive quality of the other shorts included in this release.

• Drawing Woody and Andy (4.44) - Viewers learn how to draw the characters in this vintage segment.

• Directing Animated Cartoons (4.04) - This short dramatized segment informs viewers of the various responsibilities shouldered by directors.

• Timing a Cartoon (4.09) - This segment displays how metronomes and timesheets are used to guide the actions of animated characters.

• Character Movement (2.38) - Watch an animator work on a series of drawings to make a character move and then commit them to film.

• The Animator's Job (3.47) - Watch as the director goes over storyboards with the animators and assigns scenes for them to complete.

• Using Backgrounds (4.05) - The work of the background artist is brought into focus.

• Drawing with Walther Lantz (4.50) - Lantz covers a new book being created to help others learn to draw by sharing a variety of tips from him and other professionals.

• Storyboarding Woody Woodpecker (4.08) - Viewers are guided through the storyboards for a cartoon staring Woody Woodpecker.

The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The product of a bygone era, most of the adventures of Woody Woodpecker and his associates still amuse and entertain as well as they did at the point in time at which they were conceived. A few of the segments may run at odds with modern views and sensibilities. but even passing over those few shorts, there is a great deal here to enjoy and appreciate. Throughout the shorts included on this release I was consistently struck by the hand-drawn animation of these tales which possess an aesthetic quality and a soul that is somehow absent in the flashier, modern CGI work. For fans of the characters and the work of Walter Lantz, the Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection comes highly recommended.