Written by Evan Braun
I guess you could call this the epitome of good, clean, wholesome children’s entertainment. It’s hard for me to accurately say just how it rates compared to other similar programs, since I haven’t seen anything like it for 15-20 years.
Unlike other cartoons intended for younger audiences, there’s not much here to appeal to grown-ups; it’s all kids-stuff, valuable lessons, and morality tales. While there’s certainly some fun in seeing our favourite Looney Tunes characters de-aged into toddlers, they don’t bear much recognition to their original selves. For the record, these stories include babies Bugs, Daffy, Taz, Tweety, Sylvester, and Lola (if you’re anything like me, you may be wondering who the heck is Lola?).
As for the morality tales: Lola learns the importance of just being yourself, Daffy discovers what the guilt and consequences that arrives from stealing, Taz learns a thing or two about gluttony, and Tweety finds friendship and solace with her Secret Special Friend (which, while sounding strangely pedophilic, is actually a reference to her shadow). These are combined with stories preaching the importance of showing appreciation to your mother, uncovering the truth behind the tooth fairy myth, and an explication of a few basic laws of physics (such as, snowmen melt when you take them inside).
Video
The animation is actually really strong. Compared to some of the original Looney Tunes adventures, these characters have never looked so good. It’s amazing to note how these characters have changed over the years, from being fully hand-drawn to animated by computers. In any event, this full screen presentation is clear as a bell. Being a children’s show, I wasn’t surprised by the strong use of primary colours, though I was impressed by their vibrancy.
Audio
The audio is mixed competently to address the requirements of kindergarteners. So, no big explosions or car chase sequences to truly dazzle the senses. The disc is notable as being almost entirely without a bass track. Conversely, there’s enough treble here to make you crazy. That said, the music and dialogue all pop reasonably, even though there’s not much to truly take advantage of the disc’s stereo capability. But of course, four-year-olds haven’t heard of stereo, so I doubt the producers are getting any serious complaints.
Extras
In addition to the eight 10-minute episodes, the DVD also showcases 4 sing-along songs (Baby Elmer Had a Friend, D-A-F-F-Y, Taz’s Fridge, and John Jacob Jingle Elmer Fudd) all sung to familiar tunes. You can turn on the subtitles if you want to karaoke it.
It would have been nice to see a bit more. For instance, as an adult, it would have nice to see a glimpse into the creative process. But, since I wasn’t dying to see this DVD anyway, it’s neither here nor there.
Final Thoughts
If you’re three or four years old, this release is definitely for you (also if you happen to be the parent of one). Otherwise, as any rational adult consumer would expect, if you’re looking for fun and hilarious animation, pick up something from Comedy Central.
