Synopsis
In 1930, the animation department at Warner creates three characters: the Warner Brothers and their sister, Dot. The siblings run riot, however, and are finally caught and imprisoned in the Warner water tower. Flash-forward to today, when they escape to once more wreak havoc.
From the opening song and credit sequence (which echoes The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Hour) on, this is an affectionate look back to the golden age of the Warner Looney Tunes, and mixes postmodern humour w…th an attempt to recapture the zany magic. There is plenty of clever writing here, and the animation is leaps and bounds ahead of many another television offering, but there is a sense, too, of trying a bit too hard, and the manic energy isn’t always quite there (when, in the pilot episode, we are told that the characters are creating chaos, that’s just it: we’re TOLD, not SHOWN). Lots of charm all the same, and don’t worry, there is plenty of the looniness and violence. It just isn’t quite Tex Avery. But then, what is?.
Audio
Both 5.1 and 2.0 options are available here, and the sound is very crisp, clean and free of distortion. It lacks a certain oomph, though. There is some surround in the score, but that’s about it, and there should be a lot of energy here, but you’ll be reaching for the remote to crank up the volume. The job is done, but not much more.
Video
Curiously, I’ve seen cartoons from the era that these ones are imitating that looked better than this. The colours are fine, but the image is a little bit soft. Furthermore, there’s a fair bit of aliasing that is just noticeable enough to be distracting. Odd, then, that these tributes should wind up looking older than the originals.
Special Features
There’s a half-hour of interviews with the voice talent, which is fine as far as it goes, but other than some trailers, that’s it for a five-disc set.
Closing Thoughts
Maybe the series tries too hard, but that’s better than the alternative. Plenty of fun to be had, but the package is far from perfect.
Special Features List
- Interviews with Voice Actors
- Trailers
