Woody Woodpecker & Friends Classic Collection [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Region 2 playersAlthough supposedly for Region 1 players (US), this collection plays on all my Region 2 DVD players (3 different) like other cartoons I've reviewed which have come from the States and should be region 1 (US).ContentThere are far more catoons in this collection than in the similarly boxed collection available in the UK. Compared to about 22 cartoons in the UK version, this US collection has 76 cartoons, plus 4 behind the scenes with Walter Lantz (Woody's creator) and a TV show episode for Halloween. Woody stars in 45 cartoons, Andy Panda in 6; Chilly Willy the penguin in 5; the rest being Cartune Classics; Swing Symphonies and Oswald the Rabbit from the early years.HistoryOswald the Lucky Rabbit (B/W, animated in the 1930's) was 'stolen' from Disney who created him originally. Walter Lantz was commissioned to continue with the character while Disney was left to lick his wounds, eventually coming up with Mickey Mouse as a replacement! Infact, Oswald and Mickey have little difference in appearance apart from their ears. Thereafter, Disney was a stickler for copyright and control which, in the end, enabled his studio to grow and diversify.Meanwhile, animated by Lantz, Oswald continued, his studio grew and was won from Universal Pictures in a poker bet (!) - but eventually Oswald's popularity dwindled and Lantz and his team came up with another character, Andy Panda. Woody Woodpecker was featured in 'Knock, Knock' an Andy Panda title, and his crazy antics were so popular that he became the dominant star on the Lantz studios.QualityVery good - the release dates of the cartoons featured range from the 1930's to the mid '50's. The packaging is colourful and the outer box sleeve has a nice cut out of Woody.SuitabilityWhile kids of all ages will enjoy the cartoons, for collectors and serious animation buffs, this is a superb package with plenty of worthwhile extras to drool over.

This item, which I ordered recently from one of Amazon.uk's marketplace sellers, is a textbook example of the right way to compile a set of vintage cartoons. It contains 75 Walter Lantz cartoons (spread over three discs), dating from the 1930s onwards, and originally made for the cinema. Most of them feature Woody Woodpecker, but there are also plenty featuring characters like Chilly Willy and Andy Panda - and, not least, a collection of miscellaneous cartoons which, for example, satirise American history, Hollywood movies, etc. The DVD menus are clearly presented and easy to navigate. There are no advertisements for other products to have to sit through first. According to the information on the box, these cartoons are digitally remastered and completely uncut. As for the first part of that statement, I would say that both picture and sound quality are outstanding (and, for that matter, the best I've found in any cartoon compilation). Regarding their being completely uncut, I certainly see no reason whatsoever to dispute this. Unlike the various Disney compilations, this set contains no introductions to cartoons which might be taken as politically incorrect. There is, however, a warning printed on the box, stating that the DVDs are intended for adult collectors and may not be suitable for children. Be that as it may, I think that for animation quality and sheer inventiveness of gags, these toons take the cake! Those of us who recall the old News & Cartoon Cinemas should enjoy them especially. Several extra features are provided in the form Woody Woodpecker on TV, the story of his origins, and a behind-the-scenes look at creating a cartoon. I found the price of this DVD set to be very reasonable considering the high quality of the product, and more than adequate value for money. Let's hope that other companies which market cartoon DVDs take note of how things really should be done!

Thanks

The best thing this set is that it has all four of the cartoons Tex Avery did for Universal in the 50s, and also examples of his early work as an animator there in the 30s.Picture quality is as good as I've seen for any classic animation on DVD.

My daughters happy with it.

Good quality. Keeps the little ones entertained

When cartoons were still fairly innocent. My kids are loving this box set!

Animação antiga, tem muito boa qualidade de imagem.

un excellent coffret avec surtout les anciennes versions qui sont pour ma parts les meilleurs avec en plus certains dessins annimés de tex avery que je n'avais jamais vu et qui sont vraiment top

Grandson very happy product arrived on.time good viewing