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Happy New Year! Welcome to the first STS of 2012. I hope everyone had a great 2011 and I hope 2012 is even better! (That is, if the world doesn’t end.) I want to thank everyone who shared and commented on my Top 5 Superhero Cartoons of All Time, I love getting your feedback. Moving on, this year we are starting out with the newest incarnation of one of the longest running, classic cartoon shows ever, Looney Tunes!

Title: The Looney Tunes Show
Company: Warner Bros. Animation
Distributed by: Warner Home Video
US Release Date: December 6, 2011
Length: 89 min.
Rating: Not Rated
Volume: Season 1: Volume 2

The Looney Tunes Show is the most current take on our favorite Warner Bros. characters. The show debut in 2010 and is based on the premise of Bugs and Daffy sharing a house in suburbia with many fellow Looney Tuners as neighbors. The series brings these classic characters into modern times with references to current events, pop culture, and technology. Clearly made for kids, the show still does have a broad enough appeal that adults will enjoy it, as well. Seeing how these characters from our childhood fit in and react to the modern world is a big treat. With the advances in animation technology, the show even features segments with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote that are in 3D/CGI animation. The show also has a great “odd couple” feel to it seeing as how Bugs and Daffy live together but couldn’t be more different.

In this 2nd volume of season 1, we get four great episodes that include Daffy’s high school reunion, Bugs mistaking Taz for a “pet dog,” Daffy and Bugs helping a young monster make friends, and Bugs and Daffy on a vacation. The vacation episode entitled “Cas De Calma,” my personal favorite, involves Bugs and Daffy vying for the affection of the lovely movie star “Starlett Johansson” in classic Looney Tunes style. Most grown ups will likely be able to relate to Daffy in “Reunion” as he deals with his anxiety about attending his high school reunion. As usual, Bugs steals the episode, especially at the end with his reveal of what he did instead of going to high school. “Devil Dog” follows the age old plot line of the main character being oblivious to something that everyone else can easily see, but ends with everyone learning a life lesson. Most of these episode have some kind of moral lesson underneath the fun and laughs, just as any good cartoon should.

With good, family fun stories, and great humor, this collection is not to be missed. Take joy in seeing your childhood toons living in the burbs and having to deal with regular life in the looniest way imaginable. Also included as intermissions in each episodes are the Road Runner/Coyote 3D-animated shorts that play out pretty much as you would expect, with Wile getting thrashed in every way possible. If that’s not enough, they also have some pretty funny Merrie Melodies shorts that are essentially Looney Tune music videos with crazy lyrics. I thought it was great how they arranged all these shorts in the episodes in a way that helps to break up the story. It gives you the feel of what it was like when movies had short intermissions. If you love Looney Tunes or if you want your kids to experience these characters for the first time, this is the set to pick up!

Nick Zamora
nickz@comicattack.net