Bugs, Daffy, Porky and the rest of the gang lead the list of today’s home video releases as Warner Home Video offers The Looney Toons Golden Collection Volume 2. The four-disc set arrives on shelves along with the 1954 animated adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, The Simpsons Christmas episodes, SpongeBob SquarePants installments and a Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl three-disc gift set.
The Looney Toons Golden Collection Volume 2 contains more than 60 digitally re-mastered and uncut animated shorts, plus bonus cartoons and extra features. Disc one features classic Bugs Bunny favorites, while the second disc focuses on Road Runner and friends. Sylvester, Tweety and friends run the show in disc three and disc four offers an all-star assortment of cartoon favorites including Back Alley Uproar, Book Revue, Corny Concerto and a cavalcade of Hollywood parodies.
Extra features include commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, the 1985 documentary Bugs Bunny’s All Star 50th Anniversary (Part 1 and 2), the 1962 pilot The Adventures of The Road Runner, a 2004 short titled Daffy Duck for President, the 1949 short So Much for Little, the 1952 short Orange Blossoms for Violet and music only tracks. The set lists for $64.92 but is being sold on the Warner Home Video website (http://store.warnervideo.com) for $49.95.
Also available is The Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Volume 2, a two-disc set featuring 30 re-mastered and restored cartoons culled from the Golden Collection Volume 2. This lighter version carries a suggested retail price of $26.99.
Animal Farm, a 1954 animated political satire directed by Joy Batchelor and John Halas, is new on DVD today complete with original storyboards, commentary by film historian Brian Sibley, a 30-minute BBC making-of featurette titled Down on Animal Farm and liner notes by author/art historian Karl Cohen (Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America). The Home Vision Ent. release lists for $24.95.
Turning to TV, fans can pick up The Simpsons Christmas 2, featuring four holiday episodes from the long-running Fox series. "Homer vs. Dignity," "Skinner’s Sense of Snow," "Dude Where’s My Ranch?," and "’Tis the 15th Season" are packaged together for the price of $14.98. Everybody’s favorite sea sponge is also at it again with SpongeBob SquarePants: Sponge for Hire, a compilation of eight animated episodes from Paramount. It lists for $16.99.
Buena Vista Home Entertainment rounds out the list of releases with the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl three-disc gift set, which is a re-issue of the special edition set plus a third disc of extra features. Bonus material includes behind-the-scenes looks at how stars Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush were transformed into their respective characters. A featurette titled The Monkey’s Name is Jack focuses on the film’s scene-stealing primate, and Spirit of the Ride looks at the Disney theme park ride that inspired the movie. This latest edition is available for $29.99.
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