Studio executives can’t leave characters alone. They need to update things and make new product with recognizable characters that they own. Often this turns into a disaster such as the completely forgotten Leave It to Beaver movie or Knight Rider. Devoted fans watch for five minutes and ask that unfortunate question: Was this trip necessary? But there are times when a revamp proves to be entertaining enough. The Looney Tunes Show is that. By placing Bugs Bunny, Daffy and Porky in a sitcom setting, they succeed better than the new Looney Tunes cartoons that came out a decade ago. Since they’re no longer working as animated shorts, Bugs doesn’t get judged against his Chuck Jones era self. The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume 3 unpacks another four episodes.
“The Foghorn Leghorn Story” casts Daffy Duck in the movie about the world’s most famous unroasted rooster. Shouldn’t the Bird Union be complaining about waterfowl taking parts away from chickens? Daffy’s diva attitude gets him in plenty of trouble during the production. The bonus cartoon is “Silent but Deadly.” The Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote chase and allude each other across a CGI desert location. “Eligible Bachelors” puts Bugs and Daffy up for bids at a bachelor’s charity auction. Lola Bunny (voiced by Bridemaids‘s Kristen Wiig) claims Bugs and they go to Paris to fall in love. Daffy gets grabbed by the old lady (June Foray) to clean up her attic. Daffy is thrilled to her tales of fighting the Nazis in Paris. “Winter Blunderland” is more Road Runner and Coyote action. “Peel of Fortune” gets Daffy into the world of Billy Mays by wanting to inventing a device that will mainly make him rich. He steals a design from Bugs and things go really wrong. “We R in Love” is a duet between Bugs and Lola. “Heavy Metal” is another installment of the Coyote chasing the Road Runner. “Double Date” puts Daffy in the dating pool. He begs Lola for the lines a woman really wants to hear from her date. He’s so good at faking sincerity, Lola falls for him. He wants to date a duck from the copy space. He doesn’t understand that whatever Lola wants, Lola gets. “Be Polite” beings together Mac, Tosh and Mavin the Martian.
The four episodes of The Looney Tunes Show move sitcom fast. The comedy is contemporary with characters being altered for the 21st Century. Purists might object, but if you’re watching along with a kid, you’ll laugh at plenty of the jokes. You just have to remember that these aren’t your grandfather’s cartoons. The Looney Tunes Show is your animated sitcom.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. It’s a new show so the transfers are good. You get to see the CGI textures of the Road Runner’s universe. The audio is Dolby Digital Surround Stereo. The musical moments match the moments of mayhem. Daffy gets loud, but not overpowering. There are dub tracks in Spanish, Portuguese and Thai. The episodes are subtitled in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Thai.
No Bonus Features.
The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume 3 is another four episodes of the new series. Making Bugs and Daffy housemates works well for the sitcom format. Best comedic element of the show is having Daffy play Foghorn Leghorn. If only they had cast a turkey in the mix they could have made them a huge Turducken.
Warner Home Video presents The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume 3. Starring: June Foray, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen and Jennifer Esposito. Set Contents: 4 episodes on 1 DVD. Released on DVD: March 13, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.
