Ideas For 2024-2025 Physical Media Releases

[awinger24]

There are plenty of classic characters celebrating anniversary milestones in 2024 and 2025. I think Warner Archive should take the opportunity to release many of their animated shorts on Blu-Ray for the first time.

A Taz 70th birthday set? Not likely.

A Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote 75th anniversary set? Probably not through Warner Archive but the main label. Many got released in HD on the Platinum Collection. Some that are on the Golden Collection could use an HD upgrade. I could see any of the original pre-1964 shorts on there. The DePatie Freleng shorts got released on the Looney Tunes Super Stars' Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote: Supergenius Hijinks DVD including "The Solid Tin Coyote".

Now, onto 2025.

First up, Tom and Jerry's 85th birthday. It's going to be heavily advertised in Japan. What can we think for US audiences? Only one volume of the Golden Collection was released on Blu-Ray back in 2011 (reprinted in 2020). Plans for a second volume in 2013 were cancelled indefinitely due to the controversy surrounding the removal of "Mouse Cleaners" and "Casanova Cat". I think a new Blu-Ray set with a curated selection of shorts could be ideal. At the same time, Warner Archive has released some of the shorts as bonus features on titles like "Dangerous When Wet" and "Madame Bovary".

- Porky Pig 90th Anniversary Collection. Porky Pig 101 consisted of 65 shorts remastered from "vault prints". This possible Blu-Ray set can include shorts that have been newly restored in HD for HBO Max and MeTV broadcasts. As the oldest mainstay Looney Tunes character, a new 2, 3 or 4-disc set should feature newly restored Porky Pig shorts on to the HD format. Maybe they can reissue some titles from the Looney Tunes Super Stars DVD, "Porky Pig: Hilarious Ham".

- Sylvester 80th Anniversary Collection. There are plenty of Sylvester cartoons (with Tweety or Speedy Gonzales) that have not yet been released on Blu-Ray. With his 80th birthday approaching, and also the 30th anniversary of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries (it should also get a complete series Blu-Ray set), there are plenty of shorts they can include like "Peck Up Your Troubles", "I Taw a Putty Tat", "Pappy's Puppy", or any that has been released on HBO Max and/or exclusive to the I Love Tweety DVDs in Japan. "Tweety's Circus", "Fowl Weather" and "Tweet and Sour" are many that I would like to see on Blu-Ray. They can throw in a couple of Speedy Gonzales shorts that feature Sylvester including the titular 1955 short, "The Pied Piper of Guadalupe", and to complete the pre-1964 series is "Mexican Cat Dance", only available on the WBD Ride app before it shut down last year.

32 Tweety cartoons are yet to be released on Blu-Ray and I see they couldn't do a Tweety 80th Anniversary collection in 2022 likely because of the merger or the budget to do a set.

An 80th birthday title for Yosemite Sam and Pepé Le Pew is not likely. The former has many titles released on Bugs Bunny related titles. The latter has all of his shorts remastered for the Looney Tunes Super Stars DVD series. Maybe they can do a Blu-Ray reissue under the Warner Archive banner. (I likely see "Odor of the Day", "Two Scents Worth" and "Really Scent" getting their HD debut since they were streamed on HBO Max.). LT Super Stars has a bunch of Porky Pig and Sylvester shorts that could be released in HD.

Maybe more volumes of Looney Tunes: Collector's Choice if they have any future plans.

Not a Barney Bear Blu-Ray but maybe something else that goes deeper into the MGM cartoon library as they already revived the Tex Avery Screwball Classics line from VHS/LaserDisc onto Blu-Ray. Maybe something like the MGM Cartoon Magic videos or a Blu-Ray restoration of the Happy Harmonies series?

If you got any ideas or predictions for any physical media releases in 2025, you can share here.

 

[Asa]

I’m expecting to see the 1950’s Popeye shorts finally available on DVD sometime later this decade (they haven’t released any new releases since 2019 and that was because they were focusing on releasing other classics like the Tex Avery Screwball Classics collections).

 

[Moe]

I want to see Warner Archive release all of MM/LT, even banned episodes for collectors.

and I would love to see Sony release all of Color Rhapsody shorts on DVD, BD and digital.

Disney needs to do better job to release more shorts instead of 10 shorts but sadly, Disney is no longer want to continue with their own physical media business, so they outsource to Sony and not sure if we would see Volume 3 set.

I’m expecting to see the 1950’s Popeye shorts finally available on DVD sometime later this decade (they haven’t released any new releases since 2019 and that was because they were focusing on releasing other classics like the Tex Avery Screwball Classics collections).

That too, I'm waiting for 1950s Popeyes shorts to be released digitally.

 

[Pooky]

I do think further Collectors' Choice sets are the most likely outcome at the moment.

Looking ahead a bit but Daffy 90th Birthday and Sylvester & Tweety 80th Anniversary (as a team) sets for 2027 might be a possibility.

 

[awinger24]

Warner Archive should also consider releasing the Looney Tunes compilation movies.

2024 marks the 45th anniversary of The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979). It would be neat if they released a 5-movie set that also includes The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Bugs Bunny’s 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982), Daffy Duck’s Movie: Fantastic Island (1983) and Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters (1988).

Seeing their remastered release of Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 as well as other deep cuts see a lot of potential with their cartoon catalog.

A release I wouldn’t see in a while would be a restored complete series set for Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. All were filmed on 35mm but transferred to videotape.

 

[Pooky]

Warner Archive should also consider releasing the Looney Tunes compilation movies.

2024 marks the 45th anniversary of The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979). It would be neat if they released a 5-movie set that also includes The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Bugs Bunny’s 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982), Daffy Duck’s Movie: Fantastic Island (1983) and Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters (1988).

I certainly wouldn't object to these being released, but I think ideally they wouldn't take priority over any of the shorts that haven't been released in HD yet (I suppose technically there would be a way for some shorts to be released in HD, but in truncated or edited form), let alone those that haven't been released at all or not since VHS or Laserdisc. Maybe my perspective is skewed as someone who isn't a Blu-ray purist, I don't know, are there any people out there who are desperate to own the Fantastic Island linking footage in HD?

 

[Moe]

Warner Archive should also consider releasing the Looney Tunes compilation movies.

2024 marks the 45th anniversary of The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979). It would be neat if they released a 5-movie set that also includes The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Bugs Bunny’s 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982), Daffy Duck’s Movie: Fantastic Island (1983) and Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters (1988).

Seeing their remastered release of Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 as well as other deep cuts see a lot of potential with their cartoon catalog.

A release I wouldn’t see in a while would be a restored complete series set for Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. All were filmed on 35mm but transferred to videotape.

Many of those movies got released by WB Home Entertainment, rather than Warner Archive.

Warner Archive releases movies and shows that haven't released by WB Home Entertainment at first place.

HD remasters are usually released by WB Home Entertainment for those shows that are already released on DVD.

WB had opportunity to release HD remasters of Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs before or after when they premiered new reboot series, but they didn't for unknown reason, so it could have right issues or disagreements with Steven Spielberg.

 

[Low Spark of Lyman]

A Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner set would have been an ideal release alongside Coyote Vs. Acme.

Of course, with that movie now on such tenuous ground, well...

 

[Pooky]

In the past I would have expected some kind of tie-in releases to help promote The Day the Earth Blew Up (even if it's not strictly being released by WB themselves) but nowadays not so much. There were at least some DVD releases to tie in with Space Jam 2 in the UK (Looney[x3] Bugs Bunny Movie, Fantastic Island, Quackbusters, Tweety's High Flying Adventure, Space Tunes and Rabbit Run, all their first releases on UK DVD I believe, plus a re-release of the first Space Jam on DVD and Blu-ray).

I wonder if Warner Bros Archive has any plans to finish off the Famous Studios Popeye cartoons after their release of the 40s cartoons a few years ago? I don't think anyone thinks the 50s was his best decade, but it would still be nice for all of the theatrical Popeye cartoons to be commercially available/released, and if nothing else I think everyone agrees the restoration job done on the 1940s shorts was a revelation after decades of dusky prints. I believe there were 61 shorts in the 50s, which is more or less the number of shorts included in the first WB Popeye set covering 1933-mid 1938, but I sense that's not an option. If they were to stick to the one disc format they maintained for the 1940s releases they could either release 3 volumes of 20-21 shorts, or 4 volumes of 15-16.

 

[Darklordavaitor]

Warner Archive releases movies and shows that haven't released by WB Home Entertainment at first place.

Not necessarily true, a bulk of Warner Archive's recent releases have been for movies from Warner and MGM's libraries that had DVD releases, but not Blu-Ray. They've also released various Hanna-Barbera series or works in HD, like their recent HB 10 or Zombie Island double feature sets.

Even a handful of shorts from the Looney Tunes Collector's Choice discs already had DVD releases, but no HD restoration.

 

[Moe]

Not necessarily true, a bulk of Warner Archive's recent releases have been for movies from Warner and MGM's libraries that had DVD releases, but not Blu-Ray. They've also released various Hanna-Barbera series or works in HD, like their recent HB 10 or Zombie Island double feature sets.

Even a handful of shorts from the Looney Tunes Collector's Choice discs already had DVD releases, but no HD restoration.

Ok, WB is mysterious with two companies release home videos - Warner Archive and WB Home Entertainment.

I don't know about criteria warranted Warner Archive or WB Home Entertainment releases.

I do have issues with some Warner Archive that lacked the closed caption or subtitle, especially H-B shows on DVD released by Warner Archive and they said closed caption and subtitle are special or bonus feature, but it is NOT because it is necessary tool for hard of hearing and deaf viewers to understand the dialogue. However, subtitles are included in all digital releases, even if come from Warner Archive because it is mandatory by Amazon, Apple and Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu).

 

[harry580]

I want a blue sky studios themed box set that contained all of blue sky studios movies, short films & other things, think of it as adult swim in a box

 

[Moe]

I want a blue sky studios themed box set that contained all of blue sky studios movies, short films & other things, think of it as adult swim in a box

Sony would have to release this because Disney outsourced DVD, BD and 4K releases to Sony, but there is a catch, Disney would have to approve first and Disney is well known for abysmal record of DVD, BD and 4K releases.

 

[Darklordavaitor]

Ok, WB is mysterious with two companies release home videos - Warner Archive and WB Home Entertainment.

I don't know about criteria warranted Warner Archive or WB Home Entertainment releases.

I think the general criteria is that Warner Archive is for releases that the studio doesn't think requires a mass release. Older movies that aren't as timelessly marketable as Casablanca or James Dean's works or non-A-list Hanna-Barbera shows probably make more sense for VOD releases from the Archives than a more traditional Home Entertainment release.

It's unfortunate that the Looney Tunes are considered Archive material, but if it means that we get more quality releases like the Collector's Choice and not just cheap Bugs or Tweety discs, I'm all for it.

 

[awinger24]

Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray Discussion Thread - Page 1723 - Blu-ray Forum

"Freddy the Freshman" and "The Queen was in the Parlor" will be available on The Mask of Fu Manchu Blu-Ray when it releases on May 7th.

Also, we got new cartoons making their Blu-Ray debut on June 14th.

"Love and Curses" and "The Sneezing Weasel" will be featured on "The Shining Hour" (1938).
"The Cat's Tale" and "Sports Chumpions" will be included on "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (1941).
These four cartoons, you can exclude them as candidates for the potential Collector's Choice Vol. 4 in the works.


"Roughly Squeaking" and "Slick Hare" will be reissued on "The Man I Love" (1947).

 

[Asa]

That too, I'm waiting for 1950s Popeyes shorts to be released digitally.

• Volume 1 would cover 16 cartoons spanning the years 1950 and 1951 (How Green Is My Spinach to Punch & Judo).
• Volume 2 would compile another 16 cartoons released between 1952 and 1953 (Popeye's Pappy to Shaving Muggs).
• Volume 3 should compile 17 cartoons spanning from 1954 to 1955 (Floor Flusher to A Job for a Gob).
• The fourth and final volume would compile the final 13 cartoons from the Famous Studios era (Hill-billing and Cooing to Spooky Swabs).

 

[Moe]

• Volume 1 would cover 16 cartoons spanning the years 1950 and 1951 (How Green Is My Spinach to Punch & Judo).
• Volume 2 would compile another 16 cartoons released between 1952 and 1953 (Popeye's Pappy to Shaving Muggs).
• Volume 3 should compile 17 cartoons spanning from 1954 to 1955 (Floor Flusher to A Job for a Gob).
• The fourth and final volume would compile the final 13 cartoons from the Famous Studios era (Hill-billing and Cooing to Spooky Swabs).

and complete series like they did with 1940s Popeyes shorts collection.

I'm big fan of complete series.