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Tex Avery Screwball Classics
''Tex Avery Screwball Classics'' is a series of single-disc Blu-ray and DVD sets by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Warner Archive unit collecting various theatrical cartoons from animation director Tex Avery during his tenure at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's cartoon division between the years of 1942 and 1955. It is the first comprehensive collection of Avery's MGM shorts to be released on home media in North America since ''The Compleat Tex Avery'' series of laserdiscs in the 1990s, with many of the shorts having been previously unreleased on DVD or Blu-ray. Volume 1 was released on Blu-ray on February 18, 2020, and on DVD on December 1 with 19 shorts, all presented uncut and digitally restored. Volume 2 was released on both Blu-ray as well as on DVD on December 15, 2020, with 21 shorts. Volume 3 was released on October 5, 2021 with 20 shorts. Background Tex Avery worked at Leon Schlesinger Productions directing ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts for Warner Bros. b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of storing several hours of high-definition video (HDTV 720p and 1080p). The main application of Blu-ray is as a medium for video material such as feature films and for the physical distribution of video games for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The name "Blu-ray" refers to the blue laser (which is actually a violet laser) used to read the disc, which allows information to be stored at a greater density than is possible with the longer-wavelength red laser used for DVDs. The polycarbonate disc is in diameter and thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Conventional or pre-BD-XL Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual-layer discs (50 GB) being the industry standard for feature-l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warner Home Video
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video (for Warner Communications, Inc.). The company launched in the United States with twenty films on Betamax and VHS videocassettes in late 1979. The company later expanded its line to include additional titles throughout 1979 and 1980. History The company launched in the United States with twenty films on Betamax and VHS videocassettes in late 1979. The company later expanded its line to include additional titles throughout 1979 and 1980. Warner Bros. began to branch out into the videodisc market, licensing titles to MCA DiscoVision and RCA's SelectaVision videodisc formats, allowing both companies to market and distribute the films under their labels. By 1985, Warner was releasing material under their own label in both formats. Titl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blitz Wolf
''Blitz Wolf'' is a 1942 American animated propaganda short film produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A parody of the Three Little Pigs told via a World War II perspective, the short was directed by Tex Avery (in his first cartoon for MGM) and produced by Fred Quimby. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons but lost to ''Der Fuehrer's Face'', another anti-Nazi World War II parody featuring Donald Duck.Shull, Wilt (2004), p. 113-114 Plot The plot is a parody of the Three Little Pigs, told from a Second World War anti-German propaganda perspective. In this cartoon, the danger is from Adolf Wolf (Adolf Hitler), who is set on invading the pig's nation of Pigmania. The pig who built his house of stone, "Sergeant Pork" (an homage to '' Sergeant York)'', take his precautions and outfits his house with defense machinery, but the two pigs who built their houses of straw and sticks claim they don't have to take precautions against the wolf beca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The 50 Greatest Cartoons
''The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals'' is a 1994 book by animation historian Jerry Beck. Criteria It consists of articles about 50 highly regarded animated short films made in North America and other notable cartoons, which are ranked according to a poll of 1,000 people working in the animation industry. Each cartoon is under 30 minutes long and cel animated (with the exception of ''Gertie the Dinosaur''). Seventeen of the selected films were produced for Warner Bros.'s ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series, ten of which were directed by Chuck Jones (including the #1 cartoon on the list, ''What's Opera, Doc?''). Forty-five of the selected cartoons were created and released before 1960; the exceptions are ''The Big Snit'' (1985; ), ''The Cat Came Back'' (1988; ), ''Bambi Meets Godzilla'' (1969; ), ''The Man Who Planted Trees'' (1987; ) and ''Quasi at the Quackadero'' (1975; ). The book's front and rear cover art shows a variety of famou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northwest Hounded Police
''Northwest Hounded Police'' is a 1946 American animated short film directed by Tex Avery, produced by Fred Quimby, and featuring Droopy and Avery's wolf character. A remake of Droopy's first cartoon ''Dumb-Hounded'' (also adopting elements from Avery's 1941 Bugs Bunny cartoon ''Tortoise Beats Hare''), the short revolves around the wolf (an escaped criminal) on the run from Droopy, who is trailing the wolf in order to capture him. The title is a play on words on the film '' North West Mounted Police'' (1940). Plot The film opens with a view of " Alka-Fizz Prison", clearly based on the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. A prison sign informs viewers that "No Noose is Good Noose", a pun involving the phrase "no news is good news" and the use of the noose in executions by hanging.Curtis (2011), p. 224-227 The Wolf is depicted as a prisoner in his prison cell. He uses a pencil to draw a "crude door on the wall outside his cell", then opens that door and escapes, making his way from the Uni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Little Rural Riding Hood
''Little Rural Riding Hood'' is a 1949 MGM animated cartoon short subject directed by Tex Avery, conceived as a follow-up to his 1943 cartoon ''Red Hot Riding Hood''. In 1994, the cartoon was ranked in 23rd place of The 50 Greatest Cartoons. It is essentially a retelling of the Aesop fable, "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse". Plot The film opens with a stereotypical hillbilly version of Little Red Riding Hood (voiced by Colleen Collins), telling the audience that she is taking "nourishment" (as she holds up a cliché moonshine bottle) to her grandma, who lives on a country farm. At the farmhouse, a wolf (voiced by Pinto Colvig) reveals himself to the audience, but confesses that he doesn't want to eat Red. He is actually in love with her and wishes to kiss her. After a comical chase around the farmhouse, the wolf catches Red, and both prepare to kiss each other when a telegram arrives for the wolf from his city cousin (voiced by Daws Butler impersonating Ronald Colman), invi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bad Luck Blackie
''Bad Luck Blackie'' is a 1949 American animated comedy short film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The Tex Avery-directed short was voted the 15th-best cartoon of all-time in a 1994 poll of 1,000 animation industry professionals, as referenced in the book ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons''. The title is a play on ''Boston Blackie'', a popular radio show at the time. The cartoon marks the first appearance of Tex Avery's version of Spike the Bulldog (later renamed as Butch the Irish Dog in 1955's "Deputy Droopy"), who would later appear in Droopy cartoons in the late-1940s into the 1950s. Synopsis As the story begins, a small white kitten is being mercilessly tormented by a large, mean bulldog. The kitten manages to escape, and while hiding for safety behind a garbage can, she is met by a bowler hat-wearing, cigar-chomping black cat, who offers to protect the kitten (his business card reads "''Black Cat'' — Bad Luck Company — Paths Crossed–Guaranteed Bad Luck"). The black cat dem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King-Size Canary
''King-Size Canary'' is an animated cartoon short that debuted in movie theaters in 1947. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Tex Avery. The canary in this short was a primary inspiration for the design of Maurice, a character from ''The Wacky World of Tex Avery''. Plot An alley cat searches for food in some garbage cans late at night. Unable to find anything worth his while (the bones he finds are stolen by other alley cats before he can take a bite), he spots a refrigerator inside a house and heads for it. He sneaks onto the property only to wake a sleeping bulldog. The bulldog chases the cat up to the side of the house. The cat quickly pulls out some sleeping pills, putting the dog into a deep sleep. Once inside, the cat searches for food in the kitchen, but comes up empty. His luck finally changes when he notices a can of cat food. He quickly opens the can and out pops a mouse, who is plopped down onto a dinner plate. The cat is about to dig in with a for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Hot Riding Hood
''Red Hot Riding Hood'' is an animated cartoon short subject, directed by Tex Avery and released with the movie ''Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case'' on May 8, 1943, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1994, it was voted number 7 of The 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field, making it the highest ranked MGM cartoon on the list. It is one of Avery's most popular cartoons, inspiring several of his own "sequel" shorts as well as influencing other cartoons and feature films for years afterward. Plot The story begins with a standard, narrated version of ''Little Red Riding Hood'' (with the wolf from ''Dumb-Hounded'', the cartoon which saw the debut of Avery's Droopy). Little Red Riding Hood, the Big Bad Wolf, and Little Red Riding Hood's grandma rebel at this stale and derivative staging of the story and demand a fresh approach. The annoyed narrator accedes to their demands and starts the story again in a dramatically different arrangement. The story begins again, now ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Age Of American Animation
The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the late 1960s, where theatrical animated shorts began losing popularity to the newer medium of television animation, produced on cheaper budgets and in a more limited animation style by companies such as Hanna-Barbera, UPA, Jay Ward Productions, and DePatie-Freleng. Many popular characters emerged from this period, including Disney's' '' Mickey Mouse'', ''Minnie Mouse'', '' Donald Duck'', '' Daisy Duck'', '' Goofy'', and ''Pluto''; Warner Bros.' ''Bugs Bunny'', ''Daffy Duck'', '' Porky Pig'', ''Tweety'', and '' Sylvester''; MGM's ''Tom and Jerry'' and ''Droopy''; Fleischer Studios' '' Betty Boop''; ''Felix the Cat''; Walter Lantz's ''Woody Woodpecker''; Terrytoons' ''Mighty Mouse''; UPA's '' Mr. Magoo''; and Jay Ward Productions' ''Rocky and Bullwinkle''. Feature-length animation began during this period, most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Droopy
Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face; hence his name. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. Essentially the polar opposite of Avery's other MGM character, the loud and wacky Screwy Squirrel, Droopy moves slowly and lethargically, speaks in a jowly monotone voice, and—though hardly an imposing character—is shrewd enough to outwit his enemies. When finally roused to anger, often by a bad guy laughing heartily at him, Droopy is capable of beating adversaries many times his size with a comical thrashing. The character first appeared, nameless, in Avery's 1943 cartoon ''Dumb-Hounded''. Though he was not called "Droopy" onscreen until his fifth cartoon, ''Señor Droopy'' (1949), the character was already named "Droopy" in model sheets for his first cartoon. He was officially first labeled "Happy Hound", ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George And Junior
''George and Junior'' are cartoon characters, two anthropomorphic bears created by Tex Avery for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. All of the George and Junior shorts were directed by Tex Avery in the 1940s. They appeared in four cartoons: ''Henpecked Hoboes'' (1946), ''Hound Hunters'' (1947), ''Red Hot Rangers'' (1947), and ''Half-Pint Pygmy'' (1948). The cartoons would usually follow the misadventures of two bears inspired by George and Lennie from John Steinbeck's ''Of Mice and Men'': George, the short, short-tempered intelligent one (voiced by Dick Nelson) and Junior, the tall, dim-witted one (voiced by Tex Avery). George would usually come up with a plan to fix their current situation. Junior would accidentally mess it up somehow resulting with an angry George saying "Bend over, Junior", and, when Junior does so, George delivers a hard kick to his rear end. Appearances The characters' looks and voices were altered for their fourth appearance. Later, they were brought back to life by Pat V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
