The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 2

Description

In this collection of twenty animated theatrical shorts, the Pink Panther firmly hits his stride, the character’s persona first established and refined in his previous twenty films. The Pink Panther of 1966-1968 is just reaching his prime, one blithe cat maintaining his cool in the face of an uptight society, often personified by the stress-wracked “Little Man.” Here, as always, are pop-culture parodies (the still-timely superhero spoof Super Pink), satires of ’60s counterculture (Psychedelic Pink), and flirtations with outright surrealism (The Hand Is Pinker Than the Eye, Pink Outs). With production supervised by animation legend Friz Freleng, and direction largely handled by the Panther’s original graphic designer Hawley Pratt, these shorts blend classic cartoon slapstick with a more modern sensibility that make them favorites with audiences of all ages.Special Features:-20 shorts in chronological order (21-40) - All with original audio (no laugh tracks) -Audio commentaries for selected films by author Mark Arnold, historian Jerry Beck, filmmaker Greg Ford, cartoon writer William Hohauser, and veteran DePatie-Freleng storymen Tony Benedict and Art Leonardi -Pink Outs (TV Version) -From Page to Screen - In the Pink (5:26) -From Page to Screen - The Pink Blueprint (6:22)-Reversible Blu-ray art Review: Pink Perfection For the Animation Enthusiast - In a world where home media releases of restored classic cartoons have all but dried up, these Kino-Lorber blu-ray sets of DePatie-Freleng shorts are a real treat. “Pink Panther Cartoon Collection Volume 2” picks up where the first set left off, giving us 20 more Pink Panther shorts, fully remastered and in chronological order. This is where the Pink Panther series really hit its stride, although one could argue that it was on firm ground right out of the gate. They’re definitely an anomaly of their time period...the 1960’s were an era of shrinking budgets and waning interest in theatrical cartoons. The minimalist, stylized designs and simple, quickly-paced gag structure made these shorts easy to produce quickly, appealing to all ages, and as at home at the multiplex or drive-in as they were on Saturday morning TV. These cartoons have never looked and sounded so good. If you already own them on DVD, this is a definite upgrade. The clarity and depth of color are remarkable, and the brassy soundtracks are free of any added-for-TV “laugh tracks”. Be sure to check out the bonus commentaries, which add welcome and informative context. This is a set made by cartoon lovers, for cartoon lovers! The effort that MGM/UA and Kino Lorber put into this compilation is really above and beyond the call of duty, and animation fan and history buff can’t thank them enough. I understand these have sold well, and a volume 3 and 4 are already in the works. If only companies like Warner Bros., Disney, and Universal would get their butts in gear and put out cartoon sets like this with all the material they’ve been sitting on. Complete, chronological Bugs Bunny? Tex Avery’s MGM shorts? Goofy in HD? Complete Woody Woodpecker? C’mon, guys, there’s still a hungry market for this stuff! Review: it’s perfect - the blu ray plays beautifully. i love it, thank you!