FINALLY:The review is in for The Chronological Donald

[Nelson]

Just checked out dvdtoons.com and they have posted the first offical review of wave 3's The Chronological Donald.Here's the direct link...

www.dvdtoons.com/reviews/302

Del Walker who wrote the article even feels the same way that I do, as the Donald Duck collection has recieved the least amount of attention, compared to the other three sets that are getting the star treatment.

Buy enjoy the great review!

[bigshot]

Disney is crazy to package their cartoons this way. Their shorts on the average just aren't good enough to stand up to bulk viewing. I can see someone watching an hour of Bugs Bunny cartoons without getting bored, but I can't imagine anyone sitting through hours on end of Donald Duck cartoons... or even worse, the Pluto set that's been announced for the next batch. (Here he is with a turtle... now it's an armadillo... now it's a canary... now it's Figaro the kitten... Here's Pluto with his weiner dog girlfriend... Aargh! I bet that DVD could be used to torture Iraqis!)

Ever since Cartoon Network chopped up the Hanna Barbera shows into "superchunks", we've had to endure these massive ejaculations of unprogrammed bulk. I wish they would go back to getting someone who enjoys the cartoons and have put them in collections that gather together complementary cartoons from a variety of series and vintages. Then do the same with *different* titles for the next wave. Of course, that would require that someone sit down and actually watch the cartoons and plan the best way to release them so they remain entertaining. No one at the studios seems willing to do that.

See ya
Steve

[Paul Penna]

Disney is crazy to package their cartoons this way. Their shorts on the average just aren't good enough to stand up to bulk viewing.

As a collector, though, this procedure simplifies my life. Selfish reason, maybe, but there you are.


I wish they would go back to getting someone who enjoys the cartoons and have put them in collections that gather together complementary cartoons from a variety of series and vintages. Then do the same with *different* titles for the next wave. Of course, that would require that someone sit down and actually watch the cartoons and plan the best way to release them so they remain entertaining. No one at the studios seems willing to do that.

I thought Leonard Maltin was the driving force behind the Treasures series. I know he came up with the idea originally, and his continued involvement on some level is undeniable. I wonder if the the decision to package them in this way is his.

[Thad Komorowski]

As a collector, though, this procedure simplifies my life. Selfish reason, maybe, but there you are.Amen. Getting the cartoons on chronological, complete collections (i.e. Tom & Jerry and Tex Avery LDs, Donald and Goofy DVDs) saves the chore of having to go through several DVDs or VHS collections to type up a cartoon database.

The Donald cartoons are the most enjoyable color Disney cartoons, IMHO... Not to mention that some of the Donalds on the FIRST set are some of Disney's best short work..


-Thad

[rex racer]

From my vantage point I've always wished that Disney, or Warner Bros., MGM, whoever..., would simply do a chronological release of all the cartoon films they released, so that say with, WB 1936, you'd have a nice mix of one shot Merrie Melodies to break up all the "Porky Pig" Looney Tunes. Same would work with Silly Symphonies and Mickey, and Donald etc. Variety is better this way.

Still going by character, I can see the companies holding the rights to these films probably have better marketing possibilities using the unadulterated "star power".

Does anyone have a carousel DVD player which can randamly pick individual cartoon titles for playback off of various DVDs? This would be the ultimate mix.

[JCorey3rd]

In the future, we will have home entertainment centers that will create our own channels using the DVDs in your collection. And you can have all these various collections in the harddrive. You can mix them up randomly - just like an idiot cable channel programmer. Or you can be very selective in themes. But by having the complete collection - it's all up to you.

This is the future for Syndication For One.

And while these Disney cartoons might not hold up to "bulk" viewing, we're not being forced to watch them all in one shot - this is not a patched together "movie" like what Warners did with Looney Tunes. Sometimes I just want to pop in "hockey Homicide." Gimme the love in bulk.

[Nelson]

I like when cartoons are presented in chronological order, instead of just random cartoons mixed up.Regarding Donald, I think that the Chronological Donald may be the surprise set out of wave 3.

[GeniusInTheLamp]

I also ordered THE CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD DUCK :donald:. And I also prefer the chronological order of packaging; it allows me to watch the animation and character develop over time. It also seems more efficient to me to do it this way, as opposed to haphazardously mixing the shorts together.

[bigshot]

I know collectors prefer complete chronological releases. But can you imagine the general public enjoying them that way?

There just aren't that many completist collectors out there. Releasing them like this just guarantees that they'll end up on the remainders table. The next time we want them, the marketing department will say, "No one wants old cartoons any more." The mispackaging of the Golden Age of Looney Tunes back in the VHS/Laser days is why we don't have that many Warner cartoons now. They packaged those for collectors, not the general public and it bit them in the rear.

No cartoon series was intended to be viewed in big chunks like that. I learned that when the LA County Art Museum staged a screening of Tex Avery cartoons... After 2 hours of MGM Tex cartoons, I was completely exhausted. I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of Freleng Tweetie cartoons on a DVD collection, but I sure don't want to watch every one right after each other. But that's pretty much what we're going to get in the next batch of Warner DVDs because some marketing genius thinks Tweety is popular. I have trouble getting through a single side of the Tom & Jerry laserdisc box sets... and I love these cartoons. Imagine what someone thinks to whom cartoons are just another thing to rent at Blockbuster.

It's nice to have them in chronological order to refer to, but it sure dillutes the entertainment value that way. Maybe someday we'll have non-linear video viewing like the mp3 players of today. We'll be able to create carefully programmed playlists of cartoons ourselves, or view them randomly. That would be very nice.

See ya
Steve

[Thad Komorowski]

There just aren't that many completist collectors out there. Releasing them like this just guarantees that they'll end up on the remainders table. The next time we want them, the marketing department will say, "No one wants old cartoons any more." The mispackaging of the Golden Age of Looney Tunes back in the VHS/Laser days is why we don't have that many Warner cartoons now. They packaged those for collectors, not the general public and it bit them in the rear.
I think that's really the reason why LD failed, because they ONLY marketed to collectors, not casual fans, so the prices were always sky-high. The prices for awful, awful movies on laserdisc were even ridiculous.


-Thad

[chuckamuck43]

...I can see someone watching an hour of Bugs Bunny cartoons without getting bored, but I can't imagine anyone sitting through hours on end of Donald Duck cartoons...Steve

I'm with you (and the DVDToons reviewer) on that, Steve.

Back when Disney, HB, and the rest began releasing their catalogs to VHS, I spent many hours in front of the TV "marathoning" those one-character tapes. I discovered that no matter how much I love those cartoons the only characters I could watch for hours were Bugs and Daffy (IMHO, because of the variety of directorial styles).

The toughest shorts to watch in bulk for me were the early H-B shorts. They're my all-time fave H-B stuff, but after 45 minutes of Augie Doggie or Pixie and Dixie I was ready to shoot the TV.

Here's hoping that when Huck & Yogi & pals finally come to DVD that they're released the way they originally aired.

[Cartman]

No one says that you have to watch them for hours at once. I don't think anything can be watchable for four hours at once, no matter how good it is. That's the goodness of DVD/video. They can be stopped and watched again later on. I certainly don't watch any of my cartoon tapes or DVDs for hours on end at once. I usually watch only about two or three cartoons at a time.

BTW, has anyone besides me noticed that the word "cartoon" seems to keep being highlighted?:confused:

[chuckamuck43]

...I certainly don't watch any of my cartoon (http://www.adsrve.com/linkredirect.php?h=502,23424759,toonzone.net,1) tapes or DVDs for hours on end...BTW, has anyone besides me noticed that the word "cartoon" seems to keep being highlighted? :confused:


Yeah, its a link to a car loan ad - what's going on?

[TimL]

I'm with you (and the DVDToons reviewer) on that, Steve.

Back when Disney, HB, and the rest began releasing their catalogs to VHS, I spent many hours in front of the TV "marathoning" those one-character tapes. I discovered that no matter how much I love those cartoons the only characters I could watch for hours were Bugs and Daffy (IMHO, because of the variety of directorial styles).

The toughest shorts to watch in bulk for me were the early H-B shorts. They're my all-time fave H-B stuff, but after 45 minutes of Augie Doggie or Pixie and Dixie I was ready to shoot the TV.

Here's hoping that when Huck & Yogi & pals finally come to DVD that they're released the way they originally aired.
I agree on that..My library had a VHS tape of nothing but "It's the Wolf" from HB's Cattanooga Cats..My wife and I sat down to watch (about 12 episodes) The first 2 or 3 for her were kind of cute but after awhile they do sort of wear on you..

Tim Lones

[Larry T]

I know collectors prefer complete chronological releases. But can you imagine the general public enjoying them that way?
Contrary to my own personal preferences, I'd have to agree with you on this. Can you image Joan T. Soccermom or Johnny Attache buying a "Chronological Bugs Bunny" set, for example, and sitting down to watch the first disk of 6 or 7 cartoons and saying to themselves, "Hey- this isn't the Bugs Bunny I remember and wanted to see. These are too weird and somewhat stupid. I don't have the time for boring historical garbage like this. Where's the "Kill the Wabbit" cartoon?......."

At least, however, when the cartoons are chronological, it makes it easier to go to the DVD you want to watch rather than browsing the menu wondering which disk had the cartoon on it you're after.