Search - The Amazing 300 Classic Cartoon Collection on DVD

Largest animation collection ever!

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 04/08/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"MCE's AMAZING 300 CLASSIC CARTOON COLLECTION combines their ULTIMATE 150 CARTOON FESTIVAL and 150 CARTOON CLASSICS box sets into one neat 34½ hour package. Included here are such old favorites as Popeye, Baby Huey, The New 3 Stooges, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Little Audrey, Woody Woodpecker, Felix the Cat, Betty Boop, Mighty Mouse, Little Lulu and many more.

In this new double pack, "150 Cartoon Classics" has undergone a redesign. Discs #1 and #2 are no longer stored atop each other, nor are #3 and #4. A center leaf is provided for disc #2 on one side and #3 on the other. The MILL CREEK logo still flashes on-screen midway through each short, however. "Ultimate 150 Cartoon Festival" doesn't have these distracting on-screen watermarks, and the main menu system is simplified and thus improved. Downside here: cartoons are grouped by studio and subdivided into main characters, so there's less of a variety feel. Also discs #1 and #2 are stagger-stacked when stored. (Note that Ub Iwerks' "Dick Whittington's Cat" has been misfiled on disc #3 as part of the Famous Studios collection.)

A highlight of the "Ultimate" half of this set is two silent Oswald Rabbit cartoons animated by Walt Disney. It's easy to see from these 1920s animations how Mortimer (later "Mickey") Mouse evolved. The rarest here may be "A Christmas Tree," which was produced in Soviet-era Russia. Of especial note on "Classics" are several British-made Hoffnung shorts. Their drolll humor and impossible situations are set to strains of familiar classical music.

Studios represented: AUDIO PRODUCTIONS, BREWSTER, CAMBRIA, CELEBRITY, CORNELL, FAMOUS, FLEISCHER, HALAS & BATCHELOR, HANDY, JEFFERSON, LANTZ, NEW WORLD, PIED PIPER, POWERS, SOFAC, SULLIVAN, TERRYTOON, VAN BEUREN and WINKLER

Stock material varies from very good quality to barely fair. There's no evidence here of digital enhancement. Some shorts were dubbed from 16mm b&w prints once sold for home use, even though the originals were in color. One example is "Jingles" (it's actually "Mendelssohn's Spring Song" -- "Jingles" being the series name). Although b&w here, the original is in "Brewster Color." Audio is generally clear.


FAMILY COLLECTION 250 Movie Pack (also from MILL CREEK) is an excellent motion picture supplement to this MCE DVD.


FOR A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM LIST (including studios and synopses),
SEE COMMENTS #1, #2 AND #3. LINK TO THESE IS DIRECTLY BELOW."

Cartoon Geeks and Kids will enjoy

Andre M. | Mt. Pleasant, SC United States | 12/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While modern kids might enjoy this uber-collection, it is primarily the adult cartoon geek that will have a true appreciation of this set.

Essentially, this contains a gaggle of public domain cartoons made over the years. Many of these are of historical interest, particularly to adult amination aficinados. There are some early silent FELIX THE CAT cartoons from the 1920s that are quite bizzare and surreal along with some later color ones from the 1930s such as BOLD KING COLE. Additionally, some early Walt Disney is represented here with some really good ALICE COMEDIES (for the unititiated, this was a 1923-1927 series where Uncle Walt and co. mix a real life little girl in a cartoon world) and two excellent OSWALD THE LUCKY RABBIT (Mickey's predecessor) episodes GREAT GUNS and THE MECHANICAL COW. Both are amusing, but the latter is particularly well done in character comedy for its era.

Amos and Andy fans and early sixties children with revel at CALVIN & THE COLONEL (the 1961-62 'toons featuring the voices of Amos & Andy). This is typical early 60s limited animation mixed with pretty good comedy. The episodes are clearly drawn from actual A&A episodes (the same writers as well as voices were used), but these are mildly entertaining.

HOPPITY HOOPER, a rarely seen 1964 'toon from the folks that brought you Bullwinkle is included, as well as the charming debut of Casper the Friendly Ghost from 1945 (a 'toon of the palsy poltergeist uncharacteristically fighting moon men from 1953 is also intriguing). Popeye fans will be pleased to see the Arabian Nights trilogy from 1936-39, including ALI BABA, SINBAD THE SAILOR, and ALADDIN (with the classic politically incorrect gag "Salami salami baloney"), albeit not in the best picture quality.

As with any such collection, this one includes some junk. The notorious CLUTCH CARGO "cartoons" form the early 1960s are sadly (and stragely) included. Widely considered among the worst American catoons ever made, these monstrosities feature static and poorly-drawn comic strip panels with the only motion being that of human mouths. It is difficult imagining anyone being able to sit through more than a few seconds of this, much less several whole episodes.

Some famous cartoons that are usually included in such sets, such as the 1940s Superman cartoons and PLANE DUMB (1932) featuring Miller and Lyles (the stereotyped black comedy team said to have inspired Amos and Andy) are not in this set, but are available elsewhere.

That aside, there is much more to enjoy. Get it and do so."

Cartoons

Liz Roland | Utah | 04/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I gave my brother this for Christmas and he loves it. When he was little he would eat his breakfast on a stool in the living room with our dog next to him and they would watch these cartoons."

Awesome if you appricate where it all started!

jason sprang | midwest | 11/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"O.K. if you want blue-ray crap full of great images and ripped off dialogue don't buy this! This is for the conniseuer of original material! It ain't disney but much better! I remember watching these shorts as a kid so they have special meaning! Plus its so freekin cheap! If your the slightest bit artistic or enjoy satire in comics thats politically incorrect now, than buy this without hesitation! So that being said....yes the quality isn't up to blue ray, but I'd rather watch old popeye than the next disney snoozer on blu-ray anyday! Very impressed!"