Looney Tunes: Musical Masterpieces (2015)

4 Stars (out of 4)

Getting in Toon

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Growing up and heading out into the world, I realized that I had learned some of the world's great pieces of music from the Looney Tunes cartoons. (There was a reason they were called "Tunes.") Indeed, even when they featured original music (by the incomparable Carl Stalling), these cartoons were at their most creative when they focused on music as a theme or subject (many of these shorts, aside from singing, relied on pure visuals to tell their stories). So this collection of 18 music-related cartoons was a brilliant idea, and it showcases some of the finest work the Warner team ever did.

Bugs Bunny takes on a few enemies, ranging from Elmer Fudd to an egotistical baritone to a mouse in a piano. We get singing cats, singing pigs, a singing owl, a singing giraffe, and a singing frog. We even get an inebriated musical note. I'd like to believe that some canny DVD producer chose the order of the cartoons for creative reasons, weaving an intoxicating spell of music and laughter, but in reality the order can seem rather random. (Hardcore cartoon fans will also be irritated that all of these cartoons are previously available in the Golden and Platinum box sets.) Regardless, as it stands, this set amazing set is highly entertaining and highly satisfying.

The 18 cartoons include: A Corny Concerto (1943), Rabbit of Seville (1950), One Froggy Evening (1955), Rhapsody Rabbit (1946), What's Opera, Doc? (1957), Hillbilly Hare (1950), Pizzicato Pussycat (1955), Nelly's Folly (1961), I Love to Singa (1936), Page Miss Glory (1936), Katnip Kollege (1938), High Note (1960), Pigs in a Polka (1943), Three Little Bops (1957), Rhapsody in Rivets (1941), Back Alley Oproar (1948), Holiday for Shoestrings (1946), and Lights Fantastic (1942). Bonuses include making-of featurettes on One Froggy Evening and What's Opera, Doc?, a featurette on composer Carl Stalling, commentary tracks, and more.