Looney Tunes: Platinum Collection, Volume Three (1938-1962)

[Oscar Rothman]

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume Three Blu-ray

[OneWayFilms]

Whoa, I guess I better buy volume 2 then.

[Filmmaker]

About thufferin' thucotash time!

[Rizor]

Good news!

[Egbert Souse]

One of the most anticipated releases for me. I'm hoping Warner reconsiders abandoning the Blu releases and just moves future volumes to Warner Archive like they did with the Forbidden Hollywood series. They have enough cartoons with HD masters on the shelf for another 4-5 volumes.

[grim_tales]

Good news, I bought Volume 2 recently but not seen it yet.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by Egbert Souse

One of the most anticipated releases for me. I'm hoping Warner reconsiders abandoning the Blu releases and just moves future volumes to Warner Archive like they did with the Forbidden Hollywood series. They have enough cartoons with HD masters on the shelf for another 4-5 volumes.

They could move it to Warner Archive, but it won't make much difference. They have to press them on Blu-ray (due to the incompatibility of certain players to play BD-r, such as the PS4 and Xbox One), and the only real advantage of the DVD Archive program IS the ability to release them on dvd-r. So without the advantage of burned discs, the BD Archive program is actually a joke, a facade.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Egbert Souse

One of the most anticipated releases for me. I'm hoping Warner reconsiders abandoning the Blu releases and just moves future volumes to Warner Archive like they did with the Forbidden Hollywood series. They have enough cartoons with HD masters on the shelf for another 4-5 volumes.

First, we have to get them over their "Nobody remembers the Looneys!" paranoia/persecution complex, just because they can't sell us the crappy new unfunny CN stuff...
THEN, we have to slowly work them out of their old Yogi Bear and Popeye traumas that now make them cringe and hide in the corner in a fetal position every time someone says "4-disk Collector's box set."

...Warner is a studio with issues.

[JackKnightStarman]

If you want to help insure other volumes, don't cheap out and wait for a price drop. All studios watch the units sold numbers of the first week, 30 days, and 45 or 60 day numbers. If more people buy in this time frame, it gives a more accurate account of the number of people buying it. Especially catalogue releases. They could care less how many are sold because it hit a certain cheap point unless the number is like millions in a week, months after release. The point is Warner will continue to do these if it benefits them, but we need to show them that.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by JackKnightStarman

If you want to help insure other volumes, don't cheap out and wait for a price drop. All studios watch the units sold numbers of the first week, 30 days, and 45 or 60 day numbers. If more people buy in this time frame, it gives a more accurate account of the number of people buying it. Especially catalogue releases. They could care less how many are sold because it hit a certain cheap point unless the number is like millions in a week, months after release. The point is Warner will continue to do these if it benefits them, but we need to show them that.

While I agree that if we want to see more, we should buy, the first week/30d/45d/60d numbers don't mean much for a catalog anthology release like this one. Titles like these are "long tail" titles - products that don't have big opening weeks (since they're not new and they're not hits), but sell over a period of many years. If WB is not looking at this as a "long tail" product, then it's no wonder they don't consider it to be a success.

Also, in general, when a title is discounted, it's not necessarily discounted by the studio/distributor, it's discounted by the retailer. Regardless of what an Amazon or WalMart sells it for, WB still gets the same wholesale price. WB may elect to later reduce that price, but that's their decision. If we wait for a better price, it's because the studios have trained us to do so.

I also think that WB has done a lousy job marketing these, but they're probably adverse to investing much in marketing since they haven't sold as much as expected. (A product manager once came to me asking for marketing money, which I was inclined to provide until I saw how few copies were being sold. I then actually cut the marketing budget, because there was virtually no revenue coming in for the product line and the marketing budget was driving the line to be non-profitable.)

But one of the problems is that the WB Animation site is a freaking mess where a lot of these titles don't even appear.

How cool would it be to see restored WB cartoons in theaters? Why doesn't WB attach one restored cartoon to each theatrical release DCP and use it to promote the Platinum collection? Time-Warner sponsors an outdoor film festival in Bryant Park in NYC each summer and they usually play a Looney Tunes or Merrie Melodies cartoon before the feature and the audience always goes wild.

Even though physical retail sales are a declining percentage of overall sales, I think they need to produce a stand-up display which heavily promotes all of the Platinum and Golden Collection releases with particular emphasis (obviously) on this third volume. They should also have a special sale price if a consumer buys all three Platinum collection titles together. I think especially baby boomers would be particularly attracted to such a display and would use their kids or grandkids as an excuse to buy.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by JackKnightStarman

If you want to help insure other volumes, don't cheap out and wait for a price drop. All studios watch the units sold numbers of the first week, 30 days, and 45 or 60 day numbers. If more people buy in this time frame, it gives a more accurate account of the number of people buying it. Especially catalogue releases. They could care less how many are sold because it hit a certain cheap point unless the number is like millions in a week, months after release. The point is Warner will continue to do these if it benefits them, but we need to show them that.

That is not accurate and here's why:
- WB charges a wholesale price. They get that wholesale price regardless of what any retailer, including Amazon, chooses to charge. Some retailers may even charge below the wholesale price as a come-on to buy other products. Doesn't matter - WB gets the same price no matter what.

Now if they don't sell, WB might find itself in a position where they feel they have to lower the recommended list price. But that's true of almost all DVD or BD over time - they tend to decrease. I think I paid over $60 for the Golden Collection Volume I DVD when it first came out. Now you can get all six volumes for $104 at Amazon, even though the individual volume releases are still in the $40 range each.

- For certain films, especially films that weren't giant hits and/or those from the catalog, it's known up front that there isn't going to be a big sell all at one time the way there would be when the latest big film is released on physical media. It's revenue is expected to be earned in what is called "the long tail". It sells a lot of sales in total, but over a very long period of time.

Where I do agree with you is that if people don't buy this (and the other Blu-rays), they won't do another volume (which I read they're not doing anyway) just as they stopped doing the Golden Collection DVDs after volume six. It's certainly natural that each volume is going to sell less than the previous volume because not everyone feels that they have to own them all.

I know there are collector completists but I really doubt that those completists would watch them all even if WB did release some set with all 1040 (by my count) cartoons.

I don't know why a search on "Looney Tunes" on Amazon also brings up "Batman" and "The Pink Panther Show Volume 1", but the Looney Tunes Blu-ray volume 3 is 3rd on the list if you sort in "Most Popular" order. That's not bad.

[MaskedRider]

I was worried they weren't going to release any more. I wonder if the second set of Tom & Jerry will ever be released.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by MaskedRider

I was worried they weren't going to release any more. I wonder if the second set of Tom & Jerry will ever be released.

They confirmed last year that this will be their last release for Looney Tunes. Of course if sales are better than normal they may reconsider.

[spargs]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

They confirmed last year that this will be their last release for Looney Tunes. Of course if sales are better than normal they may reconsider.

Sadly, this is what I've heard as well. Jerry Beck has said on his recent Stu's Show appearances that Warner has no budget left for restoring/remastering its classic animated Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts.

[quickdraw]

I'm stoked at the news! Their last two volumes were stellar releases and IMO, must haves for animation fans. They've really demonstrated not only the depth of their catalog, but really outstanding bonus content.

[Akijama]

Here's an update on the extras:

The set contains 50 remastered HD classic Looney Tunes shorts plus bonus materials that include 26 audio commentaries, and over 12 documentaries - including the 70-minute Mel Blanc: The Man Of A Thousand Voices, the 60-minute Drawn For Glory: Animation's Triumph At The Oscars, and the three-part The Boys From Termite Terrace (1975). An all-new doc, That's All Folks! Tales From Termite Terrace, is also part of the mix.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/animation...ction-volume-3

[blonde_devil]

Originally Posted by spargs

Sadly, this is what I've heard as well. Jerry Beck has said on his recent Stu's Show appearances that Warner has no budget left for restoring/remastering its classic animated Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts.

Unfortunately they are not seen in the same light as Disney cartoons which is a shame because when I think of my childhood, Looney Tunes are the first cartoons that pop into my head. I think part of the problem is that they were a little more grownup than Disney's cartoons were so you have a marketing problem - can't really sell them as kids cartoons like Disney but they are not South Park or Family guy so you can't market them for today's 20-30 year olds. They are for people like me - late 30's who watched them as kids.

[Oscar Rothman]

Pre-order

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume Three Blu-ray

[wa.b]

Originally Posted by spargs

Sadly, this is what I've heard as well. Jerry Beck has said on his recent Stu's Show appearances that Warner has no budget left for restoring/remastering its classic animated Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts.

Gotta love how WB is not telling us the WHOLE STORY, of course they have no budget for restoring/remastering more Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts ....................... it is because THEY HAVE ALREADY remastered/restored them all.

The reason the WB bean counters want/need unrealstic sales numbers to continue releasing them (and other items in their vault) is directly at WB's feet because of the stupid way they (and all other studios) released titles from dvd's start to 2008.

They printed WAY more copies of titles (especially the obscure ones) and took huge losses (which they wrote off on their taxes) but still lost them cash, so now anything they release has to sell more than is realistic to make back the cash to cover the past dumb decisions they made. (even though they got tax breaks on it already)

These are the same "brain trust" who refuse to release 2 cartoons here for TOM & JERRY yet were released overseas.

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by wa.b

Gotta love how WB is not telling us the WHOLE STORY, of course they have no budget for restoring/remastering more Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts ....................... it is because THEY HAVE ALREADY remastered/restored them all.

The reason the WB bean counters want/need unrealstic sales numbers to continue releasing them (and other items in their vault) is directly at WB's feet because of the stupid way they (and all other studios) released titles from dvd's start to 2008.

They printed WAY more copies of titles (especially the obscure ones) and took huge losses (which they wrote off on their taxes) but still lost them cash, so now anything they release has to sell more than is realistic to make back the cash to cover the past dumb decisions they made. (even though they got tax breaks on it already)

These are the same "brain trust" who refuse to release 2 cartoons here for TOM & JERRY yet were released overseas.

That's really not the way accounting works. Hell, if that was external reporting it would be FRAUD to carry a loss reserve that they have full knowledge will never be recouped. If they've already impaired the investment from before, it is no longer on their books. You can't just carry a "loss reserve" on your books indefinitely. No major accounting firm/auditor (save Arthur Andersen) would let that slide.

Of course - there's nothing illegal if their internal budgeting treats their costs this way, it would just be incredibly stupid.

The claim of having "no budget" is rather incredulous when Time Warner makes $29 Billion in revenues a year and 3-4 Billion in net profit. Obviously each division in a company has it's own performance goals - so I think the issue must be more that this division has not been earning a profit for the company, it's not an issue of being "cash-strapped" or "out of money". Although obviously it is concerning if they are saying they wont' have the budget for restoration work, that could be a sign of bad things to come from Warner over the next handful of years - not just as it relates to Looney Tunes but overall

If it is just Looney Tunes, I get that not every project can get the attention it deserves. Particularly if it is not really a profit center. Hopefully there are at least some volumes on the Archives, eventually, maybe not right away...