The original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (1930-1969) from the Golden Age of American Animation were perhaps the greatest cartoons ever made: the humour, the originality compared to other animated films from that time, the unique and memorable characters, the unforgettable gags that became a basis for animated comedies that came after it...all of these elements make Looney Tunes one of the greatest and most influential series in history of the animated film. Unfortunately, as all the greatest things must come to an end, after the 1964 when the original studio closed, the series went downhill, with a series of low budget animated shorts, new directors, limited animation and obscure characters, the last WB cartoon from the classic era being released in 1969.
Many movies, TV shows, spin-offs and reboots based on the classic cartoons appeared after the original series ended. Some of them were great, for example shows like Duck Dodgers (2003), Taz-Mania, Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, while some of them were not: Baby Looney Tunes missed the point of Looney Tunes trying to appeal to preschoolers and ripping-off Muppet Babies. Loonatics Unleashed was an epic fail and a bad attempt of a futuristic sci-fi version of the Looney Tunes and The Looney Tunes Show wasnt like Looney Tunes at all, the sitcom version change the characters' roles and personalities for the worse. There also was a show named Wabbit/The New Looney Tunes, a series that tried to revive the classic slapstick and screwball spirit of the old shorts, but it failed horribly: the character designs were hideous, the animation looked cheap and the jokes arent that good.
However, Looney Tunes Cartoons that debuted on HBO Max this year is a perfect example of how you revive a classic cartoon series and introduce it to a newer generation. It's remarkable to see beautifully drawn characters, with lots of details and the return to the classic 1940s design and personalities, stunning backgrounds, gorgeous and instense, lively colors and very smooth and realistic animation movements. These shorts look just like the original animators and cartoon directors like Bob Clampett, Tex Avery and Chuck Jones lived today and used modern technology for creating their gems. As I said before the classic characters returned to their Bob Clampett style of design from the early-to mid 1940s, which happens to be my favorite era in Looney Tunes history and they also returned back to their original personality traits and humor, especially Daffy that became in the 1950s a greedy, envious and selfish sourpuss, now our favorite black duck returned to his zanny, energetic, screwball and...daffy roots. Porky returned to his classic Clampett-esque design, after the Wabbit/New Looney Tunes grotesque obese form that doesnt suit him very well in my opinion. The same goes to Bugs Bunny and Tweety. The humor and gags are similar to the spirit of original shorts, without remaking, copying or repeating the old ones after so many episodes previously done. Also, Coyote and Roadrunner shorts are well done and being shorter than a regular cartoon makes them funnier.
What can I say more? That's how a cartoon is done right ! It's clearly that these animated short films are a result of talent, hard work and passion, unlike most of today's cartoons that are simply a commercial product and targeted mostly to young children. If you love the cartoons from the Golden Age of American Animation or if you are a fan of classic slapstick/screwball humor, this is a must see. I recommend it to everyone ! Final score 10 out of 10.
