The Woody Woodpecker & Friends Golden Age Collection

Woody Woodpecker, the zany, red-headed troublemaker we all love, is back and better than ever in The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection! Dive into hours of non-stop hilarity alongside Woody and his hilarious crew, including favorites like Chilly Willy, in 25 timeless theatrical cartoons from the legendary Walter Lantz. This must-have Blu-ray set captures some of the most outrageous and inventive animation antics ever put to screen, packed with extras like rare archival behind-the-scenes footage of Walter Lantz himself and plenty more surprises to delight fans old and new!

Many will recognize Woody just by his intoxicating laugh and his world-famous catch phrase, "Guess who?" Some refer to this multicolored bird as the animated world's most hilarious instigator; for me, his actions always brought a smile to my face. His high pitched voice and crazy antics kept me laughing throughout my childhood. Rewatching these cartoons for the first time in years, I find myself laughing again as though I were only a kid.

As aforementioned here, there is 25 classic shorts:

Woodpecker in the Rough (1952, Walter Lantz)

Get Lost! Little Doggy (1964, Sid Marcus)

Greedy Gabby Gator (1963, Marcus)

Heap Big Hepcat (1960, Paul J. Smith)

Romp in a Swamp (1959, Smith)

Rough Riding Hood (1966, Marcus)

Science Friction (1963, Marcus)

Billion Dollar Boner (1960, Alex Lovy)

Andy Panda Goes Fishing (1940, Burt Gillett)

Good-Bye Mr. Moth (1942, Lantz)

The Bongo Punch (1957, Lovy)

Little Televillain (1958, Lovy)

Fractured Friendship (1965, Marcus)

Paw's Night Out (1955, Smith)

Pig in a Pickle (1955, Smith)

Pigeon Holed (1956, Lovy)

The Talking Dog (1956, Lovy)

Witty Kitty (1960, Lovy)

Adventures of Tom Thumb Jr. (1940, Gillett)

The Sleeping Princess (1939, Gillett)

Kittens' Mittens (1940, Lovy)

Syncopated Sioux (1940, Lantz)

The Flying Turtle (1953, Smith)

The Mouse and the Lion (1953, Smith)

Flea for Two (1955, Don Patterson)

*Episode title (year and director)

Sadly, like most of the Warner Bros. animated releases of Looney Tunes, there is no focus of a time period. The cartoons cover a wide range in years; 1940-1966 and animation styles certainly changed over a 26 year period. Even more disheartening is that less than half on the shorts actually feature Woody Woodpecker.

The special features on The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection Blu-ray deliver a strong selection of archival and educational content, spotlighting Walter Lantz's animation techniques and the legacy of his classic cartoons. These include vintage behind-the-scenes segments such as Drawing Woody and Andy, Directing Animated Cartoons, Timing a Cartoon, Character Movement, The Animator's Job, Using Backgrounds, Drawing with Walter Lantz, and Storyboarding Woody Woodpecker, offering fascinating insights into the production process from one of animation's pioneering studios.

Here's the full list based on official press releases, retailer details, and reviews:

Cartoonland Mysteries

Spook-a-Nanny

Drawing Woody and Andy

Directing Animated Cartoons

Timing a Cartoon

Character Movement

The Animator's Job

Using Backgrounds

Drawing with Walter Lantz

Storyboarding Woody Woodpecker

These are mostly vintage instructional/educational shorts or segments featuring Walter Lantz himself, demonstrating animation techniques like drawing characters, storyboarding, timing, movement, directing, backgrounds, and more. Some appear to be rare archival footage or behind-the-scenes pieces, tying into the promotional mentions of "archival behind-the-scenes footage of Walter Lantz" and other "rare treasures."

VIDEO QUALITY 📽️ :  B

Presented with 1080p resolution, this is definitely the best I’ve ever seen these animated shorts. Sometimes the color on certain episodes seems off a little, but even if you have a handful of these on DVD, the upgrade in clarity is worth the price IMO. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has done a fine job with these old cartoons, hopefully more will follow.

Video Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1

AUDIO QUALITY 🔈 : B+ 

Dolby Digital is solid for a simple 2.0 mono presentation. Both music, sound effects and dialogue are clear and compliment the picture nicely. 

Audio

English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (Original) (192 kbps)

EXTRAS 📀 :  C+

There is a lot of extras included on this single disc, which are certainly interesting, however the lack of digital copies of these shorts is most unfortunate. I really wish digital copies were the norm again with blu-ray releases.

OVERALL GRADE: B-

It's incredible how these classic cartoons stay timeless and endlessly entertaining for kids of every age... even those of us who are 'adults'. The replay value on this disc will be off the charts for me, as I plan on reliving carefree childhood vibes. This set is a real gift for fans, letting us revisit these beloved shorts over and over again with the same joy as the first time, while exposing the fun to a whole new generation.

You can purchase this release at Amazon. Subtitles: English SDH Disc: Single Blu-ray Disc

★ COLLECTION ARCHIVE ★

ARTIST: BUCK TICK

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