Additionally, the cartoons are put on disc in their proper chronological order, allowing one to see the evolution of the series, including Droopy's physical changes over the years. (The packaging fails to mention that Dick Lundy actually helmed cartoon #12, "Caballero Droopy.") The final seven were also made in widescreen CinemaScope, and that aspect ratio is preserved here. Seventeen of the first eighteen were directed by Tex Avery, the final six by Michael Lah, who worked in Avery's animation crew. The double-DVD set Tex Avery's Droopy - The Complete Theatrical Collection has the twenty-four Droopy cartoons shown before MGM features from 1943 to 1958. He looks perpetually sad, so much so that when he's happy, he has to tell you, and to look at him wouldn't inspire much confidence, but he always manages to pull through in the end. Droopy is instantly loveable, the quintessential underdog, if you will. Of course, one of Tex's most famous creations is Droopy, the laconic basset hound who always manages to get the upper hand despite his deadpan delivery and slowpoke demeanor. I knew to look for ones with Tex's name at the beginning, because those were guaranteed to be funny. It was because of that program that I started to pay attention to the credits on animated shorts. I was immediately taken by Avery's ribald sense of humor and irreverent attitude, his exaggerated reaction shots, slapstick, and visual puns. When I was very young, KTLA in Los Angeles showed a two-night retrospective of his work that included documentary segments that explained who he was and the arc of his career from Warner Bros. Tex Avery is the first animation director I knew by name.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |