Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault: Volume 2 (Blu-ray Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Apr 06, 2026
Format: Blu-ray Disc

Director

Various

Release Date(s)

1934-1963 (March 24, 2026)

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. (Warner Archive Collection)

Film/Program Grade: A
Video Grade: B+
Audio Grade: B-
Extras Grade: D+

Review

Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies need little to no introduction. Mainstays of our collective childhoods (and adulthoods) for decades since they first premiered theatrically, and in regular rotation on television ever since, these well-crafted slices of animated comedy goodness continue to reign supreme as some of the greatest cartoon slapstick ever produced. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner, Sylvester and Tweety Bird, Foghorn Leghorn, and many others have fully embedded themselves in our popular culture, and more cartoons, films, and merchandise continue to be made starring these characters.

We need not delve into the history of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies as we’ve already covered them in great detail in the past, especially in the review for the Looney Tunes: Collector’s Choice – Vol. 1-4 Blu-ray release, which collected together all four volumes of the line up to that point. Since the folks at the Warner Archive Collection were adamant that those Collector’s Choice releases only ever feature cartoons that had never been released on home video before, it meant that cartoons that were previously released on DVD were being neglected. The solution was to have the best of both worlds and create a new line of titles, starting with Looney Tunes: Collector’s Vault – Volume 1, and now continuing with Looney Tunes: Collector’s Vault – Volume 2.

The most important aspect of what these Blu-ray releases represent is a diversity in content. Each draws from every decade, from the most minor of shorts to the most popular, giving viewers a range of entertainment for their money and perhaps highlighting little seen or little known films that might otherwise not have the same kind of spotlight. The rear and Blu-ray disc cover art continues to remind us that these shorts are “Intended for the Adult Collector and May Not Be Suitable for Children.” This is important because it tells us that we’re getting these films as originally intended when they ran theatrically, preserving them as they should be preserved.

The Warner Archive Collection release of Looney Tunes: Collector’s Vault – Volume 2 offers fifty-one animated shorts (presented alphabetically) on 2 Region-Free BD-50 Blu-ray discs in 1080p, retaining their original theatrical aspect ratios of 1.37:1. While Disc One represents shorts never before released on home video, Disc Two represents shorts never before released on Blu-ray. The following shorts, as well as extras, are included on each disc (take note that for Disc Two, we’ve addressed which DVD release that each short was originally included on):

DISC ONE

A-Lad-In His Lamp – Looney Tunes (1948, Robert McKimson – 7:17)
(Original Titles)
Ain’t That Ducky – Merrie Melodies (1945, Friz Freleng – 7:00)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles)
The Bird Came C.O.D. – Merrie Melodies (1942, Chuck Jones – 7:39)
(Original Titles)
Bone Sweet Bone – Merrie Melodies (1948, Arthur Davis – 7:08)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles)
Boston Quackie – Looney Tunes (1957, Robert McKimson – 6:59)
(Original Titles)
Boulevardier from the Bronx – Merrie Melodies (1936, Friz Freleng – 7:53)
(Original Titles)
Country Boy – Merrie Melodies (1935, Friz Freleng – 6:47)
(Original Titles)
The Daffy Duckaroo – Looney Tunes (1942, Norman McCabe – 7:43)
(Original Titles)
Dr. Jerkyl’s Hide – Looney Tunes (1954, Friz Freleng – 6:43)
(Original Titles)
The EGGcited Rooster – Merrie Melodies (1952, Robert McKimson – 6:49)
(Original Titles)
Fastest with the Mostest – Looney Tunes (1960, Chuck Jones – 7:21)
(Original Titles)
Fowl Weather – Merrie Melodies (1953, Friz Freleng – 6:50)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles with Crew Credits)
I Taw a Putty Tat – Merrie Melodies (1948, Friz Freleng – 6:32)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles)
I Gopher You – Merrie Melodies (1954, Friz Freleng – 6:55)
(Original Titles)
I Was a Teenage Thumb – Merrie Melodies (1963, Chuck Jones & Maurice Noble – 6:54)
(Original Titles)
Little Blabbermouse – Merrie Melodies (1940, Friz Freleng – 8:13)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles)
Mother Was a Rooster – Merrie Melodies (1962, Robert McKimson – 5:56)
(Original Titles)
Pests for Guests – Merrie Melodies (1955, Friz Freleng – 6:46)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles with Crew Credits)
The Rattled Rooster – Looney Tunes (1948, Arthur Davis – 7:24)
(Original Titles)
A Sheep in the Deep – Merrie Melodies (1962, Chuck Jones & Maurice Noble – 6:14)
(Original Titles)
Sock a Doodle Do – Merrie Melodies (1952, Robert McKimson – 7:18)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles with Crew Credits)
A Street Cat Named Sylvester – Looney Tunes (1953, Friz Freleng – 6:36)
(Original Titles)
To Itch His Own – Merrie Melodies (1958, Chuck Jones – 6:06)
(Original Titles)
A Waggily Tale – Looney Tunes (1958, Friz Freleng – 6:33)
(Original Titles)
Woolen Under Where – Merrie Melodies (1963, Phil Monroe & Richard Thompson – 6:21)
(Original Titles)
Zoom at the Top – Merrie Melodies (1962, Chuck Jones & Maurice Noble – 6:32)
(Original Titles)

DISC TWO

Awful Orphan – Merrie Melodies (1949, Chuck Jones – 7:25)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles with Crew Credits)
A Bird in a Guilty Cage – Merrie Melodies (1952, Friz Freleng – 7:00)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles with Crew Credits)
Bowery Bugs – Merrie Melodies (1949, Arthur Davis – 7:31)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles with Crew Credits)
Claws for Alarm – Merrie Melodies (1954, Chuck Jones – 6:49)
(Original Titles)
Crowing Pains – Looney Tunes (1947, Robert McKimson – 6:48)
(Original Titles)
Frigid Hare – Merrie Melodies (1949, Chuck Jones – 7:34)
(Original Titles)
Hare Remover – Merrie Melodies (1946, Frank Tashlin – 7:28)
(Original Titles)
The Heckling Hare – Merrie Melodies (1941, Tex Avery – 7:24)
(Original Titles)
Hop and Go – Looney Tunes (1943, Norman McCabe – 7:14)
(Original Titles)
Hyde and Hare – Looney Tunes (1955, Friz Freleng – 7:03)
(Original Titles)
Jumpin’ Jupiter – Merrie Melodies (1955, Chuck Jones – 7:00)
(Original Titles)
The Last Hungry Cat – Merrie Melodies (1961, Friz Freleng & Hawley Pratt – 7:04)
(Original Titles)
Mexican Boarders – Looney Tunes (1962, Friz Freleng & Hawley Pratt – 6:52)
(Original Titles)
Mouse Menace – Looney Tunes (1946, Arthur Davis – 7:01)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles)
Odor of the Day – Looney Tunes (1948, Arthur Davis – 7:12)
(Original Titles)
Often an Orphan – Merrie Melodies (1949, Chuck Jones – 7:31)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles with Crew Credits)
The Pest That Came to Dinner – Looney Tunes (1948, Arthur Davis – 7:16)
(Original Titles)
Ready.. Set.. Zoom! – Looney Tunes (1955, Chuck Jones – 6:57)
(Original Titles)
Scent-imental Over You – Looney Tunes (1947, Chuck Jones – 7:19)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles)
Stop! Look! And Hasten! – Merrie Melodies (1954, Chuck Jones – 7:03)
(Original Titles)
To Beep or Not to Beep – Merrie Melodies (1963, Chuck Jones & Maurice Noble – 6:39)
(Original Titles)
Wagon Heels – Merrie Melodies (1945, Bob Clampett – 7:10)
(Original Titles)
Whoa, Be-Gone! – Merrie Melodies (1958, Chuck Jones – 6:12)
(Original Titles)
Wise Quackers – Looney Tunes (1949, Friz Freleng – 7:21)
(“Blue Ribbon” Re-Release Titles with Crew Credits)
You Were Never Duckier – Merrie Melodies (1948, Chuck Jones – 7:58)
(Original Titles)

Commentaries:
- Bowery Bugs with Michael Barrier
- The Heckling Hare with Greg Ford
- Mexican Boarders with Greg Ford and Friz Freleng
- Stop! Look! And Hasten! with Greg Ford
- You Were Never Duckier with Eric Goldberg

The biggest advantage in presenting these films in alphabetical order is the variety, forcing viewers to sit through cartoons that they might not otherwise have chosen if they had been more vigorously curated. Two perfect examples of this are the rarely-seen shorts Boulevardier from the Bronx and Country Boy, neither of which feature any of the classic or well-known Merrie Melodies or Looney Tunes characters. At the same time, some of the more familiar shorts are also included in the mix, such as Ain’t That Ducky, Claws for Alarm, Hare Remover, Hyde and Hare, and Wagon Heels (all staples of my childhood, personally).

As for the quality, four the shorts included on Disc One have been newly-scanned in 4K from their original nitrate camera negatives: A-Lad-In His Lamp, Ain’t That Ducky, The Daffy Duckaroo, and I Taw a Putty Tat. Otherwise, the rest were restored prior by other Warner Bros. entities in varying periods, though Warner Archive has been able to make minor corrections that the teams who restored those prior shorts might have overlooked. Unfortunately, not all of the opening titles missing from their respective shorts could be re-instated as some are either missing or no longer exist, instead featuring their “Blue Ribbon” re-release openings, either partially or entirely.

Without a doubt, these are more vibrant and detailed than ever before with bitrates primarily running between 25 and 40Mbps. They’re not completely uniform as some were taken from older HD masters, but none are in poor shape either. For example, A-Lad-In His Lamp looks fresh and crisp with refined detail, whereas To Beep or Not to Beep is soft and lacking the sharpness of a new scan, and is clearly one of the oldest masters included with this release. However, each short’s original color palettes are maintained throughout with crisper linework and greater contrast with deep blacks. Minor cel dirt and debris is present, sometimes in older scans more so than new ones, and grain is sometimes a tad absent as mild noise reduction has been applied. Some shorts are cleaner-looking than others, as well, but nothing has been done to truly compromise the integrity of the original artwork. They could sometimes appear more natural than they do, but they certainly don’t appear glossy or inorganic, and they’re a major step up from their standard definition counterparts.

Audio is presented in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Not all of these tracks are created equal as there are obvious differences from ’toon to ’toon, mostly in terms of treble, hiss, and some mild crackle. There’s also an occasional dropout here or there, including one at 6:54 in Boston Quackie and at 6:47 in I Was a Teenage Thumb, but everything is given good support otherwise.

Though most of the commentaries from the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD releases have carried over, others haven’t, along with some other notable materials:

Music and Effects Track for A Bird in a Guilty Cage
Music and Effects Track & Audio Commentary for Claws for Alarm by Eddie Fitzgerald and John Kricfalusi
Music Only Tracks for Hyde and Hare
Music Only Track for Jumpin’ Jupiter
Effects Only Track for The Last Hungry Cat
Audio Commentary for To Be or Not to Beep by Greg Ford
Audio Commentary for Whoa, Be-Gone! by Greg Ford

That doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface in terms of the many featurettes and other extras included on those releases, most of which were generally about the filmmakers behind the cartoons. In other words, if you have any of the Golden Collection, Super Stars, or Essential DVD releases, you may want to hang on to those a bit longer. Many will be likely be unhappy about that, but the point of Looney Tunes: Collector’s Vault – Volume 2 is getting the best and the most for your money. The visual upgrades outweigh the lack of bonus materials, and you can still pick up those DVD releases since they’re not that hard to come by. In other words, Looney Tunes: Collector’s Vault – Volume 2 is, like its predecessor, highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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