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idk Bill Hunt but Ik people are complaining over losing the grains, which is weird bc they kept all the poppy colors and it looks good especially from a cartoon from 1941
Thanks for the video. I recently ordered this Blu-ray and should have it next week. I've heard a lot of complaints and I agree that they went overboard removing all the grain. But its nice to have them anyway and if they don't sell, the studio might not continue to do this. It would be a shame for so much great old content to disappear because studios don't want to spend the money. Once they are gone, they are gone forever.
You were right about them being too smooth and loss of fine detail, but, damn, they look really good and definitely better than the DVD. Really lush animation from Max and Dave and I'm really happy with this release. Let's hope Warner Archive does the restoration of the Fleischer's b&w Popeye (introduced in their Betty Boop cartoons) cartoons and the 3 Technicolor feature these. A pipe dream probably as is the restoration of "Gullivers Travels". Not many people know how important the Fleischer Brothers are to animation history.
@mikewright9138 Which are better though? I don’t need both, so should I just return this collection and buy the movies? I didn’t know they came with the pre-DNR scans of these shorts. I don’t mind a little roughness and damage if it’s a scan of the camera negatives or something. Hmm… I’ll try to find a more thorough comparison.
Thanks for the review. I've got my copy coming today. I've been waiting forever for these to arrive on blu-ray as I have the dvd. Superman has always been my hero and these beautiful shorts from the Fleischer Bros are faithful to the Superman legend. I also wish Warner Archive had done the restoration but I am glad they finally arrived on blu-ray. I will watch these today and let you know my opinion of the quality. I am also a grain lover, so...we'll see.
Wow, that’s a very fair review… I have been curious about these shorts for years now and I am not surprised unfortunately because WB has been known to aggressively over-restore animation things (going back at least to the controversial Tex Avery’s Droopy DVD set)…
I love Max Fleischer Superman Cartoons They are iconic Superman cartoons they are really great they are based off Superman old 1930s comic books and They even feel like a superman comic I rate Them 10/10 5 Stars 100% They are beautiful cartoons I cant wait to own them all once i get Superman Movies Blu Ray Box Set for My birthday party in June after My real birthday on June 7th comes up
What's perplexing is that they didn't go and restore the intro and outro music which was sliced in the majority of the shorts (particularly the Famous Studio's back half). They tack on the outro to the first short on most of them...this is very obvious in "Jungle Drums" when they cut in the middle of the song during the Hitler scene to the orchestral music from the first film. Meanwhile, the old Bosko DVD has all of the outro music intact. So it still exists. So really WB didn't do anything other than digitally scrub these prints. There's no actual restoration to make these complete. And funny enough, I made the audi fixes myself on a pleasant Saturday afternoon with a cheap Nero video program. If I - a nobody on Long Island - can fix it, the pros at WB could have even more quickly. I won't be buying this, the blu ray (with scratches, grain and now restored audio) is perfectly fine for these amazing shorts.
I'm primarily a Marvel (specifically Spider-Man) fan and decided to check these out and I'm so fucking jealous at how good this show looks! I recently watched the 60s Spider-Man show and chalked up its choppy animation to "the time" but these are over 20 years before and every episode looks like a classic Disney movie if not even better. Spidey fans got robbed!
I bought these when my son was young in the 1990s. I can't remember if they were DVD or VHS - that's how long ago it was. Of course, they're long since gone. But I have a wee grandson now, I'm just a little bit tempted. . . .
I'm glad to hear about this Blu-ray release. And I will buy it. I am literally watching this series on my TV right now. The free version on UA-cam that is.
A very detailed and fair review. Much appreciated. Ill probably get this at some point. I still have the shorts from the Superman DVD steelbook. But I've been trying to get anything classic DC animation on Blu Ray. I even got the recent Filmation Batman on Blu Ray which I don't think was really a significant upgrade from the DVD. However I'm hoping soon for a Filmation Superman Blu Ray set as they should now be able to include the Superboy shorts missing from the DVD release.
I got my copy yesterday and I'm planing to binge watch this weekend. I have to admit, I love the grain in the movies but when it comes to animation i think i prefer them a bit more smooth and vibrant. That being said i will have to see and compare. I own the DVD release that was a "remaster" version from the cartoon masters, haven't watched in a long time so I will have to watch them again to compare and see which one i like better. I was going to get rid of my copy of the dvd after upgrading to the BR but after your comments I may end up keeping it just for preservation of the original feeling :)
Thanks for the honest and insightful review. I have been a Max Fleischer fan since the days of the original Betty Boop cartoons. I would really like to see, if even possible, a restoration of the 1939 Gulliver’s Travels. The existing version is almost unwatchable.
Hmm. What a shame they did not give this to Warner Archive to do. From your comparison stills (unless I'm imagining things) the colour timing seemed to look a bit different as well between this new release and the previous Blu rays in the big box set. However, this new disc is not very expensive fortunately so I'll grab it anyway and check it out. But it does feel like somewhat of a missed opportunity.
Before the Zaslav regime at Warner Bros, and before the Discovery merger, there had been plans to make it happen, but I have no idea if it still can or will. Thousands of people have been fired since then and I don't know that the resources are there anymore. I hope so!
I had the absolutely abysmal Gaia release of the MF shorts. I was excited when I saw this. I'm a grain guy though. I think I actually prefer the previous release. I have the new 4K set and while they aren't perfect, the damage almost makes it feel more special like it came from another world. If the new Blu-ray set retained the grain, I'd be all over it.
Just in case you didn't know and might be intetested. Max Fleischer brought Popeye the Sailor to the big screen in the 1930's. The collection is available on blu-ray and looks fantastic.
@@CerealAtMidnight can't agree more. I've been watching the early ones regularly and they are absolutely amazing. All black & white with rubbery characters and amazing miniature backgrounds... among the very best cartoons made. I had to repurchase the yellow dvd set since the sets I had (3 actually) had bad discs. I was shocked they never put those on blu like the others.
Well Paramount Pictures distributed the original Superman shorts by Fleischer Studios as with the Popeye, I could care less about that than the Popeye shorts. It's pretty interesting as I like classic animation than just modern animation.
why oh why wasn't WAC allowed to release these. such poor decision making at Warner on this one and another missed opportunity to shine as a film preservation company.
Is there a good comparison between this version and the movie collection version? I need to know I should return this Blu-ray and just buy the movie collection. I know they are damaged looking, but was it a scan from the original camera negatives? I can live with rough looking cartoons if the detail and grain are intact. I can probably also live with this DNR version, but… I don’t necessarily need both, and I was halfway thinking about getting the movies even before I knew they included these shorts…
@@CerealAtMidnight Hmm... good advice. I also have zero nostagia for the films, as I still haven't seen them, but I would like to someday... not sure if its worth 90 buck so whatever though, heh. (So now I'm leaning toward your suggestion more than returning this Blu-ray...)
I was waiting for your review on this Heath. I heard so many people complain about the film grain reduction and a lot of them are keeping their DVD sets. I will go with whatever is the cheapest price.
Not leaving the film grain in the transfer has resulted in what I would characterize as a "what if" scenario. What if it had been possible 80 years ago to photograph the cels digitally?
SUPERMAN OF THE YEAR 1941 , 1942 AND 1943 STAYED MOST COLORFULL IN 2023 , THE ORIGINAL VERSION FROM SUPERMAN IN 16MM ALMOST WAS IN BLACK AND WHITE , BECAUSE IN 1941 THE NUANCE OR HUE WAS RED ON THE SCREEN WITH VERY SHINE , THE LETTERS OF SUPERMAN ON THE OPENING STAYED WHITE , IN THE VHS APPEARED THE LETTERS OF SUPERMAN IN YELLOW COLOR , ON THE BLU-RAY STAYED ORANGE OR RED
I'm so torn on this release and if I should get it. I have the older Superman box set with these cartoons on them and I really love the film grain that they still contain. It's charming and maintains the vintage quality that I associate with old cartoons. Then again, I still like the idea of owning an ultra crisp version of these in my collection. I guess if I can get this set on a discount, I'll buy it
Warner Brothers should send you a check. I wasn’t going to buy this because of the restoration, however you convinced me. Just to much history to pass up.
Thanks for your review on Superman. Do you have any knowledge if Warner Archives may be releasing more of the 1960's Saturday morning superhero cartoons like "Mighty Mightor" or "The Impossibles" on blu ray?
I have to disagree with this review. The restoration is phenomenal, but this release to my eyes is a little soft and the color is pretty good, but is a tiny bit inconsistent. The film grain was marred in previous releases by an overabundance of noise, scratches, and chips. Let’s not forget that in previous releases, there were interlacing artifacts, color, shifting due to inconsistent, lighting, etc... the restoration that was done here is phenomenal, and the overly smooth image, and some minor color issues are nitpicking. I think the minor flaws could be fixed by releasing this in 4K with HDR color. They could probably tweak the restoration by knocking down the smoothness by about 30% Definitely buy!
Agree one hundred percent that this release would have been better if Warner Archive had handled the restoration. However, is there currently a separate Warner Archive department that does their own restoration? I don't think so. Anyway, it's too bad that Warners didn't contract with Vinegar Syndrome to do the work!
Great review as always. I have a couple of questions for you though: 1. you KNOW this set is going to eventually end up at Warner Archive (case in point - the Fleischer/Famous Popeye cartoons) so do you think WA will do further restoration work on this set and 2. have you seen the WA Popeye Blu-rays - if you have, what's the quality like?
I think if Warner Archive was going to get a crack at this, it would have happened with this release. So much about the future of Warner is uncertain, so I don't actually think these shorts are ever likely to get remastered again. As for Popeye on Blu, they look beautiful. Pretty close to perfect, actually.
@@CerealAtMidnight Okay, fair enough. I'll be ordering the Superman set soon. As for the Popeyes, sold. I have the first 3 volumes on DVD (I only collect the B&W cartoons - no Famous, thank you), I'll be happy to reup them to Blu.
Sorry, I don't have that previous release, but I've heard pretty bad things. This is probably an upgrade of that. Nobody is going to be able to do a decent restoration of these besides Warner, since Warner has holds all the original elements.
I’m late commenting on this review- which is fantastic, by the way- so I dont know if I will get an answer: but can anyone tell me if, as on the Superman DVD AND Blu Ray set- if the Mechanical Monster has the beginning of the first short (Superman) INEXCUSABLY tacked on to the beginning? If so, this is a no- go for me…
I have the 5-disc Superman blu ray set from UK. The one with the black cover. ON the back it says The Complete Max Fleischer/Famous Studios blah blah. But there seem to only be 9. So the 8 are missing. Lying box!
I agree with your review 100%. I'm very happy with my purchase, and I think there are some online who are overanalyzing this release and blowing the flaws way out of proportion. This release could have been better, but I think it's probably the best version of these great shorts on home video.
hello Heath!! although not a superman fan, i absolutely love your passion and love for the product and for filmic qualities you hold so dear in general. I love your reviews and opinions and you are just the best !!
@@CerealAtMidnight you are welcome! I have been a sub for about a year now. Although I live in NZ and cannot readily get a lot of the titles you review/feature, I do enjoy your takes and recommendations! I have used your code at Umbrella a few times too! hahah
Filmic or not filmic enough. Grain or no grain. Biggest gatekeeper debate going for HD and 4k tranfers. No wonder 4k is struggling to crack the mainstream
How are conversations about quality contributing to gatekeeping, Shawn? 4K hasn't cracked the mainstream (and never will) because it's a luxury format with a barrier of entry that is simply too high for the average movie fan. DVD and Blu-ray are good enough for most buyers. I just don't see a connection between talking about how good or bad a restoration is and gatekeeping--which is something I'm constantly speaking against.
@CerealAtMidnight All physical media was a luxury at some point. VHS tapes were crazy expensive at one point too. I guess my bigger point is I just don't understand what people expect from restorations or 4ks. If you want them to look like some janky $1 store disc, then stick with that. I just don't understand the problem with discs being cleaned up and use the technology we have available. I happen to think the T2 4k looks amazing. I guess you can always pop in the dvd and see a lesser quality if that's what someone likes. I'm not a total grain or filmic hater, but if the original is able to be improved on, then why wouldn't you want that
Because what some folks call an improvement, others people consider a step backwards. My review illustrates how this is a step forward in some aspects (color, resolution) and a step backward in others (crispness and detail, especially when compared to the source material). Accuracy matters in reviews. Having conversations about these things is not gatekeeping unless the goal is to keep people out. Nobody watching this review can say that's the case here.
@CerealAtMidnight just to be clear, I don't think you or this video was gatekeeping. Watched your channel for quite awhile because I respect your opinions on movies and content in general. I admit I don't know what all is involved in restoring and transferring film to Blu-ray/4ks. I have watched some videos explaining it, but it's usually more of an outline rather than a step by step explanation. I understand it's expensive and time consuming to make these discs. Maybe my complaint should be directed more towards the studios who just slap a lazy transfer, ie DNR the hell out if it or barely change anything, on a disc and charge $35 or whatever. Sounds like I'm talking out both sides of my face but HD and Ultra HD is widely inconsistent IMO
No matter what I so appreciate these classic cartoons......These new cartoon on the these streaming channels are just pathetic and should be banned.........The classsic cartoons are the best no matter what.....!!!!
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I just logged into Amazon and they inform me it's no longer available! 😳🥺😭 I hope that it's some sort of error on their part!
Shows in stock for me when I click the link.
@@CerealAtMidnight I found what's happening, it's only letting me buy it from my local Amazon (Australia). All good!
Bill Hunt savaged this release.
@@spidervenom14 cancelled my order based on that review.
I don't know who Bill Hunt is. What was so bad about the review?
idk Bill Hunt but Ik people are complaining over losing the grains, which is weird bc they kept all the poppy colors and it looks good especially from a cartoon from 1941
Should have got his brother Mike Hunt to do it.
Great review ! Max Fleischer made no compromises -and brought Superman to life. This stuff has the raw power of Schuster’s art.
Thanks for the video. I recently ordered this Blu-ray and should have it next week. I've heard a lot of complaints and I agree that they went overboard removing all the grain. But its nice to have them anyway and if they don't sell, the studio might not continue to do this. It would be a shame for so much great old content to disappear because studios don't want to spend the money. Once they are gone, they are gone forever.
You were right about them being too smooth and loss of fine detail, but, damn, they look really good and definitely better than the DVD. Really lush animation from Max and Dave and I'm really happy with this release. Let's hope Warner Archive does the restoration of the Fleischer's b&w Popeye (introduced in their Betty Boop cartoons) cartoons and the 3 Technicolor feature these. A pipe dream probably as is the restoration of "Gullivers Travels". Not many people know how important the Fleischer Brothers are to animation history.
@mikewright9138
Which are better though? I don’t need both, so should I just return this collection and buy the movies? I didn’t know they came with the pre-DNR scans of these shorts. I don’t mind a little roughness and damage if it’s a scan of the camera negatives or something. Hmm… I’ll try to find a more thorough comparison.
Thanks for the review. I've got my copy coming today. I've been waiting forever for these to arrive on blu-ray as I have the dvd. Superman has always been my hero and these beautiful shorts from the Fleischer Bros are faithful to the Superman legend. I also wish Warner Archive had done the restoration but I am glad they finally arrived on blu-ray. I will watch these today and let you know my opinion of the quality. I am also a grain lover, so...we'll see.
Wow, that’s a very fair review… I have been curious about these shorts for years now and I am not surprised unfortunately because WB has been known to aggressively over-restore animation things (going back at least to the controversial Tex Avery’s Droopy DVD set)…
They need to bring back Max Fleischer's brand, imagine what they could do today.
I love Max Fleischer Superman Cartoons They are iconic Superman cartoons they are really great they are based off Superman old 1930s comic books and They even feel like a superman comic I rate Them 10/10 5 Stars 100% They are beautiful cartoons I cant wait to own them all once i get Superman Movies Blu Ray Box Set for My birthday party in June after My real birthday on June 7th comes up
What's perplexing is that they didn't go and restore the intro and outro music which was sliced in the majority of the shorts (particularly the Famous Studio's back half). They tack on the outro to the first short on most of them...this is very obvious in "Jungle Drums" when they cut in the middle of the song during the Hitler scene to the orchestral music from the first film. Meanwhile, the old Bosko DVD has all of the outro music intact. So it still exists. So really WB didn't do anything other than digitally scrub these prints. There's no actual restoration to make these complete. And funny enough, I made the audi fixes myself on a pleasant Saturday afternoon with a cheap Nero video program. If I - a nobody on Long Island - can fix it, the pros at WB could have even more quickly. I won't be buying this, the blu ray (with scratches, grain and now restored audio) is perfectly fine for these amazing shorts.
>Bosco DVD has all of the outro music intact
Maybe except Mummy Strikes, but its flow still sounds the most natural than any other release
I'm primarily a Marvel (specifically Spider-Man) fan and decided to check these out and I'm so fucking jealous at how good this show looks! I recently watched the 60s Spider-Man show and chalked up its choppy animation to "the time" but these are over 20 years before and every episode looks like a classic Disney movie if not even better. Spidey fans got robbed!
I bought these when my son was young in the 1990s. I can't remember if they were DVD or VHS - that's how long ago it was. Of course, they're long since gone. But I have a wee grandson now, I'm just a little bit tempted. . . .
Honestly, I'm glad I held on to my double-disc Gaiam release.
My copy is arriving today, and I want to do a direct comparison myself.
I'm glad to hear about this Blu-ray release. And I will buy it.
I am literally watching this series on my TV right now. The free version on UA-cam that is.
A very detailed and fair review. Much appreciated. Ill probably get this at some point. I still have the shorts from the Superman DVD steelbook. But I've been trying to get anything classic DC animation on Blu Ray. I even got the recent Filmation Batman on Blu Ray which I don't think was really a significant upgrade from the DVD. However I'm hoping soon for a Filmation Superman Blu Ray set as they should now be able to include the Superboy shorts missing from the DVD release.
Would be cool if Warner archive did a proper uhd restoration.
I was curious what you thought of this restoration. I’m still on the fence about picking it up. Thanks for the video
I got my copy yesterday and I'm planing to binge watch this weekend. I have to admit, I love the grain in the movies but when it comes to animation i think i prefer them a bit more smooth and vibrant. That being said i will have to see and compare. I own the DVD release that was a "remaster" version from the cartoon masters, haven't watched in a long time so I will have to watch them again to compare and see which one i like better. I was going to get rid of my copy of the dvd after upgrading to the BR but after your comments I may end up keeping it just for preservation of the original feeling :)
I’m glad both versions are available so you can make your choice on which you prefer, at least for now.
“This is like…Superman at 100 percent.” This is proof that Superman is king -if entrusted to capable artists.
So excited for this!
Max Fleischer only did the first nine, not all 17.
2023 FEATURETTE , THE CARTOON SUPERMAN FROM 40´S STAYED SUPERCOLORED , WITH A VISUAL WELL MOST MODERN
Thanks for the honest and insightful review. I have been a Max Fleischer fan since the days of the original Betty Boop cartoons. I would really like to see, if even possible, a restoration of the 1939 Gulliver’s Travels. The existing version is almost unwatchable.
I was waiting for a review on this collection before buying it. Thank you Heath. Right now, I'm buying 1970s & 80s horror classics on Blu-Ray.
Hmm. What a shame they did not give this to Warner Archive to do. From your comparison stills (unless I'm imagining things) the colour timing seemed to look a bit different as well between this new release and the previous Blu rays in the big box set. However, this new disc is not very expensive fortunately so I'll grab it anyway and check it out. But it does feel like somewhat of a missed opportunity.
I’m ok with the removal of the grain for animation, as long as the rest of the picture looks good.
I understand the complaints but I personally like them. Wish they would’ve went frame by frame restoration though.
Do you think the George Reeves series of Superman will make it to blu ray?
Before the Zaslav regime at Warner Bros, and before the Discovery merger, there had been plans to make it happen, but I have no idea if it still can or will. Thousands of people have been fired since then and I don't know that the resources are there anymore. I hope so!
I had the absolutely abysmal Gaia release of the MF shorts. I was excited when I saw this. I'm a grain guy though. I think I actually prefer the previous release. I have the new 4K set and while they aren't perfect, the damage almost makes it feel more special like it came from another world. If the new Blu-ray set retained the grain, I'd be all over it.
Just in case you didn't know and might be intetested. Max Fleischer brought Popeye the Sailor to the big screen in the 1930's. The collection is available on blu-ray and looks fantastic.
The 40s shorts are on Blu-ray, but I'm really hoping the 30s Fleischer shorts get the HD treatment one day, as I prefer those to the later ones.
@@CerealAtMidnight can't agree more. I've been watching the early ones regularly and they are absolutely amazing. All black & white with rubbery characters and amazing miniature backgrounds... among the very best cartoons made. I had to repurchase the yellow dvd set since the sets I had (3 actually) had bad discs. I was shocked they never put those on blu like the others.
Well Paramount Pictures distributed the original Superman shorts by Fleischer Studios as with the Popeye, I could care less about that than the Popeye shorts.
It's pretty interesting as I like classic animation than just modern animation.
why oh why wasn't WAC allowed to release these.
such poor decision making at Warner on this one and another missed opportunity to shine as a film preservation company.
Is there a good comparison between this version and the movie collection version? I need to know I should return this Blu-ray and just buy the movie collection.
I know they are damaged looking, but was it a scan from the original camera negatives? I can live with rough looking cartoons if the detail and grain are intact. I can probably also live with this DNR version, but… I don’t necessarily need both, and I was halfway thinking about getting the movies even before I knew they included these shorts…
I don’t believe we know the source of the older scans. If you’ve already got the Blu-ray, I say keep it and enjoy it!
@@CerealAtMidnight Hmm... good advice. I also have zero nostagia for the films, as I still haven't seen them, but I would like to someday... not sure if its worth 90 buck so whatever though, heh. (So now I'm leaning toward your suggestion more than returning this Blu-ray...)
I’m good with what I have, but it’s a great series and I’m glad it’s getting attention again.
I was waiting for your review on this Heath. I heard so many people complain about the film grain reduction and a lot of them are keeping their DVD sets. I will go with whatever is the cheapest price.
what Disc are the shows on in the 4K set?
Not leaving the film grain in the transfer has resulted in what I would characterize as a "what if" scenario. What if it had been possible 80 years ago to photograph the cels digitally?
SUPERMAN OF THE YEAR 1941 , 1942 AND 1943 STAYED MOST COLORFULL IN 2023 , THE ORIGINAL VERSION FROM SUPERMAN IN 16MM ALMOST WAS IN BLACK AND WHITE , BECAUSE IN 1941 THE NUANCE OR HUE WAS RED ON THE SCREEN WITH VERY SHINE , THE LETTERS OF SUPERMAN ON THE OPENING STAYED WHITE , IN THE VHS APPEARED THE LETTERS OF SUPERMAN IN YELLOW COLOR , ON THE BLU-RAY STAYED ORANGE OR RED
I'm so torn on this release and if I should get it. I have the older Superman box set with these cartoons on them and I really love the film grain that they still contain. It's charming and maintains the vintage quality that I associate with old cartoons. Then again, I still like the idea of owning an ultra crisp version of these in my collection. I guess if I can get this set on a discount, I'll buy it
Warner Brothers should send you a check. I wasn’t going to buy this because of the restoration, however you convinced me. Just to much history to pass up.
Thanks for your review on Superman. Do you have any knowledge if Warner Archives may be releasing more of the 1960's Saturday morning superhero cartoons like "Mighty Mightor" or "The Impossibles" on blu ray?
I don't, unfortunately.
Moby Dick & The Mighty Mightor & Frankenstein Jr. & The Impossibles were released on DVD before back around 2011.
I have to disagree with this review. The restoration is phenomenal, but this release to my eyes is a little soft and the color is pretty good, but is a tiny bit inconsistent.
The film grain was marred in previous releases by an overabundance of noise, scratches, and chips.
Let’s not forget that in previous releases, there were interlacing artifacts, color, shifting due to inconsistent, lighting, etc... the restoration that was done here is phenomenal, and the overly smooth image, and some minor color issues are nitpicking.
I think the minor flaws could be fixed by releasing this in 4K with HDR color.
They could probably tweak the restoration by knocking down the smoothness by about 30%
Definitely buy!
To be honest, I liked this blu ray version of 1941 Superman than the 📀 version.
Agree one hundred percent that this release would have been better if Warner Archive had handled the restoration. However, is there currently a separate Warner Archive department that does their own restoration? I don't think so. Anyway, it's too bad that Warners didn't contract with Vinegar Syndrome to do the work!
Appreciate your input. Good review!
Great review as always. I have a couple of questions for you though: 1. you KNOW this set is going to eventually end up at Warner Archive (case in point - the Fleischer/Famous Popeye cartoons) so do you think WA will do further restoration work on this set and 2. have you seen the WA Popeye Blu-rays - if you have, what's the quality like?
I think if Warner Archive was going to get a crack at this, it would have happened with this release. So much about the future of Warner is uncertain, so I don't actually think these shorts are ever likely to get remastered again. As for Popeye on Blu, they look beautiful. Pretty close to perfect, actually.
@@CerealAtMidnight Okay, fair enough. I'll be ordering the Superman set soon. As for the Popeyes, sold. I have the first 3 volumes on DVD (I only collect the B&W cartoons - no Famous, thank you), I'll be happy to reup them to Blu.
Isn't there another max fleshier superman blu Ray set so why is the two sets of Blu ray of the same copy?
Helpful review, thank you.
Their is a previous 2 disc blu ray collector’s edition that was digitally restored by Gaiam and NHP Ltd any chance of a comparison to that release
Sorry, I don't have that previous release, but I've heard pretty bad things. This is probably an upgrade of that. Nobody is going to be able to do a decent restoration of these besides Warner, since Warner has holds all the original elements.
I’m late commenting on this review- which is fantastic, by the way- so I dont know if I will get an answer: but can anyone tell me if, as on the Superman DVD AND Blu Ray set- if the Mechanical Monster has the beginning of the first short (Superman) INEXCUSABLY tacked on to the beginning? If so, this is a no- go for me…
Great review as per the usual. Love the channel.
Does anyone know if it's Region free or locked to North America, i.e. Region A? Thanks :)
This original Superman cartoon came out the same time as the original Looney tunes if I'm Not mistaken
I have the 5-disc Superman blu ray set from UK. The one with the black cover. ON the back it says The Complete Max Fleischer/Famous Studios blah blah. But there seem to only be 9. So the 8 are missing. Lying box!
I agree with your review 100%. I'm very happy with my purchase, and I think there are some online who are overanalyzing this release and blowing the flaws way out of proportion. This release could have been better, but I think it's probably the best version of these great shorts on home video.
God this looks so bad...it's a tragedy...stay tuned for an update though ;)
They absolutely massacred this transfer, I ain't buyin' it.
Most dcau wasn’t done by Warner archive it’s a shame a huge blunder.
hello Heath!! although not a superman fan, i absolutely love your passion and love for the product and for filmic qualities you hold so dear in general. I love your reviews and opinions and you are just the best !!
Very kind of you to say, thank you!
@@CerealAtMidnight you are welcome! I have been a sub for about a year now. Although I live in NZ and cannot readily get a lot of the titles you review/feature, I do enjoy your takes and recommendations! I have used your code at Umbrella a few times too! hahah
Filmic or not filmic enough. Grain or no grain. Biggest gatekeeper debate going for HD and 4k tranfers. No wonder 4k is struggling to crack the mainstream
How are conversations about quality contributing to gatekeeping, Shawn? 4K hasn't cracked the mainstream (and never will) because it's a luxury format with a barrier of entry that is simply too high for the average movie fan. DVD and Blu-ray are good enough for most buyers. I just don't see a connection between talking about how good or bad a restoration is and gatekeeping--which is something I'm constantly speaking against.
@CerealAtMidnight All physical media was a luxury at some point. VHS tapes were crazy expensive at one point too. I guess my bigger point is I just don't understand what people expect from restorations or 4ks. If you want them to look like some janky $1 store disc, then stick with that. I just don't understand the problem with discs being cleaned up and use the technology we have available. I happen to think the T2 4k looks amazing. I guess you can always pop in the dvd and see a lesser quality if that's what someone likes. I'm not a total grain or filmic hater, but if the original is able to be improved on, then why wouldn't you want that
Because what some folks call an improvement, others people consider a step backwards. My review illustrates how this is a step forward in some aspects (color, resolution) and a step backward in others (crispness and detail, especially when compared to the source material). Accuracy matters in reviews. Having conversations about these things is not gatekeeping unless the goal is to keep people out. Nobody watching this review can say that's the case here.
@CerealAtMidnight just to be clear, I don't think you or this video was gatekeeping. Watched your channel for quite awhile because I respect your opinions on movies and content in general. I admit I don't know what all is involved in restoring and transferring film to Blu-ray/4ks. I have watched some videos explaining it, but it's usually more of an outline rather than a step by step explanation. I understand it's expensive and time consuming to make these discs. Maybe my complaint should be directed more towards the studios who just slap a lazy transfer, ie DNR the hell out if it or barely change anything, on a disc and charge $35 or whatever. Sounds like I'm talking out both sides of my face but HD and Ultra HD is widely inconsistent IMO
Ah, gotcha. Thanks for the clarification! You're right, HD and UHD can be so different, it's tough to navigate.
When I turn 90.....Original Scooby Doo all the way....!!!!
Just got it today......
No matter what I so appreciate these classic cartoons......These new cartoon on the these streaming channels are just pathetic and should be banned.........The classsic cartoons are the best no matter what.....!!!!