Shorts! Merrie Melodies: Old Glory

(Spoiler Section Length: 8min 50sec)It's finally happened - the 2nd shelved Looney Tunes movie has been released, and we went and saw it in theaters! Besides The Day the Earth Blew Up, all Looney Tunes films have been live-action/animation hybrids, so that begs the question... how does this hold up compared to the Space Jams and Back in Action? And how is it as a movie, overall? Was it worth the wait and all the effort to finally get it released? Let's find out!

The Looney Tunes (and Merrie Melodies) series are typically thought of as funny, or at the very least trying to be. But what happens when they try to step out of the comedy lane, into something more... prestigious? And very patriotic. Is the resulting cartoon worth watching? Let's find out!

(Spoiler Section Length: 6min 36sec)In Disney's long history of filmmaking, there are some movies the company would prefer you forget. Of these, perhaps none is more infamous than Song of the South. Frequently derided for being racist and boring, today we finally tackle it to find out, is it really as bad as everyone says? Should it be included on Disney+? Does this thing hold up, even a little bit? Let's find out!

The end of the 30s marks the fall of Mickey Mouse and the rise of Donald Duck, who would be Disney's predominant cartoon star throughout the 40s and 50s. In these two shorts we see increasing refinement of the Donald vs. the Nephews formula, and the first instance of Mickey's villain Pete showing up in a solo Donald effort. Do these cartoons show why Donald ended up becoming such a huge success? Let's discuss!

(Spoiler Section Length: 19min 16sec)So after a hit Disney movie has been made, and people are clamoring for more, what options are there to give them that? There's sequels, obviously, a very popular choice. There's remakes, a current trend that some people hope will die at some point. And there's the even less common tv spinoff maneuver. But what about... the stage? There's actually quite a few Disney stage musicals made over the last few decades, many of which made it to Broadway! This one did not. Is that because it's bad? Let's talk about it!

Among the various Warner Bros cartoon directors, many are well-remembered today even by casual fans, and even more are remembered by those obsessed with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. But also some are rightfully forgotten. Generally speaking, Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton are among that latter group, even if they do deserve some recognition for their contributions to Bugs Bunny. But what about their original cartoons? Are any of those good? Let's see one of their best and determine if it's actually worth watching! Oh also we hear Porky Pig curse.

(Spoiler Section Length: 6min 13sec)When it comes to Disney animated sequels, there's an accepted canon when it comes to which ones are half-decent and which are the bottom of the barrel. In that canon, Return of Jafar is often considered the latter, but this podcast doesn't exactly agree with that opinion. What then of Hunchback II, which is also often considered among the worst? It's often derided for how different in tone it is from the original, for how boring the plot is and for how awful the animation is. Do we agree? Is it truly the worst of the worst? Let's find out!

We've checked in once before with Friz Freleng while he's away from Warner Bros, with a Captain and the Kids short. Today we watched another short in that series and also another solo short. Is his output getting any better than his early Warner Bros days? Let's find out!!

(Spoiler Section Length: 10min 18sec)Of all the many Disney adaptations over the years, one of the most divisive is Hunchback of Notre Dame. Lauded by many for its darker tone compared to most Disney works but derided by others for Disney-ifying the source material with additions like the gargoyles or changes like the ending, it's a work whose reputation is hard to easily quantify. So what did we think? Let's find out!

Chuck Jones is given a lot of the blame for Daffy Duck's personality shifting over the years, and I don't think it's entirely fair to lay that all upon his shoulders. That said, he is PART of the equation, and we see some signs of what Daffy would become even in this very first cartoon directed by Jones that features him. So okay, sure, it's got historical value, but is it any good for a modern viewer? Let's find out!