Fred "Tex" Avery is widely considered one of the most original and influential animation directors of all-time. After a career at Warner Bros., where he helped create and define the Looney Tunes style as well as characters like Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and Bugs Bunny, Tex Avery moved to MGM. It is there that he created one of his most enduring characters, Droopy.
Now, Warner Bros. brings this classic character to DVD in Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection. Featuring every theatrical Droopy cartoon, including those not directed by creator Tex Avery, this 2-disc set marks the first time that non-Tom and Jerry MGM shorts have been released on DVD in the U.S. Although some video issues pop up on some of the cartoons, this set is well worth your time.
First appearing in the 1943 cartoon "Dumb-Hounded," Droopy isn't your typical cartoon hero. While characters like Bugs Bunny are filled with energy, Droopy is not. He moves slow, talks slow, and rarely shows any emotion. Yet Droopy always succeeds in the end. Usually, he succeeds not because of things he actively does, but simply because he's "the hero," the one who goes up against arrogant jerks who always underestimate him. Droopy, as a character, is a jab at the traditional notion of a cartoon hero.
What makes the Droopy cartoons so great is the wild world that Tex Avery created for them. Avery's cartoons, especially those he made at MGM, move at a breakneck pace with gags that come a mile a minute. Anything could happen in Tex Avery's cartoons and it often did. Characters broke the fourth wall and commented on the action in the cartoon. Gags always defied expectation and every scene was a chance for another laugh. Even though some of the cartoons on this set are over 60 years old, they feel fresh and contemporary in an age of shows like Family Guy.
Twenty-four cartoons appear on this DVD set, with 17 of them directed by Tex Avery (not 18 as indicated on the packaging). The cartoons are presented in chronological order across the two discs and they are uncut. This is notable because a couple of the cartoons contain some outdated racial gags. The DVD packaging makes it clear that this set is intended for adult collectors and if you somehow miss that, a disclaimer also appears at the start of each disc.
Article comments
1 - Stephen Treadwell
Much as I like Tom and Jerry, I don't care much at all for Droopy cartoons. It's pretty boring the way Droopy always wins in the end & besides he's not very lively at all.