To see this however, I'm very excited but I have to balance that against some realizations. First, to give Tex a dedicated set (as well-deserved and long overdue as it is) means that the MGM cartoon library is still going to be divided into T&J, Tex, and 'the rest.' While I feel pretty safe in guessing all of the Tex shorts will see release and we'll eventually get the rest of the T&Js, is there going to be enough interest to sustain releases for all the Happy Harmonies, Barney Bears and other one-shots? If those shorts even get releases?

Did you read this comment by Thad?

Well, shit. Thought it was going to be the non-Avery MGMs first (as those were the titles being worked on the most, too). Even better.

There's a VERY strong hint here that the non-Tom and Jerry, non-Avery MGM cartoons will also get restored releases. 🙂 And I wouldn't want Tex Avery together with Happy Harmonies, Barney Bear, etc. anyway. These things belong on separate releases.

As for getting the rest of T&J... that's a completely different matter, because Warner's office is clearly still dead set on not releasing "Mouse Cleaning" and "Casanova Cat". That's what's been keeping more Tom and Jerry Blu-rays from coming out all these years, not a lack of sales. I don't know why so many people think good sales figures for other classic animation will suddenly change the Tom and Jerry situation.

Facebook comment from Jerry, posted in the Cartoon Research group  four hours ago:

... Full details on the set (yes, a first volume) will be released on Tuesday. I can’t say anything else till then. But I’m glad everyone is enthusiastic about it!

I can't escape the troubling feeling we're being set up for disappointment

I can't escape the troubling feeling we're being set up for disappointment

We've been waiting for a set of fully restored Tex Avery shorts for - what, a decade or two? - now. I don't see why that would be disappointing (aside from, of course, the lack of any bonus features). At this point, even a bare-bones first volume is way, way better than nothing at all.

I can't escape the troubling feeling we're being set up for disappointment

Hope for the best; be prepared for the worst.

Did you read this comment by Thad?

Well, shit. Thought it was going to be the non-Avery MGMs first (as those were the titles being worked on the most, too). Even better.

There's a VERY strong hint here that the non-Tom and Jerry, non-Avery MGM cartoons will also get restored releases. 🙂 And I wouldn't want Tex Avery together with Happy Harmonies, Barney Bear, etc. anyway. These things belong on separate releases.

I did take note of Thad's comment, and while it is indeed heartening to know that the other MGM shorts are being worked on, I'm taking nothing for granted until we get an official release announcement or other conclusive proof. However, I concede I ought to have qualified my remarks to make my question can the one-shots sustain the multiple releases it would require to get them all out?

As for belonging on separate releases, I've long desired the MGM cartoon library to be treated like the WB cartoons were on the original Golden Collections, mixed together with major characters sharing the spotlight with lesser-known ones. That's just a personal dream, of course.

As for getting the rest of T&J... that's a completely different matter, because Warner's office is clearly still dead set on not releasing "Mouse Cleaning" and "Casanova Cat". That's what's been keeping more Tom and Jerry Blu-rays from coming out all these years, not a lack of sales. I don't know why so many people think good sales figures for other classic animation will suddenly change the Tom and Jerry situation.

I wasn't thinking about how good (or poor) the sales numbers for other releases were. I felt safe in saying the T&Js would be released (eventually) not because some executive is going to suddenly say "hey, Tex Avery and Popeye sold well, let's do T&J next!" but because sooner or later they're going to say "why are we keeping these shorts that we spent a fortune remastering for blu-ray out of circulation when we could be selling them and recouping our investment?"

Wow, talk about an unexpected surprise!

I was beginning to feel apprehensive given the some of the strong opinions being expressed about why we weren't getting more information about upcoming releases. That feeling wasn't helped by the fact that the 'Porky Pig 101' situation seems to have come back into discussion of late when I'd hoped that water had gone under the bridge by now.

To see this however, I'm very excited but I have to balance that against some realizations. First, to give Tex a dedicated set (as well-deserved and long overdue as it is) means that the MGM cartoon library is still going to be divided into T&J, Tex, and 'the rest.' While I feel pretty safe in guessing all of the Tex shorts will see release and we'll eventually get the rest of the T&Js, is there going to be enough interest to sustain releases for all the Happy Harmonies, Barney Bears and other one-shots? If those shorts even get releases?

The other part is I'm now very curious about these Tex shorts will look remastered. The mainstream T&J blu-ray was great, but it was not free of the niggles that rear their ugly heads and make viewers question the decisions made during the restoration process. Have lessons been learned from the T&J Golden Collection and the Popeye discs?

I really, really hope so, because while I'm going to be purchasing this regardless as a loyal supporter of classic animation who wants more of it released, I'm also going to be bracing myself for something that I'll have to reconcile because time ran out, elements just couldn't be found, etc.

I can only hope that the stellar communication between customers and experts such as Mr. Beck and Mr. Komorowski that took place during the recent Popeye releases continues so that both sides can better understand each other.

I, too, have had the same thought. Personally, I hope that this upcoming set won’t be plagued with faded Metrocolor prints, but considering what we know about the MGM cartoon library, I wouldn’t be surprised.

I can't really remember any right now, so I ask if any of the previous Avery resorations were soruced from Metrocolor prints. I'm talking about the resorations from around the Academy Awards/Droopy set era.

I can't really remember any right now, so I ask if any of the previous Avery resorations were soruced from Metrocolor prints. I'm talking about the resorations from around the Academy Awards/Droopy set era.

Thankfully, those were all taken from Technicolor sources. I mentioned Metrocolor source material because of the handful of Tom and Jerry cartoons that were remastered from said prints. Hopefully, none of the Tex Avery cartoons will be presented like that, but considering that the original nitrate negatives for the pre-1951 MGM cartoons no longer exist, I won’t be surprised if we come across any that had to be sourced from non-Technicolor material.

Decent IPs exist on all the MGM cartoons, on the Tom & Jerrys they just grabbed and remastered whatever the first one they could find was.

Decent IPs exist on all the MGM cartoons, on the Tom & Jerrys they just grabbed and remastered whatever the first one they could find was.

That IS pretty asinine...

I can't really remember any right now, so I ask if any of the previous Avery resorations were soruced from Metrocolor prints. I'm talking about the resorations from around the Academy Awards/Droopy set era.

Thankfully, those were all taken from Technicolor sources.

None of them were "restorations", though, except for "Dixieland Droopy" on the Droopy DVD set. Up till now, that's the ONLY MGM Tex Avery cartoon that has been properly restored and cleaned up. The colors in that look beautiful, so it obviously wasn't taken from a Metrocolor print. (EDIT: But of course, that's a post-1952 cartoon, so the original nitrate negative probably still exists.)

Aside from "Dixieland Droopy", however, all the cartoons on the Droopy set were older, unrestored television masters (some of them additionally ruined by DVNR). Regarding the Academy Awards DVD set, I know that "Blitz Wolf" got a new HD raw scan for that release (later included in full HD on the second Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Blu-ray), and I think the same may be the case for "Little Johnny Jet". But again, neither of them were cleaned up.

If the restorations on this upcoming Blu-ray set are done properly, it will be a landmark release in so many ways.

...also, the HD raw scan of "Little Rural Riding Hood"  on WAC's 2017 Blu-ray release of "Battleground" had absolutely terrible colors. I'm not clear on whether that's because it was sourced from an inferior print (it says "Technicolor" in the opening title card, and the Metrocolor prints don't from what I understand), or just because Warner did a bad job with the scan or color settings. Whatever the case, the print has some serious damages, even missing a chunk of music in the opening titles. And when you compare the colors of the HD raw scan to the old TV print, well...

I can't escape the troubling feeling we're being set up for disappointment

If WB won’t release those 2 Tom and Jerry cartoons, then what makes fans think this upcoming Tex Avery project will be complete or uncut? There is at least 3 full cartoons from Tex’s that would be a pc problem similar to Tom and Jerry. Plus, all the blackface gags, implied suicidal and violent tendencies of some characters throughout his cartoons.

I can't escape the troubling feeling we're being set up for disappointment

If WB won’t release those 2 Tom and Jerry cartoons, then what makes fans think this upcoming Tex Avery project will be complete or uncut? There is at least 3 full cartoons from Tex’s that would be a pc problem similar to Tom and Jerry. Plus, all the blackface gags, implied suicidal and violent tendencies of some characters fhroughout his shorts.

Tom and Jerry is considered a "family" brand by Warner, Tex Avery is not. That's the big difference. Remember, all the cartoons on the 2007 Droopy DVD set were complete and uncut -- including films like "Droopy's Good Deed", which was even edited on the old LaserDisc release.

I can't escape the troubling feeling we're being set up for disappointment

If WB won’t release those 2 Tom and Jerry cartoons, then what makes fans think this upcoming Tex Avery project will be complete or uncut? There is at least 3 full cartoons from Tex’s that would be a pc problem similar to Tom and Jerry. Plus, all the blackface gags, implied suicidal and violent tendencies of some characters fhroughout his shorts.

Tom and Jerry is considered a "family" brand by Warner, Tex Avery is not. That's the big difference. Remember, all the cartoons on the 2007 Droopy DVD set were complete and uncut -- including films like "Droopy's Good Deed", which was even edited on the old LaserDisc release.

Beat me to it. Tom and Jerry are still wildly popular today. In kids' eyes, frankly, they're probably more recognizable than most Looney Tunes characters apart from Bugs, Taz, Tweety, and maybe Daffy and the Road Runner. I can understand why Warner would be a little more protective of those cartoons. On the other hand, most people outside the film/animation community probably don't know Tex Avery's name these days.

I'm not clear on whether that's because it was sourced from an inferior print (it says "Technicolor" in the opening title card, and the Metrocolor prints don't from what I understand)

not all the prints mgm made wouldve had the 60s mgm logo slapped on it. (some cartoons had the technicolor line shoddily blacked out) really it's because the material mgm chuffed out until around the time of lowfade stocks in the late 70s/80s are quite frankly rubbish.

I'm not clear on whether that's because it was sourced from an inferior print (it says "Technicolor" in the opening title card, and the Metrocolor prints don't from what I understand)

not all the prints mgm made wouldve had the 60s mgm logo slapped on it. (some cartoons had the technicolor line shoddily blacked out) really it's because the material mgm chuffed out until around the time of lowfade stocks in the late 70s/80s are quite frankly rubbish.

I know some had the Technicolor line blacked out... but as I said, that is NOT the case with the HD raw scan of "Little Rural Riding Hood" that I'm talking about here. "Technicolor" is included in the title card. You can see tons of screenshots in this Facebook post , including the opening titles.

but as I said, that is NOT the case with the HD raw scan of "Little Rural Riding Hood" that I'm talking about here. "Technicolor" is included in the title card.

and as im sure i implied not all of them wouldve replaced the opening logos. just cause something says its technicolor doesnt mean its technicolor

but as I said, that is NOT the case with the HD raw scan of "Little Rural Riding Hood" that I'm talking about here. "Technicolor" is included in the title card.

and as im sure i implied not all of them wouldve replaced the opening logos. just cause something says its technicolor doesnt mean its technicolor

I don't see that implied in your previous comment, to be honest. It sounded like you meant the Metrocolor prints would either have the 60s MGM logo or have the Tecnhicolor line blacked out. If true, though, that's interesting. But my impression from reading stuff like Thad's review of the 2011 Tom and Jerry Golden Collection set  is that the Metrocolor prints don't have any mention of Technicolor "because there was no intention of these versions ever replicating it".

I can't escape the troubling feeling we're being set up for disappointment

Please stop acting pessimistic.