Customer Reviews

Chuck Jones - Extremes and In-Betweens, a Life in Animation [VHS]

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This documentary is basically a 90 minute condensation of the work of Chuck Jones. Comprised of neat interviews, clips for cartoons, and photographs, this is a surprise for many.

The quality of the video is excellent... it's non-anamorphic 1.85:1, but it was made that way. Upconverting the image wouldn't result in more resolution. You see 100% of the resolution for the video parts. All cartoons are presented at 1.33:1, windowboxed within the 1.85:1 frame.

The extras include a 15-minute "tutorial" which is a facinating look at the process of animation. It seems to be an outtake from the documentary. There are pencil tests for How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Mississippi Hare, as well. That's not all! Two complete Jones cartoons are provided: Feed The Kitty and Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century. Both are in perfect condition, with gorgeous Technicolor color.

This is a must-own for any animation fan...

This DVD is a must for all film majors and any one else interested in the art of animation! Not to mention Sociologists. In fact, any one who recalls with fondness those hours spent in movie houses or before a TV screen watching Jones' cartoons.

Being of the age I am, I grew up watching Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck fighting the Axis all through World War II, and I was as influenced by their antics as much as a German child would be by the tales of Grimm. After all, how many real life heroes did we have? Joe DiMaggio and General MacArthur? (In fact, how many today? That is why we spend so much on Batman, Spiderman, and Indiana Jones films.)

Now among the greatest of the animated cartoon series was that of Merry Melodies and Looney Tunes, and possibly the greatest animator of them all was Chuck Jones, the inventor of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Pepe Le Pew, the Coyote and the Road Runner, and others that still make children (and grownup children) laugh with delight. Having missed the PBS special a few weeks ago, I was very happy to receive the DVD recording of "Chuck Jones: Extremes & In-Betweens, A Life in Animation." With an 85 minute running time, this disc gives us the highlights of and insights into the genius called Jones.

Copious scenes from the cartoons are shown and analyzed, both from a technical point of view and as an extension of Jones' personality. From the talking heads of such notables as Robin Williams, Woopi Goldberg, Leonard Maltin, and Steven Spielberg, we get their impressions of what made these cartoons truly funny. But more important are the technicians and artists who actually worked at Warner Brothers back then, with whom we explore the major cartoon characters as well as such aspects of cartoon-making as animation, backgrounds, timing and dialogue, and background music.

Among the "special features" is about a half hour of what seems to be out-takes from the feature film, providing a very informative handbook for would-be animators. There is also a bonus of two complete Jones classics, "Feed the Kitty" and "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century."

And, yes, you will enjoy this immensely regardless of your major.

I fell in love with Chuck Jones' work way back in the 60's when I was a student at MIT, where the adventures of Wile E. Coyote were followed avidly by the engineering students each week. The warped, surrealistic humor of the Road Runner epics were the perfect antidote to the daily grind of math and physics, and we always rooted for the coyote, even while knowing that he'd never catch and devour the road runner. There's a wonderful subversive quality to much of Jones' work, as this delightful documentary makes perfectly clear. It offers a nice mix of technical tidbits, commentary by admirers from Steven Spielberg to Matt Groening, and wry observations by Jones himself. If you've ever wanted to meet the man who gave us Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Wile E. Coyote, this is your chance!

Chuck Jones, like Charles Schulz and Carl Barks, is one of those pure artistic geniuses who would be hailed as a Shakespeare or Michelangelo if not for the fact that the medium they work in is so frequently and unjustly frowned upon by elitists.

Jones, the director of the greatest "Looney Tunes" cartoons, several Tom and Jerry shorts and lots more, including the animated version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," was the greatest animator America ever produced. This documentary, produced a few years before his death, is a wonderful look at his life, how he shaped the cartoons and how he shaped the work of others such as Ron Howard (whose live-action "Grinch" borrowed liberally from the Jones version). The film includes conversations with Jones himself. Best of all, it is sprinkled with snippets from all of Jones' greatest cartoons, from "What's Opera Doc?" to "Rabbit Seasoning."

If you love the Looney Tunes and you want to learn about the man who made them greater than anyone else, you've got to check out this film.

I was somewhat disappointed to find only a snippet of "The Dot and the Line" and "One Froggy Evening" instead of the entire feature. I have been searching for these cartoons, without success for years and thought I'd finally hit the jackpot. But it was great getting an insight into the genius of Chuck Jones and hearing what other big stars thought of his work. It's a must see for anyone interested in the process of animation.

I saw "Chuck Jones: Extremes and in-betweens" when it premiered on PBS's Great Performances, and I am truly grateful that it is now available on DVD. This is a stellar piece of documentary film-making and should be viewed by every Chuck Jones fan. In fact I would wager that every true Chuck Jones fan would like to have MADE this film, what a fun project it must have been. The DVD has some wonderful extras includng an enlightening featurette on Jones's "Tricks of the trade." Yet as much as I love this DVD as a whole, I do have one very large complaint. In the special features section, the DVD offers some "Bonus Cartoons" They are: Duck Dodgers in the twenty-forth amd a half century" and "Feed the Kitty" While these are classic Jones cartoons the fact remains that virtually everyone has already seen them. I am also nearly positive that Duck Dodgers has found it's way into at least one of the looney tunes compilations available on video. This is probably true of "Feed the Kitty" as well although I didn't recognise the title. A DVD such as this seeks to showcase Jones as the visionary he was, this endeavor demands that Jones's lesser known works be liberated from obscerity. To which cartoons am I referring? One in particular would be the little known sequel to "One Froggy Evening "Another Froggy evening. For those who are not familiar with "One Froggy evening" it is the 1955 classic featuring Michigan J. Frog. "Another Froggy Evening" debuted as part of "Fest of the Best" a theatrically released retrospective of the best Looney Tunes. This was sponsored by the now non-existant Warner Brothers Studio Stores, I believe it only ran a week. What better place to resurrect this lost cartoon than on a DVD honoring the life's work of it's creator?

A definite "scrapvideo" for MOST Loony Tunes followers,"Chuck Jones - Extremes and In-Betweens, a Life in Animation" left me a taste of respect and motivation to Mr. Jones career through animation, fused with emptyness and frustration in some pointless interviews with Whoopy Golberg, Robin Williams, Matt Groening and Steven Spielberg (nothing outstanding, relevant, or even worth for the narrative context in this DVD).

Initially, the DVD structure looks quite ambitious through 21 of its 22 titles but, while watching the whole thing I got more and more convinced that most of the chapters were just too "light" to make a "one-of-a-kind" anything. That goes even to special features like the rush version of "Chuck Jones Tutorial: tricks of the cartoon trade" quite poorly edited and commented by some animators except Mr. Jones.

More like a Video Catalogue of Mr. Jones work at Warner Brothers, "Chuck Jones - Extremes and In-Betweens, a Life in Animation", pulls down Mr. Jones potential and appeal to a 90 minute commercial about shorts found in DVD collections and stories or books written by or about Mr. Jones (and...guess what? They are all for sale separately).

I also missed the complete versions of "High note" and "The Dot and the Line" (Even if this last one was done with MGM).

Pretty much everyone in animation knows about the life and career of Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones. While it's a shame that Warner Home Video STILL hasn't put out the classic Looney Tunes shorts on DVD, director Margaret Selby helps them serve up the next best thing: a profile of Jones and his career.

Originally broadcast on PBS' GREAT PERFORMANCES series in 2000, this is not so much a biography or history as it is a discussion of Jones' storytelling and animation techniques, from entertainers (Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams) to critics (Leonard Maltin) to contemporaries (the late Maurice Noble, who worked on backgrounds for many Warners toons) to fellow professionals (Eric Goldberg and Glen Keane, Disney animators who were influenced by Jones' sense of timing). Their interviews, along with clips from Jones' work at Warners and other studios (The Grinch, MGM's Tom & Jerry) help to showcase his storytelling genius and, in a cumulative way, help expose the secrets of his success in the animation medium.

While Extremes & In-Betweens was a great video, the DVD format makes it PERFECT for students of animation. They can now use single-frame scanning to study, frame-by-frame, the animation work of a genius; while this is a given for any Disney DVD, it's a first for a Warner Bros. classic product (the other Chuck Jones-featured DVD, The Complete Private Snafu, is a poorer-quality transfer). Furthermore, the extras are geared specifically to introduce the layman to animation terminology. In one feature, "A Chuck Jones Tutorial," interviews with Jones and other animation professionals showcase each of the animation techniques which are taught at animation schools today, with appropriate examples. Pencil tests of the Grinch and Mississipi Hare show Jones' mastery in mid- and late career. The two complete Warners shorts featured are there because they are primary examples of Jones' strength: DUCK DODGERS is a masterpiece of comic timing while FEED THE KITTY is a tour-de-force of emotional personality animation.

All in all, this is a valuable addition to any animation enthusiast's collection, especially for those who plan to go into the business.

Pretty much everyone in animation knows about the life and career of Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones. While it's a shame that Warner Home Video STILL hasn't put out the classic Looney Tunes shorts on DVD, director Margaret Selby helps them serve up the next best thing: a profile of Jones and his career.

Originally broadcast on PBS' GREAT PERFORMANCES series in 2000, this is not so much a biography or history as it is a discussion of Jones' storytelling and animation techniques, from entertainers (Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams) to critics (Leonard Maltin) to contemporaries (the late Maurice Noble, who worked on backgrounds for many Warners toons) to fellow professionals (Eric Goldberg and Glen Keane, Disney animators who were influenced by Jones' sense of timing). Their interviews, along with clips from Jones' work at Warners and other studios (The Grinch, MGM's Tom & Jerry) help to showcase his storytelling genius and, in a cumulative way, help expose the secrets of his success in the animation medium.

While Extremes & In-Betweens was a great video, the DVD format makes it PERFECT for students of animation. They can now use single-frame scanning to study, frame-by-frame, the animation work of a genius; while this is a given for any Disney DVD, it's a first for a Warner Bros. classic product (the other Chuck Jones-featured DVD, The Complete Private Snafu, is a poorer-quality transfer). Furthermore, the extras are geared specifically to introduce the layman to animation terminology. In one feature, "A Chuck Jones Tutorial," interviews with Jones and other animation professionals showcase each of the animation techniques which are taught at animation schools today, with appropriate examples. Pencil tests of the Grinch and Mississipi Hare show Jones' mastery in mid- and late career. The two complete Warners shorts featured are there because they are primary examples of Jones' strength: DUCK DODGERS is a masterpiece of comic timing while FEED THE KITTY is a tour-de-force of emotional personality animation.

All in all, this is a valuable addition to any animation enthusiast's collection, especially for those who plan to go into the business.

Chuck Jones is an amazing director, but unfortunately this documentary is more a "celebration" of Jones--the kind of thing you might see at an awards show, only longer and more repetitive--than an in-depth look at his life or work. This DVD isn't worthless. You do get a couple of great cartoons and some mildly-interesting pencil tests. But your time and money would be better spent with Jones' own book (Chuck Amuck: The Life and Times of an Animated Cartoonist) or with the cartoons themselves.