# Bugs Bunny DVDs w/Excellent Soundtracks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 16, 2006, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618 "2006-10-16T12:49:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/1 "2006-10-16T12:49:23Z")
I wasn’t sure about reviving [this zombie](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=240849&highlight=bugs+bunny+classical+music), in which people reminisced about their early exposure to classical music via that wascally wabbit, because my question is really just – which DVDs/VHS tapes are worth getting? My 2.5-yr-old twins love _The Rites of Spring_ and _Sorcerer’s Apprentice_ thanks to _Fantasia_, but I’m growing a little weary of them. So those old classics with Bugs seem like a next logical step. But with all the releases out there, I can’t tell which ones are worth getting (or looking for at the library) - they don’t put “featuring _William Tell_” on the box. TIA! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/2 "2006-10-16T13:17:17Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] I wasn’t sure about reviving [this zombie](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=240849&highlight=bugs+bunny+classical+music), in which people reminisced about their early exposure to classical music via that wascally wabbit, because my question is really just – which DVDs/VHS tapes are worth getting? My 2.5-yr-old twins love _The Rites of Spring_ and _Sorcerer’s Apprentice_ thanks to _Fantasia_, but I’m growing a little weary of them. So those old classics with Bugs seem like a next logical step. But with all the releases out there, I can’t tell which ones are worth getting (or looking for at the library) - they don’t put “featuring _William Tell_” on the box. TIA! [/QUOTE] As far as I am concerned, Carl Stallings did a brilliant job with all the music on Bugs Bunny. Since the cartoons in general are pretty much The Best™ - IMHO anyway - I would recommend that you just get the Looney Tunes Golden Collections volumes 1 - 3. The kid not only gets great cartoons, but interspersed throughout are cartoons with “good” music, too - everything from classical like What’s Opera Doc, to jazz with The Three Little Bops (a personal fave). What I have been pleasantly surprised about is that how much quality wins out - with all the other cartoons available - some I like but the majority are crap - its been great to see my kids really take to the Looney Tunes stuff, which have become their favorites… ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/3 "2006-10-16T13:22:07Z")
Maybe not right for little kiddies but one of the more notable uses of classical music in recent comedies is in _Rat Race_. There was much to sneer at in this movie but it had some nice bits - Jon Lovitz and the “Barbie” museum, the busload of “Lucies”. But back to the OP, all the segments featuring Duane and Blaine played by Seth Green and Vince Vieluf have a classical music soundtrack. Nothing else in the movie does. Watch the flight tower scene featuring Grieg’s _In the Hall of the Mountain King_ and the balloon scene which uses Verdi’s \*Libiamo, ne Lieti Calici \* from _La Traviata_. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/4 "2006-10-16T14:19:12Z")
It was Bugs Bunny cartoons that first introduced me to [Raymond Scott](http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Nights-Turkish-Twilights-Raymond/dp/B00001R3H7/sr=8-1/qid=1161007760/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3446914-4594408?ie=UTF8), whose jazz standard _Powerhouse_ appeared in over 40 Warner Brothers cartoons. It’s the music you hear whenever there’s an assembly line or heavy machinery involved in the plot. While he didn’t compose for cartoons, his kinetic style fit in well with the cartoons of the era and Carl Stallings used a lot of his stuff. Well worth a listen. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/5 "2006-10-16T14:29:51Z")
[QUOTE=flurb] It was Bugs Bunny cartoons that first introduced me to [Raymond Scott](http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Nights-Turkish-Twilights-Raymond/dp/B00001R3H7/sr=8-1/qid=1161007760/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3446914-4594408?ie=UTF8), whose jazz standard _Powerhouse_ appeared in over 40 Warner Brothers cartoons. It’s the music you hear whenever there’s an assembly line or heavy machinery involved in the plot. While he didn’t compose for cartoons, his kinetic style fit in well with the cartoons of the era and Carl Stallings used a lot of his stuff. Well worth a listen. [/QUOTE] I _love_ that music!! In our house, all you have to do is start humming that tune and everybody knows its Factory music! My fave is when Mack n’ Tosh get stuck in the tomato canning factory… ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/6 "2006-10-16T15:03:14Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] I _love_ that music!! In our house, all you have to do is start humming that tune and everybody knows its Factory music! My fave is when Mack n’ Tosh get stuck in the tomato canning factory… [/QUOTE] Soul Coughing sampled it on their CD, Ruby Vroom. Love it. Thanks for the tips! It’s just frustrating - somehow I picked up a copy of “Looney Tunes premier collection” and while it’s got good stuff, none of them seem to be the really strong music pieces I’m seeking. Guess I’ll have to see what our library has. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/7 "2006-10-16T15:46:04Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] Soul Coughing sampled it on their CD, Ruby Vroom. Love it. Thanks for the tips! It’s just frustrating - somehow I picked up a copy of “Looney Tunes premier collection” and while it’s got good stuff, none of them seem to be the really strong music pieces I’m seeking. Guess I’ll have to see what our library has. [/QUOTE] Not sure about the “premier” collection. For the last 3 years, they have released 3 separate 4-CD collections called “The Golden Collection” - these are the ones that have been critically hailed as having great remastering of the colors and music. Each volume is a mixed bag - out of 55 - 60 cartoons per volume, 5 or so are all-time famous classics, 20 - 30 are solid and fun, and the rest are fine but not great…Warner Bros is clearing milking their archives and stretching it out… ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/8 "2006-10-16T16:02:52Z")
[QUOTE=flurb] It was Bugs Bunny cartoons that first introduced me to [Raymond Scott](http://www.amazon.com/Reckless-Nights-Turkish-Twilights-Raymond/dp/B00001R3H7/sr=8-1/qid=1161007760/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3446914-4594408?ie=UTF8), whose jazz standard _Powerhouse_ appeared in over 40 Warner Brothers cartoons. It’s the music you hear whenever there’s an assembly line or heavy machinery involved in the plot. While he didn’t compose for cartoons, his kinetic style fit in well with the cartoons of the era and Carl Stallings used a lot of his stuff. Well worth a listen. [/QUOTE] I picked up the first of the Carl Stalling CD’s when it came out, and the liner notes pointed me in the direction of Raymond Scott. And it seemed like I was hearing _Powerhouse_ everywhere for a while. A few bars even show up in They Might Be Giants’ _Rhythm Section Want Ad_. But, there was no Scott out on CD yet. Stalling borrowed more than just _Powerhouse_ from Scott. Whenever I hear _In an 18th Century Drawing Room_, in my mind I see Granny walking across a room to see what’s happened to her poor Tweety Bird. **fessie** , check the track list for [Bugs Bunny on Broadway](http://www.amazon.com/Bugs-Bunny-Broadway-George-Daugherty/dp/B000002LOA). It’s a show from about 10 years ago where they took some of the more music-intensive cartoons and ran them with a live orchestra doing most of the music. Your search should begin with **The Rabbit of Seville** and **What’s Opera, Doc?** ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/9 "2006-10-16T16:09:04Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] Not sure about the “premier” collection. For the last 3 years, they have released 3 separate 4-CD collections called “The Golden Collection” - these are the ones that have been critically hailed as having great remastering of the colors and music. Each volume is a mixed bag - out of 55 - 60 cartoons per volume, 5 or so are all-time famous classics, 20 - 30 are solid and fun, and the rest are fine but not great…Warner Bros is clearing milking their archives and stretching it out… [/QUOTE] Ditto. For my money, each collection of 4 discs could be trimmed down to 1 disc of quality material (but then, I typically feel the same way about most music CD’s I buy). By the way, [Volume 4](http://www.amazon.com/Looney-Tunes-Golden-Collection-Four/dp/B000HC2LGM/sr=8-1/qid=1161014769/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6435570-4214338?ie=UTF8) comes out next month and they’ve finally gotten around to releasing some of the excellent Bugs Bunny vs. Wile E. Coyote episodes! _“Wile Eeeee Coy-oo-teeeeeee… Suuuuuper Geeeeeenius”_ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-dvds-w-excellent-soundtracks/376618/10 "2006-10-16T17:37:43Z")
[QUOTE=Hey you!] Ditto. For my money, each collection of 4 discs could be trimmed down to 1 disc of quality material (but then, I typically feel the same way about most music CD’s I buy). By the way, [Volume 4](http://www.amazon.com/Looney-Tunes-Golden-Collection-Four/dp/B000HC2LGM/sr=8-1/qid=1161014769/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6435570-4214338?ie=UTF8) comes out next month and they’ve finally gotten around to releasing some of the excellent Bugs Bunny vs. Wile E. Coyote episodes! _“Wile Eeeee Coy-oo-teeeeeee… Suuuuuper Geeeeeenius”_ [/QUOTE] Oh yeah, baby. I knew it would be coming, simply because of their track records releasing these volumes around the holidays, but didn’t know when. Pre-ordered!! Thanks.