When collections get released, the age-old question for collectors comes down to whether you get the box set or go for singular individual releases? This beautiful collection from Warner Archive brings forth some of the best of the best from Hanna-Barbera (I mean there is so much greatness in this particular catalogue and this is a sampling of a very small percentage) and presents them in glorious 1080p. Now, I know collectors can be very snobby (not shaming, stating facts. I usually fall into this category, too.) and the Blu-ray only aspect may be a turn off, however these roughly 35-year-old animated movies look the best they ever have and most likely ever will in this extensive collection. When getting down to the nitty gritty, while the box set certainly is the best value with its cost approximately the same as buying only three of the 10 movies individually, the individuals do not come with slipcovers. So, unless you’re a diehard for original art in amray cases, the box set is for you. We’re going to dive into the pros and the cons of the stunning Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10 Collection.
First and foremost, let’s look at the titles that exist in this collection. Home-viewing audiences will get two Jetsons movies (Rockin’ with Judy Jetson and The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones), The Good, the Bad and Huckleberry Hound, three Scooby Doo adventures (Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf, and Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers), Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats, and three Yogi adventures (Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears, Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose, and Yogi’s Great Escape). Before diving into the quality of the movies, it’s important to note there are no features across the 10 movies, however the collection does include two bonus programs of Scooby Goes Hollywood and Yogi’s Lost Ark (at least Warner Archive knows the properties people are mostly interested in and didn’t sprinkle in some true oddities in the pack). Normally, a lack of features on a set like this would be upsetting, however, considering the age of the programs and the general target audience for them, it is understandable there isn’t much available. They could’ve done some interviews on the impact of the legacy characters or some storyboarding animation if they were available, but, at the end of the day, being able to own some of these core memories from childhood is certainly worth more than the features that most people would likely ignore.
The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones — a collaboration that has created a multiverse effect that still happens today, world-building with crossing popular properties, but I digress. The movie itself isn’t the strongest and each family’s solo outing in their own respective first movie was better in terms of story telling. However, the characters interacting with each other with the thousands of years between them was everlastingly entertaining. The most important part, though, is how spectacular this film looked. First released on VHS in 1987, the tapes likely got so worn and torn from multiple viewings. Upgrading from that gritty VHS tape or 720p low-d DVD to this glorious 1080p Blu-ray has The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones looking absolutely incredible, truly capturing the brilliance and world of the hand-drawn animation that is nearly a long-forgotten art and brings back the feeling of those childhood Saturday mornings that we all long for.
Moreover, though, the THREE(!!!!) Scooby-Doo features are bona fide classics in their own right within their own universe that stand the test of time. In addition to the Mystery Machine gang, we also get some Scrappy Doo in Ghoul School and his last appearance until the early 2000s in Reluctant Werewolf. The Scooby gang had some of their most adventurous mysteries to solve to date! Again, similarly to The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones, the restoration to Blu-ray for the Scooby Doo movies is so astonishing and beautiful to watch, and the sentimental value and core memories that these movies unleashed truly made me shed a tear. Remembering my childhood of watching these Scooby movies on VHS and DVDs on an endless loop, begging to get the newest adventure on whatever format I could, driving my parents crazy. These restorations feel like you’re watching a first run print in a local art house cinema as no multiplex would be doing that now, and it’s just such a refreshing look at animation and how far (good or bad) animation has come. It truly is a lost art form knowing that this was done by hand and was not entirely computer animated. There truly is no better way to celebrate the love and craftsmanship that came with Hanna Barbera than these cartoons, which used to be relegated to the scratchy tapes, the recorded VHS from Saturday morning, or the DVD that has been played so often it skips from scratches.
If you’re a child at heart, a parent with children, or just a human being (because who doesn’t love Hanna Barbera or Scooby Dooby Doo?!), this Hanna-Barbera’s 10 Superstars collection is an undeniable must-have. With a ton of classics and some obscurities, this collection has something for the old and the new fans alike. With utterly stunning restorations and animation brought to life in glorious high definition, there truly is no better way to celebrate one of the most magnificent collaborations of childhood heroes and icons than Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10. So, like Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, charge up your legs and get ready to take off to the couch to indulge in some Saturday morning cartoons with your favorite bowl of cereal and squeal Scooby Dooby Doooooo.
Hanna-Barbera’s Superstar 10 Film List:
- Yogi’s Great Escape
- Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers
- The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones
- Yogi Bear and the Magical Flight of the Spruce Goose
- Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats
- The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound
- Rockin’ with Judy Jetson
- Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School
- Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf
- Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears
Hanna-Barbera’s Superstar 10 Special Features:
- Scooby Goes Hollywood
- Yogi’s Lost Ark
Available on Blu-ray February 20th 2024.
For more information, head to the official Warner Archive Amazon Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10 Collection webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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