Restoring the Looney Tunes
By themselves and especially during the 1950's and early 60's, the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies have not shown their age. The clever writing, art, and characters make them just as good looking today. However, as technology changes and the way we watch these cartoons change, the transfers themselves as with everything else began to age. What's more, film is deteriorating and needs preserving. Fortunately, Warner Bros. has done an excellent job thus far keeping them restored in pristine condition. How did we get here? Let's find out. The earliest of these transfers we saw first were from 16mm prints made for local TV. 16mm wears, tears, and fades over time. As a result, the look of something that just looks "old". Grainy faded prints were the standard for syndicated cartoons, and while they don't represent what the actual master materials looked like at the time, they still looked like they needed an upgrade. For netwo...