Looney Tunes: Mouse Chronicles—The Chuck Jones Collection

The latest anthology of classic Looney Tunes theatrical shorts collects 19 cartoons featuring the lesser-known mouse heroes of Warner animation: Sniffles, a cute little child-like rodent, and the team of Hubie and Bertie, a pair of bantering pranksters. In the universe of Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety and Sylvester, and Foghorn Leghorn, these guys are definitely minor stars, but all of the entries here are directed by Chuck Jones, arguably the greatest of the Looney Tunes directors. Launched in the 1930s, Sniffles was as an eager to please (and rather bland) character who evolved into a motormouth nuisance and well-meaning disaster before the series ended in 1946, a time during which Jones became a master of wiseguy humor and snappy timing. Debuting in 1943, Hubie and Bertie spent quality time tormenting poor Claude Cat (one of their favorite targets, although they also go after Porky Pig in another cartoon) in a short run of cartoons made with more energy and crazy sight gags than the Sniffles shorts. Viewers should think of this anthology as an entertaining footnote to the superior Gold Collection volumes on DVD and Platinum Collection on Blu-ray—enjoyable but by no means essential contributions to animation history. Extras include a retrospective featurette, select audio commentaries, and 11 bonus mouse-themed cartoons (including one with Speedy Gonzales) from the Warner Bros. vaults. Optional. Aud: P. (S. Axmaker)