The Warner Archive Collection is releasing classic Looney Tunes cartoons on DVD and Blu-ray and remastering some for the first time on disc. This comes after the sad news that Max has removed the original Looney Tunes from its catalogueOpens in a new tab. In the new physical disc characters who have long been absent from Looney Tunes make a reappearance. These characters portray larely offensive caricatures of different maginalized communities. 50 different shorts appear on Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault Vol. 1.
Pepé Le Pew is one of these aforementioned characters who has been mostly absent from new Looney Tunes content after a New York Times Opinion EditorialOpens in a new tab about the character went viral. A rumor about Pepé being scrubbed from Space Jam 2 spread. However, many sources dispute this claim, stating that Pepé’s removal from the film happened early in development. However, the skunk is appearing in Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault Vol. 1.
The disc’s shorts also include those starring Speedy Gonzales. Speedy’s character has faced a lot of criticism for the character’s reliance on racial and ethnic stereotypes. A previous DVD released in 2024, Collector’s Choice Vol. 4, included a 1964 Sylvester & Speedy cartoon titled Road to Andalay.
Many people have speculated on Pepé and Speedy’s “cancellation”, but George Feltenstein, Warner’s Library Historian, denies this.
People were really upset there was no Pepé Le Pew in Collector’s Choice Volumes one to four. I’m very happy to say Pepé has not been canceled, which people thought was the case. Speedy Gonzales has not been canceled. All the characters will be represented with a lot of quality, given that we’re upgrading cartoons that were only available on DVD to high-definition.
Feltenstein went on to mention that there may be subsequent volumes of the Collector’s Vault series if fans enjoy it and there are high sales. He stated that for this collection they wanted to do “double the amount of cartoons, but not double the price.”
Collector’s Vault Vol. 1 comes with two discs. The names of the 50 cartoons appearing in the Collector’s Vault Vol. 1 are unknown. Warner has newly remastered 25 of the shorts. The other half of shorts are appearing on Blu-ray for the first time. The Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault Vol. 1 will be available for purchase beginning June 17 from Warner Archive.
