Coming: SNAFU

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on

One more plug for the forthcoming DVD collection I raved about in our recent Holiday Gift Guide. Here’s a sneak preview, below, courtesy of producer Steve Stanchfield. It’s a little overview of the Pvt. Snafu series, narrated by yours truly, one of the bonus features on Thunderbean Animation’s Private Snafu Golden Classics DVD set (pictured at left, cover art by Eric Goldberg). It features a title sequence animated by Mark Kausler (cleanup by Patrick Stannard and Stanchfield) and lots of clips of the restored cartoons contained on the disc. If you only buy one classic cartoon collection on DVD this year – this is the one to get!

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  • Gummo

    Wow, that looks good, and I really enjoyed your overview, Jerry. Is it longer on the disk because I would love more detail.

  • http://elblogderg.blogspot.com Roberto

    This looks great! Since I live in Spain I’ll probably order it via Amazon in the future.

  • Kevin

    “If you only buy one classic cartoon collection on DVD this year – this is the one to get!”

    Which is a painful reminder of how badly Warner’s has fallen. It’s almost sickening to think how their DVD releases went from some of the best to the absolute worst, especially the Looney Tunes.

    That said, those restored Snafu clips look jaw-droppingly pristine. I can only imagine how many all-nighters it took for the restoration. Steve is the man.

  • uncle wayne

    Oh Dear GOD! Now that IZZ a great gift! I can’t wait!! They look super…and i love the (great) commentary!!

  • http://weirdocorner.blogspot.com Eric Noble

    This is on my wishlist!!!!!! I hope I get an Amazon card to buy this.

  • http://www.aaronpickens.com Aaron

    Way to go Steve and Patrick!

  • SJ

    Thanks for the preview! I still want to know if the opening five note theme originated with this series or some other part of the 40′s culture (radio commercial, movie, etc.)

    • Paul Penna

      It apparently goes back at least to the early 20th Century. It’s a melodic representation of the phrase “You’re a horse’s ass.”

      • http://ramapithblog.blogspot.com David Gerstein

        That’s right. You can hear it in THE BARNYARD BATTLE (1929), an earlier Disney cartoon, among other places.

  • Russell H

    I’ve been checking Amazon almost daily for weeks since I heard this was coming. It looks gorgeous, and is yet another example of Thunderbean’s dedication to giving cartoons like this the treatment they deserve.

    Something I’ve wondered about is whether at the time these cartoons were released there were any accounts of what the servicemen who saw them originally thought about them. Anybody have anything on this?

  • http://www.DigThisCrazyTestPattern.com Kevin Wollenweber

    I, too, have been eagerly checking Amazon and even the Thunderbean Animation website for furtehr ordering or pre-ordering information. Yikes! I cannot wait, and it will be perhaps the most played DVD set I’ve yet gotten this year. I really do wish that Warner Brothers would treat their animation with far more respect, similar to the way Steve Stanchfield is approaching this stuff…or farm it out to Shout! Factory who would love to distribute the stuff that Warners just doesn’t find marketable at all. Hey, look at what they’ve done with “LEAVE IT TO BEAVER”. I hold that heavy set in my hand and imagine a set like that of classic LOONEY TUNES, perhaps in chronological order, with decade by decade commentaries similar to the LOONEY TUNES & MERRIE MELODIES book by Jerry Beck and Leonard Maltin. It’s all so worth talking about. Anyway, I will order as soon as I can find it on some video website!!

  • Anthony D.

    I love the opening animation! I pre-ordered my copy this Monday and I can’t wait to get it! Thanks again for another killer release Thunderbean. :)

  • ShouldBeWorkin’

    I’ve ordered it! BTW, I’m happy with the Warner Bros.’ Looney Tune Collections. It would be great for us animation fans (who are a really a small fringe group) but to sell to the masses I can understand why they’d need to mix it up. From growing up in a day when a film of a cartoon short would cost many times of what a DVD is, to recording them off TV, to buying 1 hour video compilations which initially were more expensive than what we pay for a DVD now, I’m grateful.

    As for the new animation, I don’t mean to be an obsessive jerk…it’s really well animated but….Whatever happened to good ol’ black outlines?

    • Steve Stanchfield

      Ok… maybe next time I’ll leave in good ‘ol b/w lines!

      Mark’s animation was really fun to work on.. I’m happy to make the set available….it’s been much fun to work on!

  • Titanius Anglesmith, Fancy Man of Cornwood

    I have an earlier set and Jerry’s on the money with this one. This is an awesome way to kill an afternoon!

  • Keith Paynter

    This is a project that Steve’s been working on for the past couple of years, and it’s nice to see it very, very, VERY nearly ready for distribution (I managed to get a supplemental piece to him just in time for final assembly). While the cartoons were intended ‘for servicemen only’, they did indeed find their way into theatrical/secondary markets. Those of us who got a sneak peek a few months back at a preliminary edition were very impressed. Loook for some very superior elements, including many 35mm sources!

  • Jonathan

    This definitely looks like the DVD of the year! I enjoyed your commentary Mr. Beck, and the artwork by Eric Goldberg is terrific! Great job Steve and thank you!! :-)

  • Steven M.

    Add this to my wishlist.

  • http://chuckfialacomicart.blogspot.com/ Chuck Fiala

    That was a very nice introduction. The prints look wonderful. I’m glad these films are so nicely preserved here.

  • http://melmillerart.blogspot.com/ Mel

    Congratulations, Steve! I can’t wait to get a hold of this DVD myself :)

  • baby jane

    Beautiful! Perfect!! Amazing!!!
    The ultimate, definitive, end-all Private Snafu collection!
    Throw your old DVD release from Image Entertainment in the trash, cause this is the only release of Private Snafu you’ll ever need!

  • http://exclusive-cheese.deviantart.com Taco Wiz

    1. Will this be ALL the Snafu cartoons?

    2. What’s the running time of all the cartoons on the DVD?

    • Patrick Stannard

      From what I understand by working along side Steve, these should be all 30 cartoons. 26 of them the full length shorts and 4 of them which were shown at the end of news reels. I cannot say this with absolute certainty, but I believe that is the case. The amazon link might have more information.

      Furthermore it has been a joy to clean up on Mark’s animation and to watch Steve day by day bring these shorts to life. The work he put in to restore some of these is priceless and the fact that he is selling these for just 15 bucks amazes me. :)

  • http://www.jamaalbradley.com Jamaal Bradley

    Cant wait to get this!

  • Anthony D.

    To answer Taco Wiz’s question, the DVD will contain all 26 Snafu shorts and all of his 4 appearences from A Few Qucik Facts. My question is, will the commentaries for the Snafu shorts and Eric Goldberg’s Overview from the Cartoons For Victory disc be ported over for this release?

  • http://www.oddballcomics.com Scott Shaw!

    Is there any explanation provided regarding the word “Snafu”? Like “Sad Sack”, another military-based character, the name has its origin in a salty military expression, one that I doubt many younger animation fans are unaware of.

  • http://www.oddballcomics.com Scott Shaw!

    Uhh…make that “aware of”…

    • Bill

      Scott, I knew about SNAFU, but had never heard the Sad Sack origin. Thanks for the enlightenment!