In the same vein as Daffy Duck’s Movie: Fantastic Island, you get a Halloween story built around cartoons already released that work on their own.
The main portion of the story surrounds a witch that Bugs Bunny goes to visit. Spliced into the visit are multiple cartoons from past Looney Tunes. So, if you needed some comparison in regards to what I’m talking about imagine a ‘clip reel’ show on The Simpsons. You would watch an episode of The Simpsons and the episode would feature clips from past shows; exact same concept. Anyway, the first show in the Halloween special is the story of Dr. Jekhyll and Mr. Hyde, which finds a very innocent looking doctor (Dr. Jekhyll) accidentally drinking a formula to turn him into a hideous Mr. Hyde. That’s just the set up, as the formula that Jekhyll was taking finds its way to cute Tweety bird. Just in time too as Sylvester the cat is on the prowl for Tweety. You can figure out the rest, but you won’t soon forget the image of a brutish Tweety.
Other brief stories included Porky Pig and Sylvester needing a place to stay, but ending up in a death trap hotel (where Sylvester is constantly saving the pig). You also get a story where Daffy Duck is turned into an indescribable creature and just a potluck of Looney Tune adventures.
Anyway, the story built around the multiple episodes is a bit shallow and not as memorable as the Charlie Brown special. The biggest problem that I have with the Howl-oween special is how the new animation is nowhere as good as the episodes. You can tell when the new stuff ends and the old stuff begins. It’s quite jarring and not quite up to the standards of the Looney Tunes genius that is Chuck Jones.
On top of this the DVD isn’t very sharp in terms of picture quality, even for DVD standards. You get a bunch of scratched up cels that should have been cleaned just a little bit. The audio is sharp though, which doesn’t lend much to cartoons this old.
As for features you actually do get a couple of good options. The first is a classic Bugs Bunny cartoon called Hair-Raising Hare. If you lived in the late 80s and remember the morning Looney Tunes on TNT, then you’re going to remember this cartoon well. Bugs finds himself in the castle of a mad scientist and is chased by the scientist’s red monster called Gossamer. My kids got more of a kick from this cartoon than the special, which should tell you something (although I think my kids could be snobs thanks to their dad). Anyway, you also get a wonderful interactive puzzle that is really fun for a family (as advertised).
