Collector's Guide
Last updated: May 29, 2026
You're likely here because you want to collect as many of the Looney Tunes shorts available on home media as possible. There's a plethora of DVDs, VHSes, and Blu-rays you feel that you should get, but you have no idea which are the best ones without getting duplicates. Lucky for you, you're in the right place.
There have been various sets in varying degrees of availability, but only certain sets are worth having to expand your library to as many as possible. So let's get down to business.
Notes
Before we get started collecting, I have classified a few different tiers for listing the shorts you want to get, being the following:
- Tier 1: The shorts that are available restored in HD on Blu-ray, which are in the best quality currently possible. This accounts for 412 Golden Age shorts, plus an additional 79 shorts "unofficially" available, of which 33 of these are also available in SD on DVD.
- Tier 2: The shorts that are available restored in SD on DVD, which may not scale well on HD displays. This accounts for 261 Golden Age shorts (of which 33 are available "unofficially" in HD on Blu-ray), plus an additional 11 shorts "unofficially" available.
- Tier 3: The shorts that are available but unrestored on DVD or Blu-ray, and thus do not necessarily reflect how the cartoon looks on its original theatrical release. This accounts for 94 Golden Age shorts, of which 30 of them are scattered on Warner Archive Collection DVD/Blu-ray releases as bonus features.
- Tier 4: The shorts that are available but unrestored on non-DVD or Blu-ray media. These shorts are notoriously harder to obtain or play, as they're often available only on out-of-print VHSes or LaserDiscs and often look worse than any of the cartoons in the above tiers. This accounts for 64 Golden Age shorts.
- A total of 114 Golden Age shorts are currently not officially obtainable by any means on home media.
Depending on your preferences and whether you prefer having shorts in the best available quality, you may only want home media that fits under tier 1 (and if you're fine with SD prints, tier 2). If you're an extreme completionist, you'll want to go for all tiers, although it will be overwhelmingly expensive. If you're new, I recommend focusing on tiers 1 and 2 only, as they're a lot more easier to obtain and also look presentable close to how it would be seen in theaters back in the day, giving you minimal risk of having to possibly double dip in the future.
This assumes you only want Golden Age shorts. If you also want the post-Golden Age shorts, please refer to their respective sections.
With that out of the way, let's get down to business.
Tier 1: HD Shorts
You'll want to get the following sets, which are ranked by the number of unique shorts:
- Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Starting with the Platinum Collection series, you'll get 150 original cartoons and immediately get access to some of the best shorts available. Most are double dipped from the Golden Collection, but getting the Blu-ray versions ensures you'll receive the HD versions of the shorts, securing the best quality altogether from the start. By getting all three volumes on Blu-ray, you'll have fulfilled more than a tenth of the entire library.
- Looney Tunes Collector's Vault: Next up, this series combines the Collector's Choice motive (described below) with some DVD upgrades, with the first two volumes alone netting you 100 original cartoons.
- Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: The Collector's Choice series nets you 97 original cartoons. Majority of these are not restored on previous home media sets (if they were even released by then), so this is definitely what you'll want to aim for as well. However, expect to get a lot of shorts not featuring the familiar characters. Thanks to the Volume 1-4 pack, this is the most cost-efficient way to get this set.
- Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection: Most collectors will definitely want to fill up the entirety of Bugs' filmography as much as possible. Getting this set will ensure you fill many gaps with 46 original cartoons, plus 1 post-Golden Age cartoon that is also newly restored.
- Looney Tunes Mouse Chronicles: The Chuck Jones Collection: Finally, for the HD tier, 19 original cartoons can be obtained by getting this set. It doesn't feature many of the well-known characters, so some may skip over this one, but it can patch up a few holes.
Unofficial releases
- Warner Archive Collection bonuses: Often, Warner Bros. movie releases by Warner Archive Collection include shorts that are themed around the movie, or were released in the same year as the movie. For instance, a movie set in France may include Pepé Le Pew or other France-themed shorts, while a film released in 1940 may have shorts from that same year, sometimes ones that played in theaters before the movie. However, there are many to list, and some are also available on DVD in SD quality. Visit the Warner Archive page to learn more about what you're looking for.
Post-Golden Age shorts
- Daffy Duck's Quackbusters: This Blu-ray version of the Quackbusters special includes 6 original post-Golden Age shorts, of which one is cropped to widescreen.
- Looney Tunes: Back in Action: This Blu-ray version of the Back in Action movie includes 5 original post-Golden Age shorts, although three are in cropped SD due to being DVD port-overs. It is also out of print too, and features the more maligned Larry Doyle shorts from 2003.
Tier 2: SD Shorts
If you're still interested in getting the shorts available only in SD as of currently without fear they might release in HD in the future, go for the following:
- Looney Tunes Golden Collection: The pinnacle of all Looney Tunes home media sets, getting the Golden Collection will add a whopping 197 original cartoons onto your library. You also get a lot of bonus features on the side; that's something you really cannot resist.
- Looney Tunes Super Stars: For the most cost-efficient option, get the Family Multi-Features, which bundles most of the releases on its own at cheaper than just getting the standalone sets. Afterwards, get the Pepé Le Pew and Hippety Hopper sets, netting you a total of 79 original cartoons (5 of them cropped). By having all sets above up to this point, you'll practically have a fully complete restoration library, with only a single orphan short missing from other official sets: the uncropped print of "Apes of Wrath".
- Fill in "Apes of Wrath" uncropped: If you really want to fill in this final cartoon, here are some choices that I'd recommend:
- Looney Tunes Parodies Collection: To fill in "Apes of Wrath" uncropped, you can get this set which nets you that cartoon alongside several post-Golden Age related media, including the How Bugs Bunny Won the West special. Do note that the majority of the post-Golden Age content and new-to-DVD material at the time are unrestored.
- Stars of Space Jam Collection Vol. 1: If you need a cheaper alternative to fill in "Apes of Wrath", this is sufficient as well.
Unofficial releases
- I Love Tweety: These DVDs were released only in Japan and thus will only play on region 2 players. Despite this, modern methods have made it somewhat easier to play and obtain discs from these regions, plus they're still in print in Japan, too. All are available in English and Japanese, and nets you 6 original cartoons, although do note that some are being released on the ongoing Collector's Choice/Vault sets.
Tier 3: Unrestored Shorts
The above two tiers are usually enough for most contemporary collectors as they're often available without fear of possibly having to double dip for a better print later on. However, that doesn't stop you from continuing from there if you're still determined.
- Porky Pig 101: Filling in every other black-and-white Porky Pig cartoon with this set, you'll gain 56 original cartoons. Note that several of them, particularly those that aren't deemed offensive for contemporary audiences, has gained a better restored print in 2020 for HBO Max.
- Fill in with unrestored shorts from upper tiers: Don't forget that most of the above sets comes with bonus features that can include unrestored shorts. Golden Collection particularly nets you 9 original cartoons, and Mouse Chronicles also nets you 8 original cartoons.
Unofficial releases
- Warner Archive Collection bonuses: Same thing as the restored releases, except this time, they were released prior to Warner Bros. moving interest to Blu-ray releases around 2012, and before the majority were restored in 2020. Some are also censored and/or missing titles, so beware if you're looking to find something as close to the original release. Most are on DVD, but a few have surfaced on Blu-ray.
- 4 Classic Cartoons: This extremely rare promo DVD gives you "Snow Excuse" alongside one post-Golden Age cartoon, "The Chocolate Chase". They were intended to feature cartoons that wouldn't see a release later in the Golden Collection, and only these two managed not to appear in Golden Collection or any future sets so far.
Post-Golden Age shorts
- Looney Tunes Parodies Collection: In addition to the above "Apes of Wrath" uncropped, you will also obtain "Carrotblanca" as well from this set. Although "Carrotblanca" is also on The Essential Bugs Bunny DVD, that set is largely usurped by the Parodies Collection in terms of minimizing double dips.
- Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie: Finally, in the post-Golden Age side, you can also get the single short "Box Office Bunny" from this release.
Tier 4: Non-DVD/Blu-ray Shorts
The final tier, which is the most expensive and hardest one to get, is only for the "hardcore" completionists who don't mind emptying a fat wallet. All of these are out-of-print, are extremely rare to come by, and if they do, will not come cheap. I highly do not recommend going for anything in this tier, unless, again, you really want the rest of the cartoons for a full collection.
- The Golden Age of Looney Tunes: Filling in the rest of the AAP cartoons, getting all volumes of this LaserDisc series will net you 54 original cartoons. Be aware most prints of volume 1 will likely have "Racketeer Rabbit" instead of "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips" as it was recalled due to controversy with the Japanese American Citizens League.
- The Looney Tunes Video Show, Authentic and Original Cartoons, and The Collector's Edition: These two sets of VHS series will fill in practically nearly the rest of the collection, primarily composed of post-1948 cartoons and those in the Sunset package. You'll likely have to carefully cherry-pick the volumes so you avoid double dips. Also, be sure you have a player that can play PAL region VHSes for later volumes of The Looney Tunes Video Show.
- Bugs & Friends: The final set of shorts can be found in the Bugs & Friends LaserDisc set, which was only released to non-American markets. Be sure to obtain the Singaporean or Japanese release, otherwise you're not guaranteed to get the shorts in the original English language.