Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Volume 1 [Blu-ray] by Olive Films

WHATS GOOD:High definition transfers from the best possible source material. No other release of these cartoons has looked this good before.The design work of the packaging is nicely done. The Blu Ray (and I assume the DVD too) comes in a nicely designed slipcase that actually does contain a little bit of information about the cartoons including the years that each one on the set was released. Even the on disc printing is nicely designed and the cover art looks much better in real life than it does listed on Amazon.The cartoons are in chronological orderCartoons are uncensored.WHATS NOT GOODWhile these are scanned in from the best possible source material. There has been no attempt at restoration. No cleaning up of the film scratches, no restoration of the original opening and closing titles (The original film titles where changed when they where sold to TV). They could have at least restored the original opening and closing film titles (they do exist).No extras. No commentary tracks from animation historians. No extra bonus features. There are only 12 cartoons in this set and quite frankly a little something extra would have been nice and made this set a better value for the money that they are charging.THE VERDICTIf you are an animation fan or Betty Boop fan: GET IT.I have to admit, I almost didn't get this because it was such a bare bones release with only 12 cartoons for 25 dollars.The price point for this package was "almost" unacceptable, and I have heard that some animation fans are not buying it for that reason.But we need more vintage animation restoration releases and not buying this will only send a message that there is not enough market to justify doing it (as opposed to sending a message that these releases need to be done properly....which they do).

I bought the Blu Ray Of Volumes 1 Thru 4 so this is an overall review of the entire collection. Honestly, I don't know if this collection includes every single Betty Boop cartoon ever made but it's plenty enough for me. I am especially thrilled that the earlier (and somewhat cheekier) shorts from the early 1930s are here. It's also nice to have her family-friendly toons from the late 1930s included but the earlier shorts are more my speed.Personally, I thought the toons looked amazing. The visuals are crisp and the sound is quite good. I think Olive Films did a good job with restoring these classic toons on Blu Ray.Only two gripes. Firstly, I wish Olive Films was able to include a featurette or two in this collection. I had previously purchased a VHS collection of Betty Boop shorts from Republic Pictures and that included a decent retrospective about Betty Boop (her origin, search for her "voice", the controversial aspects of the early Betty shorts, Betty's influence on pop culture, etc.). It would've been nice to get some historians and "official Bettyphiles" to talk about her legacy and even have some commentary for her more notable shorts. These volumes have the shorts and nothing but the shorts.I also wish the volumes were in chronological order. I guess Olive Films figured that some people might just buy one volume so each disc has shorts from the early 1930s to the late 1930s. Each disc has its own kind of retrospective showing Betty's range from her risque antics to her homemaker heyday. The shuffling of the toons sparks spontaneity and the toons are stand alone adventures so it's not like some major plot continuity is being disrupted. Still, my preference would've been for the toons to be shown based on release date.Overall, this is a great treasure now preserved on Blu Ray to be enjoyed for many years to come. Like the Looney Tunes shorts, Betty Boop's cartoons are genuine classics that endure even now. This is a must have for Betty fans who have been waiting for a well-done release of Betty's toons on Blu Ray (and I can only hope the DVD versions are just as good). This is also a plus for film buffs, animation fans and nostalgia lovers. This was worth the wait. Thank you, Olive Films.

This set does not have the original apertures. About 1/4th of the image has been cropped top and bottom to make these classics fit on 4:3 televisions screens. It looks as if they cropped more off the top than the bottom. And in Bamboo Isle, the opening shot of the Royal Samoans has been inexplicably widened.In Snow White, on Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Vol. 4, the executioner cries while sharpening his blade. His head drifts off the screen for most of it. We see him crying only when he lowers his head. From what I remember, from seeing these in a theater, his head is clearly visible through the whole blade sharpening sequence.There are a few speckles in the image, too. But, this set is great otherwise. Certainly, this is not the definitive Betty Boop set, but it's the best around. Oh, and the sound is great. The mix is lively and rollicking fun.

Ain't she cute, "Boop-oop-a-doop", sweet Betty. No waffling on this issue. These are amazing transfers of amazing cartoons! The art and industry that produced these bizarre and volatile cartoons is evidence that there can be intelligent, creative, innovative, popular, and entertaining works of art.

Does not play in my blue ray player says wrong region?

Extremely good transfer. The extra work they put in really shows.Betty Boop fans will enjoy them!

Betty Boop is Betty Boop what can I say, you have to love the biggest sex symbol ever, great flash back

Kann in meiner Region gar nicht abgespielt werden. Warum wird die DVD dann erst überhaupt zum Verkauf angeboten? 😳