The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection: For Great Cartoons, Think Pink!

Review by Matthew Hunter

    Perhaps the most bang for your buck I have encountered yet in the classic cartoon DVD selection is The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection. MGM has released every theatrical DePatie/Freleng Enterprises Pink Panther cartoon ever made in a set of five discs, and included some interesting documentaries as an added bonus. The cost? About 40 bucks, essentially the cost of 2  regular DVD collections or feature films,  but with twice as much material. 

    But let's focus on what you are really getting. Is every cartoon included a classic gem you just have to own? No. As with any cartoon series, especially at the rate these shorts were churned out, the quality declined after a few years. They are presented chronologically, and by the middle of disc 3 you're venturing into some pretty shaky territory. In the case of disc 5, you'll want to skip right to the documentaries and avoid the cartoons! 

Still, considering the rarity of these films in recent years, the DVD set is well worth the money just to see the cartoons that ARE great, and there are plenty. The earliest, experimental cartoons in the series are by far the best, and there are some real classics even after the series began to follow a more predictable path. There are many of these shorts that aren't shown too often on television and have not been given much attention at all since their release, because they stick out like sore thumbs compared to later shorts. This is a good thing, and they are well worth watching! The usually silent Pink Panther talks occasionally, (in "Sink Pink" and "Pink Ice") and his adversaries are very vocal in early outings. The character also has more of a mysterious element about him in early cartoons like "We Give Pink Stamps" and "Dial P For Pink", especially under the direction of Friz Freleng. The Panther, in a way, has many of the same qualities as Chuck Jones' Minah Bird, a character also known for appearing and disappearing on a whim. 

For those who are unfamiliar with the Pink Panther, the documentaries on the set are a good place to start. But in a nutshell, the character originated when Blake Edwards, creator of the Pink Panther live action films starring Peter Sellers, approached Friz Freleng and partner David DePatie about designing a character to symbolize the movie's theme, and be featured in an animated opening credit sequence. In addition, it would have to compliment composer Henry Mancini's infectious theme tune. In the film, a precious diamond is stolen called the "Pink Panther", because of a flaw in the gem that resembles a pink cat when seen in certain light situations. Freleng teamed up with Hawley Pratt, his character designer and co-director since their days at Warner Bros. Cartoons, to sketch out some ideas. One of Pratt's designs caught the eye of Edwards, and that is the design seen in the opening credits of the film. The films' credits were so popular that they nearly overshadowed the movie, and in 1964, DePatie/Freleng got the request to create a stand-alone cartoon short with the character. The resulting film, "The Pink Phink" was directed by Freleng and won an Oscar...which, of course, sealed the deal for an entire series of Panther cartoons. Henceforth, Henry Mancini's unmistakable musical theme from the Edwards film  served as the backdrop for over 124 6-minute displays of Panther shenanigans.

Freleng directed the first handful of cartoons, and several more over the next few years. Eventually, however, the principal director would be Hawley Pratt, with veteran animators Gerry Chiniquy and Arthur Davis also stepping into the directors' chair. The Pink Panther character developed into one of the most versatile and interesting personalities in animated cartoons. He is not always the hero, nor is he a villain, and he loses just about as often as he wins. He owes much to the tradition of the silent schtick of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, and is not tied to any particular situation or setting. He is a sort of wandering everyman, picking up odd jobs, heckling people, and getting into unusual situations. He often shows up out of nowhere, walking coolly with his head held high and a cigarette holder in his mouth. Pink Panther essentially goes wherever he wants to go and does whatever he wants to do, and pity the fool who gets in his way! He's sometimes seen at home ("The Pink Tail Fly"), exploring stores and other locales ripe for spot gags ("We Give Pink Stamps", "Psychedellic Pink"), interacting with unusual people ("Pickled Pink", "Pinkadilly Circus") trying and failing to do things like ride a horse ("Pinto Pink") or fly a kite ("Sky Blue Pink"). He also takes on many odd jobs, such as construction worker ("Prefabricated Pink"), street cleaner (" Pink of the Litter"), and vitamin salesman ("Vitamin Pink.") Simple plots, engaging characters and funny gags make the character and the series a real winner, and certainly better than most animated material of its day. It's just as fresh now as it was in the 1960's.

    His most frequent co-star is a little mustachioed man, who is never given a name. His design is very simple, he is pear-shaped and all white, said to be a caricature of Friz Freleng himself because of his short stature, mustache, and temper. He appears in many settings and many guises. Cartoons without this character tend to be better in my opinion, but the Little Man still has some hilarious moments. In a few cartoons, he is shown as one of many little guys who look exactly identical. In some cartoons the character is such a pushover that you'll find yourself rooting for the Pink Panther, but in others, the Panther is so rough on him that when he starts crying and pounding his fists on the ground in defeat, you can't help but feel sorry for him. Usually, the lil' guy is minding his own business, either trying to paint a house, build a building, work in his yard, have a family picnic, and other typical everyday activities. The Pink Panther shows up, and suddenly the man's world is turned upside down. Usually this results in a fitful temper-tantrum of defeat and frustration, but occasionally the little man bounces back and gets the last laugh after all. The Man's simple, monochromatic design is a perfect compliment to the style of the cartoons, which feature backgrounds and environments that are often more simple and stylized than the UPA studio's 1950's output. Simplicity is the name of the game here. It was no doubt cost-effective and low-budget, but it is handled in such a way that it feels refreshingly artsy, not cheap. Keep your eye on the backgrounds, many of them are actually fantastic abstract paintings.

These are truly great cartoons, but they have one downfall: they're best watched in small doses. This set may have been more entertaining as a package if its programmers had thrown in some of the DePatie/freleng studio's other cartoons, like the Ant and the Aardvark or the Peter Sellers-inspired, Clouseau-like "Inspector". The prints look wonderful, with vibrant colors, razor-sharp image quality and great sound. There are a handful of cartoons presented with "laugh tracks", that is, a canned recording of laughter played over the soundtrack, intended for early television broadcasts. While not terribly intrusive, the laugh track is still an annoyance if you're a purist and want to see the cartoons as they were originally intended. Thankfully, these "laughing prints" are few and far between. There's so much material here that you shouldn't plan on watching this set in one sitting, but if you're an animation enthusiast, it belongs in your library. You're not going to see these cartoons anywhere else, unless you're lucky enough to get Boomerang and patient enough to hunt them down on their schedule. The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection is well worth your money and a must-have for the cartoon lover.