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The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons
Celebrate the best of Looney Tunes cartoons, just in time for Bugs Bunny’s 80th birthday!
In a world of rascally rabbits, megalomaniacal ducks, and stuttering pigs, what defines greatness? This question was posed to thousands of cartoon fans, historians, and animators to create The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons , the definitive Looney Tunes collection. Jerry Beck and the Cartoon Brew team of animation experts reveal the amusing anecdotes and secret origins behind such classics as “What’s Opera, Doc?,” “One Froggy Evening,” and “Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century.” Featuring more than 300 pieces of original art from private collectors and the Warner Bros. archives, The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons settles the debate on the best of the best, and poses a new Is your favorite one of the greatest?
In a world of rascally rabbits, megalomaniacal ducks, and stuttering pigs, what defines greatness? This question was posed to thousands of cartoon fans, historians, and animators to create The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons , the definitive Looney Tunes collection. Jerry Beck and the Cartoon Brew team of animation experts reveal the amusing anecdotes and secret origins behind such classics as “What’s Opera, Doc?,” “One Froggy Evening,” and “Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century.” Featuring more than 300 pieces of original art from private collectors and the Warner Bros. archives, The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons settles the debate on the best of the best, and poses a new Is your favorite one of the greatest?
- GenresNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2020
5 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Beck
73 books25 followersJerry Beck (born February 9, 1955 in New York City) is an American animation historian, author, blogger, and video producer. The author or editor of several books on classic American animation and classic character, including The 50 Greatest Cartoons (1994), The Animated Movie Guide (2005), Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons! (2007), The Flintstones: The Official Guide to the Cartoon Classic (2011), The Hanna-Barbera Treasury: Rare Art Mementos from your Favorite Cartoon Classics (2007), The SpongeBob SquarePants Experience: A Deep Dive into the World of Bikini Bottom (2013), Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide (2005), and Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons (with Will Friedwald, 1989). He is also an authority on the making of modern films, with his books detailing the art of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, DreamWorks' Madagascar, and Bee Movie. Beck is also an entertainment industry consultant for TV and home entertainment productions and releases related to classic cartoons and operates the blog "Cartoon Research." He appears frequently as a documentary subject and audio commentator on releases of A&E's Cartoons Go To War as well as DVD collections of Looney Tunes, Popeye the Sailor, and Woody Woodpecker cartoons, on which he serves a consultant and curator.
Early in his career, Beck collaborated with film historian Leonard Maltin on his book Of Mice and Magic (1980), organized animation festivals in Los Angeles, and was instrumental in founding the international publication Animation Magazine. In the 1990s, Beck taught course on the art of animation at UCLA, NYU, and The School of Visual Arts. In 1993, he became a founding member of the Cartoon Network advisory board and he currently serves as president of the ASIFA-Hollywood board. He co-produced or was a consultant on many home entertainment compilations of Looney Tunes, MGM Cartoons, Disney Home Video, Betty Boop, and others. In 1989, he co-founded Streamline Pictures and first brought such anime as Akira, Vampire Hunter D, and Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky to the United States. He himself compiled collections of cartoons of Warner Bros., Woody Woodpecker, and the Fleischer Studios. As Vice President of Nickelodeon Movies, he helped develop The Rugrats Movie (1998) and Mighty Mouse.
In 2006, Beck created and produced an animated pilot for Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon. That cartoon, "Hornswiggle", aired on Nicktoons Network in 2008 as part of the Random! Cartoons series. Currently, he is teaching animation history at Woodbury University in Burbank, California.
In 2004, Beck and fellow animation historian and writer Amid Amidi co-founded another blog, Cartoon Brew, which focused primarily on current animation productions and news. Beck sold his co-ownership in Cartoon Brew in February 2013 and started an Indiewire blog, Animation Scoop, for reports on current animation while continuing to write about classic animation at Cartoon Research.
Early in his career, Beck collaborated with film historian Leonard Maltin on his book Of Mice and Magic (1980), organized animation festivals in Los Angeles, and was instrumental in founding the international publication Animation Magazine. In the 1990s, Beck taught course on the art of animation at UCLA, NYU, and The School of Visual Arts. In 1993, he became a founding member of the Cartoon Network advisory board and he currently serves as president of the ASIFA-Hollywood board. He co-produced or was a consultant on many home entertainment compilations of Looney Tunes, MGM Cartoons, Disney Home Video, Betty Boop, and others. In 1989, he co-founded Streamline Pictures and first brought such anime as Akira, Vampire Hunter D, and Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky to the United States. He himself compiled collections of cartoons of Warner Bros., Woody Woodpecker, and the Fleischer Studios. As Vice President of Nickelodeon Movies, he helped develop The Rugrats Movie (1998) and Mighty Mouse.
In 2006, Beck created and produced an animated pilot for Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon. That cartoon, "Hornswiggle", aired on Nicktoons Network in 2008 as part of the Random! Cartoons series. Currently, he is teaching animation history at Woodbury University in Burbank, California.
In 2004, Beck and fellow animation historian and writer Amid Amidi co-founded another blog, Cartoon Brew, which focused primarily on current animation productions and news. Beck sold his co-ownership in Cartoon Brew in February 2013 and started an Indiewire blog, Animation Scoop, for reports on current animation while continuing to write about classic animation at Cartoon Research.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 16, 2024
Public library copy
I had a student who was very interested in Looney Tunes, having read the "What is the Story of Looney Tunes" book by Korte. This had descriptions and some stills of 100 of the Looney Tunes cartoons, which was really interesting, but not quite what I wanted for my library.
The binding on the public library copy was showing signs of wear; since this is bound on the short side, the weight of the pages will soon causes the whole insides of the book to pull out.
I'd love to see a somewhat longer book with the same level of inclusion of stills written for middle grade readers, but I'm not sure how many of my students have even seen Looney Tunes cartoons. I know there was a resurgence in interest in the 1990s, with Space Jam, but these cartoons were old when I was in middle school!
This book is very comprehensive for fans, and quite a walk down memory lane.
I had a student who was very interested in Looney Tunes, having read the "What is the Story of Looney Tunes" book by Korte. This had descriptions and some stills of 100 of the Looney Tunes cartoons, which was really interesting, but not quite what I wanted for my library.
The binding on the public library copy was showing signs of wear; since this is bound on the short side, the weight of the pages will soon causes the whole insides of the book to pull out.
I'd love to see a somewhat longer book with the same level of inclusion of stills written for middle grade readers, but I'm not sure how many of my students have even seen Looney Tunes cartoons. I know there was a resurgence in interest in the 1990s, with Space Jam, but these cartoons were old when I was in middle school!
This book is very comprehensive for fans, and quite a walk down memory lane.
September 28, 2024
A great selection of cartoons, though the presentation is left to be desired as they are seemingly listed at random. It would have been much better if the 100 cartoons were either ranked or at least group together by director or character.
Also this is extremely nerdy but I have to point out this error: In the entry for "Tree for Two" it's mentioned that Friz Freleng directed the Sylvester/Hippety Hopper cartoons when in fact those were actually directed by Robert McKimson.
Also this is extremely nerdy but I have to point out this error: In the entry for "Tree for Two" it's mentioned that Friz Freleng directed the Sylvester/Hippety Hopper cartoons when in fact those were actually directed by Robert McKimson.
February 6, 2024
Got this as a gift for Hannukah! I love it! Such fun to read. I will say this, 2 things. 1) I wish there was an actually countdown from 100-1 of the best.
2) Part of the fun is disagreeing with the list. Bugs Bunny is my all-time favorite, but I have to say that several of the shorts listed, I would never put in my top 100.
2) Part of the fun is disagreeing with the list. Bugs Bunny is my all-time favorite, but I have to say that several of the shorts listed, I would never put in my top 100.
July 1, 2025
Published for Bugs Bunny’s 80th anniversary this is a great walk down memory lane with present day animators, writers, and cartoonists sharing thoughts on their favourite Looney Tunes. I’d maybe swap 10 or 12 of these for others but, for the most part, it’s a solid list.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews