Last updated on March 4th, 2026
Back in 2023, I wrote about how to watch Looney Tunes (plus Scooby-Doo and the Flintstones) on physical media, since Max (then HBO Max) removed them from their streaming service for flimsy reasons.
A few days ago, Max once again purged the Looney Tunes from their streaming service. This time, it’s all of the classic shorts; the modern incarnations (Looney Tunes Cartoons, etc.) are still there. Again, there’s no reason for purging the one cartoon synonymous with Warner Bros. As for the idea of focusing on a select few “family” franchises, the idea that “Harry Potter” (a franchise they don’t fully own and has ties to a transphobic author) matters more than Bugs Bunny is sad. But again, under modern Warner Bros. Discovery ownership, the only cartoons that apparently matter are Adult Swim (and adult animation) and DC Comics fare, and even the latter isn’t safe; new Batman material’s been sent to Amazon Prime Video.
Non-Max ways to watch the Warner Bros. animation library
I assume the Looney Tunes shorts will (eventually) return to Max. Still, it begs the question of why anyone that isn’t an HBO fan or hardcore Adult Swim/DC Comics fan should get Max at all. Fortunately, much of the Warner Bros. animation library is available on other services that most people already use and/or are cheaper than Max:
- Hulu has the 2010s Cartoon Network shows like “Craig of the Creek,” “We Bare Bears,” and “Steven Universe.” They also have “The Flintstones” and “The Jetsons.”
- Tubi has the major Hanna-Barbera shows (“The Flintstones,” “Yogi Bear,” “Scooby-Doo”).
- Amazon Prime Video has some DC fare: the new series “Batman: Caped Crusader”; “Batman: The Animated Series”; and “Teen Titans.”
- Finally, the Looney Tunes are available on MeTV, plus physical media.
Much of the Warner Bros. animation library is also available on DVD and Blu-ray. One of Warner Bros.’s strengths is they’re still dedicated to releasing their library to physical media. If you want “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!,” “Harley Quinn,” or “Steven Universe” on DVD (or even Blu-ray for the first two), they’re available.
Given the above, I thought an updated look at how to watch Looney Tunes without Max was worthwhile. Looney Tunes has seen numerous DVD releases, from sets aimed at hardcore collectors and completists to DVDs aimed at casual viewers. Given over 1,000 shorts were produced between 1930 and 1969, there’s no single complete set of everything available. Still, according to this site (cataloging the availability of Looney Tunes on physical media), about two-thirds of the Looney Tunes shorts are available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Below I look at the best major current DVD/Blu-ray releases available. All prices are as of this writing.
Major Looney Tunes DVD/Blu-ray sets
Golden Collection
The Golden Collection is a six-volume series of DVD sets aimed at collectors, originally released between 2003 and 2008. To date, it’s still considered the most comprehensive set of Looney Tunes shorts available; the Golden Collection ranges from the most popular shorts to obscure characters. The Golden Collection also includes a ton of extras (interviews, guest commentary, etc.) for fans.
Again, I note this set is aimed at fans, and not kids. There’s an unskippable warning about some of the shorts’ dated and problematic content (racist stereotypes, etc.) at the start of the latter DVD sets. The set’s also fairly expensive.
I also recommend buying new prints of this set versus used copies; there’s concern about DVD disc rot in Warner Bros. DVDs produced between 2006 and 2008, which the original print run falls under.
Looney Tunes Super Stars
Looney Tunes Super Stars is a series of character-specific DVDs released from 2010 to 2013. While some of these shorts recycle what’s on the Golden Collection, there’s also a large number of shorts new to DVD, and aren’t available on the other sets. Character DVDs include: Bugs Bunny; Daffy Duck; Foghorn Leghorn; Sylvester and Tweety; the Road Runner and Coyote; Pepe Le Pew; Porky Pig; and Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., and Hippety Hopper (the baby kangaroo). The DVDs lack any extras, as they’re more aimed at casual/budget-conscious viewers or families.
Unfortunately, the Bugs and Daffy DVDs, for ill-conceived reasons, decided to only offer a 16:9 cropped version of some of the shorts (all made for 4:3 viewing originally) for widescreen TVs. The Road Runner DVD is also made up of the less-regarded 1960s shorts, plus a few modern productions, and lacks any of the classic Chuck Jones-directed shorts.
That said, the Super Stars DVDs are inexpensive; the individual DVDs run $8-$10 each. Even cheaper: there are two three-volume DVD sets (one collecting the Bugs, Foghorn, and the Road Runner DVDs; the other the Daffy, Porky, and Sylvester and Tweety DVDs) that cost about $10 each.
Platinum Collection
The Platinum Collection is a three-volume follow-up to the Golden Collection. Released from 2011 to 2014, this series reuses some of the shorts from the Golden and Super Stars collections, but in a more organized or “best of” fashion; for instance, the first volume includes all of the classic Marvin the Martian and Tasmanian Devil shorts. There are also plenty of extras for fans, especially on the Blu-ray versions, though some of these are the same ones from the Golden Collection.
Unfortunately, the first two volumes’ Blu-ray versions are out-of-print, and effectively non-starters unless you’re a hardcore fan willing to spend $100-$200 each (what they run for on eBay). Fortunately, the DVD sets are much easier and cheaper to buy; all three volumes have been re-released as a single DVD set running about $20.
Collector’s Choice Collection
The Collector’s Choice Collection is a series of Blu-rays (not DVDs) that started release in 2023, and number four volumes to date. The shorts on this series are ones that haven’t seen a previous DVD or Blu-ray release; as such, this series is more aimed at, well, collectors versus casual fans. In November 2024, all four volumes have been released to a single Blu-ray set running about $40.
In mid-2025, Warner Bros. plans to release a new Blu-ray series, the “Collector’s Vault”; half the shorts will contain new-to-disc releases, while the other half will be shorts that were only available on DVD.
Which Looney Tunes DVD and Blu-ray sets to buy
As for which DVDs and Blu-rays to buy?
Hardcore fans
The Golden Collection, Super Stars, and Collector’s Choice Collection DVDs/Blu-rays. These sets will cover most of the Looney Tunes shorts available on physical media. According to this site, buying the Golden Collection alone will cover 56% of the available shorts. Adding the Super Stars DVDs ups the percentage of shorts covered to 71%, while the Collector’s Choice Collection ups the percentage to 78%. The upcoming Collector’s Vault Blu-ray set might be another option to consider when it’s released.
Optional DVD/Blu-ray sets for completists who can afford it: the Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection, the Platinum Collection, Essential Bugs Bunny, Essential Daffy Duck, Looney Tunes Mouse Chronicles: Chuck Jones Collection, and Porky Pig 101. Adding these DVDs/Blu-rays (as of this writing) cover everything currently available on DVD/Blu-ray. But again, this is for those flush with cash (or really hardcore Looney Tunes fans); the three sets mentioned above are more affordable.
Budget-conscious or casual fans
The Platinum Collection and Super Stars DVDs. I’d recommend just the Golden Collection by itself, but it’s still a bit pricey. All six volumes (or the packaged complete set) run at least $70-$80 (or more) going by Amazon. Some seemingly cheap brand new complete sets, especially on eBay, are actually bootleg copies.
Meanwhile, the Platinum Collection DVD set costs $20, while the two three-volume Super Stars DVD sets cost $10 each. (You can buy the Pepe Le Pew and/or Hippety Hopper Super Stars DVDs separately.) The Platinum Collection and Super Stars DVDs will provide most of the most popular Looney Tunes shorts (the Bugs vs. Cecil Turtle races, all of Taz and Marvin the Martian’s shorts, “Duck Amuck,” etc.). These two sets, while still uncut, are also more family friendly than the Golden Collection and Collector’s Choice DVDs.
I went with buying the Platinum Collection and Super Stars DVDs, though I found the Platinum Collection volume 3 on Blu-ray for cheap.
Image: “Looney Tunes” cast. (Warner Bros.)
