The Little Rascals - The Complete Collection Centennial Edition

I grew up watching these films with my dad, and they've always held a special place in my heart. After enjoying them on VHS (Cabin Fever!) and eventually on DVD for many years, I simply came to accept the quality of the shorts as a product of their age. At the time, dirt spots, lines, and other damage to the films were an unavoidable part of watching them, and being made at the dawn of the film "talkies" meant that the sound quality was understandably lacking and sometimes difficult to understand. Those problems are a thing of the past. This newly-remastered Blu-ray set is THE definitive way to enjoy The Little Rascals shorts for years to come. They look AMAZING! The vast majority of film damage has been removed, leaving a crisp, clear picture for most of the shorts. It's truly like seeing them clearly for the first time. As these are on Blu-ray discs, the resolution of the shorts has been substantially enhanced. I notice it most with the various clothing worn by the rascals themselves and the other actors in the films - You can really pick up on the fine details of fabrics and even imperfections in the clothes they wear. Even other things that appear in the films, such as a plate of food or other household items that the kids interact with, really shine and can be clearly seen. I compared a couple shorts with my old DVD set by first watching them on the new Blu-ray, then re-watching them on DVD and was amazed at the difference. The improvement in resolution and film damage is immediately apparent and especially with a direct comparison. These improvements do vary by short, but overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the results. Additionally, the audio quality has been enhanced as well. Dialogue definitely seems louder and clearer than my old DVD set. I do notice some background humming an hissing in many of the shorts, but I suspect this was an unavoidable result of enhancing audio that was originally recorded with technology in its infancy. It's not a serious detractor or annoyance when watching the films. I really appreciate the effort that must have gone into providing subtitles as well. They're not perfect (occasionally a word or two is off from what is actually being said) but they're very close. There have been times I've turned the subtitles on at certain points in some of the shorts, simply because I've wondered what was being said all these years! I also have really enjoyed the special features provided on the bonus disc. My favorites include "A Day in the Life of Spanky and Porky", which was really fascinating to watch, as well as the highlights from the Hollywood Museum and the documentaries provided on Our Gang music and shooting locations. For films that are 90+ years old at this point, it's pretty amazing to have features like these included in this set. As far as the packaging for this set - I echo comments from others that it would have been nice to have a place for each disc, rather than two of the discs having to sit on top of one another. Having the list of shorts and special features on the reverse of the front cover is also an annoyance, as you have to take every disc out in order to read it. I definitely agree that the set could have benefited from a booklet or some kind of insert, but I'm sure it was a financial decision to do it this way. I created my own list of the shorts that I keep separately from the set, so I can easily reference the info without having to remove all the discs. In conclusion, this is truly a remarkable set and a valued part of my home media collection. It's definitely worth the investment and is probably the best these shorts are ever going to look. Kudos to ClassicFlix for their time and effort to remaster The Little Rascals for the enjoyment of fans for years to come!

I actually bought this set primarily for one film. It's called "Wild Poses," and my reasoning is that Laurel & Hardy are in it. I'm a Laurel & Hardy nut. But, the rest of this set is fantastic! If you are or were a fan of Our Gang or, as they were called on television, The Little Rascals, you're in for a treat. The sound on the 16mm prints that were shown on TV when we were kids was simply awful. Much of that is due to the early sound equipment used to make these films. Our Gang started in silent films, after all. Sound was an incredible breakthrough in film around 1929. The films in this set have had the sound cleaned up to what it was like in theaters originally. There are certainly imperfections, but it's far better than what you're used to. The picture quality is better than you've ever seen it, as well. Several of these films have fallen into the Public Domain, so you've probably seen VHS tapes and DVDs in the dollar bins through the years. They are usually multi-generation prints that are close to unwatchable. This set goes back to the negatives where available and to the best source prints that can currently be found. These are mostly crisp images that look like they were shot last week! If you are a fan of film comedy, the films of Hal Roach Studios, or just feeling nostalgic, you can't miss with this purchase. The price is certainly fair for the many hours of laughs you'll be getting from this purchase.

I have loved the Little Rascals[Our Gang]since childhood and was lucky to have these shorts in my collection once again. I have previously obtained all 21 volumes on VHS back in the mid-1990s in less than two years after getting my first VCR[which I was kind of late for over 31 years ago]. What I also like about this collection is that it has three foreign versions of their early talkie shorts, one of which fully survives intact. Plus there are three restored silent shorts from the series' first three years. The last disc of this 8-disc set is entirely made of bonus features which are trivia-packed and memory-filled. Many thanks to Hal Roach, who launched the series and helped team Stan Laurel with Oliver Hardy to create the greatest comedy team of the century[Check out their gag appearance as babies in "Wild Poses"-My favorite L&H cameo of all and the funniest as well]. Who would think he'd live to be 100! The only surviving Rascal Sidney Kibrick{"Woim"]is now 96. No other movie series can match the Little Rascals. Beautifully remastered and unedited. Enjoy!

One of the best collections I ever had. Rascals complete!! Came in excellent condition and driver professional. Seller is Awesome!!

Excellent, wish it was in color

As Leonard Maltin said, "These films have never looked this good." I'm only up to 1933 and can't wait to see more. If you are even the least bit of a film historian you will find the evolution of these shorts fascinating. The first few talkies (1929) are painfully slow and stilted. It's not until around "Pups Is Pups" (1930) that the series regains its visual energy. (The silent "Our Gang" shorts were very kinetic.)

I have been in love with the 1929-38 Hal Roach sound Our Gang/Little Rascals since I was a child. They are in my blood just like I Love Lucy is from TV. When I saw the individual issues, I started saving, but then saw the full box set coming out November 15, and as it turns out, will be my Holiday gift to myself this year. I agree with other reviews here about the packaging. Discs 1&2 share one stem and Disc 3 is below on its own on the left side of the case, then Disc 4 is by itself, then Discs 5&6 share a stem on the right. This can cause scratches or disc damage on the two discs that are together. There should be plastic pages for each Disc to be housed on their own peg individually. A booklet would have been nice, too. Compared to the LR Complete Collection DVD set, keep that set, as there are commentaries on some shorts on the DVDs, but no commentaries on the Blu-ray, plus the special features with interviews of past Rascals (all who have passed on since that set was issued) are not with the Blu-ray set. The DVD set also has chapters to move through quickly to get to a part within the short. I only found Free Eats on the Blu-ray has one extra chapter taking you to when the garden party is going on. All others you have to fast forward or reverse the Disc in each short to get to a specific place. Now all the good.....as stated in the descriptions of the products, original 35mm elements were used and it shows. Great sharp picture quality on all shorts. There are visuals I've never seen in backgrounds, titles, the kid's and adult's appearance & wardrobe which is great to see now. There may be one high grainy intro, which is Arbor Day, but once the school door opens, after a split second, picture quality is as good as all the others....no bumps, bruises, tears, dirt, rips, bad edits. The sound on all is greatly improved, even the earliest shorts from 1929-32 period. When the films were made, there was always a level of hiss & always noticed on TV broadcasts back in the day, even on the DVD Complete Collection. This is to be expected, but still the sound is so very much improved. The themes and background music are so sharp now. With the DTS MA 2.0, all my speakers have the sound with dialog and music, not just the center speaker. Every short has the MGM lion logo before the titles & the The End portions are MGM as well. No Blackhawk versions like on the DVD for some shorts (Moan and Groan, Inc. being Blackhawk on the DVD, and MGM on the Blu-ray with so improved picture & sound). Using the 35mm elements, there are also some short scenes on some shorts I've never seen or don't remember that are also not on the DVD Complete Collection, which is a big plus. You will need to pay attention on the early shorts to see what I mean. The aficionados will catch these items who know these shorts like the back of your hand. SPECIAL FEATURES: Very well done and are different from the Complete Collection DVD set. My favorites are about the music in the films, the 100th Anniversary celebration at the Hollywood Museum with the appearance of Sidney Kibrick of "Woim" fame who is the last surviving cast member of the Hal Roach sound years, and the location tour of where some shorts were filmed "then and now". Lots of other gems, too, plus Disc 1 has a lengthy informative introduction from Leonard Maltin, who also appears in the 100th Anniversary special feature. There are 3 silent shorts on the Special Features page, too, fully restored. It is mentioned in the 100th Anniversary feature that the Silents will be released sometime in 2023 (either complete or complete as possible) as a companion to the 1929-38 sound shorts. From another DVD I had, the Our Gang reunion of Farina and other silent years gang members from the 50s series "You Asked For It" is now part of the Blu-ray special features. One other feature on the new Blu-ray is called A Day In The Life of Spanky & Porky. Both Eugene Lee & George McFarland are interviewed on radio in Denver CO in the 80s, then on stage at an event giving their recollections of their years in Our Gang, with a Q&A at the end, plus the autograph table. I would call this the companion piece to the feature on the DVD where Rick Saphire, Spanky's former manager, shares memories of Spanky & the college multimedia shows done, which now on the Blu-ray, you now get a sample of one of those shows, but with Spanky, and his surprise guest for the audience, the adult Porky. Truly, the Blu-ray versions are a must for the Our Gang/Little Rascals fans. You've never seen them this good!

So great to finally own this classic series!

I didn't read the information given when i orderd , dvd does not play, wrong district apparently, any advice given would be appreciated .

Great set of movies.

This six disc Blu Ray set includes all the sound Our Gang comedies including a disc of extras which has interviews, rare footage, some foreign language versions and a couple of silent shorts from pre-1930. One foreign language short was missing a reel of 2 and the set producer neglected to include that footage. I would have done so for completeness. There is a planned set of the silent series as exists and not all do with some incomplete. Hal Roach changed the name of his shorts to The Little Rascals for early TV screenings because he had sold the name to MGM along with some cast members who made a number of 10mins Our Gang shorts before abandoning the series. MGM had been one of the theatrical distributors over the life of the Hal Roach productions and their studios were nearby. Missing is the Our Gang feature film, General Spanky(1936) which only starred the Our Gang boys. MGM owns this title and has issued it on DVD in their Archive series. The blu ray visuals and audio are well done and worth the effort. I bought the individual discs and now have also bought the Centennial box to get the Extras disc(which is also available separately) all in one box. RECOMMENDED

I have a multi region player don’t work