As a parent, I usually dread watching any new cartoon productions featuring beloved characters from my childhood. It's particularly difficult for me to get behind anything new that's related to Warner Brothers' pop culture gods, Looney Tunes. Seeing the old Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons countless times, and finding them getting better as you grow older, makes it almost impossible to part with the notion that they're set in artistic stone, and that they should be left alone - inviolate.

But of course, that kind of stagnant thinking doesn't allow for much growth of experience, so I made a determined effort to go into Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas with an open mind. And I'm glad did. It's a speedy, funny little take-off on Charles Dickens' immortal Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, which does no harm to the memory of the classic Looney Tunes shorts, and which entertains not only the kids, but the adults, too.

Daffy Duck, standing in for Ebenezer Scrooge, is the rich and rude proprietor of the Lucky Duck Superstore. In an effort to make as much money as possible off Christmas ("Triple the price of everything; parents are suckers this time of year!"), Daffy demands that all store employees work on Christmas Day. While most of the employees (various Looney Tunes characters) grumble about their mean boss, the assistant manager, Porky Pig (Bob Cratchit) asks Daffy if he can have the day off. Porky is worried about his daughter, Pricilla, who lost her mother and who wants Porky to stay home with her on Christmas. Of course, Daffy refuses, and thus sets in motion (with the help of Bugs Bunny in a role that doesn't correspond with anything in Dickens' story) the mechanics of A Christmas Carol that we all know and love so well.

First off, the look of Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas is a nice surprise; it's a step up from the relatively inexpensive look of television animation, with rich color and subtle shadings. The characters are nicely modulated, and the backgrounds have a pleasing, stylized detail. Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas moves quickly, too, thanks to screenwriter Ray DeLaurentis and director Charles Visser. They stay true to the spirit of the original Looney Tunes, which is a welcome relief from earlier efforts I saw in the 80s and 90s where the characters' actions and motivations were soften to appeal to edgy, P.C.-conscious special interests. Here, Bugs is still the cool, laid-back instigator, and Daffy is still narcissistic, rage-filled, cowardly and bullying. There's plenty of slapstick in Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas, which is exactly the way it should be; thankfully, no one worried about what a few cranks might say about the cartoon violence. The script is surprisingly funny, too, with quite a few smart lines for the various characters. It's not a mean-spirited cartoon, but there's a bite to it that avoids the usual safe, generic sop these new cartoons essay. And of course, there's a sweet message to the cartoon - that family and love is more important than money -- that will resonate with the kids in the audience, and which will go down easy with the adults. And on a small note, it's nice to see a Christmas movie that actually repeats the word "Christmas" often, and not just the generic "holidays."

Of particular interest to Looney Tunes and animation fans is the roll call of famous character cameos from past Looney Tunes triumphs. In addition to Bugs, Daffy, and Porky, in Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas you'll see Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Granny, Tweety, Taz and Yosemite Sam (who get the biggest laughs in the cartoon), Willy E. Coyote, The Road Runner, Pepe Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian, Foghorn Leghorn, The Bear Family, Hubie and Bertie, Claude the Cat, Beaky Buzzard, Playboy Penguin, Pete Puma, Egghead Jr. and his mother, Miss Prissy, Henery Hawk, Gossamer, Ralph the Dog, and several other surprise walk-throughs. Taz and Yosemite Sam are particular stand-outs: Taz's brief crying scene is very funny, and Sam has plenty of put-downs for Daffy ("You greedy little holiday-wrecking varmint!")

The DVD:

The Video:
Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas looks squeaky clean here, with a sharp, clear picture that will really get your kids' attention. The DVD cover indicates the full frame aspect ratio is correct for this straight-to-DVD release.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English Surround 5.1 audio track is surprisingly strong for Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas; it shows Gordon Goodwin's nostalgic, sprightly score off to great advantage, and has nice separation during all the whiz-by crashes and bangs. There are optional French and Spanish Dolby Surround Stereo tracks, as well. Close captioning is available, but not on the bonus features.

The Extras:
There's a few extras on Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas that you may enjoy. First up, there's the Bah Humduck! The Lucky Duck Dilemma game, where, with the aid of your remote, you guide Daffy up and over obstacles in his store. It will keep the little ones occupied for a while. Next, there are Bonus Deleted Bah Humduck! Scenes, about 5 minutes' worth, which proved not to be vital to the story, but which nonetheless are fun to watch. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Bah, Humduck! is a good music video that incorporate clips from the show as we listen to Goodwin's big sound. Finally, there are eleven trailers (not counting the three that precede the cartoon at the head of the disc) for various Warner kids' films and cartoons.

Final Thoughts:
A cartoon like Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas really needs to be watched in the company of little kids. After all, even with jokes aimed at adults (but decidedly not any "adult humor," here, thankfully), a cartoon like Bah, Humduck!: A Looney Tunes Christmas is made primarily for the peanut gallery. My little kids liked it; they laughed when it was funny, and they went quiet when it was sad. And they wanted to watch it again the minute it was over. Really, that's the only valid form of criticism for this kind of movie, and therefore, I recommend it.