The Greatness Of The Criterion Collection DVD Covers

 

We're back on the DVD grind. Previously last November, I talked about why I feel that DVDs are better than streaming service in terms of it's bonus features and creativity. Call me crazy, but I think it's one of my funniest posts I ever made. 

While I'm still fair with my opinion, I don't find all of the DVD covers to be great. The Disney DVD covers for the most part are memorable, but still fairly average product material. My absolute favorite DVD covers come from The Criterion Collection particularly old hollywood movies.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - The two-tone color scheme makes this more spookier and thrilling. This feels like an extraordinary tribute and was made with real passion. I actually have the actual DVD in my collection since I preferably enjoy a newly remastered version of old movies. It became my first exposure to the all-time great movie directors. Frank Capra was a genius.

I originally watched 12 Angry Men (1957) on Tubi. This cover is still stellar though. I might prefer this over the original theatrical poster, but I still liked the detail of having the knife being included which is not the case here. But I do like the color palette alot. It's a very iconic movie for reasons.

I bought The Lady Eve (1941) for a limited time at the library. It looked interesting and turned out it was such an amazing film afterward. I honestly would love to see more artwork from old movies with this artstyle. Again, the two-tone color scheme makes this more compelling.

Also here's an additional image of the snake from the opening and closing credits.

Bringing Up Baby (1938) - The original theatrical poster is honestly not the best. This one's much more inventive and crafty. I absolutely love the soft textures of the leopard prints. I think it's still respectful that the two main characters are B&W and not fully revamped in color.

I don't feel comfortable trying to compare something like I complain about "better much more amusing things".  But I have to make a statement to both the Criterion King of Jazz vs the theatrical version. Because it's both a problem and a solution.

Let me make an honest critque. I personally don't like a poster or just anything advertising related that has too much characters plastered onto it. It kinda spoils everything that you might experience, and sometimes it's utterly false what's actually in the film such as the poster below. It's very well-crafted and full of personality but to me it doesn't fit the overall quality of the original film. It feels like there's going to be a typical rom-com in it, which to be honest, this movie doesn't have. It may have some romance thrown into the mix but nothing that counts as "filler" at all.

I think the Criterion version of The King Of Jazz cover is the total opposite. It's simple but not too distracting, the font and words displayed aren't jumbled, and what's most creative of all is the rich feel of the red and turquoise palette similar to the movie being 2-strip Technicolor.

I honestly think it's ruining the art medium having too much details and characters stuffed into people's attention. It's not terrible but I do think it's getting a little stale.

The last two covers I'll be showcasing today all have similar styles to The Lady Eve cover art only I'm not familiar with any of these movies. I researched into Sullivan's Travels a little, but I haven't seen the entirety. Shout out to whoever made these. They are all awesome. 

Now for animation. I researched into what animated films made it into the Criterion Collection and there's some interesting ones. But I'm aware of Wall-E the most. It's one of my favorite Pixar films so far. I think it's absolutely outstanding. The color scheme with this cover in particular is all dirty and dull but that's what the entire world Wall-E unfortunately lives in, and I adore it. Wall-E looks cute.

In conclusion, I think that as an artist myself, there should be more care and respect towards other artists who would love inventive and enthusiasm to something they enjoy and feel inspired to. I honestly have a ton of mixed feelings about Hollywood as it's been highly valued and also ruined for over a century. I still respect a ton of actors and directors not because they're famous or successful, but they appreciate what they give to the audience. Let's stop focusing on the negativity and see the positive of these icons for a reason. These posters in particular have given me a chance to reflect on what we still have as us looking for talent and appreciation. 

BONUS 💥 

This was me intentionally trying to make an animation poster back in 2023. I think it's very stylistic even though it felt like I created it for entertainment purposes. Maybe it's something I could make in the very future. Every classic animation studio had an experimental film. So maybe I should do the same.

The Dream

This is my first ever post where I talk about something extremely personal.

 As of writing this I literally woke up like a few minutes ago to tell you this dream I had and I mostly remember alot about it. I was with my parents to visit a strange house, we us still outside had to get through haunting steps that it almost felt like it took ages, I was with my family members so it wasn't too bad. It also took place in the daytime so it was easy for me to see what was going on. 

Anyways, as we entered, we had a feast. Yes. We felt like having a Thanksgiving again after a month. My parents were eating like crazy, but what followed it was gift-giving time. It was not only a Thanksgiving but a Christmas. All I could remember is Dad's gifts being rather confusing. Dad has these A.I generated advertising banners and one of them had spelled his name wrong. 

(This is sorta what it was like, also this isn't what my actual Dad looks like just an example)

The A.I wrote "Nick". My uncle's name. It was advertising Dad's official concert?! And he had this horrendous digital face almost sorta Face Raiders style with a wide opened facial expression almost like he's about to eat the crowd. 

Another one of the members wrapped their gift and had a graphic t-shirt of what appears to be a Felix The Cat look-alike in old-fashioned attire. He had a different name sorta visioned him his name would be Fedro Jr. Somehow the relative in the group said they have happened to grew up watching a show based off him. I was sorta showing disbelief. What if it was just a mediocre show? To be honest I didn't know. 

(It was a good sign I had a picture taken of what I actually eaten back in May of 2025 lol)

But what was on our plates you ask? I had my personal favorite, Vegetable Blend, with Broccoli, Cheese and Carrots, in fact there was a ton of carrots and I ate em like crazy. The other members of my family also had a delectable meal that they have ate it undoubtedly fast. The last thing I could kinda remember about my dream is that I wore something cool underneath my winter jacket. It was a old movie poster graphic tee.

Well, that should conclude my morning dream. It's insane how much I could remember almost everything from it. That RARELY happens. 

Bye for now. 

A Tale Of Two Mice (1945)

 

I like this unique camera angle given in this scene.

We're given some solid character animation with the two mice. Babbit's movements are very stiff but the hands are very fluid and well-drawn. Catstello has some funny facial expressions. This scene is just fascinating even if it only lasted a few seconds. If your wondering, Babbit says 

"I'm ashamed of you. Where's your courage? Some of the greatest names in history have been rats." In the most spot-on Bud Abbott impression ever.

I actually only wanted to re-visit this specific cartoon again because it was restored on the Looney Tunes Collector's Choice DVD back in 2023. And back then I watched most of the obscure Looney Tunes shorts in low quality. 

Anyways, I recently watched a few episodes of the Abbott and Costello show from the 1950s, and realized how funny, chaotic and insightful it was. So even if your into the comedic group like myself, I don't think it can get any better than this. It's a fine cartoon, but seeing these famous celebrities back in the day as anthropomorphic animals just gives me the creeps. They were in a total of 2 cartoons. The other being The Mouse-Merized Cat (1946).

Tony from Lady And The Tramp

 

I always loved this character, not because he's funny but his design and acting is spectacular.

Animator John Lounsbery certainly has animated some incredible characters over the years but this is by far my favorite character out of all the others.

I adore every facial expression each and every few frames this character is performing. The pencil sketches are very solid.

I honestly felt both Tony and Joe deserve more attention than the other characters. I really liked the whole vibe of their calm restaurant.

I just realized how incredibly well-drawn his hands are. They're realistic to the maximum, it's just beautiful.

I'm starting to learn how to study drawing realistically detailed hand proportions nowadays.

I can think of other mentionable character designs I'm inspired to. Most specifically Disney. Their details, construction and movement are very appealing. They also have great personalities. Captain Hook, Goofy, Von Drake, Aurora, The Blue Fairy, and Brer Fox.

Would love to show some recently added characters I've drawn. Does these drawings feel similar to the characters I'm quite inspired to? I try to be inspired by live action characters as well. It's very fun. Did these sketches on my phone.

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt (1941) Scenery

 

Here's a less-known Bugs Bunny cartoon called Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt (1941). I remember liking how calm and mellow this short was. Definitely not one of Bugs's best of the early 40s, but I still enjoy it.

What made me talk about this cartoon in the first place was from Tralfaz's recent posts whereas he talks about the zany animation at the start, but for me I absolutely love these backgrounds! Upon researching, Lenard Kester painted the backgrounds for the most part since he was on Freleng's team in the early 40s.

The color scheme is just natural and nice. Nothing else to say really.

What I also have to mention is that Hiawatha is a caricature of a Native American. I personally have nothing wrong with them being in an animated film. Back in 1937, Disney made a cartoon starring a much younger Hiawatha. At least it wasn't done by sheer malice. He's kinda funny to be honest.

This is my favorite scene below.

I tend to prefer more realistic backgrounds in animated films because it allows the fictional character to react to real life situations. I absolutely love this final scene of Bugs and the sunset. 

Here's what lead to inspiring this post anyway.

https://tralfaz.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-forest-rabbits.html?m=1

Mr. Arkadin (1955) Screencaps

 

If I had to thank one thing for what social media is throwing at me nowadays for inspiration is old movies on FILMGRAB. They ultimately made me want to watch these movies entirely, and it's very useful.

I save them on my phone for study. 

Anyways today I got some incredible captures from a movie called Mr. Arkadin (1955). I haven't seen this one yet, apparently it's free to watch on YouTube for now at least, but I do know that it was directed by the famously recognizable Orson Welles. He's got talent and most of his films are unique and interesting to watch. 

Old cinema really had the most simple yet captivating screenplay and cinematography in my taste. The atmosphere in some of these camera shots are insane which is why I considered these films to be somewhat passable if there aren't any good characters or good stories in them.

Not to sound deeply passionate, but man, these people on screen are fresh. They have these serious, impartial facial expressions that I'm drawn to the most.

Now to be honest, I can't discuss the whole summary of the movie, but these scenes are kinda understandable. There's definitely a moody ambience to it, also the B&W perfectly works. 

Now I suppose that this must be Mr. Arkadin himself. He's cool. I like it.

These scenes below could be great for drawing live-action stills. 

Movie characters that have more maturity and authenticity is a treat. These people look distinctive, I wouldn't want everyone to look the same and basic. The top-hat guy looks fun to actually draw, the scene above is a piece of art. 

Maybe I'm missing out on feature films that have this similar vibe to this one. Not gonna lie, I have watched a few films related to this and they can be satisfying, it almost feels like a real event happening which obviously isn't the case but you can instantly feel it inside.

These old hollywood actors and movies made me understand what people like about more complex but observant filmmaking. 

Also mention, a ton of camera angles don't make the picture cinematic. It's definitely a choice if the subject matter is intense or captivating but it gets exhausting and distracting for a while. I still think I should check out Mr. Arkadin. I heard the story was good, especially when it comes to exploring new directors. I have mentioned that Welles is talented but I in fact never saw any of his films including Citizen Kane, maybe I'll watch that soon but for now as of writing this, it's my final post of 2025. Hope you all had a great year. I certainly have, and bring on 2026!