This looks like a job for Snafuperman!

Steve Stanchfield and Thunderbean Animation have maintained a consistent run of respectable, high-quality DVD cartoon compilations. They have meticulously restored and released most of the output from the offbeat Van Beuren studio and have also distributed the now-famous Cultoons series, devoted to some of the most obscure animated films of all time. In addition to these, Thunderbean has also released compilations of 1930s American animation, international World War II animation, stop-motion animation, and animated television commercials from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Clearly, such a strong track record almost begs the question: how can Thunderbean be any more successful than it already is?

The answer can be found in a simple, five-letter acronym: SNAFU, that is, Situation Normal All Fouled (or F***ed) Up. Thunderbean's recent release of Private Snafu Golden Classics has proved to be the Ann Arbor-based company's most successful DVD initiative yet, featuring first-class features and film restorations that are difficult to match anywhere else.

To give some background, the character of Snafu was created by filmmaker Frank Capra, who supervised the Army-Navy Screen Magazine. He sought to make films that were both educational and entertaining for American troops. In order to maintain this equilibrium and to ensure quality for his proposed series, Capra took bids from the major animation studios of Hollywood. The Walt Disney studio put forward the first bid and was so confident of winning that it even storyboarded the first Snafu cartoon. However, the Leon Schlesinger studio outbid Disney and the series fell into the lap of the crew at Termite Terrace.

Snafu encounters Hitler in Spies (1943).

In total, there are 30 existing Private Snafu shorts, all presented on this compilation in prints remastered from 35mm negatives. 25 of these were produced by the Schlesinger staff, while two were produced by UPA, two more were produced by MGM, and a final one was produced by the independent Hugh Harman-Rudolf Ising studio. Of all these, the most entertaining are the Warner Bros. shorts. They were directed variously by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Frank Tashlin, and Bob Clampett and written in part by Theodor "Ted" Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss). The Seussian influence is especially apparent on some of the earlier Snafu releases such as Gripes (Freleng), Spies (Jones), and The Goldbrick (Tashlin) in which the dialogue is presented in rhyme. Even the designs of characters that appear in shorts such as Rumors (Freleng) have a distinctly Dr. Seuss feel to them. Snafu's voice, in his appearances by all studios, is consistently provided by comic virtuoso Mel Blanc.

An American soldier, Snafu's main trait was his bungling nature and it was from his mishaps that soldiers would learn what not to do in the field. The character often received (and usually disregarded) important advice from Technical Fairy First Class, a wand-wielding, cigar-chomping tough-guy. This setup basically served as the general formula for most of the Snafu shorts. The films covered a broad range of topics that varied as the war progressed. Earlier entries, like Jones' Spies, depict concerns about Nazi Germany and the Axis powers in general. However, by August 1944, the films begin to more directly address topics concerning Imperial Japan and the Pacific Theater, such as protection against malaria in shorts like It's Murder She Says (Jones). Hot Spot (Freleng), produced after V-E Day, depicts the US military (with Snafu) sending Lend-Lease material to the Soviet Union via Iran as the Red Army prepared to go to war against Japan in the Sakhalin and Kuril Islands and in Manchuria.

Snafu and Technical Fairy First Class in Chuck Jones' Infantry Blues (1943)

In general, the Snafus strike a solid balance between the educational and the entertaining. However, it is interesting to note that, by the end of the war, the entertaining aspect of the shorts ultimately outweighed the educational matter. Both Operation Snafu (Freleng) and No Buddy Atoll (Jones) were produced in October 1945, only two months after V-J Day and play out more like regular Warner Bros. cartoons rather than training films. This does not displace any of their value and, indeed only adds to it. Jones' Atoll must have been especially well-received by Pacific servicemen with its very lighthearted illustration of an island dispute between a single American soldier (Snafu) and a single Japanese soldier.

Snafu enjoys a relaxing smoke under a Nazi spy disguised as a tree in A Lecture on Camouflage (1943).

Prior to the release of this latest compilation from Thunderbean, the Snafus had a rather scattered presence in the home video market. By virtue of the fact that the shorts were produced exclusively for the US government, all fell into the public domain upon their completion. Because of this, companies like Shokus Video, Bosko Video, Rhino Home Video, and Video Yesteryear had no difficulty in bringing the Snafus to VHS video cassette. Of these VHS releases, Rhino's Snafu prints had the best quality while Shokus' had the worst. Three Snafus (Spies, Booby Traps, and Snafuperman) were also released in good-quality prints on the fourth volume of MGM/UA's Golden Age of Looney Tunes laserdisc series.

Finally, Bosko Video put out a collection of all the Snafu cartoons on DVD in what they touted was The Complete, Uncensored Private Snafu. Unfortunately, this release suffered from the fact that the Snafu cartoons were presented in a window-boxed format and featured a recurring Bosko Video logo. After this, good-to-fair prints of nine Snafu films were presented on three volumes of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD series and five were included on Thunderbean's Cartoons for Victory! DVD.

Geared towards the military and free from Hays Code restrictions, the Snafus enjoyed liberties that average Warner Bros. cartoons did not, as demonstrated in this scene animated by Bobe Cannon from Chuck Jones' Outpost (1944).

This spotty record of Snafu home video appearances only fueled the desire on the part of animation enthusiasts for a proper DVD release of these films. With Private Snafu Golden Classics, Thunderbean has not only successfully satisfied such longings but has also gone above and beyond the call of duty. The restorations are brilliant and even surpass the prints of the Snafus presented on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs. The cover art by Eric Goldberg and Mel Miller is not only impressive but also seems to possess more energy and feeling than most of the cover art from Warner Home Video's recent Looney Tunes DVD compilations. As if this was not enough, the disc also features a new and sleek animated introduction by the widely-acclaimed Mark Kausler. Special features include rare conceptual art and promotional material as well as a special featurette narrated by Jerry Beck.

The commentaries, provided by notable experts Mike Kazaleh, Jerry Beck, Eric Goldberg, Mark Mayerson, and John Kricfalusi are also entertaining. Goldberg's commentaries are the most fun to listen to, largely because of how genuinely enthusiastic and personable he sounds, especially when commenting on Snafuperman and Gas. His tone of voice is such that one would not mind inviting Goldberg over for dinner just to hear him talk about Snafu!

John Kricfalusi's commentaries convey a lot of energy. Unfortunately, his analysis of the films as historical pieces is clouded by his biased, unconditional positive regard for Bob Clampett. His commentaries would probably be more interesting and informative if they had taken a more balanced approach.

Still, the views of the commentators hardly affect the overall impact of this entire DVD which is a major achievement, not just for Thunderbean, but also for the availability of these films to the public. If you have even a passing interest in World War II-era animation, then this DVD is a must-buy!