Just read about this at cartoonresearch.com.This doesn't mean that they are being released onto DVD just that WB wants to restore them b 4 the print negatives go bad for possibly a future release.Seems that Kings Features owns the character name Popeye while WB owns the Fleischer/Paramount titles.

FWIW, posted on DVDFile, on April 8th:

Just in from Paramount Home Entertainment is a lineup of spinach-powered fun perfect for the dog days of summer. Streeting on June 24th is the long-awaited, first-ever DVD release of Robert Altman's Popeye, along with the Fran Drescher comedy Beautician and the Beast. Both come in new remastered anamorphic widescreen transfers with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround remixes. Beast also includes an audio commentary with Drescher. Debuting a week later on July 1st is the Danny Glover adventure Flight of the Intruder, along with the oft-postponed The Tenant, from recent Oscar-winner Roman Polanski. Both are presented in anamorphic widescreen, with Intruder getting the full-blown 5.1 treatment and The Tenant mono only. There are no extras aside from a trailer on the latter. Retail is $19.95 each.

Uh, dvd-4-life is talking about the CARTOON, as opposed to the Robert Altman live-action film.

Oops. Thanks for the correction.

I never was much of a Popeye fan (cartoon). I don't know why, they just never appealed to me. It is good news though that they are restoring the negs for posterity's sake.

Those old Fleischer cartoons were very well animated, and have a lot of charm to them. I'd love to buy a double DVD set of those cartoons, restored, and in their original black & white.

I was spoiled growing up watching those cartoons because the attention to detail in the animation - and especially the use of shading really gave those cartoons a much superior look to what would follow. Some people just can't get past the black & white - which is part of what makes that shading work as well as it did.

(And maybe I should clarify - I didn't grow up in the 30's, - but when I grew up channel 5 in L.A. dedicated 2 hours each Sunday moring to those old Popeye cartoons. There's been a noticeable void for about 20 years without Tom Hatten hosting the Popeye show on Sunday mornings....)

A set of restored Fleischer Popeye cartoons would be awesome! Those old B&Ws are excellent! Popeye cartoons evolved into absolute garbage in the early 60s though; completely UNwatchable!

If WB is restoring them, let's hope they go the extra step to put them out as a DVD set.

I totally agree with you B5Erik, I'd be all over these as DVDs. I love the old Popeye cartoons from the Thimble Theater days. Bluto Brutus

I grew up in a nearby town closer to St. Louis. However, nearby was Chester, Illinois's Popeye statue was dedicated in 1977 to honor the spinach-eater's creator, Elzie Segar, who was born in Chester in 1894. Segar reportedly based his comic characters on people around town. Read about it here.
The statue, in Segar Memorial Park next to the Mississippi River, is a centerpiece of the annual Popeye Picnic.

B5Erik

I remember when the Popeye Show hosted by Tom Hatten first aired here in the L.A. area, but it aired in the late afternoon.

Also around the same time was Skipper Frank and later in the afternoon was Engineer Bill.