Shout! Factory has set a release date for its long-awaited (and long-delayed) DVD set Mr. Magoo Theatrical Collection: The Theatrical Collection, 1949-1959. The four-disc set, which collects all 53 UPA theatrical shorts starring the myopic Magoo, as well as the full-length feature 1001 Arabian Nights, will be released on April 22, 2014.

Sony, which owns the shorts, has digitally remastered the films from the original negatives, and twelve of the shorts will be presented in anamorphic widescreen. Our earlier reports about the set also indicated that there would be bonuses like pencil tests and audio commentaries by the likes of Emily Hubley and John Canemaker.

Between this and the 2012 Jolly Frolics set, UPA’s entire theatrical short output will now be available on DVD. And while 53 Magoo shorts can be overload for even the most hardcore UPA fan (because seriously, you can only mistake something for something else so many times before it gets tiresome), the shorts have much to offer in the way of Cartoon Modern-era character, background and color design. If the shorts are remastered to the standard of the Jolly Frolics, and there’s no reason to believe they won’t be, this promises to be one of the finest classic animation releases of 2014. Now all that’s left is for someone to release the seventy-some-odd shorts that comprise the studio’s innovative and unconventional TV series The Boing Boing Show.

Pre-order Mister Magoo Theatrical Shorts on Amazon for $31.44.

Below is the complete list of Magoo shorts that will appear on the set:
Ragtime Bear (1949)
Spellbound Hound (1950)
Trouble Indemnity (1950)
Bungled Bungalow (1950)
Barefaced Flatfoot (1951)
Fuddy Duddy Buddy (1951)
Grizzly Golfer (1951)
Sloppy Jalopy (1952)
The Dog Snatcher (1952)
Pink and Blue Blues (1952)
Hotsy Footsy (1952)
Captains Outrageous (1952)
Safety Spin (1953)
Magoo’s Masterpiece (1953)
Magoo Slept Here (1953)
Magoo Goes Skiing (1954)
Kangaroo Courting (1954)
Destination Magoo (1954)
When Magoo Flew (1955)
Magoo’s Check-Up (1955)
Magoo’s Express (1955)
Madcap Magoo (1955)
Stage Door Magoo (1955)
Magoo Makes News (1955)
Magoo’s Canine Mutiny (1956)
Magoo Goes West (1956)
Calling Dr. Magoo (1956)
Magoo Beats the Heat (1956)
Magoo’s Puddle Jumper (1956)
Trailblazer Magoo (1956)
Magoo’s Problem Child (1956)
Meet Mother Magoo (1956)
Magoo Goes Overboard (1957)
Matador Magoo (1957)
Magoo Breaks Par (1957)
Magoo’s Glorious Fourth (1957)
Magoo’s Masquerade (1957)
Magoo Saves the Bank (1957)
Rock-Hound Magoo (1957)
Magoo’s Moose Hunt (1957)
Magoo’s Private War (1957)
Magoo’s Young Manhood (1958)
Scoutmaster Magoo (1958)
The Explosive Mr. Magoo (1958)
Magoo’s Three-Point Landing (1958)
Magoo’s Cruise (1958)
Love Comes to Magoo (1958)
Gumshoe Magoo (1958)
Bwana Magoo (1959)
Magoo’s Homecoming (1959)
Merry Minstrel Magoo (1959)
Magoo’s Lodge Brother (1959)
Terror Faces Magoo (1959)

(Thanks, Anthony DiPaola, via Cartoon Brew’s Facebook group)

Latest News from Cartoon Brew