Tom & Jerry: Spotlight Collection announced (1 Viewer)

[Brian Thibodeau]

I have all the first two Tom & Jerry LD box sets from way back, and while I noticed some editing here and there (particularly the omission of a couple of glaring blackface gags), was wondering if anyone can confirm if those sets omitted any cartoons. I'd like to get rid of them in anticipation of the DVD set, but will hang on to them if they're otherwise complete just in case anything's missing on the upcoming collections.

 

[TomWoodward]

We've added the artwork here, albeit in black and white!

 

[PaulP]

Great boxart! How are these packaged, like WB's digipack 2-disc sets?

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

And we have an answer... of sorts:



I guess that does clarify what I've already assumed with confidence, that we will eventually see ALL of the 1940-58 MGM Tom & Jerry films released to DVD as this is only the first installment of what seems like a fantastic series!

Nothing more to add other than my anticipation for this release, it does sound very promising...

 

[BryanV]

This is great great news.

Tye will have my money.

 

[PaulP]

"Best is yet to come", I guess, refers to the fact that these indeed will be like Disney Treasures sets, where there are random shorts, placed chronologically. Thus Jerry is telling us that the most-wanted "controversial" shorts will appear on a later volume, and the first one will be filled up with a "family-friendly" selection. Oh well. This will be great regardless, though I would've preferred actual chronological order.

 

[Jay Pennington]

Ew, the character designs for T&J on that cover art is from the lameo 70's SatAM TV show. Ick.

(sigh) I guess I just need to get used to not being in love with most DVD cover art. Happens too often to worry about it..

 

[PaulP]

Yeah I meant to raise that point about character designs on the cover as well. I guess the classic Tom and Jerry designs are not cute enough to sell well...

 

[Chris*W]

"You better hope they aren't the censored versions!

Even the supposedly "uncut" and "uncensored" Laserdisc boxed sets had some censoring applied.

Nobody should buy this set if MGM has screwed them up."



All of the shorts will be uncut. WB is giving them new transfers, and besides, Jerry Beck has already confirmed that all of the cartoons will be uncut.

This set sounds great... I can't wait to see these cartoons restored. Also, the 2 documentaries sound fantastic!

 

[PaulP]

I emailed Jerry Beck after reading this post over at DVDTalk:

 

[john mcfadden]

Please release the scope cartoons ....In SCOPE !!! After seeing them in full frame all these years I'd love to see what i've been missing...and if so i'd buy that (inevitable) boxset in a heartbeat !!....if they can track down the prints..

 

[RolandL]

http://looney.toonzone.net/picts/cinemascope/ lists all of the MGM Cinemascope cartoons. It also compares the letterboxed image to the full screen for some of the cartoons. All of the Tom and Jerry Cinemascope cartoons are on the The Art of Tom and Jerry Volume 2 laserdisc set in the letterboxed format. The Tom and Jerry cartoons that were presented in Perspecta Sound started with "Barbecue Brawl" in 1956 and ended with "Tot Watchers" in 1958.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

"Uncut." Does that mean the original racist "Aunt Jemima" (sp) voice will be reinstated to Tom's owner? And one of the cartoons has Tom up against tribal "natives." On the laserdiscs their stereotypical voice-overs have been over-dubbed with BOOM BOOM BOOM noises whenever they talk. Will that be fixed as well?

Not that I like that the original cartoonists were obviously racist in their portrayal of the black characters, I ask this because we shouldn't hide from history as painful as it can be sometimes.

 

[John Sparks]

Do really believe that the cartoonists back then were racist? Boy, talk about opening up a can of worms!!!

 

[Eugene Esterly]

Cool. Tom & Jerry are one of the best classic theatrical short cartoons right after Looney Tunes.

 

[WillG]

Very true. It is quite hypocritical. The holocaust was an abohorent example of one of the darkest peroids in mankind that dealt with racism. Yet, they still teach it in school and we are often reminded of it. We are still taught about slavery. But something in a cartoon still needs to be censored in private home video content. I really do hope these will be truly uncut and uncensored.

 

[John Sparks]

I wish this forum had the symbol for "BEATING A DEAD HORSE!"

 

[Dan Rudolph]

 

[PaulP]

Color cover art:
http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?...4299&n=1&burl=
Menus:
http://www.dvdtoons.com/news/632

Ack, why must they call the shorts "episodes"?

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Menu screens and cover art aren't too impressive, they just seem generic and don't retain any of the ambience of the cartoons. They also confused the character designs with the later TV shorts and I agree it's ridiculous to label the films as episodes...

Oh well, it's the content that's important here!