Special Announcement regarding the third Tom & Jerry Spotlight Collection

Ronald Epstein · 09-10-2007, 06:21 PM

Two shorts, “Mouse Cleaning” and “Casanova Cat,” will not be included in the third and final "Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection" of theatrical animated shorts from the Hanna-Barbera era at MGM. Although this collection is intended for mature audiences and collectors (not for children), Warner Home Video made the decision to omit these two shorts because, regardless of their historical context and artistic value, the offensiveness of certain scenes containing inappropriate racial stereotypes would diminish the enjoyment of the Collection’s 35 other classic cartoons for a large segment of the audience.

Steve...O · 09-10-2007, 06:41 PM

I'll caveat this by disclosing I am not familiar with these two cartoons so I don't know the nature of the material in question, but this is a very disappointing decision from WHV to deny consumers the opportunity to make their own judgements on this. I hope this is not a trend at WHV that will affect their other releases. People who buy these sets are adults and should not be treated like children who need to have their viewing habits censored.

I suppose this means that the Looney Tunes banned cartoons will stay that way?

Corey3rd · 09-10-2007, 06:46 PM

at some point WHV just needs to do "Forbidden cartoon" series.

TravisR · 09-10-2007, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve...O

I suppose this means that the Looney Tunes banned cartoons will stay that way?

I don't think so and that makes this decision even worse. If I remember correctly, WB's movie division handles the Looney Tunes releases and the TV division handles the Tom And Jerry releases.

It's stupid to say but I'd find this less insulting if WB just had a broad policy to keep all potentially offensive material off the market as opposed to one division releasing potentially offensive material but the other not doing the same thing.

EDIT: You'd think after the problems with the other T&J releases, that the WB (which is flat out the best company making DVDs in my mind) would have used some sense on this one.

DeWilson · 09-10-2007, 08:32 PM

Is anyone making a list of what WB/MGM cartoons have been released on DVD edited-altered and which ones haven't/won't be released?

Make me wonder if we'll see The POPEYE "You're a Sap Mr.Jap" and other WWII Cartoons featuring Imperal Japanese Characters.

**HTF Ads**

Tim Colby · 09-10-2007, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravisR

It's stupid to say but I'd find this less insulting if WB just had a broad policy to keep all potentially offensive material off the market as opposed to one division releasing potentially offensive material but the other not doing the same thing.

This is an excellent point. Why go through all the trouble of manufacturing and sending out replacement discs for edited cartoons on the first 2 volumes if you're going to censor the third? It makes no sense. Either give us everything unedited or censor all of it.

Kevin Martinez · 09-10-2007, 09:11 PM

There's actually a blatant case of hypocrisy and double standard regarding this decision; Several cartoons that DID make it onto the DVD contain worse/more offensive gags than the two omitted ones.

These Tom and Jerry DVD's are simply not even worth the DVD-R's they're pressed on thanks to the bumbling and bullshit of Warner's Family Division. Hopefully after this George Felstenstein and Earl Kress can convince Warner to let them do a REAL tom and Jerry DVD with everything uncut and restored.

stewprime · 09-10-2007, 10:20 PM

That's it. I am fed up with Warner Bros. DVD division. First, they release Night Court Season 1 and refuse to release further seasons. Then, they decide to release "taster" Best Of DVD's of Night Court and the Drew Carey show. (Yes, they did finally release Season 1 of Drew Carey but guess what? Still no season 2 announcement. Gee....I wonder where we've seen this before??) And now this idiotic decision to try remain in a favorable, politically correct, light even though it pisses off all the purists.

Warner Bros., GET A ****** CLUE already. Fire your heads of the DVD divisions as they could not manage their way out of a paper bag and get someone in there who knows what their doing.

Patrick McCart · 09-10-2007, 10:40 PM

Geez, just go ahead and give the control over to the classics division so we can get complete chronological sets of ALL of the MGM cartoons. I mentioned it in another thread, but they can release the entire MGM cartoon library to DVD in six 4-disc sets. That's the 1930s Harmon-Ising cartoons all the way to the Chuck Jones Tom & Jerry cartoons.

Volume One: 1934-1938 (60 cartoons)
Volume Two: 1939-1942 (56 cartoons)
Volume Three: 1943-1947 (58 cartoons)
Volume Four: 1948-1951 (60 cartoons)
Volume Five: 1952-1955 (63 cartoons)
Volume Six: 1956-1967 (75 cartoons)