TOM & JERRY: THE COMPLETE CINEMASCOPE CARTOON COLLECTION (1954-1958)
Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 175 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo and Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Directors: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
Cast: William Hanna, Daws Butler, Red Coffey, Sandy Descher, June Foray, Sara Berner, Julie Bennett, Janet Waldo, Paul Frees
Another animated treat from Warner Archive has arrived to revive your childhood, this time we get the complete Tom and Jerry CinemaScope collection, presented in the extras-wide 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio, collected together on one set for the very first-time ever, plus three bonus CinemaScope shorts that include Oscar-nominated "Good Will To Men" and the two standalone Spike & Tyke toons "Give & Tyke" and "Scat Cats", about the English bulldog Spike and his son Tyke.
When it comes down to it Tom and Jerry are easily my most beloved animated shorts, these are the ones I grew up watching re-runs of, and while I love all the different era, from Hanna-Barbera, to the Gene Deitch era, and onto the Chuck Jones era in the 60's, and that's about where my love stops to be honest, I love 'em all though, and this HB era is where all that love began, so this is close to the nostalgic heart for me.
There is so much good stuff here, we get several shorts also featuring Spike & Tyke, the classic Mouseketeer episodes, "Southbound Duckling" with Quackers the duck was a childhood favorite as well, with Tom trying to trick the little guy into stewing himself for a meal! There are several Quackers shorts on this set, and they are all terrific fun. Another one that is sure to raise eyebrows for the uninitiated is "Blue Cat Blues" with Tom so depressed over losing out on love that he contemplates suicide, plus we get some fun supernatural witchy-ness with "The Flying Sorceress". This is a terrifically fun set, and easily the most fun I have had watching anything at home so far this year, and seeing these shorts in the correct extra-widescreen format, restored and looking better than ever nearly brought a joyful tear to my eye. You can pick this set up for under $25 right now, but the animated joy it will bring you and kids of all ages is absolutely priceless.
Shorts:
1. Pet Peeve (1954) (6:26)
2. Touché Pussycat (1955) (6:43)
3. Southbound Duckling (1955) (6:16)
4. Pup on a Picnic (1955) (6:56)
5. Tom and Cherie (1955) (6:40)
6. That's My Mommy (1955)(6:05)
7. The Flying Sorceress (1956) (6:37)
8. The Egg and Jerry (1956)(7:39)
9. Busy Buddies (1956)(6:17)
10. Muscle Beach Tom (1956)(6:42)
11. Down Beat Bear (1956)(6:26)
12. Blue Cat Blues (1956)(6:48)
13. Barbeque Brawl (1956)(6:44)
14. Tops With Pops (1957) (7:34)
15. Timid Tabby (1957)(6:55)
16. Feedin' the Kiddie (1957)(7:19)
17. Mucho Mouse (1957)(7:06)
18. Tom's Photo Finish (1957)(6:19)
19. Happy Go Ducky (1958)(6:12)
20. Royal Cat Nap (1958) (6:40)
21. The Vanishing Duck (1958) (7:08)
22. Robin Hoodwinked (1958) (6:23)
23. Tot Watchers (1958) (6:37)
Bonus Shorts
24. Good Will To Men (1955) (8:29)
25. Give & Tyke (1955)(6:38)
26. Scat Cats (1957) (6:29)
Audio/Video: All 26 shorts on this set are presented in 108op HD in the original extra-wide 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. I could not find any information regarding the source of the HD masters used, but they generally look terrific. The sources are in fantastic shape, there are varying degrees of grain present on all all the shorts, which is pleasing to see, but there does look to be some filtering applied, nothing too egregious though, it certainly has not been digitally scrubbed by any means. The image detail and textures look wonderful, and the colors look marvelous. Watching these shorts that I grew up with on TV but seeing them fully blushed with vibrant color and in the correct aspect ratio was like travelling back in time to my youth. No lie, I poured myself a big bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch just like I did when I was a kid, only this time with oat milk, and watched these with a big ol' smile plastered on my face! I did limit myself to just one bowl, I am a middle-aged man after all, but as a kid I would have kept pouring cereal into the bowl until I used up all the sugary-milk.
Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with optional English subtitles. I know that these were originally presented in CinemaScope with with "Perspecta Stereo", not a true stereo track from what I know, but a gimmicky mono sound systems that was more directional sound that truly stereo, Anyway, the only four Perspecta Stereo tracks were considered usable for these restorations, so the firts four shorts on this set have "stereo" audio while the remaining shorts get the dual-mono treatment. The tracks sound excellent to my ears, largely clean and free of issues, the stereo tracks having some pleasing separation and use of the stereo directionals, and the music cues still bring a smile to my face.
There are no documentary/commentary extras for this release, other than the three restored Hanna-Barbera CinemaScope shorts that have been restored, these include Good Will To Men (1955), Give & Tyke (1955), and Scat Cats (1957). The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork.
Special Features:
- Three Bonus Shorts: Good Will To Men (1955) (8:29), Give & Tyke (1955)(6:38), Scat Cats (1957) (6:29)
Screenshots from the Warner Archive Blu-ray:
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