DVD Review: Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection: Chuck Jones: Movies & TV

Jun23

DVD Review: Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection: Chuck Jones: Movies & TV

Posted by admin | on 23 June, 09:16 PM

DVD Review: Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection: Chuck Jones: Movies & TVMore MGM cartoons come to DVD with extra features,

By calvinnme “Texan refugee” (Fredericksburg, Va) -
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)

All 34 of the Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry Shorts are included along with two new documentaries. This really doesn’t represent the peak of Tom and Jerry cartoons. This is not the era in which the cartoons were winning Academy Awards. Those cartoons are included in Tom and Jerry: Spotlight Collection, Vol. 1-3. Do be aware that there was considerable controversy over these Spotlight Collections in which cartoons were edited in the first two volumes and two cartoons were not even released in the third. Here is a list of the cartoons to be included:

Penthouse Mouse (1963)
The Cat Above and The Mouse Below (1964)
Is There a Doctor in the Mouse (1964)
Much Ado About Mousing (1964)
Snowbody Loves Me (1964)
The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse (1964)
Ah, Sweet Mouse-story of Life (1965)
Tom-ic Energy (1965)
Bad Day at Cat Rock (1965)
The Brothers Carry-Mouse Off (1965)
Haunted Mouse (1965)
I’m Just Wild About Jerry (1965)
Of Feline Bondage (1965)
The Year of the Mouse (1965)
The Cat’s Me-ouch (1965)
Duel Personality (1966)
Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary (1966)
Jerry-Go-Round (1966)
Love Me, Love My Mouse (1966)
Puss ‘n’ Boats (1966)
Filet Meow (1966)
Matinee Mouse (1966)
The A-Tom-inable Snowman (1966)
Catty Cornered (1966)
Cat and Dupli-cat (1966)
O-Solar Meow (1966)
Guided Mouse-ille (1966)
Rock ‘n’ Rodent (1967)
Cannery Rodent (1967)
The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. (1967)
Surf-Bored Cat (1967)
Shutter Bugged Cat (1967)
Advance and Be Mechanized (1967)
Purr-Chance to Dream (1967)
BONUS FEATURES:

New Documentaries:
Tom and Jerry…and Chuck
Chuck Jones: Memories of a Childhood

Not “classic” Tom and Jerry, but well worth a look-in,

By Hans Christian Brando (Los Angeles) -

By “not the classic Tom and Jerry” cartoons of the 1940s and 50, it’s safe to say that this collection is not characterized by the impeccably rendered–or nauseatingly realistic–welts and bruises suffered by the famous cat-and-mouse duo in largely violence-themed storylines. These shorts were the most lavish, most fully animated theatrical cartoons of the 1960s. It is curious, however, that with the large budgets and Chuck Jones’ genius on tap, these cartoons are not better. (Jones himself likened his version of Tom and Jerry to his Road Runner series, which really does not do them justice. Tom is less self-destructive than Wile E. Coyote, and Jerry less smugly complacent. There is also more subtle psychodrama at work here–or less subtle, as in the case of “Jerry, Jerry Quite Contrary.”) Presumably, there was only so much you could do with a nonspeaking cat chasing a nonspeaking mouse–voice veterans Mel Blanc and June Foray were on hand to supply whatever grunts, groans, and giggles were required–after 20 years and seven Oscars. But it’s rather incredible what Jones and his crew (most of whom were part of his Warner Bros. team) did find to do with the characters.

If you love “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” you’ll enjoy the artistic similarities: Tom, when angered, often resembles the Grinch, while some of Jerry’s facial expressions call to mind Max or Cindy Lou-Who. (Two of the later cartoons, however, are “cheaters,” compilations of scenes from the “classic” Tom and Jerry era, with new footage animated by the original animators trying to match the earlier design.) Altogether a flawed but fascinating effort, and a welcome addition to any animation collection.

Personal favorite: “Snowbody Loves Me.”

Amazingly Entertaining,

By Thomas Day “Saturday Morning Central” (Indianapolis, Indiana) -

I received a review copy of Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection last week and sat down to watch it with my wife. We’re both in our 20s and we are big animation fans, but we were both surprised how much these cartoons had us rolling in laughter. The shorts all have Chuck Jones’ signature subtle animation style mixed with crazy gags.

Overall, this set is extremely entertaining, and the shorts look great in widescreen. I only wish that they would start releasing these kinds of sets on Blu-ray, but I’m sure that day isn’t too far away.
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