Customer Reviews

Tom and Jerry - Spotlight Collection

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

First of all, I agree with many of the reviewers, posted here, that the advertising of these cartoons as unedited while presenting edited material is terrible! However, this could have been a mistake and I think we should be willing to give WB the benefit of the doubt on this one, provided they make good and get us the replacement discs as soon as possible. However, if what the other reviewer says is true and WB does NOT intend to replace the Disc with the correct material, then they open themselves up to a law suit for advertising the set as one thing but delivering something else.

Now, I would like to start by commending WB and the forces and talents behind the scenes who have worked long and hard to get this classic material out there on DVD. It is great to be able to own them in this format and the extra materials, such as the Bill and Joe Story and the Scott Bradley piece are very interesting and informative. This is true, particularly, of the Scott Bradley piece, in which Mr. Bradley regales us, in his own words, (dramatized from an article he wrote for a magazine in the 1940s) of his process and thoughts on scoring these wonderful shorts. It was very detailed and specific; intelligent and fascinating. I also enjoyed the stereo title that was very nicely presented. So let me say thank you, here, to all involved in the process of getting these cartoons released on DVD and PLEASE keep the classic titles coming! We love them, we want them and we thank you for them!

That aside, I have to say, particularly with these "Tom and Jerrys", these prints are NOT recently restored, (with the exception of the Cinemascope prints, which are gorgeous!). The majority of the prints are identical, wobble for wobble and scratch for scratch, to the ones offered on the Japanese DVD sets that have been out for some time. Yes, these shorts do appear somewhat sharper on DVD and the colors are saturated, but re-mastered, I think not. Just take a good look at "Designs on Jerry", for one, and you will be convinced. There is so much debris on that print that it appears to be snowing on screen. In fact, most all of the standard prints on this collection have emulsion scratches and scrapes and "boogars" (as they say in the industry) and that is dismaying to say the least. Compare these Tom and Jerry shorts to the ones in the Looney Tunes collections, (where they actually DID go back to the original materials and re-master the shorts) and you will easily see the difference in quality. Why, even the sound on most of the Tom and Jerry selections is garbled during the first few feet of film and that is just ridiculous.

Actually, I was surprised to read that a few of the reviewers on Amazon comment on the fact that these cartoons have "never looked and/or sounded so good". They actually look and sound very much the same as the prints on Boomerang and Cartoon Network, or in past releases of the material in different formats, (in some cases worse) and appear to be the same prints, redone around 1995. The commentary, by Jerry Beck, is very interesting and insightful, but he remains silent through a good deal of the cartoons and I would really like to hear more detail regarding the process of making these little gems and about the animators who worked on the shows. Perhaps even a comparison of the thumbnails by Joe Barbara and the finished scenes in the films. Now that would be something!

I have discussed this release with a number of friends and colleagues in the animation industry and there is a consensus there. We are so pleased and happy that WB has been talked into releasing classic animation to DVD, we only wish that they would consistently put their best foot forward and put out the very finest quality material they are able to present on EACH AND EVERY classic DVD offering. Please restore them fully and let us enjoy them in the quality they deserve. In the long run, these cartoons are not going anywhere. They will always be around and in demand and they are, indeed, a unique American art form. Down the road, as formats change, as technology improves and as new generations discover the magic of the Hollywood cartoon, I am sure immaculately restored prints will be well worth the while.

OK, I've been reading the reviews on this set since it was released over 3 years ago. I was disappointed, like many others, when I read about the editing cuts on Disc 1, #11 - The Milky Waif, #16 - The Truce Hurts, and #19 - The Little Orphan. So I never purchased this set, hoping there would eventually be a unedited version.

Well I received a nice birthday surprise from my son a couple of days ago. He purchased this collection as a gift for me. He didn't purchase it from Amazon but from our local outlet of a national chain whose logo is a bright yellow tag with their name written boldly in black. Anyway, the version he purchased was unedited. I didn't have to return any discs. Before the menu appears on Disc 1, there is a disclaimer about how wrong the ethnic stereotypes were then and still are today. I didn't get to finish the disclaimer because it was quite long and didn't stay on the screen long enough. This disclaimer doesn't appear on disc two.

People have asked how they can tell if their version is edited or not. Here are the scenes that were included on my DVD that are missing from the edited versions. On "The Milky Waif", there is a brief scene where Jerry and the baby mouse cover their face with shoe polish to fool Tom and escape. On "The Truce Hurts", there is a scene where the Bulldog (Spike usually but I'm not sure if that was his name in this episode), Tom and Jerry are going to cross a street with a mud puddle at the curb. A car splashes the mud on their faces and they take on features to imply they are African American. On "The Little Orphan", there is a brief 5 second scene or less of the mammy bringing food to the table.

How can you identify the product before purchasing? I don't know since I only have this version but here is a description of things on my box. Maybe someone can tell if there is any difference from the edited set.
On the spine of the box, the number is 65878. On the back of the box on the UPC it contains these two numbers: ISBN 0-7907-8651-6 and 1256958782. There is no claim on the box that these are original unedited versions. I was pleasantly surprised to get these versions.

BTW, the set was purchased just a few days ago (the beginning of December 2007). I hope this info helps others.

Apparently, the edits in this collection were a mistake, and the first disc can be replaced. I found the following on tomandjerryonline:
I was searching, today the 21st, on one of the forums below and happened upon Jerry Beck's (Cartoon Historian who worked on the DVD) post:

Warner Bros. Home Video is very, very upset over the edited cartoons that made their way into the TOM & JERRY SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION.

This was a mistake made at the servicing level. Warner Home Video and I became aware of the error only ten days before the official release date - and by then, the dvds were on their way to the stores.

It is part of Warner Bros. Home Video's marketing plan not to release edited or censored cartoons because they know that collectors want them complete.

The company is taking immediate steps to correct the situation. The proper digital masters of all three cartoons have been located and are being prepared now for replication. It may take as long as six to eight weeks to have a corrected disc ready for replacement.

From what I've been able to gather, the intention is for fans to be able to replace Disc 1 at no charge to them. I know from personal experience that Warners had a problem a year ago with the film KISS ME KATE. The transfer was not done correctly and fans were upset. Warners responded immediately, created a new transfer and eventually fans recieved replacement discs. It was not an overnight process. But it all worked out in the end.

Those of you waiting for the uncut disc 1 to appear on store shelves, I cannot say when that will happen. It will not happen soon. The quickest way to get the set the way you want it is to buy it now and go through the replacement process.

Despite this inconvience, There is much to recommend on the TOM & JERRY SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION as is. The CinemaScope transfers are amazing, and the never-before-released stereo soundtrack on TOUCHE PUSSY CAT is really fantastic. (Only eight MGM Cartoons were recorded in true stereo at the time and this is the first one to be restored and released as originally intended).

The print on the box says these cartoons are not edited and it turns out they are (no black-face gags, no original Mammy two-shoes voice, etc.). When will the producers of these cartoons get with it and release the unedited cartoons and leave censorship to the discretion of the consumer (at least with these cartoons)? Plus these people have disreputized themselves by claiming they are unedited when they really are. Buy only if you want "censored" versions of an otherwise fine cartoon.

Sorry, but I must correct the previous post by Mark Clegg. The UK Region 2 discs are far from uncut. They have been "politically corrected" to death. Not only are there many cuts, but on many of the shorts the distinctive voice of the black woman with the slippers and broom has been dubbed over with a "whiter" alternative. How could you not notice this?

Censoring a black woman for sounding black is sheer lunacy, not to mention an insult to the actress!

Not only that, but the Region 1 set contains the shorts that were produced in Cinemascope in the original widescreen ratio, on the UK Region 2 set the image is cropped with a good two-thirds of the image lost.

And why on earth would any T&J fan want the later shorts after the Hanna & Barbera era? These are virtually unwatchable - might as well go for "Tom & Jerry - The Movie" while you're at it! Urgh!

Forget the UK sets, this Region 1 set is the real deal!

I just spoke with a representative of Warner Home Video. There is no and there never has been any intention of replacing the edited DVD with an unedited DVD. Really sad that the few that would be "offended" by the unedited version dictates what the rest of us watch. The majority does not rule. If anybody knows any other info, please post.

i bought this set because the back of the box said the cartoons were uncut. well they WERENT UNCUT & sadly I wasn't at all surprised. I immediatley returned it for a refund. I won't spend a penny on edited cartoons. It's just absolutely infuriating, frustrating & depressing

We all know how great Tom and Jerry can be, so I won't waste anyone's time praising them with sentences that have no doubt been written many times on this website already.

What I WILL say is that Warner ought to be ashamed for putting out such a shoddy product. The cartoons are in a terrible condition, with muck, filth, dust and cigarette burns flickering around in every frame. They have also been censored to appease the PC brigade and narrow-minded, ignorant parents who want to airbrush history to make it seem like the world has always been at peace.

Mammy-Two-Shoes, a stereotypical black character for the 1940s, has been dubbed over to sound less 'racist' (yeah right) in most of her appearances. And all jokes in which Tom or Jerry are blown up and appear in 'blackface' have been rudely cut out. A couple of Native American references have been cut off also.

If we accept this, then what's the next stop for these PC nut-jobs? Editing Gone with the Wind to give it a happier ending? Equal rights for zombies? I am not a liberal loon, and I am not the type who would let rapists live in women's changing rooms, but to think that some people somewhere are ACTUALLY offended by a harmless cartoon older than my grandmother frightens me.

Buy if it is very, very cheap. Otherwise, don't bother. After the extensive restoration we've seen of other cartoons, especially the Disney Treasure box sets, there's no reason why something as popular as Tom and Jerry should be released in such shocking condition.

I loved Tom and Jerry when I was a kid. I was thinking that maybe the dvd set of this would be unedited. But of course not. WASTE OF MONEY IF YOU CANT GET THE UNEDTIED VERSIONS. There isnt one single cartoon here either with Mammy Two Shoes. And another reviewer said "The Little Orphan" episode is edited and they are correct, the scene is missing where Tom gets burnt up by the candle. All the cartoons presented are good though, but to dish out money for something edited, I may as well watch cartoon network. I looked on Ebay and seems there is a 140 cartoon set of Tom and Jerry available from China. Its around $40 bucks. Think I'll spend my money over there to get the true unedited cartoon set I been dreaming of. Just a quick note, the cartoons here even though no Mammy and the edited content, are 5 star cartoons, just dont appreciate spending money for edited cartoons.

I waited until September 15th 2007 to buy this set in hopes that I would get the uncensored discs. Wrong, they were still censored. The packaging was slightly revised to a cardboard box, the first issue was a plastic box, but the DVDs were not revised.

So I still had to call 1-800-553-6937 to request the replacement disc #1.
Once this is replaced, you will have a fine set. The transfers are not remastered like the Looney Tunes, but they still look good. It is an upgrade from the laserdisc. The bonus material is also enough reason to get this set.

Of interesting note, TOCHE PUSSY CAT appears here in it's original Cinemascope Theatrical presentation. But based on the full frame Laserdisc presentation, it appears that this was animated in full frame, but adapted to Cinemascope to cash in on the widescreen craze of the 1950's. The title sections were re-shot for Cinemascope, but except for one scene at the 6:03 mark the entire cartoon is cropped on the top & bottom to look widescreen. It would have been nice to see this both ways on the DVD.