Movie Info:
Creators: Joseph Barbera and William Hanna
Cast: Text Avery. Joseph Barbera, Daws Butler
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Bros.
Release Info:
DVD Release Date: June 22, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.49
I like cartoons, but I’m not in love with most of the Warner Bros. cartoons. That probably sounds wrong, so let me clarify this statement a little bit. I enjoy watching WB, old school cartoons like Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, but I don’t go ga-ga for them like some people I know. Watching these cartoons is a fun way to shoot the breeze, but I’m not going to freak out if I do not see another Tom and Jerry cartoon again. I will live and the world will go on turning.
In contrast, my kid is nutso for these old cartoons, especially Tom and Jerry. This dynamic, cat and mouse duo are his favorites next to the Chronological Donald cartoons. He is so in love with these cartoons that the minute we get the DVDs he wants to watch them. He will drop everything, especially his homework, to see the same hijinks Tom and Jerry have been pulling far before he or I were born. Thus, we own pretty much every Tom and Jerry DVD set Warner Bros. has put out. We have the Spotlight Collections, the Volume DVDs, the movies, the new incarnations of the cartoon…you name it.
You have to understand my son is a teen, but he also has Aspergers. He has a major problem with re-watching shows, cartoons or movies he has already seen, with a few exceptions. There are certain movies he will watch over and over to the point where his mother and I could go our entire lives without seeing these films again and be happy. He did this with Chicago (and he sang along – knowing every word of the movie and the songs). He did this with I Am Sam. As much as I’ve heard, “Why are we watching this? I’ve already seen it,” I must confess, he has never said this about Tom and Jerry. Like the aformentioned films, he could watch these cartoons over and over with nary a complaint.
What he does not realize, because he is oblivious to censorship, is that some of the shorts in this set have been altered for content. Kids need to understand, as much as adults, about the tawdry history of blackface and how prejudice was ever present in everything, back in the day, including cartoons. What better way to teach them then through cartoons? I watch television with the kids and if something like this comes on we discuss it with them. I do not think it is fair to try and erase this part of history. We can’t pretend everything was hunky-dory and let them think that racism did not exist in the land of imagination and animation. They will eventually grow up and learn the truth; the cartoons of their childhood were a lie.
WB saw the err of their ways in past releases when they reissued DVDs with the shorts in their original format. SO…it boggles the mind why they would turn around and release this set with the edited versions of “The Milky Waif” and “The Little Orphan” and the redubbed version of “The Lonesome Mouse.” It makes no sense. I know many adult fans will be disappointed that these shorts are not in their original form. Besides, my son is a teen. This set isn’t geared towards the little ones. If it was, then maybe the censorship was justified, but it’s not.
Tom and Jerry Deluxe Anniversary Collection Episode Synopsis’
The Tom and Jerry Deluxe Anniversary Collection set is spread across two discs. The first disc features 20 shorts, and the second features a hodge podge of Tom and Jerry memories throughout the years.
Here is a list of what is offered on each disc.
DISC ONE
Oscar Winners and Classics
“Puss Gets the Boot” – The very first short to feature Tom and Jerry. At this time, they were known as Jinx and Jasper. Jasper tries to eat Jinx, but only succeeds in making Mammy Two Shoes mad enough to evict him.
“The Midnight Snack” – Tom interrupts Jerry as he sneaks around the kitchen getting some cheese, his midnight snack. Luckily, Jerry has some tricks up his sleeve.
“Dog Trouble” – Tom antagonizes Jerry, causing him to run in his hole. Jerry escapes after thwarting Tom, but things get interesting when Spike, the bulldog, enters the picture.
“Fraidy Cat” – After listening to the “Witching Hour” on the radio, Tom is very scared by the story being told. Jerry uses this to his advantage to antagonize Tom.
“Puss ‘N Toots” – When Mammy Two Shoes gets a girl cat to watch after, Tom falls in love. He tries to impress her by doing magic tricks with Jerry as his pawn, but, as always, Jerry gets the best of him.
“The Lonesome Mouse” – Jerry gets rid of Tom by causing trouble that Mammy Two Shoes blames on the cat. After a few hours of peace, he realizes things aren’t fun with Tom not around, so he sets out on a quest to frighten Mammy into letting Tom back in.
“Yankee Doodle Mouse” – Jerry heads into his “Cat Raid Shelter” aka mouse hole, where he has plenty of ammunition to take on a pursuing Tom. The two go to “war” and Jerry is set to take on the cat.
“Mouse Trouble” – Frustrated in his failed quest to catch Jerry, Tom finds a book on how to catch mice. He follows the techniques in the book to attempt to catch Jerry and hilarity ensues.
“Mouse in Manhattan” – Jerry leaves the country to head off to live in New York City. However, city life is quite different than life in the country. He begins to realize he might not have it so bad, after all.
“Quiet Please!” – Spike wants to take a nap, but Tom chasing Jerry keeps him wide awake. While Tom is content to try to let him sleep while still pursuing Jerry, Jerry likes seeing Tom chased by Spike.
“The Milky Waif” – When baby Nibbles is left on Jerry’s door, he has no choice but to take care of the little mouse. However, Nibbles is always hungry, so Jerry must find a way to get him lots of milk and protect him from Tom.
“The Cat Concerto” – Tom is playing a piano concerto and he awakens Jerry, who is asleep inside the piano. Jerry sets out to have Tom make a fool of himself, as a result.
“The Little Orphan” – The always hungry Nibbles returns to celebrate Thanksgiving with Jerry. Again, Jerry must find him food, and avoid Tom while doing so. Of course, both are put out by Nibbles’ voracious appetite.
“Saturday Evening Puss” – When Mammy Two Shoes heads out to her Lucky Seven Saturday Night Bridge Club meeting, Tom invites Butch, Lightning and Topsy over for a party/jazz jam session. Unfortunately, Jerry is trying to sleep and he’s not very happy about this loud party.
“The Two Mouseketeers” – Jerry and Nibbles are the two mousketeers. They decide to swipe food from an extravagantly set table, for the King’s Mouseketeers banquet. When Tom has been ordered to guard the banquet food, the two must find a way to eat and run.
“Johann Mouse” – Jerry takes on the part of Johann Mouse, the mouse living in the house of Johann Strauss. Johann Mouse loves music so much and when he dances, he is chased by Johann Strauss’ cat, played by Tom.
“Touché, Pussy Cat” – Nibbles has been renamed Tuffy and all he wants to do is become a Mousketeer. It will take quite a bit for him to convince Jerry he deserves to be a mousketeer, especially since he is an excessive talker.
“That’s My Mommy” – When Quacker, a baby duck, wanders away from his mother’s nest, in his egg, and ends up beneath Tom before hatching, he believes Tom is his Mommy because he is the first thing Quacker sees.
“The Egg and Jerry” – Jerry becomes the Mommy this time, when a baby Woodpecker egg rolls into his mousehole after falling out of its nest. When the baby woodpecker hatches, it latches onto Jerry.
“Tops With Pops” – Spike is sleeping with his little son Tyke. When Tom keeps waking the little guy up as he chases Jerry, Spike takes out his anger on the cat.
DVD TWO
Through the Years
“Anchor’s Aweigh Excerpt” -Watch Jerry Dance with Gene Kelly
“Dangerous When Wet Excerpt” – Esther Williams takes a dip with Tom and Jerry
“Pent-house Mouse” – The first short by Chuck Jones, Tom is living it up in a penthouse. Jerry is starving. He is trying to find food at a construction site. When he is lifted up on a steel beam and is transported to Tom’s patio the chase ensues!
“The Cat Above and the Mouse Below” – Another Chuck Jones short where Jerry performs on stage as Signor Thomasino Catti-Cazzaza Baritone. He is singing “Figaro” and it awakens Jerry who is asleep beneath the stage of the opera house. Unable to doze with all the racket, he seeks revenge.
“The Cat’s Me-Ouch” – This is another cartoon by Chuck Jones. Jerry gets a big surprise when he orders a bulldog and it turns out to be smaller than him. The idea was to have the bulldog attack Tom for Jerry, but with him smaller than Jerry it seems impossible.
“Karate Guard” – This is the last Tom and Jerry short written and directed by Joseph Barbera. The short has Tom trying to sleep as Jerry practices karate loudly. Jerry must face his fear and take on Tom as a karate master, which Tom finds hilarious.
“Cosmic Cat and Meteor Mouse” – From the New Tom and Jerry Show, Tom and Jerry are trying to watch their favorite TV show, Cosmic Cat and Meteor Mouse. The noise from the television disturbs a sleeping Spike who is intent on turning off the set, while Tom and Jerry fight to watch their show.
“Jerry’s Country Cousin” – From The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, Jerry has an identical cousin who comes from the country to stay with him. His cousin is a lot stronger, but Tom isn’t expecting to be outmaneuvered by Jerry’s country cousin.
“Flippin’ Fido” – From The Tom and Jerry Kids Show, Little Tom is chasing Little Jerry, who is, of course, antagonizing Tom. The chase is interrupted by Fido, who wants Tom, so Tom must find a way to distract Fido, with Frisbees!
“A Game of Mouse and Cat” – From Tom and Jerry Tales, this short features an alternative universe where the mice chase the cats. Jerry is ordered to get rid of Tom, when he has the chance to live out his fantasy.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
The quality changes from short to short. Obviously, cartoons from 2005 are going to look better than those from the 40s and 50s. This quality ranges from pretty good to wow this is old and looks like it. While most of the shorts are presented in standard format with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, a few are widescreen at 1.85:1. This does not make them great though. Really, T&J need a good clean up job done to truly do these shorts justice and it’s just not here yet.
The audio is, as expected, a Dolby Digital mono track in English. A Spanish mono track is also included. These shorts sound good, but nothing like the 5.1 mixes we hear today. The audio isn’t horrible, but it isn’t spectacular either. There are no major audio flaws, but it isn’t as dynamic as it could be. Subtitles in English and French are also present.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
The big bonus is a short documentary. It is not quite 20 minutes in length. Called “Much Ado About Tom and Jerry,” this feature goes over how Tom and Jerry got started, the history of the cartoon and how it has changed throughout the years. It contains interviews with Hanna and Barbera and is featured on Disc 1.
This is the only bonus save for some trailers for other cartoons.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
The Tom and Jerry Deluxe Anniversary Collection is a great collection IF you do not already own any of the Tom and Jerry sets that Warner Bros has released, in the past. Some of these episodes are already included so it’s the same ol, same ol. That is not to say the shorts are bad, but who really wants more than one DVD with the same eps on them? Further, who wants episodes with these shorts that have been censored? If you own some of the T&J DVDs, you will want to compare them to the list of shorts in this set before buying this. If your kid goes bonkers for Tom and Jerry like mine does, Tom and Jerry Deluxe Anniversary Collection is a nice collection to own. I just recommend proceeding with caution before buying, because most of these episodes we’ve seen before in other Tom and Jerry DVD releases.
Overall Rating: 
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Written by Dominick Evans – Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
