Here is the Tom and Jerry collection that has been long overdue. Tom and Jerry: Golden Collection, Volume 1 collects the first thirty-seven
theatrical MGM cartoons directed by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera in chronological order and completely unedited. The cartoons are also all newly
remastered from recently discovered film elements and (for the most part) look absolutely stunning when viewed in high definition. This is how the
shorts should have been released since the very beginning and is definitely a breath of fresh air after the clumsy handling of the same
material on the T&J Spotlight Collection DVDs.
The release is almost perfect. Unfortunately, there are ten cartoons included where the picture quality varies greatly. I will point you to
a knowledgeable review by Thad Komorowski for
more details. The drop in picture quality on these ten shorts is noticeable, but, thankfully, none are to the point of being unwatchable. It is just unfortunate
that no one seemed to notice the sub-par looking cartoons while this set was in production. While a disappointment, I wouldn't call it a dealbreaker.
The other twenty-seven cartoons look amazing. I know I noticed a huge difference between the old DVD versions and these fresh Golden Collection versions.
Trust me, you have never seen the Tom and Jerry shorts look this good before. They blow the old Spotlight Collections out of the water.
This two-disc set covers Tom and Jerry at their peak. Several all-time classics and Oscar-winners included here. Here is a quick breakdown of the
contents on the two discs:
|
Disc 1:
1. Puss Gets the Boot
2. The Midnight Snack
3. The Night Before Christmas
4. Fraidy Cat
5. Dog Trouble
6. Puss n' Toots
7. The Bowling Alley Cat
8. Fine-Feathered Friend
9. Sufferin' Cats!
10. The Lonesome Mouse
11. The Yankee Doodle Mouse
12. Baby Puss
13. The Zoot Cat
14. The Million Dollar Cat
15. The Bodyguard
16. Puttin' on the Dog
17. Mouse Trouble
18. The Mouse Comes to Dinner
19. Mouse in Manhattan
20. Tee For Two
Special Feature:
"The Midnight Snack" Pencil Test |
Disc 2:
21. Flirty Birdy
22. Quiet Please!
23. Springtime For Thomas
24. The Milky Waif
25. Trap Happy
26. Solid Serenade
27. Cat Fishin'
28. Part Time Pal
29. The Cat Concerto
30. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse
31. Salt Water Tabby
32. A Mouse in the House
33. The Invisible Mouse
34. Kitty Foiled
35. The Truce Hurts
36. Old Rockin' Chair Tom
37. Professor Tom
Special Features:
How Bill and Joe Met Tom & Jerry
Vaudeville, Slapstick and Tom & Jerry
The Comedy Styling of Tom & Jerry
The Worry Song from Anchors Aweigh (1942) |
Most of the bonus content is repeated from the Spotlight Collections with the exception of a new featurette about the influence that live-action comedy
teams had on the Tom and Jerry shorts. There are also a number of commentary tracks which are also repeated from previous DVDs.
Despite the imperfections, I still would still highly recommend this release. It's hard to gripe about a release that presents the cartoons in order and unedited
and at an affordable price. This is a Tom and Jerry collection that was finally done right and I know that I will be looking forward to Volume 2!
