Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection [Blu-Ray]

Release Date: February 11, 2025

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

With the rise of TV threatening moviegoing, wider screens became Hollywood’s way to combat that competition. M-G-M went all in and placed their bets on the new CinemaScope process. In addition to their feature films, the studio emboldened their cartoon unit run by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera – and their Oscar® winning series of Tom and Jerry™ shorts. The new visual approach to the famous team’s animated adventures was artistically refreshing – and won sweeping popular success with audiences. This set includes all 23 of these wide-screen wonders – collected together for the first time on Blu-ray™ as originally seen in theatres. Also included are Hanna & Barbera’s two stand-alone Spike & Tyke cartoons – and their Oscar®-nominated Good Will To Men. Animated, Anamorphic, and Amazing! The ultimate chase – continues!

‘Tom and Jerry’ return home in a delightful new Blu-ray release that collects their acclaimed Cinemascope animated shorts. Featuring 23 wide-screen cartoons that were initially created as a way to try and get audiences back in theaters when television’s increasing popularity threatened to detract from the theatrical experience. The set features a beloved collection of noteworthy shorts featuring the iconic cat and mouse duo that sees them up to their usual antics, while also trying to take care of a baby duck, avoid the threatening Spike and his son, and even joining forces on a couple occasions in order to protect a baby from the careless babysitter who is too busy chatting to pay attention to the child. So get comfy on the couch or in your favorite chair and prepare to revisit some of Tom and Jerry’s most popular outings, now in one great Blu-ray collection.

‘Tom and Jerry: The Complete Cinemascope Collection’ features 23 wide-screen theatrical animated shorts with your favorite cat and mouse duo which were first released between 1954 and 1958 and hail from the masterful creative duo of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The included cartoons showcase Tom and Jerry up to their usual tricks naturally, but presented in the new (at the time) Cinemascope format as an attempt to get people back in theaters during the ‘50s, with many garnering acclaim and even award recognition. Including some fun guest characters and taking the pair on some humorous new adventures, the shorts always stay true to the heart of ‘Tom and Jerry’ and the collection offers some of the most memorable cartoons from the duo, with an extra wide presentation that may not always be entirely necessary but certainly provides that cinematic feel.

The ‘Tom and Jerry: The Complete Cinemascope Collection’ Blu-ray features the following 23 animated Tom and Jerry shorts: Pet Peeve, Touché Pussycat, Southbound Duckling, Pup on a Picnic, Tom and Cherie, That’s My Mommy, The Flying Sorceress, The Egg and Jerry, Busy Buddies, Muscle Beach Tom, Down Beat Bear, Blue Cat Blues, Barbeque Brawl, Tops with Pops, Timid Tabby, Feedin’ the Kiddie, Mucho Mouse, Tom’s Photo Finish, Happy Go Ducky, Royal Cat Nap, The Vanishing Duck, Robin Hoodwinked, and Tot Watchers. 3 additional Bonus Cartoons are also included on the release in addition to these 23 Tom and Jerry cartoons, a few more details on those can be found in the Special Features section of the review below.

Tom and Jerry return to your home in the new ‘Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection’ Blu-ray release courtesy of the Warner Archive Collection which features 23 wide-screen animated shorts release between 1954-1958, now all available in glorious high definition and in one convenient collection for the first time. The release features all 23 of the animated shorts sporting quite fantastic high definition presentations that are sharp, clean and colorful, while also retaining some grain and staying true to their filmic roots. The solid new HD video presentations are only further complemented by very nice 2.0 DTS-HD MA soundtracks that don’t disappoint, with three additional Bonus Cartoons featured in Cinemascope on top of it. The release is a definite treat for fans of the beloved cat and mouse duo and while it may not be utterly perfect in every conceivable way (these shorts were released in the ‘50s after all) they look and sound pretty spectacular and for any fan already considering a purchase this Blu-ray release is definitely recommended.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation on all 23 animated shorts with a 2.39:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentations look pretty wonderful for the most part (there may be some slight differences in appearance, detail and grain levels between the shorts, but they all look very nice nonetheless) and provide clean, sharp and richly colored presentations for every animated short within. In addition to notable detail and clarity on each, they also retain their filmic appearance, complete with a nice grain structure and while they may not look flawless in the way some more modern animated presentations might, it’s safe to say that they all look better than ever before. Overall, these are great high definition presentations that don’t disappoint and should have fans quite excited.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 2.0 channel DTS-HD Master Audio mono/stereo soundtrack on all 23 shorts (and the 3 bonus cartoons) depending on the source material for each. These lossless soundtracks sound pretty spectacular, especially considering their age; they deliver clean, crisp and nicely balanced audio presentations on each of the shorts. They do a commendable job of balancing the various audio elements within including music, action/cartoon effects and noises, along with the bits of dialogue and everything else along the way, while never allowing any simultaneously occurring audio elements or effects to contradict each other or result in any issues to be uncovered. Overall, these are very nice 2.0 DTS-HD MA soundtracks that hold up nicely at every turn and should easily please the fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection’ features ‘3 Bonus Cartoons’ which are each also featured in the CinemaScope format. The bonus cartoons include the acclaimed, Oscar-nominated short ‘Good Will to Men’, in addition to the pair of standalone ‘Spike and Tyke’ animated shorts ‘Give and Tyke’ and ‘Scat Cats’.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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‘Tom And Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection’ Arrives on Blu-ray February 11, 2025 from Warner Archive Collection

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You can Purchase ‘Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection’ on Blu-ray at Amazon HERE!

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