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Rating: 
Summary: THE EDITS ARE AN ERROR
Review: 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).
Rating: 
Summary: The set could have been better
Review: First of all let me start off by saying that I grew up watching the Tom and Jerry cartoons and was very excited with the news of this DVD release.
This set contains 40 shorts including some of the classic ones like Cat Concerto and Touche Pussycat. The presentation is mixed bag throughout all of the shorts. Some of them have been wonderfully remastered as indicated on the package while others are in rough condition with grains visible on the screen. I'm also dissapointed in finding out that some of them have been edited for content. The following shorts on the first disc have been edited: "The Little Orphan", "The Truce Hurts" and "The Milky Waif". These shorts contains some scenes that are racially offensive. However, WB claims that the reason why the edited shorts were placed on the discs is that there was a mixed up and they printed the discs with the edited masters instead of the uncut. There was talk of WB offering to replace the first disc with the uncut versions of the shorts but no firm details are available as of yet. I'm not sure what the direction of WB will be for future Tom and Jerry shorts but this could become an issue as there are much more shorts with racially offensive images especially with the character of "Mammy". Even with the edited versions and less than stellar remastering on most shorts, I will still recommend this set to all Tom and Jerry and classic animation fans just to have it in their collection. I'll place this set alongside the Looney Tunes Golden Collections and the Disney Treasure series as a must buy. Hopefully WB will release a second set while correcting all of the issues presented in this first volume.
Rating: 
Summary: ALL EDITING ASIDE.....
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: No replacement DVd
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Fix it or miss a sale (or several thousand)
Review: I was very excited to see this collection available, but will not buy it for fellow animation fans until it's done properly.
As for what's been messed up, just read the other comments.
If you can't make it right, why make it at all? And why falsly advertise that it's both "uncut" and "restored" when it ain't? Did Dan Rather write that box copy?
Not only does "PC" stand for Politically Correct, but Plain Crazy. It's the same mentality that tries to take "Christ" out of Christmas for the CHRISTMAS holiday, for cryin' out loud.
Meanwhile, does anyone have the chestnuts to release "Coal Black and De Seben Dwarfs"? I've seen it. It's hysterical. Offensive? To some, sure. But someone, somewhere, somehow is ALWAYS going to be offended (to paraphrase Lincoln) which, frankly, I find offensive!
Rating:
Summary: THRILL TO THE GREAT TOM & JERRY-BETTER THAN EVER!
Review: These are the BEST of the Tom & Jerry adventures. The original theatrical cartoons made by William Hanna and Joe Barbera for MGM. Many of your favorites are here, looking and sounding better than ever. But the REAL treat for affcianados are THREE..count 'em..THREE CinemaScope cartoons presented in their original aspect ratio, so beautiful, and enhanced for widescreen TVs. One of them, the Oscar-nominated TOUCHE PUSSYCAT is even remixed for 5.1 surround sound! Amazing! There was never a stereophonic T&J cartoon theatrically, but WB went to the time and trouble to make such a thing a reality here. My hat's off to all involved for a terrific bargain of a collector's set!
Rating:
Summary: My son is obsessed...
Review: These discs provide hours of mindless, harmless, passive entertainment for those times when we allow our 6-year old to access the TV and DVD player.
Perhaps I shouldn't say mindless. My son has asked me the following questions since he's become addicted to Tom and Jerry:
1. What is castor oil? - We ended looking it up on the Internet.
2. Why do cats like to chase mice?
3. How come Tom falls in love everytime he sees a girl cat, Daddy? - Whew. I tried to dodge this one (for now).
4. Who is that real guy in the "navy suit"? This was in reference to the short starring Gene Kelly. I told him a little about Gene Kelly, and then told him to ask his grandma if she knows who Gene Kelly is. That started a conversation between the two of them that I enjoyed overhearing.
Anyway, these discs brought back memories for me and it was fun watching them with my son. He really gets a lot of laughs from watching the antics of Tom and Jerry.
The music in these shorts is fun to listen to, and they are songs that my son would never have been exposed to this young if not for this disc - stuff like "If You're Ever Down in Texas" and others.
Collections like these are nice because they provide lots of fun, and they aren't dubious in nature like "Codename Kids Next Door," "Dexter's Laboratory," "Spongebob Squarepants," Ed, Edd, and Eddy," etc.
Rating:
Summary: CAT AND MOUSE, 40 GREAT CARTOONS. 3 in WIDESCREEN!
Review: This new set of classic Tom and Jerry cartoons is terrific. Not a dud in the group, 40 classic shorts made by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera when they worked at MGM, including all the Oscar winners. The cartoons look and sound good, but the real surprise is TOUCHE PUSSYCAT!. Not only is it enhanced for 16x9 widescreen TVs, but it is TRULY IN STEREO! Something no cartoon from MGM ever was.
Obviously Warner Bros. took the time to go back to their original recordings and make a new stereo track for this delightful cartoon, and the sound will amaze you. The images are also crisp and clear and take fine advantage of the wide CinemaScop screen.
This is a must for audiences of all ages!
Rating:
Summary: The cartoons are edited!!!!
Review: WARNING!!!! Even though the box advertises that these cartoons are un-edited and shown in the manner that they were originally made, there are at least three cartoons that have been cut. Check the web for more information, but this is intolerable. We have waited for the un-cut versions of these cartoons for years. We have told WB that we wanted them uncut. WB told us and even advertised that these would be the originals...and now look. Terrible way to treat your customers.
Rating:
Summary: Please, stop the insanity! (UPDATE 10/30)
Review: Well, I bought this set at 1PM release day at Frye's for $17.99 (One-day special price - Cool!), and I wanted to report back. THIS IS A 5 STAR SET if we consider the latest post about a corrected disc on the way.
The picture is just incredible, the transfers are excellent and the widescreen shorts are no less than amazing.
I feel a little bad about rating the set 3 stars, but I was upset and Amazon doesn't let you edit your rating, otherwise I would change it!
BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY
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Here is my original 10/26 post:
This has to stop.
I love Tom & Jerry and I am looking forward to buying this set today, October 26 as of 1 hour ago, but I must say, "EDIT ONE MORE OF MY BELOVED CHILDHOOD CARTOONS AND I AM GONNA GO FREAKIN' NUTS AND BLOW SOMEONES KNEECAPS OFF!". Just kiddin' about the kneecaps thing (Is that one word?), but seriously folks let me give you the lowdown:
I absolutely LOVE Beavis & Butthead, yes I know some of you out there can't connect - indulge me. I paid 50 bucks on eBay for an out-of-print Paramount release of my buddys only to find it edited. Not terribly edited, but come on, I cherish the moments I had coming home to my first apartment after a hard night at work and watching B&B. Many B&B cartoons (about 100) remain unreleased to this day.
Recently, I read reviews for 'Ren & Stimpy season 1&2 UNCUT' and was so dismayed by the information I received about the cuts that I decided NOT to buy the R&S collection (So there!).
I paid 40 DOLLARS for an out-of-print DVD of 'The Blues Brothers' on eBay, after all, I am from Chicago, only to find it edited! (If I could scream edited from this print I would) Yes, the F word is edited when John Belushi says, "The day I get outta prison, my own brother picks me up in a *edit* police car" I almost blew my brains out the day I got that DVD in the mail, *sigh*.
Star Wars, E. T. Oh, do I even have to go there? *sigh*
Bye, bye childhood. If God doesn't take you away, the editors and computer animators will.
Anyway, I know I haven't said much about T&J, but like I said - I will buy this set. I love Tom & Jerry and hope to see much, much more in the future. It is sad that we live in a culture that currently seems to completely misunderstand the beauty of the past and fails to accept it as something to learn from and admire. Cartoons and movies (the good ones that is) are a form of art, and truly tell a tale of history that cannot be expressed through EDITS!
I rate this set 5 stars for content and -2 stars for even a single, damnable, EVIL edit!
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