DVD Review: Chuck Jones’ Masterful ‘Tom and Jerry’ Shorts Finally Available

CHICAGO – Like a lot of people, “Tom and Jerry” was a major part of my childhood. When I was younger, there weren’t nearly as many choices for children’s entertainment and I wonder if kids nowadays even know who Tom and Jerry are. We may not have had 500 channels, but when you have Tom, Jerry, the Looney Tunes gang, and the Muppets, you don’t need them.

DVD Rating: 4.5/5.0

Hanna-Barbera created Tom and Jerry in the ’40s and the rambunctious rivalry between a cat (Tom) and a mouse (Jerry) won seven Academy Awards and starred in over a hundred cartoons.

Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection was released on DVD on June 23rd, 2009.
Photo credit: WB

The series went dark for a few years in the late ’50s and early ’60s until the legendary Chuck Jones took control in the mid-’60s and produced dozens of shorts. The characters would be in and out of the public spotlight for decades to come but the Chuck Jones’ era of “Tom and Jerry” was undeniably unique and are now available on DVD for the first time in a great collection for fans of classic animation.

If you don’t know the name Chuck Jones, you don’t know classic animation. He was an influential legend and he brought his unique style to the adventures of cat and mouse. All 34 shorts that he created with Les Goldman are now available on a two-disc collection from Warner Brothers.

Under Chuck Jones, “Tom and Jerry” underwent some serious changes that offended some purists of the Oscar-winning stars. Tom got furrier cheeks and thicker eyebrows. Jerry got larger eyes and ears and a more sweet-natured expression.

The same aesthetic that Jones brought to Looney Tunes is clear in the Jones’ cartoons. They often feel inspired by Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons with a heavy dose of Jones’ unusual sense of humor.

These great shorts have been remastered in widescreen and is available for the first time the way they were originally shown in theaters decades ago.

The great special features include a new featurette called “Tom and Jerry…and Chuck” and a new documentary called “Chuck Jones: Memories of a Childhood”.

Being a huge fan of classic animation automatically makes you a huge fan of Chuck Jones, but even if you’re not already in love with the man’s work or these characters, “Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection” is worth a look.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com