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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Out Today on DVD -- Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection (Review)

Disclosure:  I was sent a screener from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone


WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT UNVEILS...


Release Includes 13 Re-mastered Theatrical Shorts and All-New Bonus Content


Thanks to recent Tom and Jerry DVDs that I have been sent over the past few months to review, my girls are now fans of this classic animated television series.  A personal favorite cartoon of mine as a child, I was excited when they started to watch the DVDs with me, as I was able to introduce a part of my childhood with them, but also relive some of my favorite childhood Tom and Jerry moments.  

I remember back in the 70's and 80's when I watched Tom and Jerry with my brothers, my dad would always make reference to Dene Deitch and how he made shorts with a limited budget and with foreign animators during the 60's.  Having been a fan of Tom and Jerry during his youth, he was turned off when we would sit and watch these Gene Deitch shorts.  They lacked the look and feel of the series he had grown to love -- to him, these shorts were boring.  But, thanks to his children watching the series non-stop on weekends and in the afternoons, he fell in love with Tom and Jerry again.  And, this past weekend when my parents came to visit the girls, they sat through this DVD (which my girls had already seen half a dozen times).  Not only that these were the Gene Deitch shorts, I wondered what my dad's reaction would be.  

As they started to play, I hurt grunts coming from his direction.  But, surprising, with his granddaughters by his side, he found himself enjoying these shorts.  When the DVD was done, he had to admit that they weren't that bad.  I never had a problem with these shorts, and found myself enjoying watching them again, as there were a few that I had forgotten. 

Prior to my dad leaving on Sunday, he sat down for another viewing of Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection, with the girls, and had a blast.  Come on, who doesn't love the retro classic cartoon, Tom and Jerry?  I ended up lending the DVD to my dad so that he could watch the two special features -- one was a history about the two characters, Tom and Jerry, and the other featured Gene Deitch talking about his experience in making these shorts, which both my dad and I found very interested.  These features alone would make any Tom and Jerry fan want to pick up this new DVD release to watch and add to their collection.

More about this new release...

"The work of popular animator Gene Deitch, is the focus of Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection, available on DVD June 2, 2015 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE). This compilation will present viewers with 13 fully re-mastered theatrical shorts, produced by Deitch, plus brand-new bonus features. It’s a release that collectors of classic animation, won’t want to miss! Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection will retail for $26.99 SRP.

For decades, that tussling twosome Tom and Jerry have chased their way into the funny bones and hearts of moviegoers and television viewers in a variety of unforgettable cartoons. In the 1960s, acclaimed animation director Deitch, was selected to bring a new set of Tom and Jerry shorts to life. Adding his own distinctive style to the famous cartoon, Deitch worked with William L. Snyder’s Prague-based animation studio, Rembrandt Films to create 13 memorable shorts. This entertaining collection from WBHE, brings Deitch’s fun-filled cartoons together for the first time on DVD, completely re-mastered.

Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection will include two bonus features; Tom and Jerry…and Gene: The Rembrant Years as well as Much Ado About Tom and Jerry.

“Over the years, there have been many artists who have put their own unique touch on Tom and Jerry cartoons. This collection recognizes the work of long-time animator Gene Deitch, who directed over a dozen shorts,” commented Mary Ellen Thomas, Vice President of Family and Animation Marketing. She added, “We’re delighted to bring these beautifully remastered shorts to collectors. If you are a fan of classic Tom and Jerry shorts or just love animation, this is a must-own DVD for your home entertainment library.”

Originally created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Tom and Jerry centers on the never-ending rivalry between Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse. The plots of each short usually center on Tom’s attempts to capture Jerry. Jerry however, is clever and quick on his feet so Tom hardly ever manages to catch him. The original series is notable for having won the Academy Award® for Best Short Subject: Cartoon seven times."

Featured Shorts:

  • Switchin’ Kitten
  • Down and Outing
  • It’s Greek to Me-ow!
  • High Steaks
  • Mouse Into Space
  • Landing Stripling
  • Calypso Cat
  • Dicky Moe
  • The Tom & Jerry Cartoon Kit
  • Tall in the Trap
  • Sorry Safari
  • Buddies Thicker Than Water
  • Carmen Get It!

Enhanced Content:

  • Tom and Jerry…and Gene: The Rembrandt Years
  • Much Ado About Tom and Jerry

The Credits

About Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing both CG and traditionally animated projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. For TV, WBA produces series such as Teen Titans Go!The Tom and Jerry Show and the upcoming Be Cool Scooby-Doo! and Wabbit – A Looney Tunes Production for Cartoon Network as well as Mike Tyson Mysteries for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. As the home of the iconic animated characters from the DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces highly successful animated films — including the DC UniverseAnimated Original Movies — for DVD. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has won six Academy Awards®, 35 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).           
                                                                                                
About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution and interactive entertainment businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees.

Disclosure:  I was sent a screener from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  All views shared are mine and mine alone

1 comment:

  1. I had forgotten all about this show I love watching this one when I was little would love to have this one.
    heather [email protected]

    ReplyDelete