‘Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection’ Blu-ray (review)

Warner Archive

Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection compiles all 23 widescreen shorts produced between 1954 and 1958, marking the final phase of Hanna-Barbera’s original run before MGM closed its animation studio in 1957.

By the mid-1950s, television was pulling audiences from theaters, leading studios to embrace widescreen formats like CinemaScope.

MGM fully committed to this shift, moving Tom and Jerry from the standard Academy ratio (1.37:1) to the expansive 2.35:1 frame (initially 2.55:1). While Disney and Warner Bros. also experimented with widescreen, MGM’s dedication to CinemaScope defined this era of its cartoons.

Though Tom and Jerry had already secured seven Academy Awards and widespread acclaim, shrinking budgets by 1954 resulted in simpler animation and more formulaic gags. The CinemaScope shorts serve as a bridge between theatrical animation’s golden age and television’s dominance, with Tom and Jerry later thriving in reruns and new productions. Bonus content, including the Spike and Tyke shorts and Good Will to Men, highlights MGM’s broader cartoon efforts beyond slapstick.

Despite budget limitations, these shorts retain the series’ classic formula—Tom’s relentless pursuit of Jerry, amplified by the widescreen format’s broader staging and richer backgrounds. Some plots introduce external stakes, like pet ownership dilemmas, while others explore unique settings, from swashbuckling adventures to magical escapades. One notable departure sees Tom spiral into melodramatic despair over lost love, narrated by Jerry—a rare tonal shift.

The final Hanna-Barbera short finds the duo babysitting a troublesome infant, echoing earlier themes but adapted for the wider frame.

The disc includes the following shorts:

• Pet Peeve (1954): Tom and Jerry’s owners decide to keep only one pet due to rising food costs, sparking a rivalry to prove who’s more valuable, only for a hungry bulldog, Spike, to take over.
• Touché, Pussy Cat! (1954): In this prequel to the Puss Gets the Boot era, Jerry’s mouse musketeer cousin trains under Tuffy to battle Tom, the Captain’s lazy cat, in 17th-century France.
• Southbound Duckling (1955): Quacker the duckling insists on migrating south for the winter, dragging Tom and Jerry into a chaotic chase that ends with them all on a beach.
• Pup on a Picnic (1955): Spike and his pup Tyke’s picnic is disrupted by Tom and Jerry’s antics, with ants joining the fray to steal food.
• Tom and Chérie (1955): Jerry, as a musketeer, woos a lady mouse while thwarting Tom’s attempts to deliver her love letters, leading to a swordfight-filled rivalry.
• That’s My Mommy (1955): Quacker hatches from an egg and imprints on Tom as his mother, forcing the cat into comical caregiving until Jerry intervenes.
• The Flying Sorceress (1956): Tom becomes a witch’s cat after stealing her broom, using it to terrorize Jerry until the magic backfires.
• The Egg and Jerry (1956): A remake of Hatch Up Your Troubles, Jerry protects a baby woodpecker that hatches from an egg Tom tries to eat, leading to a protective showdown.
• Busy Buddies (1956): Tom and Jerry babysit a mischievous infant, chasing it through the house as it wreaks havoc.
• Muscle Beach Tom (1956): Tom competes with a buff cat to impress a lady feline at the beach, using Jerry as a prop in his failed weightlifting stunts.
• Down Beat Bear (1956): A dancing bear escapes to Tom and Jerry’s house, leading to a musical chase as Tom tries to turn it in for a reward.
• Blue Cat Blues (1956): In a rare somber tale, Tom sinks into depression when his girlfriend leaves him for Butch, with Jerry narrating his friend’s despair.
• Barbecue Brawl (1956): Spike’s barbecue is ruined by Tom and Jerry’s chase, with the duo dodging meat and grill chaos.
• Tops with Pops (1957): A remake of Love That Pup, Spike threatens Tom to leave Tyke alone, but Jerry escalates their usual feud.
• Timid Tabby (1957): Tom’s timid cousin visits, and Jerry exploits their identical looks to torment both cats.
• Feedin’ the Kiddie (1957): A reworking of The Little Orphan, Jerry hosts a gluttonous mouse orphan for Thanksgiving, outsmarting Tom to secure a feast.
• Mucho Mouse (1957): In Spain, Tom fails to catch an unflappable mouse named El Magnifico, who outwits him at every turn.
• Tom’s Photo Finish (1957): Tom frames Jerry for eating a cake, but Jerry uses incriminating photos to expose Tom’s guilt to their owners.
• Happy Go Ducky (1958): Quacker returns, flooding the house to swim with Jerry, much to Tom’s soggy dismay.
• Royal Cat Nap (1958): Musketeers Jerry and Tuffy keep a king asleep despite Tom’s noisy attempts to catch them.
• The Vanishing Duck (1958): Quacker and Jerry use vanishing cream to turn invisible, pranking Tom until he fights back with the same trick.
• Robin Hoodwinked (1958): Jerry and Tuffy try to free Robin Hood from jail, outsmarting Tom, the Sheriff of Nottingham’s guard cat.
• Tot Watchers (1958): Tom and Jerry chase a baby who escapes its neglectful babysitter, leading to a frantic rescue mission.

The lone extras are three additional non Tom and Jerry animated shorts including:

• Good Will to Men (1955): An Oscar-nominated somber MGM cartoon, where mice narrate humanity’s self-destruction through war, urging peace in a rebuilt cathedral.
• Give and Tyke (1957): In this Spike and Tyke spin-off, the duo outwit a dogcatcher trying to nab Tyke for lacking a license.
• Scat Cats (1957): Another Spike and Tyke short, where Spike leaves Tyke alone, and the pup fends off alley cats invading their home.

While the CinemaScope Tom and Jerry shorts don’t match the inventiveness of their 1940s predecessors, they preserve the slapstick energy, expressive animation, and vibrant scores that made the series enduring. The widescreen format provided a fresh visual dimension, proving the series could evolve with cinematic trends. Though this era marked the end of MGM’s theatrical animation, it set the stage for Tom and Jerry’s lasting television success.

For fans and animation historians, this Blu-ray collection is a valuable preservation of a transitional yet still delightful phase in one of cartooning’s greatest legacies.