The Cartoons

I'm going to start this review with a quick lament, so:

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These kids today, what do they know from cartoons? Long before cable and satellite television afforded everyday Americans a whole slew of specialized channels featuring various degrees of programming, most people only had access to maybe six channels: the three (!) major networks, PBS, and small handful of local independent stations. New cartoons were relegated to Saturday mornings, whereas the cartoon classics became the staple of after-school television. That's right; you had to wait until Saturday morning to catch the latest, newest adventures of Blackstar, Thundarr the Barbarian, or The Drac Pack. Meanwhile, little snot-nosed tykes like myself would drool incessantly at the prospect of a weekday afternoon filled with the likes of Woody Woodpecker, Heckle & Jeckle, Rocky & Bullwinkle, The Alvin Show (the real one, not that 1980s abortion), Scooby-Doo, the brilliant and without peer Looney Toon adventures, the Superfriends, and the quintessential cat-and-mouse pairing of Tom & Jerry.

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Yes, long before The Simpson's beloved Itchy and Scratchy characters made us reconsider the inherent genocidal tendencies of both characters, Tom & Jerry were beloved institutions and beautifully constructed characters in light of their classic simplicity. Their motivations and characterizations can be summed up in the following progression: (1) I'm gonna eat you alive, you squirmy little schmuck-face, (2) Give it your best shot, ya big pussy (cat), and (3) How on Earth do I keep surviving these constant decapitations? That basically sums it up, folks. You could throw the quarrelsome pair into any setting (Ancient Egypt, Revolutionary France, the far-flung Future, or even within the pages of Literature -- does anybody else out there remember Dickie Moe?) and their personalities and motivations would remain constant: I hate you, you must die, but hey -- let's throw in some laughs for the kids!

Classic stuff. My personal favorite Tom & Jerry moment has to be when Tom sees a lusciously lovely lady cat, grabs his double-bass, and starts performing a note-perfect rendition of "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Bebbe". Brother, the boy had style, soul, and a flair for the theatrical that would make him the perfect host for Queer Eye for the Feline -- but that's a column for another day.

When I received Tom and Jerry: Hijinks and Shrieks to review, I feared the worst: that the DVD contained newer, family-friendly episodes of the cartoon from the 70s through the 90s. You know the ones: where Jerry wears that red bow-tie, and he and Tom are best friends who get into all sorts of lame, pseudo-zany adventures which are about as fun as swift axe-blow to the face. Thankfully, I needn't have worried: these are the classic Fred Quimby and Chuck Jones episodes, some of the most enjoyable cartoon shorts ever produced. There's not much in terms of extras, but Tom & Jerry fans will be very pleased with this DVD.

The following seven shorts are included on this DVD:

• The Flying Cat
• The Missing Mouse
• Two Little Indians
• Touché Pussy Cat
• The Flying Sorceress
• Is There a Doctor in the Mouse?
• The Haunted Mouse

The DVD

Video:
Presented in their original full-frame aspect ratios of 1.33:1, the various cartoons included on this DVD look fairly good. Colors are bright and extremely vivid, with eye-popping sharpness that make these shorts look as great as the ever have. Image detail is sharp and a little too crisp, with just a smidgeon of edge-enhancement at times but otherwise looking very well indeed. The only issues I had were with some noticeable markings on the print; speckles, debris, and some small scratches were visible throughout the presentation, more so with the older cartoons. But short of a full-scale restoration, these animated episodes look very good indeed, perhaps better than they have in any previous home-video incarnation.

Audio:
The audio is presented in monaural Dolby Digital 1.0. This is simply a case of "what you hear is what you get", and the cartoons sound very reasonable and pleasant. The soundtrack is beautifully presented within the context of the inherent limitations of the shorts. I did not notice any discernable harshness, distortion, or thinness in light of the age of the material.

Extras:
There's a smidgeon of extras here, but they are not anything that compelling or worthwhile. There are a number of Video Biographies for characters Tom, Jerry, Nibbles, and Spike. Completely forgettable is Jerry's Spooky Sprint Game, which is aimed towards youngsters and might keep them interested for a few minutes... barely. Get The Picture: How to Draw Tom & Jerry is a short feature to help the artistically-challenged among us reproduce this world-famous cat and mouse pair on paper. I can't even draw stick people properly, and alas: this feature didn't help. Still, it's a cute addition. Finally, the Family Favorites section contains short trailers for Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Mucha Lucha, and Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico.

Final Thoughts

Watching this DVD took me back to when I was an eight-year-old eagle-eyed youngster, plopped atop of the couch after school, stuffing my face with Oreos while watching cartoons, on the sure and steady road to juvenile diabetes, but enjoying every second of Tom and Jerry's zany antics. The episodes are a blast to watch, and they look fantastic (although a restoration would be most welcome.) The extras on the disc are forgettable, but chances are that if you want this DVD, you want them for the episodes -- and the disc delivers on that part. For fans of the cartoons, Tom and Jerry: Hijinks and Shrieks is well worth your time.