Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection

The Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection is a series of two-disc DVD sets, released by Warner Home Video in the same style as the Looney Tunes Golden Collection. Originally planned as an uncut chronological set, the issued Spotlight Collection sets include selected Tom and Jerry shorts on each volume. Volume one was released on October 26, 2004, volume two on October 25, 2005, and the third and final volume on September 11, 2007.

Volume 1 does not include any cartoons where Mammy Two-Shoes, an African-American maid character, speaks; she is briefly seen, though not heard, in The Little Orphan. By contrast, Mammy appears in several cartoons on volume 2, although production errors led to a mixing of audio tracks so that some cartoons include the original Mammy Two-Shoes dialogue performed by Lillian Randolph, while others include redubbed dialogue tracks commissioned by Turner Entertainment in the mid-1990s to censor the Black dialect in the character's dialogue.

Contents of each volume

The following 112 shorts were directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio in Hollywood, California. All shorts were released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer between 1940 – 1958. The Hanna and Barbera/MGM cartoons are a total of 114 shorts.

Spotlight Collection, Vol. 1

A superscripted one ( ¹ ) denotes cartoons presented in the CinemaScope aspect ratio using a new anamorphic widescreen transfer. Most cartoons on Disc One are uncut.

Disc 1

1. The Yankee Doodle Mouse
2. Sufferin' Cats!
3. Baby Puss
4. The Zoot Cat
5. The Million Dollar Cat
6. The Bodyguard
7. Mouse Trouble
8. Tee for Two
9. Flirty Birdy
10. Quiet Please!
11. The Milky Waif
12. Solid Serenade
13. Cat Fishin'
14. The Cat Concerto
15. Kitty Foiled
16. The Truce Hurts
17. Salt Water Tabby
18. The Invisible Mouse
19. The Little Orphan
20. Heavenly Puss

Disc 2

1. Texas Tom
2. Jerry and the Lion
3. Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl
4. Jerry and the Goldfish
5. Cue Ball Cat
6. Slicked-up Pup
7. Jerry's Cousin
8. Cat Napping
9. The Flying Cat
10. The Two Mouseketeers
11. Smitten Kitten
12. Johann Mouse
13. Two Little Indians
14. Baby Butch
15. Mice Follies
16. Designs on Jerry
17. Pecos Pest
18. Touché, Pussy Cat! ¹
19. The Flying Sorceress ¹
20. Blue Cat Blues ¹

Bonus features

• Commentary by Jerry Beck on: The Zoot Cat, Kitty Foiled, Heavenly Puss
• "Behind the Tunes: The MGM Orchestra" (documentary on the music of Tom and Jerry)
• "How Bill and Joe Met Tom and Jerry" {documentary on the origin of the series}
• Jerry Dances with Gene Kelly {excerpt from Anchors Aweigh}
• Tom and Jerry Swim with Esther Williams {excerpt from Dangerous When Wet}

Spotlight Collection, Vol. 2

A superscripted one ( ¹ ) denotes cartoons in the standard Academy ratio presented in newly remastered versions. A superscripted two ( ² ) denotes cartoons presented in the CinemaScope aspect ratio using a new anamorphic widescreen transfer.

Disc 1

1. Puss Gets the Boot ¹
2. The Midnight Snack ¹
3. The Night Before Christmas ¹
4. Fraidy Cat ¹
5. Dog Trouble ¹
6. Puss n' Toots ¹
7. The Bowling Alley Cat
8. Fine Feathered Friend
9. The Lonesome Mouse
10. Puttin' on the Dog
11. The Mouse Comes to Dinner
12. Mouse in Manhattan
13. Springtime for Thomas
14. Trap Happy
15. Part Time Pal
16. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse
17. Old Rockin' Chair Tom
18. Professor Tom
19. The Cat and the Mermouse
20. Polka-Dot Puss

Disc 2

1. Saturday Evening Puss
2. Little Quacker
3. Safety Second
4. Sleepy-Time Tom
5. Nit-Witty Kitty
6. Cruise Cat
7. Triplet Trouble
8. Push-Button Kitty
9. The Missing Mouse
10. Jerry and Jumbo
11. Just Ducky
12. Little School Mouse
13. Tom and Chérie ²
14. Muscle Beach Tom ²
15. Down Beat Bear ²
16. Mucho Mouse ²
17. Tot Watchers ²

Bonus features

• An introduction by Whoopi Goldberg (similar to the introduction to the third volume of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection) where Goldberg explains that the Tom and Jerry cartoons may contain racial stereotyping (particularly centered on the appearance of Mammy Two-Shoes) that may offend some modern-day viewers.
• Audio Commentaries: Commentary on Saturday Evening Puss, Puss Gets the Boot, The Night Before Christmas, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse by MADtv castmember Nicole Parker and Animation Historian Earl Kress
• Documentary: Animators as Actors: Actor's workshop of where the inspiration for character personalities come from
• Featurette: The Comedy Stylings of Tom and Jerry (featuring appearances by Mark Kausler, Jerry Beck, and MADtv castmembers Nicole Parker and Ike Barinholtz)
• Production Sketches: 1941 Pencil Sketch: The Midnight Snack

Spotlight Collection, Vol. 3

Vol. 3 completes the Hanna-Barbera Tom & Jerry canon, save for Mouse Cleaning and Casanova Cat. According to a Warner Home Video press release, these cartoons were omitted from the set for racial stereotyping. (These cartoons are presented uncut on as part of the European PAL DVD set Tom and Jerry - The Classic Collection, Casanova Cat appearing on Vol. 3 of this series.)

Disc 1

1. A Mouse in the House
2. Hatch Up Your Troubles
3. Love That Pup
4. Jerry's Diary
5. Tennis Chumps
6. The Framed Cat
7. His Mouse Friday
8. The Duck Doctor
9. Little Runaway
10. Fit to Be Tied
11. The Dog House
12. That's My Pup!
13. Life with Tom
14. Puppy Tale
15. Posse Cat
16. Hic-cup Pup
17. Downhearted Duckling
18. Neapolitan Mouse
19. Mouse for Sale
20. Smarty Cat

Disc 2

(All cartoons in CinemaScope - 16:9 widescreen)

1. Pet Peeve
2. Southbound Duckling
3. Pup on a Picnic
4. That's My Mommy
5. The Egg and Jerry
6. Busy Buddies
7. Barbecue Brawl
8. Tops with Pops
9. Timid Tabby
10. Feedin' the Kiddie
11. Tom's Photo Finish
12. Happy Go Ducky
13. Royal Cat Nap
14. The Vanishing Duck
15. Robin Hoodwinked

Bonus features

• Cat and Mouse: The Tale of Tom and Jerry: a documentary on the history of the Tom and Jerry shorts, and the censorship issues the series has had to deal with.
• The Karate Guard: a 2005 Tom and Jerry short directed by co-creator Joseph Barbera.

Controversy

The Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection sets have received intense negative consumer reaction, due to the edits in certain cartoons on each set.

The first set contained three edited shorts (The Little Orphan, The Truce Hurts and The Milky Waif), which Warner stated was a mistake (with the wrong prints being used). All three of these shorts originally included various characters in blackface. A replacement program was begun at the end of 2006, two years after the set's initial release. Warner Home Video has corrected the problem and the set can be purchased without any problems.

The second volume contained four shorts (The Lonesome Mouse, Polka-Dot Puss, Saturday Evening Puss and Nit-Witty Kitty) with edited sound tracks, again reported to be due to use of incorrect prints. These four shorts contained the censored Mammy Two-Shoes audio track, instead of the original. However, Warner corrected the problem and the discs do contain the original Mammy-Two Shoes tracks.

Consumers have also expressed disappointment at the fact that, although advertised as being "restored and remastered", none of the cartoons on the first volume are restored as the original film negatives for all shorts made pre-1951 were lost in the 1967 MGM Vault fire. Therefore, Warner had to rely on backup prints of films, therefore many of those shorts look unrestored or badly restored. Warner has for the same reason not been able to restore the original titles back into the shorts, many titles on these sets are re-issues (like The Midnight Snack). In a similar manner, Warner has not been able to restore the lost sequence to The Yankee Doodle Mouse. However, all widescreen/CinemaScope cartoons are restored in their original aspect ratios.

Complaints also arose over Mouse Cleaning and Casanova Cat being omitted from Volume 3 because of racial stereotyping, according to a Warner Home Video press release. These two shorts were the only Tom and Jerry shorts from the Hanna and Barbera era not present on DVD. These two shorts can be found on the European Classic Collection DVDs.

Other notes on sets

• Due to an error, Texas Tom (1950) was accidentally included on both Volume 1 and Volume 2.

• Touché, Pussy Cat! (1954), on Volume 1, uses an unreleased stereo mix of its soundtrack. This mix is missing a few lines of dialogue present in the mono mix, specifically the character Tuffy singing "Frère Jacques" while painting an unflattering caricature of Tom (the score accompaniment to "Frère Jacques" is still present in the soundtrack without the singing).

• Touché, Pussy Cat! (1954) and Pup on a Picnic (1955) were originally produced simultaneously in standard Academy and CinemaScope formats. The CinemaScope versions (which are missing non-critical information present at the top, bottom and left side of the frame in many shots from their Academy versions) are included on Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection. In addition, Touché, Pussy Cat! is included on Volume 1 and presented in a 2.55:1 ratio correctly, while Pup on a Picnic is included on Volume 3 but presented in a 1.78:1 ratio instead of a 2.55:1 ratio. This (Pup on a Picnic on Volume 3) makes characters have tall, thin-looking appearances.

• Two other shorts (Pet Peeve (1954) and Southbound Duckling (1955) on Volume 3) were originally produced simultaneously in standard Academy and CinemaScope formats. The CinemaScope version of each of these short is missing non-critical information present at the top and bottom of the frame in many shots from their Academy versions. This is not an error, but a consequence of working in both aspect ratios. Contrary to the CinemaScope version, the Academy version is missing information present at left and right side of the frame in many shots from the CinemaScope version. Also, the DVD states that there are 40 shorts included in Volume 2. However, two shorts, (Pet Peeve and Southbound Duckling) that are stated to be included on the DVD back cover and inside are missing from the disc stated to be on.

• Contrary to the other versions that were on MGM/UA Home Video, His Mouse Friday (1951) is included in Volume 3. However, it is presented in an edited version. The uncut version is not included in the set. Whether Warner will correct this error is anyone's guess.