Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases Vol. 2 (2009)

Mouse in the House

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases Vol. 2 on DVD

Previously, Warner Home Video has released a few deluxe "Tom and Jerry" DVD sets aimed at collectors, but the collectors have rejected them, irritated that the cartoons are edited and censored. So these single-disc sets, aimed more at kids, are probably the better deal for casual fans. In the golden age of cartoons, MGM had an animation studio as impressive as Warner Bros. or Walt Disney's, but it took them a while to establish any enduring characters that could do repeat business. Joseph Barbera and William Hanna came up with Tom and Jerry, and they were a hit. Conducted with no dialogue and with endless variations on the chase theme, they eventually won seven Oscars and a handful of other nominations for Best Animated Short. Though Hanna and Barbera would eventually come to be known for cheap, made-for-TV cartoons like "The Flintstones" and "Scooby-Doo," the Tom and Jerry cartoons contain rich, fluid movements, and unusually rich backdrops. Warner Home Video now owns the old MGM catalogue, and they released the original "Greatest Chases" disc all the way back in 2000 (with the cream of the crop, The Cat Concerto, included). This second volume is just as good, however, with two great Oscar winners, Mouse Trouble (1944) and Quiet Please! (1945), and an Oscar nominee, Jerry's Cousin (1951). The other cartoons are: Sufferin' Cats (1943), Baby Puss (1943), The Million Dollar Cat (1944), The Bodyguard (1944), Flirty Birdy (1945), Cat Fishin' (1947), The Invisible Mouse (1947), Heavenly Puss (1949), Cue Ball Cat (1950), Jerry and the Goldfish (1951) and Slicked-up Pup (1951). There are 14 in all.

With: (voices) William Hanna, Billy Bletcher, Paul Frees, Daws Butler
Written by: n/a
Directed by: Joseph Barbera, William Hanna
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 102 minutes
Date: June 12, 2009