Hanna-Barbera golden collection DVD reviews.

[Matty-Mouse]

I thought since theres going to be a lot of sets (well at least four) then I'd start a thread that cover's all of them (instead of four different threads).

I bought "The Flintstones:Season One". I didn't really think I was a fan of Hanna Barbera animation until I heard about these DVD sets and then I decided to give them another go. I'm so glad I did because some of their shows are brilliant (Flintstones, Top cat, Yogi Bear).

This set isn't as packed with features as the "Looney Tunes" set but what is included is pretty interesting. I wish the documentary had been a bit more in depth (has Disney had their hand here?). I really liked the TV Promo's and advert's but I wish the cigerette ad's had been included (maybe on the next set).

The episodes all look great and as far as I can tell (I don't really know much about it) the sound is good.

I'm really shocked at just how funny these episodes are after so long and so welcome further sets with open arms.

Next on my shopping list, "The Jetsons:Season One" (the only set of Jetsons cartoons worth buying).

[2099net]

I know this is off-topic Matty but read this in total shock! (UK Tom and Jerry)

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=10823

You were 100% right!

[MickeyMousePal]

I won't be getting them prefer to save my money and buy something else
like Disney DVD

I'm a fan of Hanna-Barbara but Scooby and The Flintstones Season one and two are to old school for me.

I prefer The Simpsons or Futurama!

[Commodore Barbosa]

Dammit! That's really dissapointing news about the Tom & Jerry Set!!!!! I was really looking forward to it's release, I hope my skipping it will make Warner Bros realize that they can't do that and expect "real" animation fans to find it acceptable.

By the way, I'm really enjoying the Flintstones DVD, what a fantastic show!

[2099net]

I'm sure the US Tom and Jerry set will be totally different - from what has leaked out Warner Bros US are going for a different release pattern and including supplements.

[Loomis]

I know this is off-topic Matty but read this in total shock! (UK Tom and Jerry)

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=10823

You were 100% right!

"[T]his set should not be touched with a barge-pole."
Ouch!
I guess we'll be waiting for the US box set then.
It is a shame because the UK set promised so much more in the way of actual cartoons...

[Matty-Mouse]

On the Tom and Jerry front: I didn't expect Warner Home Video UK to get good, cleaned up prints of these cartoon's before they we're released in the states. They just don't see the UK as a big enough market to warent some money to be spent on a good package.

On another topic: MickeyMousePal, I get what your saying but I have all four Seasons of Futurama and am currently wait for the UK release date of Season four of the Simpsons to be annouced so The Flintstones are a great show to keep me going in the mean time.

[2099net]

Well Matty is seems odd for two reasons

1) THe BBFC have classified a Tom and Jerry Classic Collection Vol1 which does contain 24 cartoons and does have a run-time just under 3 hours (174 mins I think). Odd the review copy should only have half and many.

2) Last year Warners UK were going to release a number of different from the eventual US release Looney Tunes compliations on DVD, but Warner US stepped in and stopped them, and made them wait for the restored cartoons from the US Golden collection set. Why no similar action for Tom and Jerry?

[Matty-Mouse]

Maybe your right James, I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait until the set comes out to see what exact prints have been used. Personnaly I hope they are restored because it will be cheaper for me to buy the UK disc than the US boxset.

[ddave]

According to a post on Jerry Becks site a couple of months ago made by himself, the US T&J release will probably be a full box set and they will be fully restored, apparently he's working on them now to get them ready for the end of the year. We always tend to get a watered down version in the UK whatever the studio is.

[2099net]

Well, I've probably done something stupid (again) but I ordered the first HMV Exclusive 2 disc Tom and Jerry Collector's Set and Grabbed by the Ghoulies for the Xbox from the HMV website as I had a discount code in a free leaflet from a newspaper. All in all it came to just over £30 for both items (including the shipping).

Apparently the T&J discs are DVD10s (double sided, single layered) which explains why the review copy had only half the cartoons (the prevew disc was single sided). In the best case, I get 50 cartoons with PC edits for a little under £16. In the worst case, I get 50 cartoons with PC edits for a little under £16. The 50 T&J cartoons are over 6 hours. Somehow it doesn't sound that bad either way.

And I've been wobbling about Grabbed by the Ghoulies for a while, so both purchases sound like a winner.

[2099net]

Well, my T&J set came today. It's very nice package wise. I was expecting a flimsy case holding the two single aramays, but it comes in a rather fetching digipak which sort of matches the Looney Tunes and HB sets. It's only 2 discs, but they are double sided.

I've only looked at two cartoons, and first the bad news. Despite claims of being remastered, these are not. Dirt specks (espcially white dots) are visible throughout. However, quality wise, I would say the transfer is better than my French Tex Avery set.

Now for the potential good news. Both of the first two cartoons show the housekeeper and as far as I know, she has her original voice. It's not got an Irish lilt like some of the redubbing is supposed to have. She is also coloured black. I also flicked through Lonesome Mouse and a bit where Jerry paints a Hitler face on an image of Tom is also included. There is however a bit on this cartoon where Mammy's voice may have been edited out (Jerry is attacking a chair she is standing on, and oddly she is making no noise - I would expect a scream or something).

I have a list of some of the edits here http://www.lafn.org/~snakebite/tomandjerry/tjedits.html so I will do a proper comparison on some tonight.

But for now, I'm more than happy with 50 cartoons for less than £20. I think I will get the rest of the HMV Collector's Sets released throughout this year.

[Matty-Mouse]

I think the prints WBHVUK are using are the same ones they used for the recent video collection. On the whole their Uncut but there are a few edits that appear now and then.

The best way to check whether the cartoons are uncut James is to watch "The Milky Waif". If the scene with Jerry and Nibbles as black women is still in tact then they are the same prints as the videos and I can tell you which cartoons are cut.

[2099net]

I've just done a quick check -

In Puss Gets The Boot the spelling of OUT is corrected, so it must be redubbed.

In the The Milky Waif the blacked up scene is cut out (badly), yet the chinese stereotyping in Puss N' Toots is intact. From my brief investigations the editing seems to match the CN UK list at the bottom of the page in my previous post.

[Matty-Mouse]

I've just done a quick check -

In Puss Gets The Boot the spelling of OUT is corrected, so it must be redubbed.

In the The Milky Waif the blacked up scene is cut out (badly), yet the chinese stereotyping in Puss N' Toots is intact. From my brief investigations the editing seems to match the CN UK list at the bottom of the page in my previous post.

From the sounds of it it would seem like WBUK went with better picture quality over uncut cartoons. The prints on the lastest video collection are really losey so I don't blame them for this really. But it is a shame they couldn't be uncut as well because as you say the cut in "The Milky Waif" is terrible. I wonder what they'll do with "His Mouse Friday"?

[2099net]

Well Matty, I've decided the UK releases are good enough for me. Most of the cartoons seem to be uncut - for instance I've already seen a couple of "blackface" gags and that's just off side one of the first disc.

When it comes down to it, come August every Tom and Jerry cartoon until the last Chuck Jones will be released in the UK. I don't think the first US set is due until round about thanksgiving.

I'll carry on getting the HMV sets, the packaging is nice and the price is nice too (although I will probably have to pay the full £20 for the next two sets).

Let me know how the American set works out.

[Ludwig Von Drake]

I would like to get them but I think that I will also be saving my money for disney DVD's

[wizzer]

i was watching tom and jerry on cartoon network and saw a cartoon that said in the begining credits that it was presented in panavision- the credits were indeed a 2.35:1 aspect ratio-are any of the cartoons on the UK set are presented in this format? does anyone have a link to anything involving a collection in the US? i have a disk that is a small collection of some good ones but i would go for a big set especially if there are some widescreen ones.

[2099net]

After some debate, it seems like the UK sets all containing the following edits:

Life With Tom - same cut as The Little Orphan
The Little Orphan - scene of result of candle burn has been cut
The Milky Waif - the shoepolish part is cut, and very badly
A Mouse in the House - black-face cats cut, not redubbed
Old Rockin' Chair Tom - uncle is removed in sound, old is held very long
Puss Gets the Boot - spelling has been corrected in sound
The Truce Hurts - the three black-faces are cut

It is also possible that "Mammy" has been redubbed in most of the cartoons - I'm not sure what she should sound like. But alot of the edits mentioned on the page ( here ) are not present on the UK disc. So it doesn't seem to be a major disaster. As stated on the site, the UK discs seem to mirror the UK Cartoon Network transmissions.

As for Tom and Jerry in the US, the last Hanna Barbera Collections feature the box art, and even a promo film which inserts the Tom and Jerry Box in one, plus this from Jerry Beck

I can only confirm a TOM & JERRY collection in September - and LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION in November. I'm working on others - but my lips are contractually sealed.

See http://www.animationshow.com/forums/ind ... a20b8e5405

[Matty-Mouse]

This may sound really stupid but I hope the Tom and Jerry US set doesn't have the "Hanna-Barbera" title at the top of the box. I know they did Tom and Jerry but it just doesn't seem right to include it with such works as Scooby Doo or The Jetsons.

I was hopeing we'd see a "MGM Golden collection" banner, I know that would mean Warner would be putting a different studio's name on their product but the titles appear on the cartoons anyway. And it would mean we're definately going to see a Tex Avery MGM boxset. And from that maybe a set of shorts from the earlier years and the Barney Bear shorts.