Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases — The Classic Cat and Mouse Game At Its Best

I remember not too long ago when I introduced my son to the world of Tom and Jerry. At the time, he was totally engrossed with such cartoons as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!. That was all fine since we all had our cartoons when we were growing up. But I also wanted to show him what they were like even before I was born. And, to my surprise, he actually liked the old cartoons a lot more.

Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases showcases 14 classic animated shorts of everyone’s favourite cat and mouse. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, the entire premise revolves around Tom (cat) chasing Jerry (mouse) with lots of destruction and mayhem ensuing as a result of Tom’s frustrated antics.

Each episode runs about 5-8 minutes long. It’s amazing how many different ways a chase scene can be played out using a barrage of different props to help out the cause. If you think cartoons these days are extremely violent and non-reverent, it plays in comparison to the olden days of yore. The only difference is how the creators back in the day knew how to use subtlety to its fullest potential.

A lot of slapstick, animated gags were featured in some way, shape and form with each episode. It’s almost a trademarked calling for this show. Tom would find anything he could to use against Jerry—irons, poison, rifles axes, dynamite, hammers, and even the kitchen sink. But for the most part, Tom never got the upper hand on Jerry’s crafty ways.

Still, even though the show is called Tom and Jerry, other characters do pop out from time to time, such as the bulldog Spike and Jerry’s little mouse friend, Nibbles (or Tuffy as he is known later on). The funny thing is that all these other supporting characters can speak but the main two do not, or for the most part they rarely speak at all. A lot of the stories are told through character expressions and music that help convey the appropriate emotion to the scenes.

A bit of controversy has surfaced in terms of the editing of some episodes, all mostly due to not being considered politically correct as the years have gone by. One episode in particular, “The Little Orphan”, has an edited scene regarding a blackface gag. Tom’s tail catches on fire resulting in his body and face turning black. This suggestion of ethnic stereotyping was edited out from the clip, a very small one at that, but nonetheless erased. I understand the thinking behind it but I don’t like the censorship issue. Tom and Jerry is tame compared to the hidden messages in many Bugs Bunny cartoons. I hate to see what is going to happen to Bugs Bunny with his cross-dressing fetish.

A bonus feature to this DVD is a clip from the movie Anchors Away starring Gene Kelly back in 1945. This clip shows Gene Kelly with an animated Jerry the Mouse in a very elaborate dance routine. The marriage of live action and animation is nothing new but when done right, it is extremely spectacular. Kelly himself looks like an animated character just by his amazing leg and feet movement. Even more amazing is how the animators matched Jerry’s fancy footwork to Kelly’s steps.

Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases is a wonderful DVD that will delight both kids and adults alike. The animation is fluid and still holds up through the test of time. My son received this as a stocking stuffer for Christmas. Believe it or not, Tom and Jerry has now become one of his favourite cartoons of all time.

And then there’s some dog named Scooby-Doo, but that’s another story to tell.


List of Episodes
Yankee Doodle Mouse || Solid Serenade || Tee For Two || Mouse In Manhattan || Zoot Cat || Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse || The Cat Concerto || The Little Orphan || Salt Water Tabby || Kitty Foiled || Johann Mouse || Jerry's Diary || Jerry and The Lion || Mice Follies