Tom and Jerry Tales: The Complete First Season

Tom has been chasing Jerry for over 70 years in various incarnations in theaters and on TV. Tom and Jerry Tales is the most recent offering, an animated series featuring the original cat-and-mouse duo in three new shorts per episode. All of the cartoons exhibit variations on the same themes—Tom trying to catch Jerry, Jerry pulling pranks on Tom, Tom getting in trouble while Jerry looks on and laughs—in different settings. Viewers will find no morals or messages here, just formulaic slapstick comic-cartoon violence. While the limited TV animation is adequate, it doesn't measure up to the technical achievements of the original theatrical shorts (which won a total of seven Oscars), nor do these offerings match the humor, energy, or imagination of those earlier classics from the 1940s-‘60s (which are still readily available). In short, only completists are likely to be interested in this compilation of all 13 episodes from the 2006–07 first season. Optional. (S. Axmaker)