We've reported for a while about
Tom and Jerry - Spotlight Collection: The Premiere Volume, and this past Tuesday it finally hit store shelves to our utter delight! However, there's an issue with this release, and we want to help spread the news about it swiftly.
Our friends at TheDigitalBits.com posted the following story yesterday, reporting that certain stories on the release ended up being the editing version of the show, rather than the uncut version promised on the box! Here we will quote the article at The Digital Bits, including word about what the studio plans to do about it:
Moving on, we have some bad news for you Tom and Jerry fans. It seems that a few of the animated shorts included on their just released Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection were edited (they're supposed to be original and uncut). All three of the shorts are on Disc One of the collection. The shorts in question are The Milky Waif, The Truce Hurts and The Little Orphan. The good news, however, is that Warner Bros is aware of this issue and says that it was unintentional. Steps are being taken to remaster Disc One with the original uncut shorts, and to make replacements available to those who purchased the set at no cost. Click here for comments on the problem from producer Jerry Beck (via the Animation Show forum - slide down to his post about halfway down the page). We'll post replacement details as soon as we have them.
To read the story at The Bits for yourself, use
this link and scroll down a bit. To save our readers some time, here is what Jerry Beck says at the link embedded in the quote above:
Warner Bros. Home Video is very, very upset over the edited cartoons that made their way into the TOM & JERRY SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION.
This was a mistake made at the servicing level. Warner Home Video and I became aware of the error only ten days before the official release date - and by then, the dvds were on their way to the stores.
It is part of Warner Bros. Home Video's marketing plan not to release edited or censored cartoons because they know that collectors want them complete.
The company is taking immediate steps to correct the situation. The proper digital masters of all three cartoons have been located and are being prepared now for replication. It may take as long as six to eight weeks to have a corrected disc ready for replacement.
From what I've been able to gather, the intention is for fans to be able to replace Disc 1 at no charge to them. I know from personal experience that Warners had a problem a year ago with the film KISS ME KATE. The transfer was not done correctly and fans were upset. Warners responded immediately, created a new transfer and eventually fans recieved replacement discs. It was not an overnight process. But it all worked out in the end.
Those of you waiting for the uncut disc 1 to appear on store shelves, I cannot say when that will happen. It will not happen soon. The quickest way to get the set the way you want it is to buy it now and go through the replacement process.
Despite this inconvience, There is much to recommend on the TOM & JERRY SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION as is. The CinemaScope transfers are amazing, and the never-before-released stereo soundtrack on TOUCHE PUSSY CAT is really fantastic. (Only eight MGM Cartoons were recorded in true stereo at the time and this is the first one to be restored and released as originally intended).
Heck, I'd buy the dvd just for that.
Thanks, Jerry...we will! And we encourage any fan of the show to go ahead and get the existing version, and once we here at TVShowsOnDVD know what the exchange process is to get the fixed disc, we'll be sure to pass that on to our readers. Stay tuned!
