Tom & Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray Review)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Feb 23, 2026
• Format: Blu-ray Disc

Director

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera

Release Date(s)

1940-1958 (December 2, 2025)

Studio(s)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Warner Archive Collection)

• Film/Program Grade: A+
• Video Grade: B+
• Audio Grade: B
• Extras Grade: A-
• Overall Grade: A-

Review

Prior to their popularity on television in the 1960s and onward, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were busy at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer under the producorial thumb of Fred Quimby. Within this environment they created some of the most successful animated theatrical shorts of the era starring the mischievous but lovable Tom and Jerry, a cat and mouse duo that has continued to endure thanks to repeated airings on TV, theatrical features, merchandise, comic books, video games, and everything in between. Because their comedy is visually-biased, they’ve also had mass appeal all over the world, especially in Europe and Japan. They’re occasionally revived for new cartoons and feature films, but their “golden era” spanned from 1940 to 1958, which is considered by most to be the best their funniest and most imaginative iteration.

In 1937, MGM Cartoons was formed to create its own animated output in-house, whereas the studio had previously been distributing independent productions. Hanna and Barbera were hired and given full control of the department once their initial short, Puss Gets the Boot, was a hit with audiences and distributors, even nominated for an Academy Award... much to the annoyance of producer Fred Quimby since they had basically created the short in secret. Quimby would take most of the credit for their work, and it wasn’t until the latter years of Tom and Jerry that he would leave the company and allow them more immediate credit.

Puss Gets the Boot was also the very first Tom and Jerry cartoon (though they hadn’t received their famous monikers just yet), and from 1940 to 1957, MGM Cartoons produced 114 theatrical Tom and Jerry shorts in all. They became household names and some of the most popular cartoon characters of the era, alongside other MGM favorites like Droopy. When everything started making its way to television, Hanna and Barbera began making Tom and Jerry shorts in the widescreen CinemaScope format, almost as a last resort to give audiences something that they couldn’t see at home. Unfortunately, MGM would cease production in 1957, with their final theatrical Tom and Jerry cartoon debuting the following year.

Hanna and Barbera would obviously go on to great success on the small screen, but the original Tom and Jerry has rarely been rivaled in terms of quality. With Tex Avery-influenced humor, beautiful animation, personality, and heart, the original Tom and Jerry series prevails as some of the finest cartoons ever produced.

Nearly all 114 Tom and Jerry shorts were traditionally animated on 35mm film in the aspect ratio of 1.37:1, but most of the original camera negatives were destroyed in a vault fire. Fine grain interpositives, color reversal intermediates, and prints still remain since MGM was in the habit of making copies of their original negatives. Armed with this material, the Warner Archive Collection presents a collection of short films that were either newly-scanned from their original film sources, or restored without their direct involvement prior to this release. For the shorts that have been newly-scanned, grain, cel dirt, line art, and various animation artifacts have been retained, offering excellent clarity and a natural appearance. For those that haven’t, there are varying qualities. Warner Archive has performed additional color correction and adjusted for minor errors, but some of these shorts are scrubbed a little too clean of detail, or come from alternate film sources, such as the Metrocolor-printed shorts. The majority of these have been newly-scanned from the aforementioned CRI elements, but not all have surviving elements outside of prints, including fan-favorite Heavenly Puss. Nevertheless, consistently high bitrates are maintained in the 30 to 40Mbps range. The CinemaScope shorts are framed at 2.35:1 and were restored for Blu-ray prior to this release, featuring much of the same quality. Outside of occasional mild telecine wobble, all of these films have terrific clarity and rich color with mostly good stability.

Long-time fans will be fully aware of the history concerning the censoring of Tom and Jerry’s content, particularly when they were brought to television. In some cases, shorts were vaulted altogether, while others were re-animated by Chuck Jones, and even re-voiced. Most of it boils down to blackface and yellowface jokes, but it chiefly concerns the character of Mammy Two Shoes, voiced by Lilian Randolph. A stereotypical African-American presence in many Tom and Jerry cartoons, her inclusion as a character was lessened over time and eventually dropped altogether in favor of other, less controversial characters such as Butch and Spike. Seeing some of these cartoons in their original form prior to LaserDisc was a tall task, and since then, it’s been even tougher. Warner Archive’s release of The Golden Era Anthology mightily attempts to rectify that by presenting all of the shorts uncut as they original appeared in theaters. And while they were certainly successful at this task, there are some minor caveats. The Lonesome Mouse is missing its original MGM logo, while The Yankee Doodle Mouse, Quiet Please!, The Cat Concerto, and Little Orphan all feature their Academy Award re-release opening titles. The original titles possibly don’t exist anymore in a higher quality container, but it’s worth noting. It’s also slightly disappointing that the censored versions of these cartoons aren’t also included in some form, if anything to preserve the history of Tom and Jerry’s censorship. Regardless, wrongs have been righted and these shorts are 99.9% true to their initial theatrical presentations. Some may falter a bit visually, but it’s important to realize that this is the first time an attempt at something like this in a single package has ever been undertaken.

Audio is included for the majority of the shorts in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Three shorts—Pet Peeve, Touchè Pussycat, and Southbound Duckling—are presented with their original Perspecta Stereo theatrical soundtracks in an English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio container. There are obvious modulations from short to short, but nothing is so egregious that it can’t be enjoyed. However, you may have to keep the remote control handy in a few cases if you’re hard of hearing. The mono tracks have plenty of support with occasional hiss and uneven low end response, more or less in some shorts than others. For example, Hic-cup Pup is the least in terms of quality since it has no bottom end whatsoever. Alternatively, the stereo tracks are wide with obvious panning and ambient touches. More restorative efforts could have improved things, but it’s not a deal-breaker in any sense.

The Warner Archive Collection release of Tom and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) is spread across six 1080p Blu-rays, all dual-layered BD-50 discs. They’re housed in a blue Amaray case with a slipcover and a 32-page booklet entitled The Art of Tom and Jerry which contains quotes from the filmmakers and a series of production sketches. The following short films and bonus materials are included on each disc, with theie respective release dates:

DISC ONE (1940-1945)

1. Puss Gets the Boot – February 10, 1940 (9:12)
2. The Midnight Snack – July 19, 1941 (9:01)
3. The Night Before Christmas – December 6, 1941 (8:40)
4. Fraidy Cat – January 17, 1942 (8:14)
5. Dog Trouble – April 18, 1942 (7:56)
6. Puss n’ Toots – May 30, 1942 (7:27)
7. The Bowling Alley-Cat – July 18, 1942 (8:00)
8. Fine Feathered Friend – October 10, 1942 (7:50)
9. Sufferin’ Cats! – January 16, 1943 (7:54)
10. The Lonesome Mouse – May 22, 1943 (8:08)
11. The Yankee Doodle Mouse – June 26, 1943 (7:31)
12. Baby Puss – December 25, 1943 (7:59)
13. The Zoot Cat – February 26, 1944 (7:07)
14. The Million Dollar Cat – May 6, 1944 (7:12)
15. The Bodyguard – July 22, 1944 (7:24)
16. Puttin’ on the Dog – October 28, 1944 (7:04)
17. Mouse Trouble – November 23, 1944 (7:25)
18. The Mouse Comes to Dinner – May 5, 1945 (7:24)
19. Mouse in Manhattan – July 7, 1945 (8:12)
20. Tee for Two – July 21, 1945 (7:04)
21. Flirty Birdy – September 22, 1945 (7:20)
22. Quiet Please! – December 22, 1945 (7:38)

• Audio Commentary for Puss Gets the Boot with Mark Kausler
• Audio Commentary for Puss Gets the Boot with Nicole Parker and Earl Kress
• Audio Commentary for The Night Before Christmas with Michael Mallory
• Audio Commentary for The Night Before Christmas with Nicole Parker and Earl Kress
• Audio Commentary for The Yankee Doodle Mouse with Michael Mallory
• Audio Commentary for The Zoot Cat with Jerry Beck
• Audio Commentary for Mouse Trouble with Michael Mallory
• Audio Commentary for Quiet Please! with Mark Kausler

DISC TWO (1946-1949)

23. Springtime for Thomas – March 30, 1946 (7:45)
24. The Milky Waif – May 18, 1946 (7:25)
25. Trap Happy – June 29, 1946 (7:11)
26. Solid Serenade – August 31, 1946 (7:25)
27. Cat Fishin’ – February 22, 1947 (7:44)
28. Part Time Pal – March 15, 1947 (7:56)
29. The Cat Concerto – April 26, 1947 (7:30)
30. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse – June 14, 1947 (7:26)
31. Salt Water Tabby – July 12, 1947 (7:19)
32. A Mouse in the House – August 30, 1947 (7:55)
33. The Invisible Mouse – September 27, 1947 (7:21)
34. Kitty Foiled – June 1, 1948 (7:26)
35. The Truce Hurts – July 17, 1948 (8:00)
36. Old Rockin’ Chair Tom – September 18, 1948 (7:34)
37. Professor Tom – October 30, 1948 (7:35)
38. Mouse Cleaning – December 11, 1948 (7:28)
39. Polka-Dot Puss – February 26, 1949 (7:44)
40. The Little Orphan – April 30, 1949 (7:53)
41. Hatch Up Your Troubles – May 14, 1949 (7:41)
42. Heavenly Puss – July 9, 1949 (7:49)
43. The Cat and the Mermouse – September 3, 1949 (7:39)
44. Love That Pup – October 1, 1949 (7:35)
45. Jerry’s Diary – October 22, 1949 (6:41)
46. Tennis Chumps – December 10, 1949 (6:57)

• Audio Commentary for The Cat Concerto by Eric Goldberg
• Audio Commentary for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse by Michael Mallory
• Audio Commentary for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse by Nicole Parker and Earl Kress
• Audio Commentary for Kitty Foiled by Jerry Beck
• Audio Commentary for The Little Orphan by Michael Mallory
• Audio Commentary for Hatch Up Your Troubles by Michael Mallory
• Audio Commentary for Heavenly Puss by Jerry Beck

DISC THREE (1950-1952)

47. Little Quacker – January 7, 1950 (7:08)
48. Saturday Evening Puss – January 14, 1950 (6:29)
49. Texas Tom – March 11, 1950 (6:46)
50. Jerry and the Lion – April 8, 1950 (7:06)
51. Safety Second – July 1, 1950 (6:55)
52. Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl – September 16, 1950 (7:22)
53. The Framed Cat – October 21, 1950 (7:13)
54. Cue Ball Cat – November 25, 1950 (7:04)
55. Casanova Cat – January 6, 1951 (7:06)
56. Jerry and the Goldfish – March 3, 1951 (7:23)
57. Jerry’s Cousin – April 7, 1951 (6:44)
58. Sleepy-Time Tom – May 26, 1951 (7:09)
59. His Mouse Friday – July 7, 1951 (6:46)
60. Slicked-up Pup – September 8, 1951 (6:21)
61. Nit-Witty Kitty – October 6, 1951 (6:38)
62. Cat Napping – December 8, 1951 (7:00)
63. The Flying Cat – January 12, 1952 (6:47)
64. The Duck Doctor – February 16, 1952 (7:05)
65. The Two Mouseketeers – March 15, 1952 (7:23)
66. Smitten Kitten – April 12, 1952 (7:38)
67. Triplet Trouble – April 19, 1952 (7:09)
68. Little Runaway – June 14, 1952 (7:03)
69. Fit to Be Tied – July 26, 1952 (6:55)
70. Push-Button Kitty – September 6, 1952 (6:38)
71. Cruise Cat – October 18, 1952 (7:06)
72. The Dog House – November 29, 1952 (6:02)

• Audio Commentary for Saturday Evening Puss by Nicole Parker and Earl Kress
• Audio Commentary for Jerry’s Cousin by Jerry Beck
• Audio Commentary for The Two Mouseketeers by Jerry Beck
• Audio Commentary for Push-Button Kitty by Mark Kausler

DISC FOUR (1953-1955)

73. The Missing Mouse – January 10, 1953 (6:30)
74. Jerry and Jumbo – February 21, 1953 (7:06)
75. Johann Mouse – March 21, 1953 (7:54)
76. That’s My Pup! – April 25, 1953 (7:22)
77. Just Ducky – September 5, 1953 (6:51)
78. Two Little Indians – October 17, 1953 (6:47)
79. Life With Tom – November 21, 1953 (7:36)
80. Puppy Tale – January 23, 1954 (6:58)
81. Posse Cat – January 30, 1954 (6:25)
82. Hic-cup Pup – April 17, 1954 (6:21)
83. Little School Mouse – May 29, 1954 (7:10)
84. Baby Butch – August 14, 1954 (7:02)
85. Mice Follies – September 4, 1954 (7:00)
86. Neapolitan Mouse – October 2, 1954 (7:17)
87. Downhearted Duckling – November 13, 1954 (6:31)
88. Pet Peeve – November 20, 1954 (6:28)
89. Touché, Pussy Cat! – December 18, 1954 (6:45)
90. Southbound Duckling – March 12, 1955 (6:18)
91. Pup on a Picnic – April 30, 1955 (6:58)
92. Mouse for Sale – May 21, 1955 (6:54)
93. Designs on Jerry – September 2, 1955 (6:40)
94. Tom and Chérie – September 9, 1955 (6:42)
95. Smarty Cat – October 14, 1955 (7:00)
96. Pecos Pest – November 11, 1955 (6:42)
97. That’s My Mommy – November 19, 1955 (6:07)

• Audio Commentary for Johann Mouse by Mark Kausler

DISC FIVE (1956-1958)

98. The Flying Sorceress – January 27, 1956 (6:37)
99. The Egg and Jerry – March 23, 1956 (7:41)
100. Busy Buddies – May 4, 1956 (6:18)
101. Muscle Beach Tom – September 7, 1956 (6:44)
102. Down Beat Bear – October 21, 1956 (6:29)
103. Blue Cat Blues – November 16, 1956 (6:50)
104. Barbecue Brawl – December 14, 1956 (6:46)
105. Tops With Pops – February 22, 1957 (7:36)
106. Timid Tabby – April 19, 1957 (6:57)
107. Feedin’ the Kiddie – June 7, 1957 (7:20)
108. Mucho Mouse – September 6, 1957 (7:07)
109. Tom’s Photo Finish – November 1, 1957 (6:21)
110. Happy Go Ducky – January 3, 1958 (6:14)
111. Royal Cat Nap – March 7, 1958 (6:42)
112. The Vanishing Duck – May 2, 1958 (7:09)
113. Robin Hoodwinked – June 6, 1958 (6:25)
114. Tot Watchers – August 1, 1958 (6:40)

DISC SIX: EXTRAS

• Lady of the House: The Story of Mammy Two Shoes (HD – 27:41)
• Animal Hijinks: The Friends and Foes of Tom and Jerry (HD – 30:58)
• The Midnight Snack Pencil Test – Side by Side (Upscaled SD – 9:01)
• Cat and Mouse: The Tale of Tom and Jerry (Upscaled SD – 31:39)
• Tom and Jerry: Behind the Tunes (Upscaled SD – 17:09)
• Animators as Actors (Upscaled SD – 7:15)
• 1953 Excerpt from Dangerous When Wet (HD – 7:50)
• How Bill and Joe Met Tom and Jerry (Upscaled SD – 27:12)
• Vaudeville, Slapstick and Tom and Jerry (HD – 22:47)
• The Comedy Stylings of Tom and Jerry (Upscaled SD – 5:30)
• The Worry Song from Anchors Aweigh (1945) (HD – 9:08)
• Good Will to Men – December 24, 1955 (8:30)
• Give and Tyke – March 30, 1957 (6:39)
• Scat Cats – July 26, 1957 (6:30)

The audio commentaries range from fan appreciation, technical know-how, to historical knowledge. All are worth a listen. Constantine Nasr’s Lady of the House, which was originally (and partially) produced for the scrapped Tom and Jerry: Golden Collection, Volume Two, examines the controversial character of “Mammy Two Shoes.” It celebrates the work of actress Lilian Randolph and directly ties the character to Hattie McDaniel’s portrayal of Mammy from Gone with the Wind, but also discusses the censoring of the character in the 1960s onward when Tom and Jerry came to television. Animal Hijinks discusses the other characters in the world of Tom and Jerry, including their “friends and foes.” Participants include writer and producer Rodney Barnes, animation historian Jerry Beck, film historian and author Dr. Donald Bogle, animation director Russell Calabrese, writer and director Brenda Chapman, character animator Doug Compton, producer and director John D. Dilworth, voice actress June Foray, musician and cartoon historian Will Friedwald, animation historian David Gerstein, animator Eric Goldberg, animator and filmmaker Mark Kausler, animation historian Dave Levy, chair of animation at Woodbury University Dori Littell-Herrick, author Michael Mallory, writer and animator Floyd Norman, voice actor and author Keith Scott, and film critic and author Charles Solomon.

Next is a Pencil Test for The Midnight Snack, presented side by side with the finished cartoon. Cat and Mouse is a documentary overview of the history of Tom and Jerry. Participants include William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Jerry Beck, Eric Goldberg, Mark Kausler, Michael Mallory, Charles Solomon, film critic and animation historian Leonard Maltin, cartoonist Scott Shaw, MGM animation camera room assistant Martha Sigall, and animator and animator historian Tom Sito. Tom and Jerry: Behind the Tunes examines the music in Tom and Jerry and the score by Scott Bradley. (Note that there’s a brief dropout eleven seconds in.) Animators as Actors discusses the techniques and talents of the animators. Participants include Jerry Beck, Mark Kausler, ink and painter Frances Arriola, animator Gus Arriola, animation historian and producer Ray Pointer, and animator Ken Southworth. Next is an excerpt from 1953’s Dangerous When Wet featuring Tom and Jerry having an animated/live action adventure with Esther Williams.

How Bill and Joe Met Tom and Jerry is vintage documentary about the history of Tom and Jerry, featuring interviews with William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Jerry Beck, writer Earl Kress, and director George Sidney. Vaudeville, Slapstick and Tom and Jerry discusses film comedy in the 1940s and its effect on animation, featuring interviews with Jerry Beck, Eric Goldberg, William Hanna, Mark Kausler, Michael Mallory, film comedy historian Joe Adamson, animator and director Andy Beall, historian and curator and the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco Andrew Farago, and founder of the The Animation Academy in Burbank Charles Zembillas. The Comedy Stylings of Tom and Jerry briefly discusses their comedy timing and influences with Jerry Beck, Mark Kausler, actors Ike Barinholtz, and Nicole Parker. Next is The Worry Song animated/live action excerpt from Anchors Aweigh with Gene Kelly. Following all of this is the Christmas short Good Will to Men, and the Spike and Tyke cartoons Give and Tyke and Scat Cats.

It’s a quality extras package, but a few things haven’t been carted over from previous releases. The Art of Tom & Jerry: Volume Two LaserDisc collection also contains the Hanna-Barbera shorts What A Lion! (1938), Swing Social (1940), Gallopin’ Gals (1940), The Goose Goes South (1940), Officer Pooch (1940), and War Dogs (1943). The Deluxe Anniversary Collection DVD release contains the short documentary Much Ado About Tom and Jerry, the Spotlight Collection: Volume 2 features an introduction by Whoopi Goldberg about Mammy Two Shoes, and the Spotlight Collection: Volume 3 contains The Karate Guard (2005) short. Also not featured on any home video release is the 1990 TBS TV special Tom & Jerry’s 50th Birthday Bash, which was hosted by John Goodman and featured exclusive interviews with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

Granted that Warner Archive and their restoration team were given a rather small window in which to put together a set like this, it’s amazing how well it turned out. The Golden Era Anthology will be the go-to release for Tom and Jerry fans for years to come. It’s an outstanding package that’s highly recommended for film fans, and for those who can still enjoy these animated comedy masterworks.

- Tim Salmons

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