JERRY & TOM

JERRY & TOM

Bob & Tom. The popular and enduring cat and mouse cartoon team has been around for for 80 years, appearing in a wide range of projects to keep their antics alive from one generation to the next. For those who are unfamiliar with these particular animated characters, the cartoon, which was first created by Hannah Barbera (William Hannah and Joseph Barbera), centres on the rivalry between the titular characters, a cat named Tom and a mouse named Jerry. Occasionally, there are also shorts that feature other recurring characters. 

The majority of Tom & Jerry cartoon cartoons are regarded as violent cartoon comedy in the history of animation, with the duo frequently engaging in combat while brandishing a variety of weaponry.

In addition, music plays a significant role in the short by highlighting the action and emotional moments while using conventional sound effects as the two don't speak (apart from a few screams, squeaks, and brief talks). Similar to the Scooby Doo property franchise, Tom & Jerry has endured over the years, with a number of studios producing their animated shorts, such as Hannah Barbera (the original creators), MGM Cartoon Studios, Rembrandt Films, Chuck Jones, and others; spanning numerous animated shorts, TV series, and feature films. Tom & Jerry, a live-action/animated hybrid movie from Warner Bros. Pictures Studios and director Tim Story, sees the cat-and-mouse duo return for a theatrical showing.

LA STORIE

Tom and Jerry have always been rivals, but now they face a new conflict in their relationship since the cat is trying to make a career playing music in Central Park while the mouse is trying to find a place to live in the enormous city of New York. Jerry enters The Royal Gate Hotel in New York City following a recent altercation with Preeta (Colin Jost), a huge social media mogul, and chooses a room. The Royal Gate Hotel will shortly hold the high-profile wedding of Ben and Preeta (Pallavi Sharda). Although Jerry settles in at the upscale hotel, Tom remains outside, putting up with pressure from competitor cats like Butch (Nicky Jam)

THE BAD AND THE GOOD

I grew up watching a lot of cartoon shorts and animated movies, especially the "classic" ones like The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Tom & Jerry, and The Flintstones. I always enjoyed the animated shorts from that particular cartoon series, especially watching what the cat and mouse team would do to one another. When I was younger, I did occasionally feel sorry for Tom, especially since he suffered more injuries than the other two and frequently took the brunt of cartoon character Mammy Two Shoes's broom-wielding attacks. These incidents are today viewed as racial stereotypes.

(I've always thought this character's a little odd, and I was right about that.) Well, as I already noted, I do recall that some of the early Tom & Jerry cartoon shorts were a little more violent than others. This is perhaps why the duo underwent some "branding" over the years, toning down the violent jokes from what it used to be. I do recall enjoying the Tom & Jerry Kids Show (1990–1993), and the opening theme music was always awesome! In addition, I do recall Tom & Jerry from 1992, which was the pair's debut animated feature film:

In the 1992 movie Tom & Jerry: The Movie, in which the two of them starred, Tom and Jerry really had dialogue-filled talking scenes throughout the majority of the picture. Unquestionably a first. I haven't seen that movie in a while (I may have to see it again soon), but I seem to recall that I enjoyed it and that it contained both humorous and tragic cartoon segments. Following that, I only sometimes saw old cartoon reruns and a couple of Tom & Jerry's Direct-to-TV (DTV) movies, including 2013's Tom and Jerry's Big Adventure and 2001's Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring. Ultimately, it's fairly incredible that this animated pair

This naturally brings up the topic of Tom & Jerry, a movie set for release in 2021 that aims to bring the two legendary cat and mouse characters back to life in a brand-new cinematic medium. I can't recall when I first heard that a Tom & Jerry movie was in the works, but I do recall that it would be a 3D animated/live-action mix, like 1996's Space Jam and 2011's The Smurfs. I was a little wary, particularly because it seemed risky to bring Tom and Jerry to the big screen for a live-action/animated hybrid project. Nonetheless, customers and moviegoers typically visit an old production in a remake or revival effort out of pure nostalgia,

similar to how they handled the Scooby Doo series' characters. I stopped hearing anything about this planned project after a while until I saw the movie trailer, which showed how the movie will be presented. It appeared to be a bit of a mixed bag based just on the trailer; it promised many of the iconic Tom and Jerry antics while also included the human "live action" element, which (in my opinion) doesn't look right. There was still a Warner Bros. release scheduled for February 26, 2021, and it looked like a nice family film, so I did have plans to see it.

. Tom & Jerry was available to watch in theatres, but I choose to watch it at home instead. Now, a few weeks after the movie's initial release, I have the opportunity to share my thoughts on it. How did I feel about it? It's a bit of a mixed bag, as I first imagined. Tom & Jerry is generally a middling undertaking that has moments of pleasure and entertainment but nothing particularly noteworthy or memorable about it, yet not being absolutely awful as some are describing it. There isn't much to be thrilled about in Tom and Jerry's return considering their role in the movie and the movie itself.

Tim Story is the director of Tom & Jerry.

theatrics of engaging in rough-and-tumble combat with one another. In this regard, Story pulls off a commendable feat by approaching

 Tom & Jerry with an understanding of children in mind as well as his target demographic, which is a combination of the juice box crowd (perhaps a little bit older) as well as those who had grown up with the two characters and the numerous misadventures they had throughout the decades. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that Story transforms Tom & Jerry into a kid's movie throughout, adding several large-scale characters and vivid, exciting scenes. It also offers lots of humour and is appropriately silly.

the contemporary era. The fierce mayhem that Tom and Jerry get into, with plenty of their well-known hijinks and violent cartoon fun, actually shines out the most in the film despite its flaws. Despite the fact that they have been toned down from the original animated shorts, their participation in this new production is a welcome one and evokes nostalgic feelings, especially in light of the changes they underwent for their direct-to-video movies. There are even a few references to a few situations where Tom and Jerry are trying to avenge one another. This did make me smile because it was like a brief trip down memory lane to when I was younger.

As for the film’s presentation, Tom & Jerry actually does a good job….and that’s kind of surprising. To be sure, I wasn’t expecting anything grand and / or blockbuster-ish, but for what it is worth, I think that the movie did a pretty decent job to make its background setting and visual appeal quite colorful and alive; utilizing the New York City urban landscape as the main backdrop for most of the film’s setting and have a nice polish to it all. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes” team, including James Hambidge (production design), Niamh Coulter (set decorations), and Alison McCosh (costume designs) are pretty good throughout the movie and do strengthen the project in my opinion. In addition, I do have to praise the film’s visual effects team for bring these cartoon characters to life. Rather than making Tom and Jerry (and all of their side character animal friends) more of a hyper-realistic look (something that I feared), the film renders these cartoon iterations in a more traditional animated fashion to their original cartoon counterpart.

the contemporary era. The fierce mayhem that Tom and Jerry get into, with plenty of their well-known hijinks and violent cartoon fun, actually shines out the most in the film despite its flaws. Despite the fact that they have been toned down from the original animated shorts, their participation in this new production is a welcome one and evokes nostalgic feelings, especially in light of the changes they underwent for their direct-to-video movies. There are even a few references to a few situations where Tom and Jerry are trying to avenge one another. This did make me smile because it was like a brief trip down memory lane to when I was younger.

Regrettably, Tom & Jerry didn't turn out to be the "huge hit" I thought it would be, with the project bringing more puzzling ideas of mediocrity and general dullness to the feature's proceedings. How so? The fact that Tom & Jerry doesn't have a lot of, well, Tom and Jerry is the biggest obstacle that the film can't get over. The two famous cat and mouse characters are there and certainly contribute a lot of animated humour to the movie through their competition antics, but they are frequently ignored or relegated to supporting roles in favour of the majority of the human characters. They become virtually a supporting character as a result. Also, this gives the impression that the movie is being produced.

The movie occasionally forgets to include Tom and Jerry, who occasionally appear in order to feel relevant to the scene. Instead, we (as viewers) spend more time empathising with Kayla's follies at the Royal Gate Hotel and her struggles with the significant forthcoming wedding of Ben and Preeta. Indeed, even the idea of incorporating all the many Tom and Jerry side characters is somewhat misrepresented in the film and, while drawing and voice work are both excellent, they are largely underutilised and appear unnecessary throughout. There is nothing more to it other than a nostalgia for "window dressing." All of this gives Tom & Jerry the impression of being two disparate concepts that are made to coexist but don't really click.

This has issues in part because of the way Story handled the project. While Story excels at conveying humorous levity, he frequently paints with very broad strokes, using humour and current pop culture references to expand the joke metre. As seen in many of his previous directing efforts (such as Ride Along, Think Like a Man, Shaft, etc.), this almost has a "double edge" and is frequently goofy in setup and subpar in execution. Tom & Jerry is an example of this, with Story placing the movie inside a large landscape that makes it difficult for it to focus on what it truly wants to study.

As Story doesn't really account for the plot's insane antics and keeps the film wide when it should be more of a smaller undertaking, a lot of the movie just feels half-baked, especially when it focuses more on Tom and Jerry than the rest of the cast. Sure, Story knows how to stage significant events in the movie, but everything feels clumsy and just makes the chaos and cacophony worse. The climactic scenes of the movie, which take place in the second half, are where this is most obvious because they lack any sense of urgency and nearly come off as boring. And that's pretty much it when it comes to Tom & Jerry; nothing really noteworthy.

The movie's script, which was written by Kevin Costello, must also be heavily criticised. The tale itself is at best half-baked, with numerous gaps in the plot and random narrative turns that drag out the film's conclusion. As there is so much going on in the picture, most of the characters and their individual narratives are left behind, making a lot of what happens in Tom & Jerry rather dull and uninteresting. Fundamentally, the film could have—or perhaps should have—been more simplified and more faithful to the source material. Even more than that, the script's physical blandness and formulaic nature personify the general broadness.

Similar to Story's other comedic endeavours, the human cast of Tom & Jerry is a bit of a mixed bag, with some of the chosen acting talents involved being either a touch wide in their acting talents / characters and a bit cheesy (in a groaner type of way). This is particularly evident in the film's protagonist and adversary, with actress Chloe Grace Moretz playing Kayla and actor Michael Pena playing Terence, who is the villain. Moretz has been in numerous movies over the years and has established a solid reputation as a fairly growing star for a young actress. She is most recognised for her appearances in Kick-Ass, If I Stay, and Neighbors 2. Tom and Jerry

Moretz does a good job portraying Kayla, the young con artist girl with wide eyes, and stays true to that persona the entire time. Sadly, it still comes out as a little too conventional for a children's film, and (like Story's previous efforts) the characterization is a little too broad. In addition, Pena, who is most recognised for his work in The Martian, Fantasy Island, and Ant-Man, feels virtually wasted in the film, playing up Terence as more of a cartoon villain than a significant menace. Yes, he plays more of the "troublemaker" role in the movie, but his acting and villainy are both drawn in broad strokes.

The manager of the Royal Gate Hotel, Mr. Dubos, is played by actor Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2 and Bombshell), who offers the greatest performance (or at least the most memorable) of the supporting cast. Although he doesn't have much in the way of character development, Delaney does make him stand out more than the other characters in the cast. Perhaps it's his voice. The two affluent socialite millionaires Ben and Preeta, played by actor/writer Colin Jost (How to be Single and Coming 2 America) and actress Pallavi Sharda, really fare the worst in the film (Lion and Pulse).

Even the human characters in the movie come off as a little one-dimensional and somewhat unnecessary to the story. The ideal illustration of this is provided by Cameron, a bartender at the Royal Gate Hotel who rapidly warms up to Kayla. The character, portrayed by actor Jordan Bolger (Peaky Blinders and The 100), seems a little weird and almost like a forced love interest for the main human character in the movie. However, nothing else happens after that, making Cameron's character rapidly forgotten.

The animated characters Tom and Jerry (of course) serve as the movie's essentially "main attraction" and are expertly portrayed visually. Obviously they don't have voices, but throughout the movie their physical humour and competition speak for themselves. Tom and Jerry are frequently ignored in the film, as I already noted, which is sad. Beyond them, recognisable characters from the Tom and Jerry franchise make an appearance in the film, and a few of them even provide voice work, including musician Nicky Jam as the black-and-white alley cat named Butch, actor Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire and Blue Jasmine) as the ferocious bulldog named Spike, and actor Lil Rel Howery (Get Out and Uncle Drew) as the traditional angel.

LAST THOUGHTS

In the movie Tom & Jerry, Tom and Jerry are back and prepared to bring their insane rivalry antics to the Big Apple by causing trouble and mayhem along the road. The most recent movie from director Tim Story updates the old-fashioned cartoon character by using CGI animation characters in a live-action environment. While Tom and Jerry's rivalry's "cat and mouse" routine has nostalgia and fun to it and the production quality is there, the majority of the movie feels like a half-baked movie, especially when you consider the film's direction, a weak script, a lack of urgency, confusing plot shifts, weaker characters, wasted acting talents, and occasionally eschewing the film's two main characters in favour of human ones.

It's regrettable that Tom and Jerry weren't able to create a big splash with this project. Yet, given that this is a children's film, I'm confident that the younger audience will enjoy it more than the adult audience. This makes my advice for the movie "iffy decision" and "avoid it" at the same time because while some people will like it (mainly the target population), the vast majority will think less favourably of the effort. The movie's ending appears to hint at a potential continuation in additional Tom and Jerry sequels, but that notion seems incredibly improbable (at least to me that its)