Tom and Chérie (1955)

 

This short film is an oddity in Tom and Jerry's filmography. That is because the cat and mouse duo never actually interact here, though they both interact with the little grey mouse Nibbles (or Tuffy if you prefer). The only other film in which Tom and Jerry don't interact is The Duck Doctor (1952). 

This is also the third of four cartoons featuring Jerry and Nibbles as Mouseketeers. The first was The Two Mouseketeers (1952). The second was Touché, Pussy Cat! (1954). The last would-be Royal Cat Nap (1958). With this film featuring the two mice as Mouseketeers, it is worth noting that the Disney TV show, The Mickey Mouse Club (which introduced the world to Disney's Mouseketeers) premiered the same year as this short.

In this short film, Jerry is having Nibbles delivering his love letters for him. However, with every letter Jerry writes, Nibbles has to fight Tom on his way to deliver it. When Nibbles tries to explain this to Jerry, Jerry doesn't see Tom and thinks Nibbles is just a coward. 

This may be my least favorite of the Mouseketeers cartoons. However, this is a matter of personal preference over quality. I personally would rather watch Tom and Jerry battle it out over seeing the two never interact. I appreciate the filmmakers trying something new, but I miss seeing my favorite cat and mouse duo duke it out. 

This is not to say that this is a bad cartoon, however. Actually, it is quite a good one. There is a lot to enjoy here. There are some pretty good gags here, especially when Jerry sends Nibbles speeding along by poking his backside with his sword. The battles that happen offscreen while the camera shakes up and down is a great example of clever filmmaking. The film also has a perfect ending that makes me smile each time. I also really enjoy how the background art almost gives this film a storybook feel. 

The credited animators on this short are Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse, Lewis Marshall and Ed Barge. Robert Gentle is the credited background artist. This cartoon is available on the DVD sets Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection (Volume 2) and Tom and Jerry: Merry Mice. It will be on the upcoming Blu-Ray set, Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection. This is the 94th Tom and Jerry short film. 

Unlike the previous Tom and Jerry CinemaScope shorts, where the films were released in both Cinemascope and Academy ratio formats, this cartoon was the first to be only released in the CinemaScope process. 

- Michael J. Ruhland