The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit

 

Though still quite flawed The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit is easily the best of the 13 Tom and Jerry films directed by Gene Deitch. 

In this short film we are given an insight into how to make a Tom and Jerry cartoon ourselves with The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit. A narrator explains to us how to properly use this kit to make our own Tom and Jerry cartoon. 

Unlike his previous Tom and Jerry films, this cartoon plays to Deitch's strengths as a filmmaker to a certain extent. Deitch often excelled at clever satire but was nowhere near as gifted at slapstick, which made him a poor fit for Tom and Jerry. With this cartoon you can see both the strengths and weaknesses of Deitch as a filmmaker. When this cartoon is satirizing the Tom and Jerry formula and the familiar nature of many chase cartoon shorts, it is actually quite good. This is actually the only of Gene Deitch's Tom and Jerry cartoons that ever made me laugh (the narration at the start and finish are especially funny).However when the attention turns to the physical slapstick, it often falls flat. Some of the stylized artwork is very pleasant and the transitions can be pretty clever. However the gags themselves don't even elicit a smile. Instead these slapstick gags feel uninspired, poorly-timed and most of all unfunny. It is strange to say that the slapstick is the weakest part of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, but strangely that is the case here. 

This film was submitted for an Academy Award but ended up not being nominated. The other cartoons submitted but not nominated were Abner the Baseball (Paramount, 1961), Catch Meow (Columbia, 1961) (Loopy De Loop cartoon directed by Tom and Jerry creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera), Drum Roll (TerryToons, 1961, Hector Heathcote), Hawaiian Guy (UPA, 1961, Dick Tracy), The Lion and Albert (Contenintal, 1961), Red Riding Hood Magoo (UPA, 1961, Mr. Magoo), Sleeping Beauty (Jay Ward, 1961, Fractured Fairy Tales), Snidely’s Monster (Jay Ward, 1961, Duddley Do-Right) and Tree Spree (Terry Toons, 1961, Sidney the Elephant (a character created by Dietch)). Interestingly Hawaiian Guy, Sleeping Beauty and Snidely's Monster were all original made for TV which is perhaps why they weren't nominated. The films that were nominated were Aquamania (Disney, 1961, Goofy), Beep Prepared (Warner Brothers, 1961, Coyote and Roadrunner), Nelly's Folly (Warner Brothers, 1961),   The Pied Piper of Guadalupe (Warner Brothers, 1961, Slyvester and Speedy Gonzles) and Eratz (Zegrab, 1961). Amazingly Eratz was the winner marking the first time this award was won by a non-American film (It came for the country of Croatia). You can watch the acceptance speech for the winner below. 

The credited writer was Chris Jenkyns. The music is credited to Štěpán Koníczek. Wáclaw Bedřicz is credited as animation director. This film is available on the DVD sets, Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection, Tom and Jerry: Classic Collection Volume 5 and Tom and Jerry: Paws for a Holiday. It marks the 123rd Tom and Jerry cartoon overall. 

-Michael J. Ruhalnd

Resources Used

https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/The_Tom_and_Jerry_Cartoon_Kit

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/cartoons-considered-for-an-academy-award-1961/

https://www.toonopedia.com/sidney.htm