Tom-ic Energy (1965)

 

Like Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life (1965), this Chuck Jones directed short film once again has a similar feel to Jones' earlier coyote and roadrunner cartoons. This is heavily due to most of the film featuring our two main characters running at great speed (employing character animation very similar to that of the aforementioned characters) and the film's spot gag structure. The main differences though are that the film takes place in an urban environment, Jerry actively fights back against Tom and other characters briefly become involved. 

Again, there is no real storyline here. The film is rather a collection of very spot gags that revolve around Tom chasing Jerry. We begin with the chase underway, and the chase is still underway when the film ends. 

This is a fun little cartoon. It may have never made me laugh out loud, but it did keep me entertained from start to finish. The cartoon moves at a very fast pace and keeps a fun momentum going throughout. Though the gags may not be hilarious, they do fall flat either. Instead, they are simply more charming than actually funny. But there is no problem with cartoons sometimes making you smile rather than laugh. In true Chuck Jones fashion, it is the facial expressions and character animation that are this film's greatest asset. Though again, these expressions and character animation may resemble the coyote and roadrunner, they are quite effective and endear these characters to us. The facial expressions also make even the most basic cartoon gags kind of work. 

One gag here recalls another series of cartoons that Chuck Jones directed. Tom finds himself mixed up in women's clothes and a male cat quickly becomes infatuated with him. The male cat has a French accent and speaks much like Pepe Le Pew (enhanced by both characters being voiced by Mel Blanc). 

Eugene Poddany's score incorporates themes from the classic piece, Paganini's Moto Perpetuo (Op. 11). 

The credited animators on this short are Ken Harris, Don Towsley, Tom Ray, Dick Thompson and Ben Washam. Philip DeGuard is the credited background artist. Maurice Noble receives a co-director credit and Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese credit for the story. This is the 135th Tom and Jerry cartoon overall and the 8th directed and produced by Chuck Jones. 

This film is available on the DVD sets, Tom and Jerry: Classic Collection Volume 6 and Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection as well as the Laserdisc set, The Art of Tom & Jerry: Volume III: The Chuck Jones Cartoons and the VHS set, Tom and Jerry: Professor Tom.

-Michael J. Ruhland