Except for a quick gag in Tom-ic Energy (1965), romance has not yet played a role in Chuck Jones' version of Tom and Jerry. That changes with this short film, which focuses on Tom's relationship with his girlfriend. Many believe his girlfriend in this cartoon to be Toodles, his love interest from the William Hanna and Joseph Barbera cartoons. It is easy to understand why people believe this. Though (if this is Toodles), she is completely redesigned, she is a white cat that serves as Tom's love interest. If we are to take this as Toodles, then this marks the only appearance of a Hanna and Barbera supporting character during the Chuck Jones era.
In this cartoon, Tom is visiting his girlfriend and bringing her a gift of a mouse (Jerry). Tom intends for them to eat the mouse, but his girlfriend finds it adorable and wants to keep it as a pet. Jerry then tries to get revenge on his foe by making Tom's girlfriend believe that Tom is going to eat him.
As with many of the Tom and Jerry shorts from this era, this cartoon is more charming than it is funny. While familiar the basic premise is a decent one. The character animation is often excellent. The look on the girlfriend's face during the last gag is even funnier than the gag itself. The story moves at a fast pace and remains enjoyable to watch. The lovey dove backgrounds in the beginning may be too cutesy for some but for me they work. This is because they put you into Tom's frame of mind and make good contrast for how his expectations are quickly dashed.
However, none of the gags in this cartoon are actually funny. They all have been done before and better. Despite being a fan of Mel Blanc and June Foray, I find the cutesy voices to be very off-putting here.
The credited animators on this film are Ben Washam, Philip Roman, Don Towsley and Dick Thompson. Chuck Jones is the director. Ben Washam gets a co-director's credit. Michael Maltese is the writer. The credited layout artist is Robert Givens. Eugene Poddany gets a music credit. Mel Blanc and June Foray provide the voices. This is the 146th Tom and Jerry cartoon.
This film is available on the DVD sets, Tom and Jerry: Mouse Trouble and Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection.
Here are some animation cels for the film (via the Tom and Jerry Wiki).
-Michael J. Ruhland
No comments:
Post a Comment