Tom and Jerry: The Movie is a 1993 traditionally-animated film produced and directed by Phil Roman starring cartoon legends, Tom and Jerry and the only feature to be theatrically released worldwide, although Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry was theatrically released in select cities of the United States by Kidtoon Films. Richard Kind and Dana Hill provided the voices of the Oscar-winning duo respectively. The characters' co-creator and Hanna's partner, Joseph Barbera served as creative consultant for the picture.
Plot
Set in 1993, the pair are both together with their owners as they are about to move to a new home. The moving van is at their old house waiting, and Tom doses in the back of the car. However when he notices Jerry, he puts him on a stick, and Jerry, noticing no escape and knowing that he will fly, he grabs hold of Tom's whiskers so they fly together into the garden. Jerry quickly dashes into his mousehole and locks the door, Tom nailing wooden planks on the door. Tom leaves the house, but it's too late: The owners have left. When Tom tries to get in the moving car, he ends up with a bulldog and ties up his ears so he cannot see. Tom runs into the house for safety and stays there for the night. The next day, Tom notices that the house is being destroyed by a demolition crew. He manages to escape but realizes he couldn't just leave Jerry goes back and saves him, the two manage to survive. But now homeless, they meet a dog named Puggsy and his friend Frankie Da Flea that tries to teach Tom and Jerry to be friends. Then they all agree to have a 'feast' at their place and Puggsy makes a 'buffet' by collecting leftovers in the bin. When Puggsy's tray is crammed, a dogcatcher captures Puggsy and Frankie and lock them in their car.
Tom and Jerry then meet an eight-year old girl named Robyn Starling, daughter of Daddy Starling, whose mother died of pneumonia when she was a baby and is left behind with her horrid and evil guardian Aunt Figg when her dad goes away to Tibet. Robyn runs away after her locket is thrown out the window and that's how she began to run. Jerry said to her that if she runs, her things won't be with her but Robyn said to them that Aunt Figg may seem sweet but she's real mean.
Cut to Aunt Figg crying in the house, scared of losing Robyn. With the help of her evil lawyer, Lickboot and her overweight dachshund, Ferdinand, make a reward of a million dollars for the return of Robyn, who they wish to sell for a ransom, engulfed by love of money. Robyn is recaptured, but manages to escape yet again, after Tom and Jerry are kidnapped by Dr. Applecheek and are sent to a city pound where animals are abused. At this point, everybody is looking for the million dollar girl, and Aunt Figg and Lickboot manage to get to Robyn's escape destination first. What was planned as another capture and it only worsens the situation when an oil lamp is knocked on the floor. As the house goes up in flames, Robin's father finally arrives and rescues them. Tom and Jerry are taken to a new home where they both promise not to trick each other ever again. But the pair have soon reverted back to their old ways, and the movie finishes with a fun, loving classic scene of Tom chasing Jerry into the distance...or just in their new home.
Reaction
Critical reception
Tom and Jerry: The Movie received extremely negative reviews from critics and audiences alike at the time of its release. It had no connection to the continuity of the original 114 shorts (including the 2005 short). It is the only adaptation where the two continuously speak, in contrast with other adaptations (except for Jerry's speaking voice in the duo's appearance in Anchors Aweigh). Rotten Tomatoes ranks it as "Rotten" with only 17% percent of reviews being positive.
Box office performance
The film made $3,560,469 at the box office, a very substandard amount, largely due to the fact that it was released in direct competition with Rising Sun, Robin Hood: Men in Tights and So I Married an Axe Murderer . However the film was made on a budget of only $3.5 million, which makes it only a moderate box office loss. Today, this motion picture is seen as some sort of Tom and Jerry special, as in many parts of the world it is played amongst other films or episodes randomly.
Credits
Cast
Crew
- Produced and Directed by: Phil Roman
- Co-Producer: Bill Schultz
- Written by: Dennis Marks
- Excutive Producers: Roger Mayer, Jack Petrik, Hans Brockmann and Justin Ackerman
- Based upon characters created by: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
- Creative Consultant: Joseph Barbera
- Music by: Henry Mancini
- Lyrics by: Leslie Bricusse
- Music Supervisor: Sharon Boyle
Trivia
- This is Tom and Jerry's first feature-length motion picture in 53 years.
- The movie was released overseas in 1992 and in the united states in 1993.
- The actual plot of the film appears to be more based on the character Robyn Starling than the cat-and-mouse duo. Robyn and her family altogether get more screen time than Tom and Jerry, and most of the plot revolves around the orphan.
- Chuck Jones was set to make a Tom and Jerry film in the 1970s, but eventually pulled out after being unable to find a suitable script.
- Many other Tom and Jerry characters from the classic 114 cartoons are not featured in the movie, another aspect contributing to the negative reaction of the film.
- Since The Walt Disney Company owned Miramax, this was the first animated film released by Miramax Films through Disney and also the second animated film that is distributed but not produced by Disney. The first being The Brave Little Toaster.
- Some scenes in the picture follows the formula of the original 1940-58 shorts.
- The train at the end of the film is Union Pacific 3985.
- The computer animation in the film was done by Kroyer Films, the creators of the 20th Century Fox film, FernGully: The Last Rainforest.
- When Tom and Jerry introduce themselves to Puggsy and Frankie, they realize that they can talk. However, they have talked to each other many times before, most notably in The Lonesome Mouse, which features the most dialogue ever spoken by the two in a short.
- There is very little fighting and violence between Tom and Jerry aside from the opening credits, the beginning, and a little bit at the very end.
Sources
External links
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Tom and Jerry |
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