RETROSPECT: “Tom and Jerry: The Movie” (1992)

WRITER’S NOTE: The following was originally posted on my Facebook page on September 10, 2024. 

Tom and Jerry have become household names and beloved animated icons since their screen debut in the 1940s, even headlining several Academy Award-winning short films in the process (courtesy their creators, William Hanna & Joseph Barbera). They were even given a distinct rendition from director Chuck Jones in the 1960s. My older brother and I grew up on these cartoons, many of which I’ve been revisiting lately—and am impressed by the longevity of a few of them (notably The Cat Concerto). It wouldn’t be until the early-1990s that they finally made their feature-length movie debut. Suffice it to say, the result wasn’t worth the wait. 

For about the first 10 minutes, Tom and Jerry: The Movie works. The story begins as the titular enemies get accidentally left behind when their owners move. The ensuing action remotely recalls the outrageous hijinks and slapstick that the cat-and-mouse duo are famous for. But as soon as the characters start talking (yes, they literally “talk” in this picture, courtesy Richard Kind and the late Dana Hill, respectively), they take on uncharacteristic qualities by inexplicably becoming friends. Then, when they cross paths with a runaway orphan girl looking for her missing father, the whole story becomes generic, and the two feel like the wrong characters in the wrong movie. 

I agree with late film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, who argued that Tom and Jerry become supporting characters in a cast of creepy adult figures, including a greedy aunt, a scheming lawyer, a psychotic veterinarian (with two dog-catching crooks, copycats of Horace and Jasper from One Hundred and One Dalmatians), and a schizophrenic ventriloquist with a hand puppet that seems to have a mind of its own. 

Sure, the animation is colorful (if low quality), that brief cameo from Droopy is amusing, and composer Henry Mancini’s score (especially during the opening credits) is a treat. The kitchen food fight scene is also noteworthy. But the story is lazy, the characters are one-dimensional and inconsistent, and the songs are forgettable and over-produced (much like Barry Manilow’s songs in MGM’s The Pebble and the Penguin two years later). Again, Tom and Jerry are two of the greatest cartoon characters ever created. They deserved better material than this. 

If you want to see a better example from that same year, Jones is the one who directed the opening cartoon in Mrs. Doubtfire, taking cues from Sylvester & Tweety and Tom & Jerry shorts, and set to Robin Williams’ irreplaceable vocal talents. 

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