Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews



A Sherlock Holmes movie starring Michael York (Cabaret) and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) could have been an amazing popcorn thriller in 1977. But for some unknown reason we had to wait three decades for them to face off in the roles of the greatest detective and the devious Professor Moriarty. What brings them together is a legendary cat and mouse team. Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes animates the 19th century action.

A jewel thief gang is active in London. They’re not normal smash and grabbers. They’ve got extreme technologies to be the ultimate cat burglars which is appropriate since they’re cats. The police are befuddled. The only man who might crack the case is Sherlock Holmes (York) with the assistance of Dr. Watson (Lord of the Rings‘ John Rhys-Davies). But they have a third member of their party with Jerry, the mouse. Tom the cat arrives as a newcomer to London. He gets to stick around as long as he doesn’t eat Jerry. It’s a delicate truce as the four chase after clues. The mastermind behind the crimes turns out to be Professor Moriarty (McDowell). He’s sinister as he uses his hi-tech devices for evil purposes. What is his ultimate crime involving the heisted gems? Can Holmes really stop him?

While the credits list William Hanna and Joseph Barbera as having created the characters in the film, there’s a lot of Tex Avery icons in the film. His nightclub singing Red brings a female touch to the screen. She’s surrounded by Avery’s howling wolves. There’s also Tex’s Droopy as part of the police force. Screenwriter Earl Kress brings back many of the familiar MGM characters in a variety of roles. The characters mesh well as cops and priests. There are plenty of action scenes to keep things from getting bogged down. The slapstick balances with the deduction. Not to spoil the film, but its climax location matches up to Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes. Older kids that enjoy Tom and Jerry should get a rush out of the mystery. The only letdown is that someone didn’t think of putting York and McDowell into these roles all those years ago. Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes is a worthy battle royale of elementary wits.

The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The image is ultra clean so you can get a sense of what the animators did on the screen. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. There’s a richness to soundtrack that keeps the action clicking. There are also dubs in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese. The subtitles are in English, Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese.

How to Draw Tom and Jerry (7:18) lets Spike Brandt guide you through a little drawing class. Spike also directed the film.

Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes equally balances the slapstick antics of the cat and mouse with the detective sleuthing. The revival of various MGM cartoon superstars keeps things interesting. This mystery should keep small kids guessing to the plot.


Warner Home Video presents Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes. Directed by: Spike Brandt. Screenplay by: Earl Kress. Starring: Michael York, Jonathan Rhys-Davis and Malcolm McDowell. Running Time: 50 minutes. Released on DVD: August 24, 2010.



Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.