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Tom And Jerry have been a stable of the animated world since they first came on the scene in 1940. For over 60 years Tom has been failing to catch Jerry and while the plot has always been the same, many entertaining cartoons have been made out of it. As a kid I grew up watching the old cartoons and loved many of them. However with such a limited plot the cartoons grew stale at times. What we have here is Tom and Jerry Tales, a new animated series that began in 2006. But do these new cartoons hold up to the classics?
Sadly, no. I will give these new cartoons some credit. At times they capture the essence of what it means to be a Tom and Jerry cartoon and they don’t hold back on the violence, which was a staple of the series. But these cartoons just don’t have the zing of the old ones.
Many of these cartoons implement too many gimmicks, as if the animators couldn’t just think of enough good chase gags. You have genies and witches and superpowers, elements that just don’t feel like Tom and Jerry. I’m just glad they aren’t talking. Also, the animation is far too polished. I guess that just comes with the times, but what was so enjoyable about the originals was the grittiness of them. Plus you had inspired directors like Chuck Jones and Tex Avery. You just can’t compete with that.
This DVD comprises the first four episodes (12 cartoons) of season 2, which aired at the end of 2007. Each set of cartoons has a specific theme.
Episodes:
Zent Out Of Shape/I Dream Of Meanie/Which Witch
Tom and Jerry duke it out in a Buddhist temple and end up fighting a giant dragon that looks like Spike. In a location out of Aladdin, Jerry finds a lamp with a genie in it (once again, Spike). The genie changes hands between the cat and mouse before Tom gets the genie power. Tom and Jerry get caught in the cross hairs of a feud that matches their own between two witches.
More Power To You/Catch Me Though You Can’t/Power Tom
Living in the secret headquarters of a superhero team, Tom and Jerry use their power rings to battle each other and eventually take on a super villain. In a mad scientists lab, Tom is empowered with super speed but still fails to catch Jerry. Tom accidentally gets the powers of a superhero and with Jerry’s help foils a bank robbery.
Don’t Bring Your Pet To School Day/Cat Show Catastrophe/The Cat Whisperer
Tom gets brought to school for show and tell and must put up with all sorts of strange animals, including a talking rabbit, and Jerry of course. Tom gets entered in a cat show and Jerry does everything in his power to prevent him from winning. When Tom’s owner finds him unruly she brings in the Cat Whisperer to straighten him out.
Adventures In Penguin Sitting/Cat Of Prey/Jungle Love
When a penguin escapes from the zoo it winds up at Tom’s house with an endless appetite. When Tom tries to capture Jerry at Sea World he ends up dealing with all sorts of aquatic animals. For some reason Tom and Jerry’s chase leads them to Africa.
The film is presented in a fullscreen format 1.33:1. Sound is in Dolby Digital Stereo. The show looks fine, I guess, but I just doesn’t look like how Tom and Jerry aught to look.
None.
Tom and Jerry are classic animated characters, but these new cartoons just don’t hold up. If you want to watch this cat and mouse go head to head then get your hands on the originals and forget about these new ones.
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About Mike Noyes
