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Tom and Jerry: The Movie

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Tom and Jerry: The Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPhil Roman
Written byDennis Marks
Produced byPhil Roman
StarringRichard Kind
Dana Hill
Anndi McAfee
Charlotte Rae
Tony Jay
Henry Gibson
Rip Taylor
Howard Morris
Ed Gilbert
David L. Lander
Don Messick
Sydney Lassick
Scott Wojhan
Tino Insana
Greg Burson
B.J. Ward
Raymond McLeod
Mitchel D. Moore
Distributed byMiramax Films
Turner Pictures
Film Roman
Turner Entertainment
WMG (Worldwide Release)
Family Home Entertainment (VHS Release)
Warner Home Video (2002 DVD Release)
MGM (2007 Video release)
Release dates
July 30, 1992 United States
1992 (original release)
Running time
84 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.5 million
Box office$3,560,469

Tom and Jerry: The Movie is a 1992 traditionally-animated musical film produced and directed by Phil Roman starring 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 duo, respectively. The characters' co-creator and Hanna's partner, Joseph Barbera served as creative consultant for the picture. This also the first time that Tom and Jerry actually speak.

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, while Tom dozes 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, so he goes back in and saves him. The two manage to survive, but now they're homeless. Then they meet a dog named Puggsy and his friend Frankie Da Flea that tries to teach Tom and Jerry to be friends. At this point, something changes in the world of Tom and Jerry. They both start to talk. 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.

With Pugsy and Frankie gone, Tom is ambushed by a gang of mean alley cats who chase him.

Tom and Jerry then meet an eight-year old girl named Robyn 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 mean, real mean".

Cut to Aunt Figg crying in the house, scared of losing Robyn. With the help of her sinister lawyer, Lickboot, and her overweight dachshund, Ferdinand, she releases a reward of $1,000,000 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 fails, and it only worsens the situation when an oil lamp is knocked on the floor. As the house goes up in flames, luckily Robyn's father 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 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, The KarateGuard) whatsoever. 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. The Nostalgia Critic gave a negative review of the movie for the way that Tom and Jerry talk and the horrible musical numbers.

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, but the budget made it profitable. 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

Trivia

  • This is Tom and Jerry's first feature-length motion picture in 53 years.
  • According to one of the movie's animators, it was released in Europe in 1992 and domestically in 1993.
  • 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 one-hundred and fourteen cartoons were not featured in the movie, another aspect contributing to the negative reaction of the film.
  • Some scenes in the picture follow the formula of the original 1940-58 shorts.
  • The train at the end of the film resembles 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 are both surprised to find that each other 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. Also when Tom gets sliced into pieces in the opening credits, blood is clearly visible and when his hammer falls in his tail, his screaming is very different from the cartoons.
  • This movie is criticized by original fans of Tom and Jerry.
  • Despite negative reviews of the movie the soundtrack of the film was given mixed reviews because of the score provided by Henry Mancini.
  • Lickboot's line of "We've got to have money!" has become a small internet meme of sorts.
  • The Restaurant named "Bill & Joe's" is most likely a pun on the old directors from 1940 - 1958 who were called William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
  • The intro is very similar to the intro of The Tom And Jerry Tales game for the Nintendo DS.

Sources

  • Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1-55652-591-5. pp. 284-285.
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