Customer Reviews

Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Much like Tom & Jerry Tales, this new direct-to-video feature honors the duo's classic animation legacy while still feeling suitably "modern" for today's younger viewers. A top-notch voice cast lends weight to the human characters of Holmes (Michael York), Watson (John Rhys-Davies) and Moriarty (Malcolm McDowell). Thankfully, the cat-and-mouse team remains speechless (see Tom and Jerry - The Movie, if you dare, for evidence of why talking just doesn't suit the characters).

The plot is standard Baker Street stuff, involving stolen jewels and dastardly inventions (a few of which comes across a bit TOO advanced for the period setting). Tex Avery's unforgettable Red and the Wolf figure into the plot as well, along with cameos from Spike, Droopy and a few other minor characters from the old days.

The animation is mostly very good, with precious little of the 3-D shading that only serves to remind long-time fans that they're NOT watching the characters with whom they grew up. A final-act chase on a runaway carriage is particularly impressive, ending as it does atop the still under-construction London Bridge.

Aside from a couple of trailers, the only bonus feature is a brief art lesson, "How to Draw Tom and Jerry." While the process is interesting to watch, it's unlikely that viewers will be ready to put any of Warner Bros' animators out of business anytime soon.

While the brief running time (50 min. for an "all-new original movie") might seem slight, it's about as long as it needs to be. The film is perfectly safe for kids, if you don't mind exaggerated cartoon violence. For adults who love Tom and Jerry, it's also a nice effort and probably won't tarnish your memories of the beloved cartoon stars.

It doesn't star Robert Downey Jr., so it's not making big headlines, but Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes deserves more attention, one reason being that it actually comes across much better than you might expect when you first hear the title.

First of all, the idea of the battling cat and mouse living in the home of a noted human harkens back to classic MGM theatrical cartoons, like "Johann Mouse," in which Jerry danced to the music of Strauss. In this DVD feature, the duo are Baker Street co-residents and provide slapstick shtick in the course of a Victorian London mystery.

Say what you will about revivals of vintage cartoon characters, the issue is really whether the people behind the scenes care about the heritage and emotional value of the characters enough to make them appeal to young audiences but not forget the fans that made them beloved in the first place.

This film succeeds because the talent did indeed care. Veteran writer and acclaimed animation historian Earl Kress brought his expertise to the script, adding nods for fans and blending in Droopy and other great but not as well-known MGM characters such as Spike, Tuffy and Butch. The Tex Avery cartoon "Red Hot Riding Hood" is celebrated not only by including the libidinous Wolf but by making Red a major character in the story.

Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts will also get a chuckle out of the name of a character: "Brett Jeremy," a reference to Jeremy Brett, who is one of the definitive actors to play Holmes along with Basil Rathbone. And speaking of actors, Michael York is superb as the animated Holmes, with Malcolm McDowell as Moriarity and John Rhys-Davies as Watson. Voice actors include Jess Harnell, Jeff Bergman, Grey Delisle and, doing a particularly accurate Tuffy voice, Kath Soucie.

And, as it should be, Tom and Jerry do not speak in the classic tradition of the original cartoons, all of which were directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and won seven Oscars.

I took my copy of Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes on DVD over to my nephews house and we watched it together. I love it when he really gets into a cartoon and starts laughing uncontrollably. He did that a lot during this movie. He had been watching a lot of Tom and Jerry on TV, so I was right when I thought he would enjoy this DVD.

My natural instinct was to avoid this. But then my colleagues at goldenagecartoons.com recommended it to me. This is Tom and Jerry done right! The animation is dazzling, the story is well-written and intelligent, and the characters are true to their classic MGM roots. The film's writer, Earl Kress, passed away recently. He understood classic animated characters as well as their original creators did, and this movie is a testament to his brilliance. It makes me miss him all the more! You'd think sticking Tom, Jerry, Tuffy, Red Hot Riding Hood, Droopy and more into a Sherlock Holmes mystery couldn't possibly work. It does, quite well! It also LOOKS cool, with animation close to golden age quality, beautiful backgrounds and turn-of-the-century London settings, and clever steampunk gadgets peppered throughout. All this, and T&J never say a word. You will say one word: "Wow".

I purchased this DVD for my 6-year old son for Christmas. He could be heard laughing throughout the entire DVD. He was ready to watch it again. A great purchase for a Tom & Jerry fan!

I loved this movie. Glad to see a new Tom & Jerry cartoon.
Tom & Jerry fans will like this one.

If your child(ren) love the new generation of Tom and Jerry, then they should love this selection as well. I have a 5 and 9 year old that adore them.

Having watched a lot of the more recent Tom and Jerry prodctions, my expectations were pretty low going into this. However, my whole family enjoyed this dvd. It is funny and the voice-acting is very good. I think the animation is dramatically better than some of the other Tom and Jerry "movies" we have seen. It is worth watching!

My granddaughter loves Tom and Jerry and really enjoyed this new DVD with them getting acquainted with Sherlock Holmes. It was a very good twist to there adventures. She watches them every day over and over again.

While the film is relatively true to the slapstick comedy of the standard Tom & Jerry cartoons I was not pleased with the overuse of "sexy" cartoon character and comedy created based on other characters response to the "good lookin girl".

At this young an age I don't need my kids to be presented an idea that women are objects to be oogled over.