In their newest direct-to-video movie, the classic cat and mouse cartoon team of Tom and Jerry are inserted not merely into the beloved L. Frank Baum story of "The Wizard of Oz", but the full-on MGM feature film version, complete with the styles and songs seen in the original film, though completely redone here in traditionally animated format. As Dorothy ends up in the magical land of Oz and on her quest to see the wizard and return home to a farm in Kansas, Tom and Jerry try their best to catch up with her (which they quickly do) and get home too, having made a promise to Auntie Em that they would look after Dorothy and Toto. But, the Wicked Witch of the West is hot on their trails and wants revenge on Tom and Jerry as much as on Dorothy and Toto themselves!
WB's original movie, "Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz" has been high on my wish list ever since I first saw the cover art here on Amazon. As a huge fan of both animation and the original MGM Oz film, I've been patiently but eagerly waiting for it to come out, and now I finally have it in my hands on Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo, and I'm so glad! Is it a perfect production? No, a direct-to-video budget probably would never allow for that, but it's very good in a lot of ways. One of the best things about it is, for certain, the art and animation. The film does a great job replicating the visuals of the classic MGM movie here in cartoon format. It's really neat to see. The animation is just as direct-to-video animation should be. It's not quite theatrical quality, but it's close. I haven't seen any of the other Tom and Jerry direct to video movies yet, so I can't really compare them, aside from the Nutcracker one they did. I would put this on par with that one, though it's been a while since I've seen it. I think the earlier ones might not be as good. Like the Tom and Jerry Nutcracker program, this one has a touch of that Spumco look, but only in the best ways, like how they draw gorgeous girls. Dorothy is an absolute goddess here, which was a big deal for me since Dorothy from the original film was my first crush ever, and one of the best things about animation is the potential to bring drop-dead gorgeous, absolutely perfect female characters to life. They did a fantastic job here, and the women of the Emerald City are jaw-dropping as well, if too briefly seen (you can probably guess where this is; the bit when they are sprucing up the gang before going to see the wizard).
There are basically two sides to this story. You are getting an animated version of the classic MGM Oz film, and you're getting a Tom and Jerry adventure (one that is far better and truer to the characters than "Tom and Jerry the Movie", but then maybe all these direct-to-video features fit that bill). With that in mind, sometimes you feel you are watching something in the vein of "Lion King 1½", and sometimes you feel like you're watching an Animaniacs parody. In truth, this film probably SHOULD be more like the latter in terms of the writing. That is where it lets you down a bit. Maybe it was a budget issue that sometimes things seem a bit rushed story/humor wise, but I do feel that some more playful humor should have been worked into the many scenes that are taken directly from the movie. Much of it is nearly word for word, while a bit more spoofing might have worked better to keep the Tom and Jerry story and the original film's story feeling like they were ONE story. There is some of this, thankfully, especially in scenes with the villains, and it's enough, but more would have been better, I think. I also can't help but feel that maybe they should have used a Garland recording for the performance of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", because how can you really replace her for that? But I guess that is being a bit nit-picky. Over all, this is an excellent direct-to-video film, and I just wish it was longer. It clocks in at just under an hour (59 minutes, according to the cover), and that's a bit short for a 20 dollar flick. Plus, a lot of scenes that weren't shown (from the original Oz film) were very missed. We don't even see Dorothy meeting any of her Oz friends. The group is assembled by the time Tom and Jerry catch up to them. It might have been better to lengthen the film by just keeping Tom and Jerry at Dorothy and Toto's side from the beginning instead of having to catch up with them late after the tornado, but actually, I think the scene that, for some reason, I missed the most here was the one at the beginning in Professor Marvel's Wagon. It just seemed like it was supposed to be there. Oh well. Aside from the shortness and times when I felt the writing could have been more clever, I was very pleased with a lot of the humor that WAS included and that felt very true to the classic MGM cartoon spirit, like the bit where Tom meet's Tuffy and gets hit with the frying pan, and when he and Jerry encounter Droopy and do one of Droopy's best routines with an Oz flare. No, this film isn't perfect, but it's still a big win that was well worth waiting for, and as others have said, it's worth owning for the visuals alone! The voice cast, though not the best sound-alikes I've heard, were also great (okay, Tuffy's a little annoying though; I prefer the sweet, French-accented Tuffy), and thank you so much for keeping Tom and Jerry silent, as they should be for the most part!
As for the Blu-Ray itself, it's a little disappointing that there are only 2 bonus features, and one is actually not a bonus feature but an alternate version of the film. I'm so glad that alternate version was included though. It SHOULD be the primary version of the film, because it is the way you SHOULD watch "Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz". It's a version of the film with the beginning and ending in sepia tones, as in the original MGM feature. It IS cool to have the full color version as well, but THAT is the version that should be in the special features section. As for the other bonus, it's a little science lesson of 3 activities that are Oz related. Making your own tornado in a bottle, making a rainbow, and how a hot air balloon works (which could have been demonstrated better, I think), they're cute and probably fun for kids, but where are the classic MGM shorts as bonus features? That's what you SHOULD have here, or a little making-of documentary.
All in all, "Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz" is a great little movie, though it may seem a bit pricey for being just about an hour and so light on bonus features. Still, if that is how they keep things at this quality, I'll pay it. Some of the writing could have been snappier, but it was still great and worth the purchase, especially if you're a fan of Oz and/or Tom and Jerry! Now, if they would just release that Saturday morning animated series that was based on the MGM Oz film. I think it was on in the early 90's, but not certain about that.
