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6.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Tom & Jerry and Friends remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you go into this expecting a cat chasing a mouse with a frying pan, you are going to be very, very confused. Tom & Jerry and Friends isn't that Tom and Jerry.
These guys are two humans—one tall, one short—who basically just wander into weird situations and dance around. It is the kind of thing you watch when you are bored on a Sunday afternoon and want to see something that feels like a fever dream. 🤡
Is it worth watching today? Only if you really like old animation or want to see how weird things used to be before Disney made everything polished. If you want a tight story or actual jokes that make sense, you will probably hate this.
The first thing you notice is that nobody has bones. Their arms and legs just bend like garden hoses whenever they walk or jump. It's honestly a bit unsettling.
There is this one scene where they are walking down a street and their knees are basically hitting their chins with every step. I couldn't stop staring at it. It's so unnecessary but so hypnotic.
John Foster and George Stallings definitely had a specific vibe in mind. It's less about the plot and more about how much they can make the characters wiggle on screen.
Sometimes the background just wobbles for no reason. It feels like the paper they drew it on was vibrating. It makes the whole world feel like it is made of Jell-O.
The music is pretty catchy, though. It has that tinny, 1930s jazz sound that makes everything feel like a party, even when scary skeletons are chasing them. 🎷
The logic in these shorts is non-existent. In one bit, they are just hanging out, and suddenly everything turns into a musical number with inanimate objects.
There is a weirdly long sequence involving a bunch of random characters that have nothing to do with the main guys. I guess that is where the "and Friends" part of the title comes in.
It reminds me a bit of the random energy in Pack Up Your Troubles, but way more surreal. Like, why did that tree just grow a face and start singing?
One reaction shot of Tom—the tall one, I think—lingers for about five seconds too long. He just stares at the camera with these big, empty eyes. It actually made me laugh because of how awkward it was.
The print quality is pretty rough in some spots. You can see the scratches and the dust, but I think that adds to the charm. It feels like finding an old dusty box in an attic.
I’ll be honest, after about three of these, they all start to feel the same. The "plot" is usually just: Tom and Jerry go somewhere, something weird happens, they dance, the end.
It doesn't have the grit of something like Thunderbolt or the scale of If I Were King. It’s just light, strange fluff from a hundred years ago.
The "friends" segments are even more hit-or-miss. Some of the other cartoons included are just... there. They feel like filler to make the runtime longer.
I noticed that the character designs for the background people are often better than the main characters. There is a guy in a crowd scene with a giant mustache that looks way more interesting than Tom or Jerry.
The voice acting is... well, it’s mostly just squeaks and grunts. You don't really need to hear what they are saying to get the gist.
It’s a bit of a mess, really. But a fun mess if you’re in the right mood.
You probably shouldn't marathon this whole thing at once. It’s better in small doses, like one or two shorts before bed. ☕
The way the characters just dissolve into the background sometimes is a neat trick. I wonder if they did that on purpose or if they just ran out of ink.
It’s a weird little piece of history. Not great, but definitely not boring. If you want to see what people thought was funny before the world got so serious, give it a look.
Just don't expect any cats. Or mice. Seriously.