Tom & Jerry: Back to Oz (Video 2016)

Tom u0026 Jerry: Back to Oz: Directed by Spike Brandt, Tony Cervone. With Grey Griffin, Jason Alexander, Amy Louise Pemberton, Joe Alaskey. With the Wicked Witch of the West now vanquished from Oz, Tom and Jerry along with Dorothy are back in Kansas! But not for long as an all-new villain has surfaced from beneath the magical land, the Gnome King! Having captured the Good Witch, the Gnome King and his army are wreaking havoc throughout Oz and need but one item to take control of The Emerald City, Dorothy’s ruby slippers! It’s up to our favorite cat and mouse duo to team up, go Back to Oz and save the land they love. Take to the skies, courtesy of the Wizard himself, with Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion as they make their magical journey. The laughs and adventure will roar as they encounter all-new frights and mischievous creatures down the Yellow Brick Road, ’cause “we’re not in Kansas anymore!”

“Have always been a huge fan of Tom and Jerry. Have vivid and fond memories of seeing all of their cartoons, with the classic ones (the Hanna Barbera years, the best of which among the best cartoons ever made, Chuck Jonesu0026#39; output was a mixed bag and most of Gene Deitchu0026#39;s were abominations and disgraces to cartoondom) being watched over and over, at my sisteru0026#39;s late godfatheru0026#39;s house at the age of six and have been a huge fan since.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026#39;Tom and Jerry: Back to Ozu0026#39; is as said a sequel to u0026#39;Tom and Jerry: The Wizard of Ozu0026#39;. Consider that film one of the best Tom and Jerry films (most of which range from decent to very good, u0026#39;Tom and Jerry: The Movieu0026#39;, u0026#39;Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factoryu0026#39; and particularly u0026#39;The Fast and the Furryu0026#39; are the exceptions, was also mixed on u0026#39;Spy Questu0026#39;), so there were high hopes as well as worries as to whether it would make the same mistake as their version of u0026#39;Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factoryu0026#39;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLuckily, u0026#39;Tom and Jerry: Back to Ozu0026#39; is just as good as u0026#39;Tom and Jerry: The Wizard of Ozu0026#39;. Occasionally the film is a little hastily paced and crammed and one does wish that, despite wisely focusing mainly on the Oz characters and Dorothy, that Tom and Jerry had more to do. Is it as good as the 1939 u0026#39;The Wizard of Ozu0026#39;? Of course not, that is a timeless classic and it is a tall order for this to be on the same level. Like Tom and Jerry: The Wizard of Ozu0026#39;, u0026#39;Tom and Jerry: Back to Ozu0026#39; is faithful to the 1939 film as well as including elements from the original Baum stories, but doesnu0026#39;t suffer from being too faithful or not having enough to set it apart that it removes what makes the original so timeless. This was one of the biggest mistakes that u0026#39;Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factoryu0026#39; made.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnimation is bright and colourful, with imaginative backgrounds and very nicely done character designs with spot on expressions for particularly Tom and some of them reminiscent of Tex Avery, like a very Red-like Dorothy. The music here is one of the filmu0026#39;s biggest strengths, it is nothing short of amazing with a mix of classic old and refreshing new. The highlight is the Jitterbug sequence, so good that it beggars belief that it was intended initially for the 1939 film and then cut, having it here was a treat and it was brilliantly done in terms of the marriage of exuberance, visuals and music. u0026quot;Thereu0026#39;s No Place Like Homeu0026quot; is also wonderful.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen it comes to the writing, u0026#39;Tom and Jerry: Back to Ozu0026#39; is done in a way that children will have no trouble following, without ever feeling dumbed down, and be continually captivated by and still have plenty for adults (especially those nostalgic for the 1939 film and Baumu0026#39;s original stories) to enjoy. The story is full of heart, fun and charm and was clearly made with a lot of affection instead of trying to cheapen the material where it took its inspiration from, also bursting with colour.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDespite being underused and more like supporting characters, Tom and Jerry do serve a purpose, are true to character, add enough to the plot to stop them from being pointless and their shenanigans are funny are playful and never sadistic. Love Spike and Droopy, can take or leave Tuffy who can be cute and can also be annoying (the characteru0026#39;s okay here but doesnu0026#39;t stand out). The Oz characters are wisely focused more on and they have a lot of spark, with likable heroes, an endearing protagonist and a fun and sinister, if not quite iconic, villain.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eVoice acting is another huge strength, with very experienced and hugely talented voice actors (such as Grey DeLisle, Jason Alexander, the late Joe Alaskey, Andrea Martin, Michael Gough, Rob Paulsen and Kath Soucie, many in more than one role) paying homage with huge respect to their characters and the original cast. Those with more than one role never sound over-parted and bring enough individuality to each. Alexanderu0026#39;s Nome King is a standout, as is DeLisle as Dorothy Amy Pemberton providing beautifully Dorothyu0026#39;s singing voice.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn summary, really enjoyable. 8/10 Bethany Cox”