Tom und Jerry: Der Film (1992)

Tom und Jerry: Der Film: Directed by Phil Roman. With Richard Kind, Dana Hill, Anndi McAfee, Tony Jay. Cat and mouse duo Tom and Jerry reluctantly work together to save a young girl from her evil aunt.

“So back in 1992, we had the first attempt at a Tom u0026amp; Jerry movie made for the big screen. Directed by TV animation veteran Phil Roman and released by Miramax, the film was a critical and financial failure upon its release and is often seen as the starting point of terrible Tom u0026amp; Jerry movies to follow. It doesnu0026#39;t help that fans of the timeless cat u0026amp; mouse look down on this movie for having the duo speak, but that alone is actually the least of the movieu0026#39;s problems. That being said, as poor of an effort as the movie turned out to be, there is a surprising amount of charm in it for all the wrong reasons.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNow despite the movie being named after Tom u0026amp; Jerry themselves, the central problem with it is that the story focuses on a completely different character, Robyn Starling. Tom u0026amp; Jerry end up taking a back seat to help this blandly written child escape her abusive aunt and reunite with her long lost father, even though this movie should have been theirs in the first place. Perhaps if the movie was executed in an Alice in Wonderland styled narrative where Tom u0026amp; Jerry roam around the country in search of a new home, it would be a lot more fitting, but as is, we have to sit through a generic cookie cutter plot of someone who belongs in another film altogether. It doesnu0026#39;t help that the musical numbers by famed composer Henry Mancini and lyricist Leslie Bricusse range from charmingly upbeat to obnoxiously repetitive, some of which are immediately forgotten as soon as theyu0026#39;re over. Also, you know a Tom u0026amp; Jerry movie is in trouble when the duo not only barely chase each other around, but most of the slapstick is given to the villainu0026#39;s dumb dog on wheels (go figure).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHowever, despite the movieu0026#39;s flaws, what does make it somewhat of a curious viewing are the unexpected characters you couldnu0026#39;t imagine being in a movie like this. In addition to Robynu0026#39;s hysterical aunt Pristine Figg and her hammy lawyer Lickboot, the people Robyn, Tom and Jerry encounter along their ways should have their own shorts altogether. From an obese dog who needs a roller skate to move around, to an insane animal physician sadly named Dr. Applecheek, to a gay Captain Kiddie and his puppet hand Squawk, this cast comes right out of nowhere and are just as bonkers as they sound in description. Plus, the voice actors and animators brought more life to them than the one dimensional script ever did, complete with over the top performances and appealing character designs. Also, as the film keeps on going, the stakes do at least get higher and higher, even if itu0026#39;s painfully obvious what happens at the end. After all, Tom u0026amp; Jerry canu0026#39;t die in any cartoon, so why even bother trying to do so in the first place?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo in the end, while by no means a great watch, the 1992 Tom u0026amp; Jerry movie is so bizarre in its execution that it leaves you wondering why the filmmakers chose to take the duo in this direction from the start. While there are better installments with the duo out there, I would recommend this over the 2021 movie, because this one at least has some weird plot points going for it compared to the corporately manufactured HBO Max original. Die hard fans of the duo might not like me in the morning for saying this, but the cat and mouse have been on worse adventures, as bad as this one is.”