The famous cat and mouse duo starred in 161 short animated films (produced by Hanna-Barbera/Fred Quimby, Gene Deitch, and Chuck Jones), won seven Academy Awards and appeared in movies with Gene Kelly and Esther Williams, they are as popular today as they ever were. It must have been exciting at the time to see them in a full length movie, unfortunately, this is not what fans were expecting or deserved. Basically, cat Tom and mouse Jerry are made homeless after the owner moves house and it is demolished. They wander the streets before meeting stray dog named Puggsy (Ed Gilbert) and his flea companion, Frankie (David Lander). Through introducing themselves, Tom (Richard Kind) and Jerry (Dana Hill) discover that they can talk, and they are persuaded to become friends ("Friends to the End") to survive. While Tom and Jerry are searching for food, Puggsy and Frankie are captured by dogcatchers. Tom is tormented by a group of hostile alley cats ("What Do We Care"), before Jerry gets rid of them. While walking, Tom and Jerry meet runaway girl Robyn Starling (Anndi McAfee). Her mother died when she was a baby, and her father supposedly died in an avalanche whilst on an expedition in Tibet. Robyn wants to escape her nasty guardian, "Aunt" Pristine Figg (Charlotte Rae) and her lawyer Lickboot (Tony Jay), who hold her family's fortune, only looking after her for the money ("Money Is Such a Beautiful Word"). A local policeman (Tino Insana) brings Robyn home along with Tom and Jerry, and Figg reluctantly allows Robyn to keep them. However, after a food fight between Tom, Jerry and Figg's obese dog Ferdinand (Michael Bell), Figg suggests taking them to a home for animals, run by the kind Dr. Applecheeck (Henry Gibson). Jerry sees a telegram has been received that reveals Robyn's father is alive. He and Tom attempt to tell Robyn, but Pristine and Ferdinand catch them. Tom and Jerry are taken to Dr. Applecheeck, who is revealed to be a cruel animal kidnapper. Whilst caged up, Tom and Jerry are reunited with Puggsy and Frankie, and Jerry manages to open to cage to free all the captured animals (including a cameo from Droopy (Don Messick)). Robyn reminisces on the life she had before her father disappeared ("I Miss You (Robyn's Song)"). Tom and Jerry return and inform her that her father is alive and they escape. They travel downriver on a raft, but the raft is struck by a ship and they end up separated. Meanwhile, in Tibet, Mr. Sterling (Ed Gilbert) is informed that his daughter has run away and decides to travel back to America to find her. The next day, Figg and Lickboot to decide to offer a fake $1 million reward, advertising on milk cartons, to find Robyn. Robyn is found by amusement park manager Captain Kiddie (Rip Taylor) and his first mate Squawk (Howard Morris), a parrot puppet. Kiddie is initially friendly and talks about his career ("I've Done It All"). But he and Squawk see Figg's bounty on a milk carton, contact Figg, and trap Robyn on the ferris wheel until Figg arrives. Applecheek and the dogcatchers try to beat Figg, Lickboot and Ferdinand to the amusement park, hoping to collect the reward. Tom and Jerry find and free Robyn and trap the dogcatchers on the ferris wheel. They escape on a paddle steamer while Figg, Lickboot, Kiddie and Applecheeck chase after them. Applecheek and Kiddie end up crashing into each other when Ferdinand causes a bridge to break up, while Figg and Lickboot realise that the trio are heading for "Robyn's Nest", a small cabin in the woods where she and her father spent their holidays. Tom, Jerry and Robyn arrive at the cabin, but Robyn is apprehended by Figg and Lickboot, while Tom and Jerry are locked outside with Ferdinand. During a tussle, an oil lamp is knocked over and starts a fire. While Figg and Lickboot attempt to escape, leaving Robyn behind, Tom and Jerry manage to get Robyn safely on the roof. Figg and Lickboot manage to escape, but stumbling onto Ferdinand's skateboard causes them crash onto the paddle steamer and are sent sailing away downriver. Robyn's father arrives by helicopter and rescues her, but Tom and Jerry fall as the cabin collapses into the river. But the cat and mouse survive and reunite with Robyn, and her father promises never to leave her again. The pair's heroics appear in the newspaper. Tom and Jerry begin a new life in Robyn's luxurious villa and return to their old habits of chasing each other. The animation looks similar to that of Fred Quimby, one or two songs are okay, the music by Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther) is reasonable, and children unfamiliar with the classic cartoons will have some fun. But fans will be most disappointed, it is not a Tom and Jerry feature, it is much more the story of the little girl with an evil aunt, with supporting characters focused as well, and the cat and mouse, who now speak, are almost on the sideline. There are almost no slapstick jokes, no comic mayhem, and no hilarious violent cartoon gags, it is a predictable story that doesn't fit with Tom and Jerry, and it feels rather tacky, but it is not completely awful, a naff animated family musical comedy. Adequate!
Review of Tom and Jerry: The Movie
