American animation masters William Hanna and Joseph Barbera started their first cartoon short in 1941 in what would be one of the greatest cartoon series of all time. Tom & Jerry became an iconic household brand for families and the mayhem between cat and mouse always ensured fun, especially the two-way rivalry - one getting the better of the other and vice versa - through some two hundred shorts.
Puss Gets the Boot follows a then-named Jasper (subsequently the only time before reverting to Tom) fiendishly toying with Jerry, an adorable yet irrevocably mischievous mouse. After some opening scenes of placing a fake mouse hole (with a funny moment of a dazed Jerry) and a plant pot incident, the ever-unnamed house owner gives Jasper his warning of preventing any more accidents. Like music to Jerry's ears, things don't go smoothly for Jasper - in fact it becomes an uphill battle to stop Jerry from giving him the boot. A devilish demeanour of throwing wine glasses, Jasper retracts the behaviour by using cushions to soften the fall of objects below. Eventually, after a great couple of minutes of Jasper balancing a twenty-foot mountain of assorted kitchen cutlery, he finally succumbs to the cruelty by being booted by Jerry (after swimming in his milk). Being thrown out, Jerry now subsequently enters his den.
The battle here is consistent, creative and very entertaining. The direction is brilliant and the stunning lighting and background rendering is photorealistic in its portrayal of a household circa 1940. The animation of both Jasper and Jerry, not to mention the house owner (though only the lower body) is terrific, with great expressions and movements that are natural in motion. Even little details such as water drops and dust particles are authentic. Hanna and Barbera have certainly taken quality cues from 1930s Disney lore to create a great-looking short.
The sound is equally impressive. The sound effects are great and the only voice-over in the short is good. The music, courtesy of to-be long-time composer Scott Bradley, is great, and phenomenal overall in capturing the fantastical yet sometimes-upbeat, sometimes-down tones of other shorts with his terrific orchestration. Music is definitely one of my long-admired Tom & Jerry qualities, and it all sounds great.
So, a great debut from Hanna and Barbera, Puss in Boots displays the great potential of the would-be franchise with great animation, sound and overall fun to create an impressive debut short.
Puss Gets the Boot follows a then-named Jasper (subsequently the only time before reverting to Tom) fiendishly toying with Jerry, an adorable yet irrevocably mischievous mouse. After some opening scenes of placing a fake mouse hole (with a funny moment of a dazed Jerry) and a plant pot incident, the ever-unnamed house owner gives Jasper his warning of preventing any more accidents. Like music to Jerry's ears, things don't go smoothly for Jasper - in fact it becomes an uphill battle to stop Jerry from giving him the boot. A devilish demeanour of throwing wine glasses, Jasper retracts the behaviour by using cushions to soften the fall of objects below. Eventually, after a great couple of minutes of Jasper balancing a twenty-foot mountain of assorted kitchen cutlery, he finally succumbs to the cruelty by being booted by Jerry (after swimming in his milk). Being thrown out, Jerry now subsequently enters his den.
The battle here is consistent, creative and very entertaining. The direction is brilliant and the stunning lighting and background rendering is photorealistic in its portrayal of a household circa 1940. The animation of both Jasper and Jerry, not to mention the house owner (though only the lower body) is terrific, with great expressions and movements that are natural in motion. Even little details such as water drops and dust particles are authentic. Hanna and Barbera have certainly taken quality cues from 1930s Disney lore to create a great-looking short.
The sound is equally impressive. The sound effects are great and the only voice-over in the short is good. The music, courtesy of to-be long-time composer Scott Bradley, is great, and phenomenal overall in capturing the fantastical yet sometimes-upbeat, sometimes-down tones of other shorts with his terrific orchestration. Music is definitely one of my long-admired Tom & Jerry qualities, and it all sounds great.
So, a great debut from Hanna and Barbera, Puss in Boots displays the great potential of the would-be franchise with great animation, sound and overall fun to create an impressive debut short.