As soon as the lion stops roaring there's something soaring... in that beautiful melody announcing it will not be a classic "Tom and Jerry" - although a classic it certainly is.
The music accompanying the title-card is so beautiful it could have fitted a Hollywood romantic drama. "Heavenly Puss" was directed in 1949 when the design and animation had reached maturity and the finely detailed backgrounds were a credit to Joseph Barbera and William Hannah's then-perfectionism. And the short holds a special place in my memories, because -simply said- as a kid it scared the hell out of me.
I was the impressionable type and one of my earliest animated traumas dates back to Disney's "Pluto's Judgment Day", Pluto put on trial for his persecution of cats, surrounded by a judge, a prosecutor and jurors of the same species than his victims. The cartoon haunted me for its hellish and nightmarish atmosphere. "Heavenly Puss" follows the same pattern only with roles reversed for it is the cat who has to answer for his actions. And to make its very point, the cartoon opens with Tom peacefully sleeping near the fire and Jerry sneaking his way to the kitchen, not noticing Tom's devilish smirk while the casual music gets ominous, not the usual jazzy stuff. And when Tom stops Jerry from eating a cookie with a knife, we feel that this time, he means business.
We get so used of violence conducted by such props as cherry bombs, baseball bats or anvils but Tom's laughs or reactions and the episodic structures always downplayed it and insisted on the long-term indestructible nature of our favorite foes. This time Tom doesn't seem like bullying but attempting to murder Jerry who escapes by stairs, Tom grabs the stair rug and pulls it until he brings a piano that slides to his direction, Jerry escapes, but Tom is brutally flattened on the wall. A normal outcome by cartoons standards... but suddenly he gets his shape back and lays dead. Then a light illuminates his body. The soul leaves the body and takes an escalator to heaven. That second act is full of breathtaking imagery, partially borrowed from Pressburger and Powell's "A Matter of Life and Death".
The blue sky switches to shades of pink as to indicate a new beginning... I can just imagine the wonder in the eyes that watched that in a theater, whatever film they saw after couldn't have been as impacting. Tom walking on a platform of clouds, finds a train gate for the Heavenly Express, and allow me to say that the sight of these shadowy deceased cats slowly walking to the train before the Conductor (Daws Butler) says "Name Butch" made an impression I can't describe, it really showed a vision that I associated to death. The Conductor welcomes Butch who had one fight too many with a dog, a fat cat who went through a steamroller, another nod to Pluto's cartoon. Last but not least, there's a heartbreaking sight of three little kittens in a wet bag... a children's cartoon aims the innocent ones but doesn't sugarcoat some realities of innocence being murdered. As the Conductor said "what some people won't do".
Tom tries to get the clandestine way (he could see he was in trouble), but the Conductor notices him, examining his record, tells him that he can't get to heaven, even cats have standards. Tom's chance is to ask Jerry to sign a certificate of forgiveness and if he doesn't, well, all dogs don't go to heaven, and Spike (Billy Bletcher) makes quite a convincing devil, Tom's wide-eyed expression at that glimpse on hell says it all. He knows the stakes and he's got only one hour. Third act. Back to Earth with the ominous clock ticking like a Damocles sword, Tom tries to find all sorts of way to convince Jerry, bribing him with cheese and a delicious cake and even trying to sign in his place before the conductor "uh, uh" him. The suspense reaches a Hitchcockian limit until Jerry tears down the paper and Tom snaps. As he's about to hit Jerry with a fire poker, Evil Spike encourages him to finish him, Tom's reaction is heartbreaking in its desperateness. At that point, he realizes the meaning of his actions. At that point, he does feel sorry.
There comes a heart-pounding (or breaking) climax orchestrated by a nervous tempo where Tom literally pantomimes what awaits him if Jerry doesn't sign, the moment he begs Jerry to sign is some powerful storytelling. When the pen doesn't work, you can almost feel your heart stop. Now, let me tell you that as a kid, I turned to the volume down not to hear the "All aboard" as something in the echo and the tone made it unbearable to my ears... I can also see my mother bumping into the end of the cartoon and being glued to the screen ... her shocked reaction when the stairway disappeared and the trap door opened under Tom's feet so he can wave us goodbye. And as a kid I was more scared by the dramatic fall into the pit than the cauldron moment that immediately faded to the "all a nightmare" realization, just like Pluto with good old harmless fire.
Such a dark cartoon had to end with a relief and a little smile, Tom hugging a shrugging Jerry. We know the next short will have them as enemies again but it would be for fun for Tom finally knew his limits. In seven minutes, a wide range of emotions and themes were contained in "Heavenly Puss", a short about morals, accountability, responsibility and ultimately, redemption. ... "Heavenly Puss" is heavenly animation and storytelling and one of the best "Tom and Jerry".
The music accompanying the title-card is so beautiful it could have fitted a Hollywood romantic drama. "Heavenly Puss" was directed in 1949 when the design and animation had reached maturity and the finely detailed backgrounds were a credit to Joseph Barbera and William Hannah's then-perfectionism. And the short holds a special place in my memories, because -simply said- as a kid it scared the hell out of me.
I was the impressionable type and one of my earliest animated traumas dates back to Disney's "Pluto's Judgment Day", Pluto put on trial for his persecution of cats, surrounded by a judge, a prosecutor and jurors of the same species than his victims. The cartoon haunted me for its hellish and nightmarish atmosphere. "Heavenly Puss" follows the same pattern only with roles reversed for it is the cat who has to answer for his actions. And to make its very point, the cartoon opens with Tom peacefully sleeping near the fire and Jerry sneaking his way to the kitchen, not noticing Tom's devilish smirk while the casual music gets ominous, not the usual jazzy stuff. And when Tom stops Jerry from eating a cookie with a knife, we feel that this time, he means business.
We get so used of violence conducted by such props as cherry bombs, baseball bats or anvils but Tom's laughs or reactions and the episodic structures always downplayed it and insisted on the long-term indestructible nature of our favorite foes. This time Tom doesn't seem like bullying but attempting to murder Jerry who escapes by stairs, Tom grabs the stair rug and pulls it until he brings a piano that slides to his direction, Jerry escapes, but Tom is brutally flattened on the wall. A normal outcome by cartoons standards... but suddenly he gets his shape back and lays dead. Then a light illuminates his body. The soul leaves the body and takes an escalator to heaven. That second act is full of breathtaking imagery, partially borrowed from Pressburger and Powell's "A Matter of Life and Death".
The blue sky switches to shades of pink as to indicate a new beginning... I can just imagine the wonder in the eyes that watched that in a theater, whatever film they saw after couldn't have been as impacting. Tom walking on a platform of clouds, finds a train gate for the Heavenly Express, and allow me to say that the sight of these shadowy deceased cats slowly walking to the train before the Conductor (Daws Butler) says "Name Butch" made an impression I can't describe, it really showed a vision that I associated to death. The Conductor welcomes Butch who had one fight too many with a dog, a fat cat who went through a steamroller, another nod to Pluto's cartoon. Last but not least, there's a heartbreaking sight of three little kittens in a wet bag... a children's cartoon aims the innocent ones but doesn't sugarcoat some realities of innocence being murdered. As the Conductor said "what some people won't do".
Tom tries to get the clandestine way (he could see he was in trouble), but the Conductor notices him, examining his record, tells him that he can't get to heaven, even cats have standards. Tom's chance is to ask Jerry to sign a certificate of forgiveness and if he doesn't, well, all dogs don't go to heaven, and Spike (Billy Bletcher) makes quite a convincing devil, Tom's wide-eyed expression at that glimpse on hell says it all. He knows the stakes and he's got only one hour. Third act. Back to Earth with the ominous clock ticking like a Damocles sword, Tom tries to find all sorts of way to convince Jerry, bribing him with cheese and a delicious cake and even trying to sign in his place before the conductor "uh, uh" him. The suspense reaches a Hitchcockian limit until Jerry tears down the paper and Tom snaps. As he's about to hit Jerry with a fire poker, Evil Spike encourages him to finish him, Tom's reaction is heartbreaking in its desperateness. At that point, he realizes the meaning of his actions. At that point, he does feel sorry.
There comes a heart-pounding (or breaking) climax orchestrated by a nervous tempo where Tom literally pantomimes what awaits him if Jerry doesn't sign, the moment he begs Jerry to sign is some powerful storytelling. When the pen doesn't work, you can almost feel your heart stop. Now, let me tell you that as a kid, I turned to the volume down not to hear the "All aboard" as something in the echo and the tone made it unbearable to my ears... I can also see my mother bumping into the end of the cartoon and being glued to the screen ... her shocked reaction when the stairway disappeared and the trap door opened under Tom's feet so he can wave us goodbye. And as a kid I was more scared by the dramatic fall into the pit than the cauldron moment that immediately faded to the "all a nightmare" realization, just like Pluto with good old harmless fire.
Such a dark cartoon had to end with a relief and a little smile, Tom hugging a shrugging Jerry. We know the next short will have them as enemies again but it would be for fun for Tom finally knew his limits. In seven minutes, a wide range of emotions and themes were contained in "Heavenly Puss", a short about morals, accountability, responsibility and ultimately, redemption. ... "Heavenly Puss" is heavenly animation and storytelling and one of the best "Tom and Jerry".