Reviews

The Million Dollar Cat is an all time classic Tom and Jerry. This cartoon manages to be incredibly funny, creative, and entertaining. Every time I watch this cartoon, I have so much fun seeing this. The whole part after the newspaper montage is an example of peak Tom and Jerry. The scene when Tom gets out of the car and blows a raspberry at Jerry, then hits a pole, makes me laugh out loud every time. Tom's scene at breakfast, the whole sequence where he finally snaps, is so funny. His line, said in the most exasperated way ever, and him screaming in joy going after Jerry is great. Not to mention all the other touches in the cartoon I haven't mention, such as the beautiful morning shots of Tom's apartment, the music in the car scene, as well as animation, and the running gag of Jerry showing off the telegram is great. This cartoon is great. I can't even describe how entertaining this can be. You have to go watch it. This earns a recommendation for sure.

The Zoot Cat is pretty funny. Tom's attitude once he gets the Zoot suit is incredibly entertaining. The impressive character animation gives him a certain swagger and confidence that makes me laugh every time. The cat he is perusing is one I don't remember from any other cartoons. The long lines Tom and Jerry get in this short is a change of pace that is very nice. I also love the jokes in this cartoon. The scene of Tom playing the piano, then realizing he is on fire is always entertaining, as well as the first dance Tom and the other cat do. The only detracting factor in this cartoon is Jerry getting the Zoot suit in the end, as I really wanted Tom to succeed in this one. He's a lot funnier than previous cartoons, and I really wanted him to win. This is overall a great cartoon, and definitely recommended.

Tom is absolutely humiliated in this short, and none of it feels deserved. Tom is forcibly dressed up like a baby and made to be the plaything of an annoying child. His cat friends, Butch, Meathead, and Topsy all come into his house and make fun of, torture, and humiliate him. He is constantly thrown around and messed with for no good reason. In the end, he is also given castor oil, and I feel bad for him. The only redeeming qualities of this cartoon include the famous Jerry in the shower scene, the song the cats sing, with Topsy even dressing like Carmen Maranda, and the diaper change scene, while sad for Tom, is funny, such as the surgical nature, and Tom getting hit by a hammer. The bulk of this cartoon, however, is an unpleasant short that just makes you feel bad for Tom.

The first Oscar winning short, The Yankee Doodle Mouse, is fine. In my opinion, this shirt is incredibly subpar, with nothing of real enjoyment found. I believe this short to be boring because of the gags just not landing for me. The part with Tom and the tiny stick of dynamite comes to mind, which has never really landed for me. Some other, like the cheese grater car Jerry uses, the pot that Tom floats on, and the eggs being used as grenades, just don't land for me. The best part of this cartoon is when flour is spread, and Tom is hit multiple times with a board. The finale feels a little boring, with Jerry doing the same basic rope tie trick. I understand why many like this short, and how it was able to win an Oscar, but overall, I don't like The Yankee Doodle Mouse very much.

The Lonesome Mouse is a great cartoon. While a rather basic plot, with Jerry and Tom realizing how much they need each other, it becomes entertaining. Tom and Jerry's brief dialogue in the short is a routine change, and it's always nice to hear them say one or two things. The gags involving them fake fighting, as well as both antagonizing Mammy Two-Shoes, is always funny, and it's nice to sometimes see Tom and Jerry team up. Other highlights include Jerry jumping around when Tom is kicked out, including ripping his pillow and giving him a Hitler mustache, Tom becoming the Sphinx with a broom, and Jerry slamming Tom into a pie at the end. This cartoon is very funny, and a recommended watch for even a casual Tom and Jerry fan.

Sufferin' Cats is a rather basic cartoon. A very basic rivalry between Tom and another cat (Meathead in this case) and Jerry playing both sides. The cartoon is very solid all around, with some funny jokes, some good animation, and fine backgrounds. The cartoon is just a little bland, mostly because of how it aged. This type of plot, Tom's rivalry, is better developed in later cartoons, with more success than this one. This makes this cartoon kind of worse, at it is now a subpar cartoon when compared to later tries. While done better, Sufferin' Cats is funny, and quite unique in the 1943 shorts.

One consistent plot type throughout this series is Jerry meeting an animal, and then that animals helps with Tom. Now, some of those shorts are very good. Fine Feathered Friend is not one of them. The short is not very interesting. It drags in every sense of the word. The short feels slow, dragged out, and like one gag could've been repurposed into a barnyard shirt focusing on multiple animals. The chicken is also not likable. It's not like most other cartoons, where Jerry's friend has a motive. The chicken hates Tom for basically no reason. The gag with Jerry accidentally going with the ducks is given a very long and boring setup. I just feel bad for Tom in this short. He did nothing. The only thing I enjoyed was Jerry's little chick peeps. It was adorable. Other than that, this cartoon is terrible, and I recommend never watching this.

The Bowling Alley-Cat is the very first in a series of Tom and Jerry cartoons about sports. This cartoon is where I think, they finally really nail the pacing. The jokes flow naturally, the cartoon is constantly exciting, and the jokes are very good. The most entertaining was definitely when Tom runs to the lobby to try to catch the bowling ball. It is consistently entertaining, but this cartoon doesn't really have the artistry of some later entries. Despite lacking in that department, the cartoon is very consistent. It is able to overall remain funny throughout. I just don't like the color of Tom, and some jokes are just ok. Other than that, a very solid cartoon.

This cartoon was bland. It was not interesting. I think it is the first real Tom and Jerry dud. This short is not entertaining. Nothing about this short is memorable, except for Toots, but that's because she is far more memorable in later cartoons (The Mouse Comes to Dinner). The jokes aren't memorable, the backgrounds and animation aren't anything to write home about, and, quite frankly, it feels below average. Obviously, Bill and Joe were still seeing what would work and how they could structure a Tom and Jerry cartoon, but this is just not good, even as a little experiment. This short is not worth a watch, unless you absolutely love Tom and Jerry. Even then, I would rarely rewatch it.

When I first heard of this cartoon, I thought it wouldn't be very good. Tom and Jerry teaming up? Most episodes revolving around that premise are bad or fine, but Dog Trouble is actually a lot of fun. This is probably because of Spike. Unlike later characterizations, he goes after both Tom and Jerry, something refreshing when compared to his blatant love of Jerry later on. Nothing really stands out about this cartoon though. While a fun short, with the team up and meaner Spike, it's just not very notable. It's a basic Tom/Jerry/Spike short with a twist, and while that's entertaining, it doesn't stand out in any other ways. It's just a good, classic, fun Tom and Jerry short.

Fraidy Cat is definitely different compared to most other Tom and Jerry shorts. Being a little more spooky and horror oriented compared to other shorts. But that makes this one unique, a curiosity, and fun. This short is great. The spookier nature makes it very enjoyable, with the radio show and Tom's constant reactions being a highlight for me. The voice acting for the radio show was great, and it was an entertaining start. The rest of the short is great. Jerry's attempts to scare Tom with the vacuum ghost were great, and the scene of all of Tom's lives coming out and biting him was hilarious. Even the end, with Jerry losing along with Tom, was entertaining and different from other shorts. The only downside is how slow some of it can be, but the spooks and differences compared to most shorts make it an entertaining watch.

The first thing I noticed in this short was the backgrounds. They were beautiful in this short, with the opening shots of the tree and presents, as well as the house, looking great. The beginning of this short is very boring, with Jerry going around exploring the presents, while lame gags follow. When Tom arrives, the short gets better, but it doesn't reach the same heights of the previous two, at least for me. Some of the animation, particularly on Tom, is great, but nothing really noticeable when compared to other shorts. The standout part is Jerry being locked outside, seeing the snow rise and Tom's guilt. I just think this short isn't very interesting, and it is overall boring at some parts.

The Midnight Snack is definitely an improvement over Puss Gets the Boot. The character designs have improved over Puss Gets the Boot, with Tom being bluer, and a bit softer, while Jerry looks a little less ratty. The episode is also funnier, with some moments including Tom getting hit by the trash can and Jerry getting objects stacked on top of his cheese. This episode is unfortunately one of the longer ones, and for a minute, it really drags along slowly. The downside to this cartoon is definitely it's runtime. It could be shortened to 7-8 minutes long. Otherwise, this cartoon is pretty fun, but the length definitely ruins some of it.

Puss Gets the Boot is a fine cartoon. When compared to other Tom and Jerry cartoons, it is a subpar short, definitely outshined by later shorts. Despite this, it is still funny. The comedy was ether from the beginning, and this is still enjoyable, with some of the gags being funny and repeated in later shorts. The designs of Tom and Jerry are something that isn't good about this short, but since it was the series start, it isn't a major problem. The only problem with this short is how it's aged. It has been majorly outdone by what comes after, and due to some of it's shortcomings, like it's runtime, which I found to be to long, or some parts just not being very funny, it is definitely a fine Tom and Jerry short, but definitely can be improved on.

I can't stand the amount of praise and coverage this short gets. Greatest cartoon ever? Greatest Bugs Bunny? Greatest Looney Tune? Completely overblown. It's a subpar short. The backgrounds are the only real thing worthy of praise here. They are beautiful, and Maurice Noble hits it out of the park again with the abstract layouts and designs. Everything else about this short is subpar. Bugs and Elmer's opera style cartoon was perfected in Rabbit of Seville, but here it's just worse. There are practically no gags at all. It's not funny. Rabbit of Seville )the cartoon I'll be comparing it too) has many gags taking advantage of the opera style and the contents of the play it's a parody of. This cartoon has no gags and it suffers. Some cartoons have no gags, but are entertaining because of the story. This story is essentially the story of A Wild Hare. Elmer is trying to hunt and kill Bugs Bunny. That's almost cartoons with them. The actual animation isn't very good either. It's obviously gotten worse since some of the cartoons just a year or two before. Elmer and Bugs singing just isn't very good either. Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan are very talented, but Bugs and Elmer's singing voices just annoy me every time in this cartoon. And they've been great before too! I just don't get it. This is a subpar cartoon, and doesn't deserve the praise and glory and respect it gets. Why this cartoon as the best? I don't get it's appeal. To me, this is a overrated subpar cartoon. Why not praise more of the other Looney Tunes? Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening, Porky in Wackyland, Duck Dodgers, Rabbit Fire, The Scarlet Pumpernickel, and so many more cartoons are way more deserving than this bland mess of a short. It's just overrated and bad.