Cat and mouse rivals Tom & Jerry began life in a series of short cartoons in 1940. Over the years they’ve been revived several times and their latest iteration comes in the form of Tim Story’s Tom & Jerry: The Movie. Set in contemporary New York, the story centres around a prestigious hotel as it prepares for the wedding of the century. In need of a job and a place to stay, plucky millennial Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz) blags her way onto the event team alongside uptight manager, Terrence (Michael Peña). As if planning the ultimate extravaganza wedding wasn’t enough, the pair find themselves with a mouse problem. That mouse is of course Jerry, and as he settles in, Kayla turns to his old foe Tom for help evicting the furry squatter. Anyone who has seen an episode of the famous cartoon will know just how well the eviction process goes; cue manic chaos and a wedding in jeopardy.
Told in the “real world”, our iconic cartoon duo remain in their two-dimensional animated form. In fact, all the animals within the film are portrayed as such. It’s a smart decision from Tim Story and his team as it jars a lot less than the animation in other similar films like Garfield where he is the only animated creature in the entire film. Here the rules of the movie world are simple; humans are the same, but animals appear in cartoon form and no one minds. This choice is perhaps the beginning and end of Tom & Jerry’s originality, but it at least makes for a more logical prospect for the older audience members.
Tom & Jerry: The Movie is by no means perfect, falling into many familiar traps. In a bid to grab its young audience, the script is packed full of nods to current fads and trends. Whilst this might get the occasional chuckle now, it’s uncertain how much shelf-life they will get before they age the film dramatically. It also suffers from a distinct lack of Tom and Jerry, with most of the run-time focusing on Moretz’s Kayla. In fact, in many ways it feels almost as if the screen rivals have been retrofitted into a story in which they weren’t originally present. Instead of being the focus, they feel almost like side characters in their own movie, which is a massive shame and will lead to fatigue from younger viewers early on as there are long gaps between cat and mouse action. I watched with a two-year-old present who had a lot of fun initially, dancing along to the singing pigeons who were a particular favourite, but her interest soon waned when the story shifted to people.
When the cat and mouse antics are on-screen they pay homage and respect to some of the classic cartoons that fans know and hold dear. The team also brings back not just Tom and Jerry, but some of the other memorable characters such as Spike the dog. Whilst it’s not quite a treasure chest of Easter eggs for the devoted, there is enough present to keep them contented, The target demographic are obviously those unfamiliar with the pair, but with so little of them to see, it’s not likely that this’ll kick-start much of a revival, which is a shame.
Tom & Jerry: The Movie is available now to rent at home from all participating digital retailers.
Tom & Jerry: The Movies
Summary
A by-the-numbers disposable kids’ film that makes for an entertaining if not entirely engaging school holiday watch.
