Saturday, February 27, 2021

Tom and Jerry Review: The Classic Cartoon Duo Translated To The Big Screen

Chloë Grace Moretz	...	Kayla Michael Peña	Michael Peña	...	Terence Tom	Tom	...	Tom Jerry	Jerry	...	Jerry Jordan Bolger	Jordan Bolger	...	Cameron Rob Delaney	Rob Delaney	...	Mr Dubros Patsy Ferran	Patsy Ferran	...	Joy the Bell Girl Pallavi Sharda	Pallavi Sharda	...	Preeta Colin Jost	Colin Jost	...	Ben Somi De Souza	Somi De Souza	...	Mrs Mehta Ajay Chhabra	Ajay Chhabra	...	Mr Mehta Patrick Poletti	Patrick Poletti	...	Mr Jacobson Snr Janis Ahern	Janis Ahern	...	Mrs Jacobson Ken Jeong	Ken Jeong	...	Chef Jackie Camilla Arfwedson	Camilla Arfwedson	...	Linda Perrybottom

Release date: February 26, 2021
Running time: 101 minutes
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Colin Jost, Pallavi Sharda
Directed By: Tim Story

Adaptation of the classic Hanna-Barbera property, which reveals how Tom and Jerry first meet and form their rivalry.

Directed by  Tim Story	...	(directed by)Writing Credits   William Hanna	...	(based on characters created by) and Joseph Barbera	...	(based on characters created by)   Kevin Costello	...	(written by)   	Joe Bone	...	Animal Control Officer Edward Judge	Edward Judge	...	Leo the Sous Chef Brian Bovell	Brian Bovell	...	Annoyed Vendor David Nolan	David Nolan	...	Passing Father Jude Coward Nicoll	Jude Coward Nicoll	...	Passing Child Christina Chong	Christina Chong	...	Lola Daniel Adegboyega	Daniel Adegboyega	...	Gavin the Doorman Craig Stein	Craig Stein	...	Job Hopper Supervisor Edward Dogliani	Edward Dogliani	...	Elephant Trainer Josselyn Ospina-Escobar	Josselyn Ospina-Escobar	...	Carriage Riding Kid (as Josselyn Ospina Escobar) Ozuna	Ozuna	...	Assistant Hotel Staff Paolo Bonolis	Paolo Bonolis	...	Wedding Guest Haley Bishop	Haley Bishop	...	Person in Park Norma Butikofer	Norma Butikofer	...	Commuter Marc Wesley DeHaney	Marc Wesley DeHaney	...	Commuter Kerri McLean	Kerri McLean	...	News Reporter Sophie Holland	Sophie Holland	...	TV Announcer Joseph Begley	Joseph Begley	...	Workman Scott Coker	Scott Coker	...	Limo Driver Joe Buck	Joe Buck	...	Joe Buck Bobby Cannavale	Bobby Cannavale	...	Spike (voice) Nicky Jam	Nicky Jam	...	Butch (voice) Joey Wells	Joey Wells	...	Lightning (voice) Harry Ratchford	Harry Ratchford	...	Topsy (voice) Will 'Spank' Horton	Will 'Spank' Horton	...	Ash (as Spank Horton) Na'im Lynn	Na'im Lynn	...	Meathead (voice) Lil Rel Howery	Lil Rel Howery	...	Angel / Devil Tom (voice) Utkarsh Ambudkar	Utkarsh Ambudkar	...	Real Estate Rat (voice) Tim Story	Tim Story	...	Pigeon Announcer (voice)
Tom and Jerry is a movie set in the "real" world with cartoon animals throughout.  It is a smart choice that lets you have recognizable actors interact with the recognizable pair.  And the movie does a good job of making them feel like part of the action.  The animated style smartly recreates the characters in a recognizable form but adjusted for 3D.  It is very impressive to see and hats off to the animators who managed to translate Tom and Jerry's mannerisms, expressions, and overall interactions in the real world.  And the real actors who accompany Tom and Jerry (and the other animated animals) feel natural.  There are no awkward interactions or uncanny valley breaking scenes, everything feels fluid and natural.  The animated animal's effects on the real world locations are also seamless, a testament to the effects team for having real world damage mirror the animated character's movements.

The story of Tom and Jerry is serviceable, providing an origin story for the pair and enough of a reason to have them fall into Kayla (Grace Moretz)'s world.  And the story also provides enough antics to keep the pair moving through the world, destroying as they go.  The film does an admirable job of trying to put a larger story on top of the episodic format of the TV show.  It allows for a more involved storyline and for some character development from this dynamic duo and some additional friends they make along the way.  And one of the most notable updates from the original cartoon is the entertaining soundtrack.  The movie has a lot of added hip hop to spice this all up and give the music a more modern flair.

But as fun as it was to see Tom and Jerry come to life in the real world, their format just didn't seem to translate well into a modern movie.  Their fighting, while fun to watch in a cartoon, one off format, seemed petty and vindictive in a longer form movie.  And it seemed to go way over the top when translated into a real world scenario.  I can't fault the movie that much because it was trying to keep the same format and style of the original cartoon, and it succeeded in that respect.  But it also felt like the overall conflict and ridiculousness of the fighting just didn't translate well into this format.  And the movie does wrap up a little too quickly and conveniently, but the movie is already relatively long for a kids movie.  But if the ultimate consumer is to be the judge, my kids really enjoyed this one.  

Tom and Jerry translates the classic cartoon for the big screen, with all the craziness, slapstick humor, and lovable fighting from this cat and mouse duo that you would expect. 

Rent it.

Gianni Calchetti	...	Photographer (uncredited) Mike Capozzola	Mike Capozzola	...	Wealthy Man (uncredited) Wong Charlie	Wong Charlie	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited) Darren Charman	Darren Charman	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited) Stuart Cooke	Stuart Cooke	...	Construction Worker (uncredited) Nesba Crenshaw	Nesba Crenshaw	...	Grateful Woman (uncredited) Grant Crookes	Grant Crookes	...	Driver (uncredited) Daniel Eghan	Daniel Eghan	...	New York Citizen (uncredited) Eleanor Fanyinka	Eleanor Fanyinka	...	Sadie (uncredited) Juliet Hartley	Juliet Hartley	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited) Ty Hurley	Ty Hurley	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited) Jeremy Ang Jones	Jeremy Ang Jones	...	Boyfriend (uncredited) Joelle Koissi	Joelle Koissi	...	New York Resident (uncredited) Mervi Koski	Mervi Koski	...	New York Resident (uncredited) Nina Kumar	Nina Kumar	...	Taxi Cab Driver / Hotel Guest (uncredited) Maya Larholm	Maya Larholm	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited) Chelsea Li	Chelsea Li	...	Hotel Bar Guest (uncredited) Keith Lomas	Keith Lomas	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited) Tyrone Love	Tyrone Love	...	Chef (uncredited) Prince Marfo	Prince Marfo	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited) Obie Matthew	Obie Matthew	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited) Doris McCarthy	Doris McCarthy	...	Park Goer (uncredited) Bradley Wj Miller	Bradley Wj Miller	...	Luggage Handler / Driver (uncredited) Sri Moorthy	Sri Moorthy	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited) Jamie Neagle	Jamie Neagle	...	Passerby (uncredited) Deonne Newby	Deonne Newby	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited) Shaun Newnham	Shaun Newnham	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited) Tina Louise Owens	Tina Louise Owens	...	New York Resident (uncredited) John Alan Roberts	John Alan Roberts	...	Double (Michael Pena) (uncredited) Camilla Rutherford	Camilla Rutherford	...	Wealthy Woman (uncredited) Leandra Ryan	Leandra Ryan	...	Yoga Instructor (uncredited) Bernardo Santos	Bernardo Santos	...	Aaron Merritt (uncredited) Joakim Skarli	Joakim Skarli	...	Chef (uncredited) Emily Stevenson	Emily Stevenson	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited) Mihai Tuca	Mihai Tuca	...	Guest (uncredited) Keira Whitwell	Keira Whitwell	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited) Chris Wilson	Chris Wilson	...	Spa Massage Customer (uncredited) Wayne Young	Wayne Young	...	Chef (uncredited)
If you liked this review and want to see more from Watch or Pass, please consider 
following us on our various social media platforms: FacebookTwitterInstagramYoutube.  Tom and Jerry Premieres in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, February 26.

No comments:

Post a Comment

ShareThis