Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Michael_Elliott Mouse in Manhattan (1945)** 1/2 (out of 4) This is one of the lesser Tom and Jerry shorts as it pretty much has the mouse going solo. The short starts off with Jerry leaving a note saying that the country life has him bored so he's off to the big city. Once in the big city he enjoys what he sees but soon realizes that it can be scary. As I said, this short pretty much has a brief appearance by Tom at the start and end so it's basically a showcase for a solo Jerry. The end results aren't bad but there's no question that there aren't too many laughs and at times you can't help but wish the cat was around to jack up the action. I will say that the animation is extremely good and I really liked all the details during certain scenes including the skyline when Jerry is dancing on the table.

Shawn Watson This cartoon has T&J living a quiet life out in a cosy country cottage. Tom is bored with country life and decides to leave for the Big Apple one night. Writing a goodbye note to Tom, he catches the next train to his new, exciting life.When he gets there he discovers that Manhattan is not so inviting to small rodents. Everywhere he goes, from Grand Central to posh dinner parties, he is tormented with the rude idiosyncrasies of big city life. Eventually landing in a dirty alley, he is run out of town by an army of hungry stray cats.Back the cottage, the still sleeping Tom (who does nothing else in this cartoon) has not yet read the note, which Jerry promptly tears up before going back into his mouse-hole. Better the Devil you know huh?

SnorrSm1989 I loved Tom & Jerry as a child--even more so, I think, than the short films of Disney and Warner Brothers. Like pretty much any kid who grew up with TV, I'd gladly embrace almost any kind of animation show to entertain me, but there was something special about this cat and mouse; particularly the original Hannah-Barbara shorts from the 40s. Though I do watch these things much less often than during childhood, I enjoy them perhaps even a bit more now; not only do I still find them funny, but they downright impress me. To create and establish two personalities so fully-rounded and endearing, while essentially neglecting the availability of spoken dialogue, is incredible. The "dialogue" of Tom & Jerry is the wide variety of facial expressions, body language and, not to forget, wonderful music. Coyote & Road Runner adapt a similar formula but aim for rather one-dimensional slapstick in comparison; their personalities are nowhere as nuanced (even complex) as Tom & Jerry. Don't get me wrong, I liked Road Runner a lot too while growing up, but one doesn't truly need to see more than one short to get the picture. Tom & Jerry, on the other hand, provided many different and unexpected twists in their stories (in the first decade or so, anyway).One example of such an "uncharacteristic" Tom & Jerry-short is MOUSE IN MANHATTAN. Tom is barely involved in the story at all, as Jerry has decided to leave their farm for a life in the big city. We follow his struggles in this new way of life, as he is almost run down by many a car and later on mistakes a little doll for being a real lady. In Tom's absence, the humor turns out less cruel than usual; we may not laugh at Jerry's naive mishaps in the same way we do when Tom screams out loud in pain, but it's still very funny in a more tender manner. The soundtrack is particularly wonderful; much like in the films of Charlie Chaplin (who composed music to his own films), the melodies in Tom & Jerry do not necessarily strive to match the action in the films by being "funny," but often evoke a somewhat romantic touch. I'm not sure if the smaller kids would enjoy MOUSE IN MANHATTAN as much as some more fast-driven Tom & Jerry-shorts, but to me it's certainly a favorite. Very charming and even beautiful. (This review has since been somewhat revised and updated, Jan. 2013)

Popeye-8 A true classic from the normally overrated TOM and JERRY series, features the MGM animation staff at its finest...the scene where Jerry 'ice skates' with the table decoration dolls may be animation's finest hour. Also, the scene where the subway windows flash by will make you believe that animation's true geniuses were NOT at Disney or Warners. A must-see cartoon.