Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse (1947)

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse" is a 7.5-minute cartoon short film from 1947, so this one has its 70th anniversary this year now and the title is of course a reference to the famous Robert Louis Stevenson novel that was perhaps more known back then than it is today. It also won actor Frederic March an Oscar for example. But back to this one here: This is one of the rare occasions when Tom and Jerry were nominated for an Oscar, but came short as the WB entry took it that year. Nonetheless, this is still among the most known works by the world's most famous cat-and-mouse duo. And it is an okay watch that basically gets better the longer it goes. The introduction and presentation of the issues Tom has with Jerry drinking a bit of his milk, may have been slightly too long, but when the poisoned milk comes into play, the quality increases and the very end with tiny Tom was a real highlight. It reminds us that certain species react differently to medication, especially if the quantity of how much they drank differs so strongly. All in all, probably not my favorite T&J short, but a good watch nonetheless. I give it a thumbs-up.

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse" is unusual in that it was nominated for an Oscar. However, when you see it you'll certainly understand. The animation (like all Tom & Jerry cartoons) is top-rate and the story is great fun. As a kid, I loved this cartoon and when I saw it again tonight I found I still do! Much of this cartoon is the typical sort of Tom & Jerry fare--Tom is trying to kill Jerry but with no success. However, this time Tom decides to use his brain (uh, oh!) and makes a concoction designed to kill the mouse--or at least knock him out cold! Instead, the formula is like the Jekyll and Hyde potion in that Jerry changes--into a HUGE and well-muscled mouse who beats the snot out of Tom. In the end, Tom decides to try the potion himself...with hilarious results.

I am actually very fond of this cartoon for what it is: an intentional tribute to the Mickey Mouse cartoon "The Worm Turns" of 1937. That this has been left out of every other post on this message board is utterly amazing! It also makes it slightly surprising that the cartoon itself was nominated for an Academy Award, although many other tributes and parodies have had the honors over the years.The scene with the fly is a direct parody of the Mickey toon, in which a fly is the first to benefit from the newly concocted "Courage Builder" strength elixir. The sound effects, as well as much of the visual popping and sparkling in the mixture, are directly lifted from this cartoon.The complex, and undeniably great result is a cartoon with a unique twist in the ending, which provides a much greater entertainment value for someone familiar with the earlier toon, who can appreciate the contrast and the blatant inter-textual references.

'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse' is an Oscar-nominated Tom and Jerry cartoon and I must admit it is pretty good. Not only is it funny but it uses the way animation should be used and especially the ending is quite inventive, although we have a feeling things will happen the way it does.We see how Tom steals some milk and as he starts drinking Jerry joins him. Of course the cat does not like this very much and he tries to keep the milk away from the mouse. He doesn't succeed. Then he puts some poison and other stuff in the milk, tests it on a fly which gives a very big laugh, and gives it to Jerry. The result is not really what Tom was hoping for. Eventually it leads to the ending that is one of the better ones from the Tom and Jerry cartoons.