Tom and Jerry: The Movie (film)
- For the 2021 live-action film, see Tom & Jerry (film).
| Tom and Jerry: The Movie (film) | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster. | |
| Production company | Film Roman |
| Distributor | Miramax Films |
| Release date | July 30, 1992 |
| Starring | Richard Kind Dana Hill Anndi McAfee Charlotte Rae Tony Jay Henry Gibson Rip Taylor Ed Gilbert David L. Lander Michael Bell Howard Morris |
| Executive producer(s) | Roger Mayer Jack Petrik Hans Brockmann Justin Ackerman |
| Producer(s) | Phil Roman |
| Music composed by | Henry Mancini |
| Screenplay by | Dennis Marks |
| Director(s) | Phil Roman |
| Title card | |
| |
Tom and Jerry: The Movie is an American animated musical comedy film. This is the first full-length theatrical Tom and Jerry film, inspired by the 162 theatrical shorts distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) from 1940 to 1957. Incidentally, this full-length adventure is something of a tribute to MGM's musicals. It was distributed by Miramax Films on July 30, 1992. The film was written by Dennis Marks, and produced and directed by Phil Roman through his animation company Film Roman.
The big marketing gimmick for the film was that Tom and Jerry were able to talk throughout, even though the duo were already capable of talking in complete sentences in the aforementioned shorts.
After losing their home, Tom and Jerry find themselves having to work together, especially when they come into contact with an orphan girl named Robyn, who they must help escape her unscrupulous guardian, Aunt Figg, so she can locate her missing father.
Detailed summary
Memorable quotes
Puggsy: The name is Puggsy. What's yours?
Tom: I'm Tom.
Jerry: I'm Jerry.
Tom and Jerry: You talked!
Tom: Hey! How come you never spoke before?
Jerry: Well, there was nothing I wanted to say that I thought you'd understand. And there still isn't!
Lickboot: Just pray the police find her, or we're doomed to return to the ranks of the peasantry. And you'd better hope this rumor that dashing Daddy Starling may have survived the avalanche is just a rumor, or we'll be worse than ordinary. We'll be...
Pristine Figg: Don't say it!
Lickboot: Poor.
Pristine Figg: Pennyless!
Lickboot: Bankrupt!
Pristine Figg: No more m-money?
Lickboot: We've got to have... money!
Droopy: Hello, all you happy people.
Characters
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Organizations
Locations
- Earth
- United States
- Condemned house
- Bill and Joe's
- Phil's
- Starling residence
- Dr. Applecheek's animal shelter
- Robyn's Nest
- Lickboot's office
- Milk carton factory
- Cap'n Kiddie's Water Carnival
- Cleveland (mentioned)
- Carnegie Hall (mentioned)
- Maine (mentioned)
- Minneapolis (mentioned)
- Canada (mentioned)
- Montreal (mentioned)
- Saskatoon (mentioned)
- England (mentioned)
- London (mentioned)
- St Paul's Cathedral (mentioned)
- London (mentioned)
- Rome (mentioned)
- Tibet
- United States
- The Moon
Objects
- Robyn's locket
- Ferdinand's skateboard
- Squawk (Howard Morris)
Vehicles
- Moving van
- Aunt Figg's car
- Ship
- Robyn's steamboat
Production
Development
Casting
Filming
Music
- Main article: Tom and Jerry: The Movie (soundtrack)
Henry Mancini composed the music and songs, while the lyrics were written by Leslie Bricusse, except for "All in How Much We Give", which was provided by Jody Davidson.
The Tom and Jerry theme was performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of London at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.
In 1992, Joseph Barbera made an unsuccessful attempt to get Michael Jackson to sing in the film,[1] which may have been for the songs Stephanie Mills ended up performing.
Songs
- "Friends to the End" - Dana Hill, Richard Kind, Ed Gilbert, and David L. Lander
- "What Do We Care? (The Alley Cat Song)" - Raymond McLeod, Mitchel Moore, and Scott Wojahn
- "(Money is Such) A Beautiful Word" - Charlotte Rae and Tony Jay
- "God's Little Creatures" - Henry Gibson
- "I Miss You" – Robyn's Song - Anndi McAfee
- "I've Done It All" - Rip Taylor and Howard Morris
- "I Miss You" - Stephanie Mills
- "All in How Much We Give" - Stephanie Mills
Release
Dates are in order of release:
- United States: July 30, 1992
Behind the scenes
- Before his home is torn down, Jerry's calendar is marked August.
- Bill & Joe's stakehouse/seafood restaurant is named after Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, respectively, who co-created and co-directed the Tom and Jerry shorts at MGM's animation studio.
- During the alleycats' song, the Film Roman logo is partially visible.
- Phil's is named after Phil Roman.
- Dr. Applecheek mentions Gucci, the fashion wear.
- Although not strongly touched upon, Aunt Figg's connection to Robyn is that she's actually the nanny, as Figg described herself while on the phone with Lickboot.
- According to the back of Corgi's six-pack set, Robyn is nine years old.
Errors
- The big hook of the film is that Tom and Jerry can now talk, even though in the theatrical shorts before this full-length film, they displayed their ability to talk, either on their own or to each other, and even sing on numerous occasions, such as in The Lonesome Mouse, The Zoot Cat, The Million Dollar Cat, The Bodyguard, The Mouse Comes to Dinner, Quiet, Please!, Springtime for Thomas, The Milky Waif, Trap Happy, Solid Serenade, Part Time Pal, whispering in A Mouse in the House, Kitty Foiled, whispering in Old Rockin' Chair Tom, Mouse Cleaning, Saturday Evening Puss, The Framed Cat, His Mouse Friday, Cruise Cat, The Missing Mouse, Puppy Tale, whispering in Posse Cat, Tom and Chérie, That's My Mommy, whispering in Timid Tabby, Spanish in Mucho Mouse, Down and Outing, The Cat Above and the Mouse Below, Is There a Doctor in the Mouse?, Snowbody Loves Me, The Cat's Me-Ouch, Duel Personality, Love Me, Love My Mouse, The A-Tom-inable Snowman, Cat and Dupli-Cat (both Italian and English), and Guided Mouse-ille. Jerry also spoke in "The Worry Song" musical number in the MGM film Anchors Aweigh.
- Somehow Tom and Jerry are able to communicate only with Robyn, which she just naturally accepts. This is despite the fact that Ferdinand himself can communicate with Aunt Figg.
Marketing and promotion
- Main article: Tom and Jerry: The Movie/Marketing and promotion
Hoping to make a big cash-in, the film has several licensees in video games, books, and toys.
Everlasting influence
Henry Mancini's score was used in the teaser trailer for the 1994 live-action adaptation of The Flintstones.
Critical reception
Box office
Tom and Jerry: The Movie bombed at the box office, squashing any attempt at possible sequels.[2]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Artist Award | February 5, 1994 | Best Youth Actress in a Voiceover Role - TV or Movie | Anndi McAfee | Winner[3] |
In other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
Home availability
- In the United States:
- October 26, 1993: Family Home Entertainment releases Tom and Jerry: The Movie on VHS.
- March 26, 2002: Warner Home Video releases Tom and Jerry: The Movie on DVD.
Trailers
Teaser trailer:
United States trailer:
International trailer:
References
- ^ Barbera, Joseph (1994). My Life in 'Toons: From Flatbush to Bedrock in Under a Century, pages 236-237. Turner Publishing.
- ^ Arnold, William (August 3, 1993). "Tom and Jerry make their big screen comeback". Caster Star-Tribune via Newspapers. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- ^ "Fifteen Annual Youth in Film Awards 1992-1993". Young Artist Awards. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
