El extraño caso del gato Jekyll

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.

I know these cartoons are just cartoon but still they need someone to feel and cheer for. When Tom starts the fight, I feel for Jerry and it should apply here as well but it doesn't.

All Tom wants to do is enjoy his milk but Jerry rudely won't leave him alone. Then at insult to injury Jerry become super strong and beats up Tom. The ending is very insulting as well. Jerry, much like in the Wright Bros episode, is just a big bully in this and I won't advocate such a thing.

"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.

Annoyed that Jerry keeps on 'half-inching' his milk, Tom the cat mixes up a noxious and potentially deadly concoction, puts it in his bowl and waits for the rodent to strike. However, rather than causing Jerry to pop his clogs, the foul mixture of milk and household chemicals turns the meek mouse into a muscle-bound hulk...

This one might not be the greatest of Tom and Jerry's escapades (despite being Oscar nominated), but it packs enough laughs to make it worth a go. The animation is above average, with the scenes in which Tom mixes his potion being particularly well rendered (the coloured lighting and shadows cast by the cat are very effective).

Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Mouse is silly fun and gets a respectable rating of 7/10 from me.

An early Tom & Jerry animated short film, this see's the creators influenced by Louis Stevensons classic Jekyll & Hyde.

We see Tom tired of Jerry stealing his milk so proceeds to poison him, but with unintended consequences. Yes, Tom tries to kill Jerry with poison! That's unexpectedly dark, and certainly wouldn't be acceptable by modern standards.

The rest is your run of the mill stuff and poor Tom just can't catch a break. I think that's why I was never a fan of the show when I was a kid, I always feel too sorry for the poor cat.

Interesting ideas, but ultimately this is just more of the same formula that we've been peddled with for over 60yrs.

The Good:

Well animated

The Bad:

More of the same

Too dark