Heavenly Puss

In an attempt to catch Jerry, Tom gets killed when his plan goes wrong. His spirit then ascends to the clouds, where he finds the Heavenly Express train preparing to disembark. The problem is, the ticket-seller will not let Tom pass due to his malevolent antics with Jerry, so he is given one hour to get Jerry's signature on a Certificate Of Forgiveness -- or go to Hell!

This cartoon is quite amusing, and the oversensitive ones will be pleased to know that there's little of the violence that the T&J series has often been accused of emphasising. The cartoon also has a twist at the end that I won't spoil.

'Heavenly Puss (1949)' is a 'Tom & Jerry' short that sees the former crushed by a piano and sent to the pearly gates, where he is told he has an hour to obtain a signature of forgiveness from his mouse mate in order to board the 'heavenly express'. The piece feels somewhat different to most others in its series. It seems, in a way, more character-driven and self-aware. The thing is almost like the creators are saying "don't worry, they're friends really". Still, this more story-focused approach isn't bad. While the affair has less inventive sight-gags than we're used to, it still has its fair share of funny moments. It also has a good heart at its centre. It's an enjoyable short. 7/10

I just sat back and laughed and enjoyed this different Tom and Jerry cartoon, a story that humorously portrays their depiction of heaven and hell and who determines where you wind up.

It wasn't totally different. We had the obligatory chase scene, right off the bat, which proves to be Tom's undoing as he gets killed when a piano crashes into him. Tom discovers, through the kindly conductor of the "Heavenly Express" up in the clouds, that the only way he will avoid hell (where Butch is waiting for him!) is to get Jerry's "signature of forgiveness."

Tom returns to his house and has one hour to get that signature, or he's toast.....and you know Jerry isn't going to make it easy for him.

This was a funny episode and refreshing change from the normal seven minutes of chase scenes. This had a unique angle to it and some comedic visuals that went with it. There also was - I hope people caught this - a social/ moral comment about people abusing little kittens

It's not hard to get tired of the bad reputation cats have been given in animated cartoons (Warner Brothers had Pussyfoot as a sympathetic feline, but that's one of the few). They seem to serve only as punching bags for dogs and persecutors of mice and birds. In this cartoon, we have Tom threatened with condemnation to an animal version of Christian hell populated, of course, by devil dogs, and for what? For following his instincts, nothing more. If Christians can be condemned for following their instincts, there must not be many of them in their version of heaven.

Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield, perhaps said it best: "Way down under, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by theirs." Seeing the way Hanna and Barbera always cast Tom as the endless oppressor and the foil for Jerry's sadistic manipulation makes me want to do two things: watch only Chuck Jones Tom & Jerry cartoons, where the motivations were distilled to their purest essence (the chase for its own sake) and to go find a few mice for my own cats to play with while I watch and cheer them on.

As an avid fan of Tom and Jerry, I enjoyed Heavenly Puss. I too couldn't help thinking of Pluto's Judgement Day when I saw this, and while that was very good this in my opinion was better. I loved the concept of the cartoon, the Heavenly Express looked amazing and Hell looked incredibly scary, I couldn't help feeling sorry for Tom as he begged for Jerry to sign for forgiveness. I also loved the artwork, with beautiful backgrounds and interesting character designs, and the music was really clever here ascending scales as Tom went up those stairs up into Heaven and the more dramatic threatening tones for Hell. There isn't anything hilarious here, but what stood out here was the cartoon's uniqueness. And the characters are fine, Jerry isn't given as much to do but he is still his sweet self, and Spike does a great job as the devilish dog figure with a laugh that still frightens me. I also liked the kindly conductor, he had some great dialogue, but as I've said before (sort of) Tom is the star of the show, although he is dastardly to begin with, his pleas for forgiveness are heart breaking and then the ending with him hugging Jerry(more to do with Jerry's confused facial expression) was quite funny. Oh, and those kittens are absolutely adorable. Overall, different but unique. 10/10 Bethany Cox