Robin Hoodwinked

Jerry and Tuffy get news of Robin Hood's capture and imprisonment in a castle where Tom is on guard. The two mice head off to rescue him...

This was the last of the Tom & Jerry series to feature Tuffy, and he talks a lot in this one. His voice did grate a little, but one scene involving a drink is hilarious!

The cartoon itself may have been the penultimate in the Hanna & Barbera period of the series, but the artwork's not too bad for a cartoon made in the late 1950's. Pretty good cartoon, too...

This cartoon features the little mouse who was initially named Nibbles, a name that was changed to Tuffy at some point (probably when he became an action hero or shortly thereafter) by the powers that be. Nibbles (excuse me, Tuffy) speaks a great deal here, in order to move the plot along, but, while the dialogue is often funny, after a while, you wish the part had gone to Marcel Marceau. Failing that, at least elocution lessons would seem to have been advisable. Cute cartoon along the lines of the Mouseketeer series, one which has a cautionary warning on the dangers of strong spirits, which may lead the consumer to break out in song at inopportune moments, as well as neglecting to be aware of their surroundings. Well worth watching. Most recommended.

This is a Robin Hood story about Jerry and his pal Tuffy getting their famous pal (Robin Hood) out of a jam. The authorities had caught the famous bandit and were going to hang him, but the little mice are determined to save Robin.

Two things you see and hear grab your attention right off the bat: the beautiful, lush Sherwood Forest painted on the widescreen CinemaScope format and Tuffy speaking "the King's English." Expressions such as "blooming" as in "let's crash the blooming party, eh?" sound funny coming from Tuffy. By, the way Tuffy does all the talking; Jerry says nothing in the whole cartoon. Tuffy is a bit rough with all the "blooming" this and that (six times) along with a few other marginal exclamations. His dialog was funny at first, then got annoying.

That fine artwork, by the way, continues with some of the best I've ever seen in a Tom and Jerry cartoon, maybe even the best.

Most of the story is Jerry and Tuffy trying to break Robin Hood out of jail while Tom, the guard, does his best to thwart them. The main gag is Tuffy trying to get the key to the cell out of Tom's stomach.

Overall, this is decent. It certainly was different enough, regarding the normal Tom and Jerry cartoons, to be almost a curiosity piece. It wound up being the final one in the recently- released "Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Volume 3" DVD.

There are many classic Tom and Jerry cartoons. Robin Hoodwinked doesn't quite hold that distinction, but it has and is a lot of fun(though I do think Down Beat Bear is the last Tom and Jerry cartoon that I deem as truly great). Certainly far better than what was going to come later. Tuffy's voice and dialogue do get annoying after a while and the story is one of those you've seen a few times before that you're not all surprised by the outcome. I was surprised by the animation though, the colours are beautiful and there is some good detail(Sherwood Forest is particularly well done), easily one of their better-looking cartoons without Fred Quimby in charge. The music is catchy, lushly orchestrated and does really well enhancing the action, and the pacing is crisp and snappy. The main story point of Robin Hoodwinked is Tuffy trying to get the key from Tom's stomach, and that was fun to watch without feeling too overextended. Tuffy's drunken reaction to the booze that Tom swallows is priceless. Tom is a suitably dastardly foil and Jerry has some neat facial expressions. Tuffy is a character here that you'll either like or not, and while I think his voice and dialogue get too much he does have enough amusing moments that allow him some likability at least. All in all, a lot of fun if not among Tom and Jerry's classic masterpieces. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Robin Hood has been captured and locked up in jail. Brave mice Jerry and Tuffy decide to break him out, but in order to do so they need to get past guard Tom first.

I like the idea of the setting for this cartoon—it's original, at the very least—but what the hell is going in with Tuffy's voice? The little mouse's English accent is worse than Dick Van Dyke's. Blooming this and blooming that! By the end of the cartoon, I was hoping that one of those arrows had hit the mouse rather than just snagging his nappy.

3/10. Blooming bad.