Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

My goodness! Who in their right mind thought this film was a good idea? I mean, I LOVED Tom and Jerry when I was little, and when I read about them doing crossovers with other franchises, I thought, ''This looks...interesting" But at the same time, I thought, what exactly is the need to do this?

Whoever thought it was a good idea to shoehorn these two TITANS of cartoon history into a classic film like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I pray that they are no longer working in animation. I mean, that I Want It Now song, it looked like a kid's version of Another Brick in the Wall!

Also the fact that the film was released shortly after most of the cast of Willy Wonka died comes across as a little bit INSENSITIVE.

In conclusion, no words can describe this piece of animated offal. In short, avoid like the plague!

I really did not think the title would be harder to say than "Scrumdidilyumptious". Aside from the fact that it has too many "and"s for one title, it shows why Tom and Jerry and Willy Wonka don't belong together, yet somehow the makers decided to shoehorn them in together. Why? Money of course, but also because this was the late Gene Wilder's most beloved movie. This came out months after he passed away, and it upset the internet world, even more than Tom and Jerry's encounter with The Wizard of Oz.

I don't need to mention what the plot is: it's just the Willy Wonka story with Tom and Jerry in the background. But to shoehorn their importance in the film, the makers decided that Tom and Jerry should have a conflict with Mr. (Not) Slugworth throughout Charlie's visit to the factory and make him a misunderstood antagonist for no reason. Out of all the problems in the film, that one gets me the most irritated. Anyone who's seen the original (1971) version know that he's not a bad guy, so it makes no sense why he's chasing Tom and Jerry. And even if kids never saw that movie, it's still stupid. Because in the end they have an all out scene where Tom, Jerry, Tuffy, and Charlie confront (not) Slugworth, before Wonka reveals to them "He was my assistant all along." So if he was a good guy, what was he doing making his good deeds sound deliberately diabolical, and not telling Tom and Jerry, "Hold it, I'm on your side," or even Tuffy (the oompaloompa guide) recognize that he's not a bad guy?

What are other issues that bother me: The human characters look hideous, Charlie's voice actor speaks in a constant monotone (even when he's suppose to be excited), Willy Wonka's sarcasm is lost to monotoned acting and subplots, the famous lines of the movie are rushed out or glanced over, and every moment with Tom and Jerry feels phoned in and boring. Yes, somehow Tom and Jerry chasing each other feels boring now. Thank you, movie. Also, I hate Tuffy. He steals attention away from the Wonka story, speaks for Tom and Jerry, and his obnoxious goal is the same as in The Wizard of Oz: get taller. While it made sense in The Wizard of Oz for him to wish for height, it doesn't in this movie.

However, I still look for diamonds in the rough. What are the good stuff? Everybody's a good singer, and the guy voicing Willy Wonka sounds a bit like Gene Wilder (only when he sings, the rest is monotoned). Apart from Charlie and a kid or two, most of the other voice actors are good and try their best. Jess Harnell as Grandpa Joe is easily the best part of the movie. He just puts all his energy into the character and sounds like he's having a great time. Even the cringey song "I've Got a Golden Ticket" sounds fun with him singing it. I just want to eat up this guy! Also, the background animation does try to recreate the feel of the original factory, but does one thing better than the original: the river really looks like chocolate and not dyed water.

Personally the best thing about the movie was that it reminded me of all the hard effort that went into the original Willy Wonka movie and what a masterpiece it was. While it didn't always follow the book, it felt original, fresh, and new. This movie was a direct rip off to cash in on something beloved. Also, it makes me feel sad that Tom and Jerry are now reduced to direct to DVD movies where they have little to nothing to do. There's a reason they were seven minute shorts instead of ninety minutes, and this movie is one of many confirmations why.

So, after i saw a 2.9 on IMDb for the New Tom and Jerry Feature length Movie,

I was honestly a bit upset at IMDb,

not the first time I did not agree with scores posted.......

but still just because it was Tom and Jerry I decided to watch the Same to judge for myself if it were really true....

Could two Cartoon Characters, So Beloved by the entire world, really have an outing that wasn't good enough to score even a measly 3/10......(P.s at the time of writing this review it was 2.9/10)

My Conclusion - Yes and No !!!! Let me explain...................

I was one of the batch of the kids who were still being introduced to our Beloved Characters from the original Chuck Jones and Fred Quimbly - also known as the Golden Age of Tom and Jerry. Since then, Tom, Jerry,Spike and rest of the family has been revamped more than a couple of times and none of them to my liking, Buut i always filed it under "I guess I am too old now to get what the New Age versions are trying to portray." ......!!!.....!!!...

While the new age versions received a clear bump in the animation budget, the other aspects of the shows were either just grossed over or just neglected all together for the sake of budget....

and herein lies the main problem in the very Steep Decline in the Love and appreciation of Our Favorite Cat And Mouse Duo.................. This movie kinda suffers from the same problems....

Although the animation and the look of Our Furry Friends, has considerably improved from the very glitchy type of animations in the previous RE-takes of the famous classic....

......................The problem lies in THE MUSIC................

It was only after recently watching my collection of The Original Tom and Jerry (Mind you I am 26 Now), where i realized that the magic and the love that all of us felt for the show, was due to a Phenomenally Beautiful Sound Track and utterly simplistic problems that Our Furry Friends and their Families Faced... every one, everywhere could instantly relate with them and The absolutely Gorgeous Animation is also a Key Aspect...........................

Now compare That to Tom and Jerry going to Meet Willy Wonka,

for starters u lost a major portion of your adults right here, but still if by any chance an adult were to sit and watch this movie with their kid, they will find it very, very difficult to be drawn into the world that so many of us spent so much time watching, experiencing, loving and emotionally attaching ourselves to the Original Show.......................................................

IN conclusion

i think the studio is yet to understand no matter how much they make our NEW Versions Furry Friends run into different story lines, get animation Upgrades, Make them Talk to Humanize them all

it Never Was and I Doubt ever will hold up to the Beauty in Simplicity and The Absolutely Emotionally Driving Soundtrack is What made the Original So close to our hearts, regardless of age and nationality...

My mom is 55 and she still enjoys the Originals...Nuff Said !!!!

Over all nothing what you do not expect happens in the 2017 Movie, As i said the Animation HAD this glitchy, hyper Active feel to it, but this time round is better done and slightly resembles the Original

Unfortunately the soundtrack still suffers from _

Lazy Cartoon-ishly Stupid base soundtrack

that most of our minds will find it VERY DIFFICULT to get invested in.......

I don't think even most KIDS, in today's day and age will enjoy something like this when U have Johnny Depp and HIS version floating around and the Original Tom and Jerry Shows so readily available !!!

Let's get the ugly parts out of the way quickly...

...Tom & Jerry are not a natural fit into the world of Willy Wonka ...there are moments of poor animation throughout the film ...you'll find a reasonable number of plot holes ...it's unlikely that anyone will rank this as their favorite WW movie

That said, if you have read this far and can accept the above, you may find yourself enjoying this film for what it is... an animated homage to a wonderful movie.

I happened upon this film by chance and initially passed it over. But I love the 1971 film and so I found myself going back and read a little about it. Then I saw the artwork and started thinking that this looked an awful lot like the original film... albeit in cartoon form. So I decided to watch it.

I got halfway through it and was really feeling like the folks behind this film had a love for Willy Wonka that mirrored my own. There were a number of moments that I readily recalled from the live action film recreated here.

YES, Tom & Jerry are found throughout the movie (they do get top billing after all) and their antics are what you'd expect from any of their cartoons over the years. I knew that going in and so it did not take away from my enjoyment because I was expecting it. Moreover, the writers try to weave the characters into the broader story and do a reasonable job of it (watch the film and you'll find out where the coin Charlie bought the winning chocolate bar came from).

The voice acting was decent to actually pretty good and the songs/singing, if not quite up to the original's soundtrack, were actually good. In fact, I would swear that they lifted the original actor's singing "I have a Golden Ticket" and used it as it sounded spot-on to me. There's even a pretty neat animated song featuring Slugworth that's stylistic enough to be worth watching a second time.

The irony in all of this is that I would have rated this higher had there been a way to edit out Tom & Jerry. Yes, there would still be issues but it was actually pretty cool to see an animated version of one my beloved childhood favorites. Is it worth a purchase? Maybe for little ones but I do think its rental-worthy.

Bottom line, if you're intrigued by the premise, you'll likely find a few things worth the investment of your time. At a minimum, it got me whistling the soundtrack the last few days.

Saw 'Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' for two primary reasons. One being my love for Tom and Jerry.

Have vivid and fond memories of seeing all of their cartoons, with the classic ones (the Hanna Barbera years, the best of which among the best cartoons ever made, Chuck Jones' output was a mixed bag and most of Gene Deitch's were abominations and disgraces to cartoondom) being watched over and over, at my sister's late godfather's house at the age of six and have been a huge fan since. While not as good, most of their films have a lot of enjoyable elements and are not bad films at all.

Also to this day still have a lot of fondness for 1971's 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory', which as you can tell this film is very strongly indebted to. Sure "Cheer Up Charlie" is the mother of musical-numbers-that-slow-the-film-down and Peter Ostrum couldn't sing to save his life. However the rest of the songs are very good to timeless, the production values are deliciously colourful (especially when in the factory), it's entertaining, it's charming, Jack Albertson is a delight, the oompa loompas are scene stealing characters, the weirdly trippy and deliciously dark boat ride still dazzles and terrifies and Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka (and his iconic introduction) is a performance for the ages. Just to say, didn't care hugely for Tim Burton's version though it had its merits. Really did question the point of this film but with all the above considered, plus most of Tom and Jerry's other crossovers were surprisingly good, part of me was intrigued and hopeful.

'Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory', as feared, was a disappointment and is not one of the better Tom and Jerry films. If anything, to me, along with 'Tom and Jerry: The Movie' and especially 'The Fast and the Furry', it's one of the lesser efforts. Also had mixed views on 'Spy Quest'.

Does 'Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' have pros? Of course. The songs are still great, with the only one coming over as strange in arrangement and staging being "I Want It Now". The zesty "I Have a Golden Ticket" and the beautifully touching "Pure Imagination" particularly come off well. Some of the classic scenes are re-created surprisingly well, particularly the boat ride, which is both wondrous and frighteningly surreal, Willy Wonka's introduction and "I Have a Golden Ticket". Some of the dialogue sparkles and there is the odd amusing moment.

Some of the backgrounds are colourful and imaginative, especially once we get inside the factory, creating that feeling of affectionate nostalgia that one wishes translated into the storytelling. A few of the vocal performances are decent, the highlight being Jess Harnell's note perfect Grandpa Joe. JP Karliak's warmly twinkling and mysteriously enigmatic Willy Wonka is a close second.

However, there are a larger number of cons. Despite being close to personality and drawn well, Tom and Jerry themselves feel shoe-horned in in a story that is not a natural fit for them and most of the time (apart from bringing the golden ticket after being forgotten) they are pointless. Their shenanigans are overused, often distracting from the musical numbers, and little more than filler that pad out time in favour of other memorable parts omitted or toned down. The material is very bland and repetitive, due to a lack of sharp timing and having no originality or freshness. In their 'Wizard of Oz' and 'Sherlock Holmes' outings they served more of a point, added more to the stories, their comedy was funnier and better placed and there was a better mix of old and new, showing fidelity but having enough to set them apart.

Being faithful can be a blessing, the case of 'Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' it was something of a curse. The film suffered from being too faithful and being too closely indebted, and even with the addition of Tom and Jerry and other cartoon characters it added very little new. The only noteworthy fresh touches were the expansion of Slugworth's role (the subplot didn't always make sense but the character was interesting) and Veruca's father growing a backbone and actually scolding her.

Often the human character designs were horrible. The drawing is scrappy and static and the eyes and expressions look dead and with little warmth or joy, almost creepy at times. This is particularly in the case of Slugworth and most of the children. The rest of the voice acting is not particularly good, with the lifeless Charlie of Licoln Melcher and the excruciatingly irritating interpretations of Veruca and Mike from Emily O Brien and Lauren Weisman (meant to be brats but taken too far, the characters are insufferable here) being dishonourable mentions. It's all a mix of hyperactive, with rushed line delivery, and disengaged, some of it done in a monotone. Charlie's mother and the rest of his grandparents are utterly wasted, and excepting Grandpa Joe and Willy Wonka the characters lack their spark. Before one forgets great characters like Droopy and Spike are misused and add nothing and Tuffy is annoying and not just by a little (a talented voice actress like Kath Soucie deserved better).

On top of that the story generates very little warmth, heart, charm or imagination, tending too to be too rushed and hyperactive. Anybody wanting the nostalgia factor are best watching the 1971 film which is full of it whereas too much of this feels like a cheap carbon copy with differences that add little or distract. Instead, one is yearning for fresher material to stop the sense of complete pointlessness but it very rarely comes.

In conclusion, has moments but a purely unimaginative confection. Tom and Jerry and Willy Wonka deserved better. 4/10 Bethany Cox