The Yankee Doodle Mouse

The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Award-winning short has Tom and Jerry paying respect to America who was deep into WWII. This short has the two in the basement doing a rather violent battle involving eggs, bombs and various other objects. THE YANKEE DOODLE MOUSE isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but there are some very good moments scattered throughout the film and there's no question that it's certainly the most violent film in the series up to this point. Tom certainly takes a beating in various ways including several bombs meant for Jerry not working out correctly. The film has a very good and quick pacing to it, which certainly helps and there are some good laughs along the way as well.

Jerry the mouse and tom the cat are at war with each other, Jerry using such items as egg 'hen' grenades, light bulb bombs, and various other Weapons of Mass Distraction. Tom is pretty much the Nazi to Jerry's American soldier in this one. It won the Oscar for best short cartoon in 1944 and rightfully so as this is one of the funnier Tom and Jerry cartoons that I've seen and worth having in ANYone's collection. This hilarious award winning cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry" Which is a great buy however way you slice it.

My Grade: A

In this Oscar-winning cartoon (a fact that they're modest enough to mention in the opening credits) Tom and Jerry wage war on each other in the basement of a house. Using household objects as weapons in a variety of imaginative ways, they advance and retreat on each other, desperate to win their mini-conflict.

I suppose this was one of MGMs entries into the pro-WWII cartoon efforts that Disney and Warner seemed to be having a blast with. It's got a very patriotic feel to it and makes war out to be fun. I have no problem with this kind of propaganda at all, but I am surprised that PC-thug groups haven't forced outrage over this, since their lot have ruined many other Tom and Jerry cartoons. Maybe their so blinkered that they cannot really see the subtext.

Anyway, it's a surprisingly good cartoon and really did earn the Academy Award it was honored with.

There is no doubt in my mind this was one of the better early Tom and Jerry cartoons. Even with its decidedly curious and somewhat ironic title. The Yankee Doodle Mouse is extremely good all the same, with a great story and a very patriotic ending. The animation is fantastic, the visual effects are dazzling especially with the US flag and the music score here is one of my favourite soundtracks on a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Even more impressive were the sound effects, they were really authentic, and the sight gags are brilliantly timed and all of them work superbly. Overall, even with the curious title, but it is for me one of the better early Tom and Jerry cartoons. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This cartoon was the first of seven Oscar winners in the Animated Short category. While it is the least of the seven, in my view, it speaks more to the quality of the others than to any weakness in this particular cartoon. Sort of "Jerry Goes To War", it is a reflection of the times and is very well executed and funny. Shows frequently on Cartoon Network. Recommended.