Tom and Jerry was part of my, and I imagine a lot of other people's, childhood, and to this day I still find a lot of fun and charm in them. Admittedly the Gene Deitch output(with two exceptions that are still only mediocre) are terrible and Chuck Jones is hit and miss, but when Tom and Jerry were good like in the 40s to mid-50s the best of their cartoons are among the classics of all animation. Ah Sweet Mouse-Story of Life is not one of those classics, but of Jones' output it is one of the better ones. The story is on the routine side and the cartoon is too short, I would have given it two minutes more. That said, the animation is mostly clean and lush(much better than the more scratchy style of the later Chuck Jones output) and one of the better-looking Tom and Jerry cartoons of his. The music has more energy, appealing orchestration and memorable moments compared to the likes of The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse and Much Ado About Mousing. The gags are more amusing than they are hilarious, but they are a good batch and amusing is at least better than unfunny or non-existent. I also liked that the chase scenes were very reminiscent of the Roadrunner/Wile E.Coyote cartoons, which gave a chance for Jones to bring his own humorous style in the way that he couldn't do before in his previous Tom and Jerrys. Tom and Jerry are as likable as ever, and there is nothing to fault Mel Blanc and June Foray either. All in all, fun enough if not among the classics. Of a hit-and-miss batch though it is one of Jones' better ones. 8/10 Bethany Cox
