The Zoot Cat

The Zoot Cat might have seemed incredibly 'hip' at the time of its original release, with it's jazz slang and cutting-edge sub-culture fashion, but it now feels embarrassingly dated; yet this 'snapshot of a time gone by' also goes to make this a rather intriguing episode. It's hard for me, as an Englishman born in the late 60s, to imagine an era in the US in which such strange attire and language could have been seen as 'dangerously' cool, but here it is, perfectly captured in a Tom and Jerry cartoon— and seeing is believing, as they say!

Tom wishes to impress a young lady cat, but she perceives him to be 'square'. To remedy the situation, Tom cuts himself a sharp 'zoot suit' from a hammock, makes himself a wide brimmed hat, and dances swing-style to the latest beats. Of course, Jerry does his utmost to ruin Tom's chances of success.

Not only is this a historically interesting T&J caper, but it is also one in which the usually rather silent cat and mouse do a lot of talking—albeit in a manner that proves to be unintelligible a lot of the time, thanks to the often indecipherable 40s phrases spoken by the characters. Unfortunately, whilst this episode is noteworthy for it's peculiarities, it isn't that funny.

The Zoot Cat will be of most interest to those who have a passion for the music and style of the decade in which it was made; the rest of us will probably be rather unimpressed.

Tom uses material from hammock to made his zoot suit. He tries to be the hippest cat around with the suit, and try to attract a certain feline. Jerry the mouse always get in Tom's way of romancing a female. The Zoot Cat is one of the funniest in the Tom and Jerry cartoons.

The Zoot Cat is pretty funny. Tom's attitude once he gets the Zoot suit is incredibly entertaining. The impressive character animation gives him a certain swagger and confidence that makes me laugh every time. The cat he is perusing is one I don't remember from any other cartoons. The long lines Tom and Jerry get in this short is a change of pace that is very nice. I also love the jokes in this cartoon. The scene of Tom playing the piano, then realizing he is on fire is always entertaining, as well as the first dance Tom and the other cat do. The only detracting factor in this cartoon is Jerry getting the Zoot suit in the end, as I really wanted Tom to succeed in this one. He's a lot funnier than previous cartoons, and I really wanted him to win. This is overall a great cartoon, and definitely recommended.

Tom the cat tries to impress a girl cat by giving her Jerry the mouse and singing her a song. But she rebukes him for being to square. So he makes a makeshift home-made zoot suit and continues to woo her. This is one of the few shorts where Tom and to a little extent Jerry both talk. Whereas most Tom and Jerry cartoons are timeless, this one is dated and not as funny as normally. One of my less favorite shorts, it's still watchable though. This cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

My Grade: C

DVD Extras: Commentary by historian Jerry Beck where he talks about the animator, voice actress and the songs amongst other things.

This is not the best of the Tom and Jerry cartoons, but it is very funny. I thought the animation was very nice for its time, it is one of the better-looking early Tom and Jerry cartoons. I thought the music was outstanding, I know I keep mentioning the music in everything I review but the music is always something I like to talk about. Here it was fun and rousing. I thought the dialogue was hilarious, maybe some of the cool hip language used here is a tad dated but it was funny and worked reasonably well. The female cat's dialogue was enough to have me on the floor doubled up from laughing, it was just so witty and fresh. I thought the story was effective, simple yet effective. I thought the visual gags were a delight, there were enough to delight any Tom and Jerry fan. I thought the characters were well done, Tom sometimes talks a little too much, but he is fine, and Jerry is still his sweet and rascally self. Plus the female cat was a welcome addition. Overall, enjoyable. 9/10 Bethany Cox