Pet Peeve

There certainly are a number of changes in this 1954 Tom and Jerry cartoon, that one sees in the first few minutes.

First, it was odd to see a Tom and Jerry cartoon in 2.55:1 widescreen Cinemascope, but that was the rage back in the middle '50s. Droopy and a few other cartoons also were seen in this format.

Then we see Tom the cat and Spike the bulldog as "partner," both living inside the same house and apparently friends.

The cartoon had one basic thing the same: good humor with some funny sight gags and some clever jokes, starting off by showing how Spike and Tom make and eat sandwiches. Then, after we hear their owners discuss that they can't afford to keep both a dog and a cat, we see both of them spring into action to prove their worth. Those scenes are very funny, with both of them going overboard to show their domestic talents and affection for who wants them (cat- to-female and dog-to-male.)

After that, we really go back into familiar territory as their masters say whoever catches the mouse can stay. Jerry changes hands about 10 times as the two pets compete for him and most of the jokes are good, with a surprise ending, too. This is highly recommended for the humor content.

Now I don't think this is Tom and Jerry's best, but it is still very clever and funny. The animation does look cheaper than it does in other Tom and Jerry cartoons, but it wasn't bad don't get me wrong, it just lacked the vibrancy and sophistication that made the best of the best so good. The music is still very good, but what made the cartoon so fun were the sight gags, there are a lot of them and they all work especially the end one, when I saw it for the first time a while ago I wasn't expecting that. The story is pretty routine, but it still works I think, and the small amount of voice work from Daws Butler and June Foray is very effective. Tom, Jerry and Spike are still likable thank goodness. Overall, not brilliant but entertaining and ticks almost all the right boxes. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Tom and Spike, who eat rather a lot of food, fear for their lives when their master and mistress decide to cut down their overheads by ejecting one from the household. After not being able to decide which one to remove, they make a bet: the one that catches Jerry will get to stay in the house, while the other will get his marching orders. Very amusing, but not a classic, and it was becoming apparent by the looks of the characters that even MGM's animation studio was being forced to make some cuts to its animation output; it's most noticeable in the rather straight drawing of the master (what you can see of him, anyway) and the way the rolled-up rug gets cut up in such even sections. Still enjoyable, though.

At about 1954 or so, MGM decided to cut costs so they began using cheaply drawn backgrounds as well as simpler animation in their cartoons. While the cartoons were still decent, they were noticeably worse that the great MGM cartoons of the mid to late 1940s. Despite this, PET PEEVE is still a very good cartoon, as it is everything a person usually wants in a Tom and Jerry cartoon--violent.

Spike, Tom and Jerry all live in the same home. The home owners are pretty awful people because they decide that the best way to deal with mounting bills is to get rid or Spike or Tom...but which one? Well, this problem is taken firmly in hand by Spike and Tom who spend most of the film beating the crap out of each other to win their owners' love! Funny and action-packed--this one's a keeper.

After the laugh-free Down-hearted Duckling, it's great to see Tom and Jerry (and Spike the bulldog) back on form with Pet Peeve, which sees Spike and Tom competing to catch Jerry after overhearing their owners saying that one of the pets must go (due to spiralling pet food costs), and that the one to stay will be whoever brings them the mouse. This simple premise allows for lots of hilarious cartoon violence as the desperate dog and cat battle to secure their place in the house.

As others here on IMDb have mentioned, the animation isn't quite as polished as earlier T&J cartoons, but with such fabulous humour, it doesn't really matter that much—you'll be too busy laughing to care. Funniest scenes include Tom and Spike taking it in turns to carry each other to the door as their owners argue about which pet must go, the dog and cat proving their worth to each owner (Tom hoovering the carpet and Spike doing the ironing!), a classic 'jackass' moment when Spike realises that he has been fooled by Tom, and the two pets trashing the house in their attempts to catch the mouse.

8.5 out of 10, rounded up to 9 for IMDb.