Switchin' Kitten

In the early 1960s, some evil trolls at MGM decided to revive the Tom and Jerry series but wanted it done with practically no budget at all. So, the cartoons were farmed out to be done in Czechoslovakia by people that had hardly any notion of who the characters were. As a result, they didn't look all that much like Tom and Jerry and they acted nothing like the originals. Apparently, the staff hadn't really seen the cartoons before but that didn't stop them! This cartoon isn't interesting at all. In fact, it's downright boring. And its production values are abysmal. It's really a shame as classic Tom and Jerry cartoons of the 40s and 50s were great cartoons. MGM in 1960-61 chose to abandon its fans and serve up this horrid mess! For shame, MGM.

Don't get me wrong I adore Tom and Jerry, but Switchin' Kitten didn't work for me, and I do think it is quite possibly their worst cartoon.

The animation is usually outstanding for its time in Tom and Jerry cartoons, and one of the reasons why the cartoons work so well. Here it is very poor, which is highly unusual for a Tom and Jerry cartoon. The backgrounds were flat, dull and tacky and the characters were very wonkily drawn, Tom especially.

The music is not the rousing, lyrical and fun motifs I am used to. Here it was forgettable at best, and I think what ruined it were some of the most bizarre sound effects I have heard in a cartoon ever. Not only did they not sound like Hanna Barbera sound effect standard, but some of them were even poorly placed.

The story I initially had no problem with. It was different, and it would have been interesting to see Tom and Jerry doing something unique and different. Alas, the pacing was quite sluggish, and a vast majority of the funny gags are deliriously misconceived. And the violence? I know Cue Ball Cat was quite violent, but the violence was funny and breakneck. In Switchin' Kitten, the violence is crude, sadistic and even sickening. And it probably doesn't help that that cat who inflicts the violence on poor Tom who I felt so sorry for at the end of this was so unlikeable I couldn't relate to him at all. And Jerry was woefully underused here, Jerry usually inflicts the violence on Tom but here he seemed to have backed down to the thoroughly unlikeable character and in the process almost ignored.

All in all, I didn't like it. Nice premise but messy execution. 1/10 Bethany Cox

After the very crappy and lame Tom and Jerry shorts animated by CinemaScope, Gene Deitch decided to revive Tom and Jerry with an awesome cartoon.

This episode is very good and funny! I love the "brain switched" gags in this episode. The music is great, kinda weird, but good. The sounds effects are also weird. But this was an awesome cartoon

The only problem with this episode is the animation, Tom and Jerry looked a bit ugly for me in these shorts.

Anyways, in general, a good and funny Tom and Jerry cartoon. 10/10.

I'm going to put this as politely as possible! IT SUCKS! Seriously had Gene Dietch ever even seen a Tom and Jerry cartoon?! Boy did he really mess it up. This is simply just a horrible short! I'm glad Chuck Jones later took over and fixed things up!

Zero(0)out of 4(****)stars

This premiere episode of the Gene Deitch era of Tom and Jerry scores major points for its nice backgrounds and story. Where this episode fails is in its execution. The events of the story unfold in a very boring way and the animation is very poor. The character designs of our titular duo are horrendous in most instances. A few fleeting moments in the short , they look just like their Hanna Barbara counterparts. The music by Victor Little (aka Vaclav Lidl) is a triumph and far superior to that of his replacement on this series. Stephen Konicek. All gags in this episode fall flat except for that strange flower gag.