The A-Tom-inable Snowman

Despite the promising title, this cartoon does not see Tom and Jerry encounter the mythical abominable snowman. Instead, it has the cat and mouse doing their usual predictable chase routine in a snowy setting, with the addition of a St.Bernard dog on hand to thaw Tom out with some brandy whenever he comes a cropper.

The third T&J episode to be directed by Abe Levitow, The A-Tom-inable Snowman skates dangerously close to Gene Deitch levels of cruddiness: the drawing is scrappy, the jokes are extremely poor and the timing is terrible. After much mundanity, the cartoon suddenly switches to a tropical locale for a baffling finish, Tom getting drunk on brandy for a third time (it wasn't funny the first two times!).

I wouldn't dare call this the best Tom and Jerry cartoon because it isn't, but the worst? No I think not. The animation isn't brilliant as Tom looks odd, but it has been worse, as some of the backgrounds were surprisingly nice. The cartoon at only 6 minutes or so is too short, consequently the latter half of The A-Tom-inable Snowman is rather rushed. The score is good and there are some amusing gags, especially when Tom tricks the dog to get Jerry. The story is decent too, even if the title holds no major surprises.

Overall, I don't think it is as bad as the rating suggests. The best Tom and Jerry cartoon? No. But the worst? Definitely not, Swicthin' Kitten and Carmen Get It! were much worse. 7/10 Bethany Cox