As some people might know already from my other reviews, I am a big Tom and Jerry fan. I loved their cartoons as a child, and I still do, as they are very funny with likable characters. However, I have to say some of their cartoons have been disappointments, not the Hanna-Barbera cartoons a vast majority of those are classics, I am primarily talking about those Gene Dietch cartoons, which were poorly animated complete with sickening violence and stomach-churning sound effects. As for the Chuck Jones cartoons, they have their ups and downs, unfortunately Matinée Mouse for me is among the weakest of the batch, and admittedly I prefer the Looney Tunes cartoons that Jones directed/produced.
Matinée Mouse is very uneven, of course it is nowhere near as horrible as the Gene Dietch monstrosities(ie. Switchin' Kitten, I have been very vocal before about how much I hate that one), but I couldn't help thinking not only that it should have been better but it was somewhat unnecessary as well. The music is okay if nothing special and the presence of Tom and Jerry elevate. However, the best thing about Matinée Mouse is the clips of those classic Hanna-Berbera cartoons, spotting them alone was a great delight.
However, these clips are much better than the cartoon itself, and this was a similar problem I had with Shutter Bugged Cat, which was plot less and unfunny on the whole. The animation is not great at all, lacking in vibrancy and colour in the cinema setting, and while the Hanna-Barbera cartoons are beautifully animated, they were given very insipid treatment here. The pacing is off, it drags at first and then feels rushed, while the story is very routine and Tom and Jerry's antics in the cinema get very tiresome in the end, at one point it was the same thing over and over it felt. Overall, disappointing, uneven and lacklustre, see for the clips mainly if little else. 4/10 Bethany Cox
