The Yankee Doodle Mouse

By the end of 1941, the US had entered WW2, and Hollywood was doing its part to raise morale with uplifting movies depicting the heroic efforts of American service men and women. Tom and Jerry also joined in with the war effort with Yankee Doodle Mouse, a war-themed cartoon that sees the beleaguered mouse fighting bravely against the odds against the imposing cat, and ultimately succeeding in winning his battle.

The main purpose of this episode was to boost morale, and the cartoon definitely succeeds in being extremely entertaining stuff, with a lively pace and some lovely visual humour on display: Tom laughing at a tiny explosive which results in a massive explosion; Tom putting his face into a kettle containing more explosives, and being turned into a 'flower'; Jerry using a bra as a parachute; and Tom tying his own hands to a rocket.

Very patriotic (Jerry salutes a firework Stars and Stripes at the end!), but also very funny and inventive, this one deservedly won an Oscar in 1944.

Hanna-Barbera's dynamic cartoon duo, Tom and Jerry, dominated the Academy Awards Best Animated Short Film category during the 1940s, beginning with June 1943's "The Yankee Doodle Mouse." It was the first of seven Oscars the rival cat and dog took home, and was the first of four straight trophy wins for the two. Produced during World War Two, "The Yankee Doodle Mouse" uses the conflict as an allegory to the battle between Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse. Set in the basement of Tom's owner, the Oscar-winning cartoon follows the cat in his pursuit of Jerry, only to be defeated by the diminutive mouse at every turn. The WW2-themed cartoon opens with Tom discovering Jerry's abode behind a hole in the wall labeled 'Cat Raid Shelter.' The rodent uses his entire cache of weaponry of common items found in the household, capped off by firecrackers. Included is the mouse's arsenal are his 'hen grenades' (eggs), champagne corks fired off as artillery shells, and a cheese grater converted into a jeep, where Jerry drives it under Tom's belly, spilling blood everywhere.

"The Yankee Doodle Mouse" was the third Tom and Jerry cartoon to be nominated for the Academy Awards. The pairs' 1940 animated film debut "Puss Gets the Boot" and 1941's 'The Night Before Christmas' were both previously Oscar nominees.

There is no doubt in my mind this was one of the better early Tom and Jerry cartoons. Even with its decidedly curious and somewhat ironic title. The Yankee Doodle Mouse is extremely good all the same, with a great story and a very patriotic ending. The animation is fantastic, the visual effects are dazzling especially with the US flag and the music score here is one of my favourite soundtracks on a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Even more impressive were the sound effects, they were really authentic, and the sight gags are brilliantly timed and all of them work superbly. Overall, even with the curious title, but it is for me one of the better early Tom and Jerry cartoons. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Award-winning short has Tom and Jerry paying respect to America who was deep into WWII. This short has the two in the basement doing a rather violent battle involving eggs, bombs and various other objects. THE YANKEE DOODLE MOUSE isn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination but there are some very good moments scattered throughout the film and there's no question that it's certainly the most violent film in the series up to this point. Tom certainly takes a beating in various ways including several bombs meant for Jerry not working out correctly. The film has a very good and quick pacing to it, which certainly helps and there are some good laughs along the way as well.

Jerry the mouse and tom the cat are at war with each other, Jerry using such items as egg 'hen' grenades, light bulb bombs, and various other Weapons of Mass Distraction. Tom is pretty much the Nazi to Jerry's American soldier in this one. It won the Oscar for best short cartoon in 1944 and rightfully so as this is one of the funnier Tom and Jerry cartoons that I've seen and worth having in ANYone's collection. This hilarious award winning cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry" Which is a great buy however way you slice it.

My Grade: A