The Yankee Doodle Mouse

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

In this Oscar-winning cartoon (a fact that they're modest enough to mention in the opening credits) Tom and Jerry wage war on each other in the basement of a house. Using household objects as weapons in a variety of imaginative ways, they advance and retreat on each other, desperate to win their mini-conflict.

I suppose this was one of MGMs entries into the pro-WWII cartoon efforts that Disney and Warner seemed to be having a blast with. It's got a very patriotic feel to it and makes war out to be fun. I have no problem with this kind of propaganda at all, but I am surprised that PC-thug groups haven't forced outrage over this, since their lot have ruined many other Tom and Jerry cartoons. Maybe their so blinkered that they cannot really see the subtext.

Anyway, it's a surprisingly good cartoon and really did earn the Academy Award it was honored with.

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.

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.

This "Tom and Jerry" short from 1943 called "The Yankee Doodle Mouse" is one that was done clever and highly memorable. The duo battle it out of course only this time it's in the house basement and it's an all out war mode! As food and house supplies are used as war gear! The fire and explosions are felt as fire comes from up above as little mouse Jerry does his best to outsmart Tom, you name it eggs, light bulbs, flour, and firecrackers are all used to bring smoke! Still in the end it's honor and the patriot way for a little mouse! Fun enjoyable short one of the better and earlier ones!