Cat Fishin'

Spike the dog is guarding a watering hole, but he appears to be sleeping on the job. So Tom the cat uses the chance to sneak in hoping to get a little fishing in, using Jerry the mouse as bait of course. But thanks to an over eager fish who wants the mouse badly things don't go as planned. As the fish inadvertently wakes Butch up to get the drop on Tom. I mentioned in an earlier review how I didn't really like the Buzzard/Vulture in Flirty Birdy, well the same can be said about the fish in this one. It's an OK short, but not one of the better ones. This cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

My Grade: B-

After a long slow pan across a beautifully rendered wire fence on which several warning signs are nailed ('Keep Out', 'No Fishing', 'Beware of the Dog' etc.), we see Tom, armed with rod and tackle box, blatantly ignoring any warnings and entering the prohibited area to indulge in a spot of angling. After a short altercation with guard-dog Spike, the mischievous cat sets about trying to land a fish—using Jerry as live bait!

With excellent animation, loads of funny gags, and an additional character in the form of a very toothy fish, Cat Fishin' is another top-quality adventure, and is highly recommended to fans of the cartoon cat and mouse. Standout moments include Tom hiding from Spike at the top of his fishing rod (what a dumb dog!), Jerry being dressed up as a worm and cast into the lake for the waiting fish (wearing a napkin), and the painful looking bit where Spike's fat head is forced through a narrow gap between two rocks (his eyes bulging out on the way!).

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

This is truly a Tom and Jerry Classic. All the usual ingredients are in it: the chase, the plan, the jokes and the danger, mixed with some magic to make an animation short picture believable enough to work with kids, for who these animation short comedies are actually made. But hey, I'm no kid anymore, but I do appreciate it. Maybe that's because I remember how I laughed when I was young with this one. Perhaps the children of today will have fun with the 'Teletubbies' tomorrow. I don't know. If you ask me, 'Teletubbies' are not as good as 'Tom and Jerry' or 'The Muppet Show'. Nowadays, the young people is served with everything on it, no imagination can develop in the mind of the children at all. It's a pity. Kids should have more imagination and fun, like they witness in this 'Cat Fishin''.

Tom sneaks into a secluded area for some fish poaching. The lake is guarded by Spike, but Tom has his same old tricks for taking care of him. In his bait box he has a captured Jerry, who he promptly disguises as a worm and casts into the lake.

Some horrible sort of Gator/Fish creature pops up and decides he'd really like to get a bite of Jerry, but he'll be damned if he's gonna let Tom catch him.

There are a couple of funny moments in this cartoon but it's mostly just generic stuff and recycled gags. The ending isn't really up to much either, it's all just plain uninspired.

Tom goes fishing and plans to use Jerry as live bait to catch the fishes.

First he has to evade Spike the bulldog. That is easily done as he is snoozing allowing Tom to past by.

However Jerry is unwilling to be fish food, it leaves both Jerry and Spike with a sore head.

This is a frenetic cartoon with a better relationship between the cat and mouse pair.

It is Spike who is the antagonist along with some of the fishes.

The animation is good with some funny sequences.

Kids will certainly enjoy this cartoon. Adults might find it a little too straightforward lacking a little bit of zaniness.