Heavenly Puss

I just sat back and laughed and enjoyed this different Tom and Jerry cartoon, a story that humorously portrays their depiction of heaven and hell and who determines where you wind up.

It wasn't totally different. We had the obligatory chase scene, right off the bat, which proves to be Tom's undoing as he gets killed when a piano crashes into him. Tom discovers, through the kindly conductor of the "Heavenly Express" up in the clouds, that the only way he will avoid hell (where Butch is waiting for him!) is to get Jerry's "signature of forgiveness."

Tom returns to his house and has one hour to get that signature, or he's toast.....and you know Jerry isn't going to make it easy for him.

This was a funny episode and refreshing change from the normal seven minutes of chase scenes. This had a unique angle to it and some comedic visuals that went with it. There also was - I hope people caught this - a social/ moral comment about people abusing little kittens

'Heavenly Puss (1949)' is a 'Tom & Jerry' short that sees the former crushed by a piano and sent to the pearly gates, where he is told he has an hour to obtain a signature of forgiveness from his mouse mate in order to board the 'heavenly express'. The piece feels somewhat different to most others in its series. It seems, in a way, more character-driven and self-aware. The thing is almost like the creators are saying "don't worry, they're friends really". Still, this more story-focused approach isn't bad. While the affair has less inventive sight-gags than we're used to, it still has its fair share of funny moments. It also has a good heart at its centre. It's an enjoyable short. 7/10

The so familiar fight of tom against Jerry. A piano changes the rules of game and Tom must reconciliate and be forgived by his traditional enemy for have the chance to be in Heaven after death and to evit the torture of Hell.

But it is not so easy because for Jerry the opportunity for revenge is ...delicious ( with some blackmail detail ). In final, the mercy winns . But, at the first sight, more too late.

A charming story, familiar characters and the escalator - like the cases who seduce in high measure. The guard of Heaven is the main attractive character of episode and the final, more than familiar - and comfortable - is just nice one.

Tom chases Jerry for no particular reason, and the cartoon seems to be giving us the usual fare until Jerry flattens Tom with a piano, killing him. A quick ride to heaven on an escalator brings him to the pearly gates, where some kind of train conduction is a cat version of Saint Peter. The Heavenly Express leaves in an hour and if Tom can get a signed document of forgiveness from Jerry he's free to enter. If not-HELL!

Now it's Tom's chance to be as nice to Jerry as possible, but he's having none of it and refuses to sign, sealing the cat's fate forever. It's a funny cartoon, with some nice moments. Though I was a little surprised to see the three dead kittens drowned in a bag at the gates of heaven.

It's not hard to get tired of the bad reputation cats have been given in animated cartoons (Warner Brothers had Pussyfoot as a sympathetic feline, but that's one of the few). They seem to serve only as punching bags for dogs and persecutors of mice and birds. In this cartoon, we have Tom threatened with condemnation to an animal version of Christian hell populated, of course, by devil dogs, and for what? For following his instincts, nothing more. If Christians can be condemned for following their instincts, there must not be many of them in their version of heaven.

Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield, perhaps said it best: "Way down under, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by theirs." Seeing the way Hanna and Barbera always cast Tom as the endless oppressor and the foil for Jerry's sadistic manipulation makes me want to do two things: watch only Chuck Jones Tom & Jerry cartoons, where the motivations were distilled to their purest essence (the chase for its own sake) and to go find a few mice for my own cats to play with while I watch and cheer them on.