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

As an avid fan of Tom and Jerry, I enjoyed Heavenly Puss. I too couldn't help thinking of Pluto's Judgement Day when I saw this, and while that was very good this in my opinion was better. I loved the concept of the cartoon, the Heavenly Express looked amazing and Hell looked incredibly scary, I couldn't help feeling sorry for Tom as he begged for Jerry to sign for forgiveness. I also loved the artwork, with beautiful backgrounds and interesting character designs, and the music was really clever here ascending scales as Tom went up those stairs up into Heaven and the more dramatic threatening tones for Hell. There isn't anything hilarious here, but what stood out here was the cartoon's uniqueness. And the characters are fine, Jerry isn't given as much to do but he is still his sweet self, and Spike does a great job as the devilish dog figure with a laugh that still frightens me. I also liked the kindly conductor, he had some great dialogue, but as I've said before (sort of) Tom is the star of the show, although he is dastardly to begin with, his pleas for forgiveness are heart breaking and then the ending with him hugging Jerry(more to do with Jerry's confused facial expression) was quite funny. Oh, and those kittens are absolutely adorable. Overall, different but unique. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Fatally crushed by a piano while pursuing Jerry, Tom must be assessed before being permitted to ride the Heavenly Express; rather than being congratulated for his mouse chasing efforts, he is told that he has one hour to seek Jerry's forgiveness or he will forever be condemned to Hell.

After a couple of fun but relatively uninspired capers—The Little Orphan and Hatch Up Your Troubles—it's nice to see the people behind Tom and Jerry at least trying something a little different for a change, even if it isn't a wholly successful idea. The basic premise—that Tom would be punished for all eternity just for following his natural instincts—is admittedly daft, but it's a lot of fun to see Tom begging Jerry to sign his name while the devil (Butch the Bulldog) prepares a bubbling pot of brimstone in Hell.

Of course, it all ends up being a dream, and thus a bit of a cop-out, but it's fun while it lasts. Plus, it has a gag about drowned kittens in a sack—not something you see every day in a cartoon!

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.

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.