Cue Ball Cat

Tom is playing pool in a pool hall, not realising that Jerry is sleeping in the depths of the table he is playing on, and the little mouse gets up to his usual tricks in turning the tables on Tom.

This cartoon is hugely entertaining and very funny! Oh, how I laughed when I first watched it!

Tom is in a pool hall after hours practising his game when he accidentally disturbs Jerry's sleep, the stupid mouse having unwisely set up home in one of the pool table's pockets. Jerry isn't very happy at being woken up, and starts causing the cat trouble. This simple set-up allows for loads of pool-related high jinks, the animators going all out with the violence in their quest for laughs.

With a cool setting that allows for lots of inventive gags, decent pacing, great animation (love the bit where Tom runs around all of the pool tables), and both characters experiencing their fair share of extreme pain, this Tom and Jerry caper is among my favourites. Funniest moments include Tom getting an 8-ball embedded in his face, a massive and very sharp pin in the backside, and a cue catapulted down his throat (I take it back: Tom seems to get the worst of it!).

Tom is playing a round of pool, and cheating if I might add, not knowing that Jerry is sleeping in one of the pockets, when Tom sinks a ball into said pocket crushing Jerry, a game of hilarious cat and mouse antics begin once again. This animated short has a great setup, funny gags, and a superb ending. What more could one really ask for from the comedic duo? Highly recommended for fans of Tom and Jerry both old and new. You are sure to be delighted by the wacky hijinks. I guarantee it. This cartoon can be found on disc two of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

My Grade: A

Most Tom and Jerry Cartoons from the 1950s are classics, Some are Infamous like His Mouse Friday for showing Indigenous stereotypes and others are Remembered like The Two Mousekeeters for being excellent, Cue Ball Cat falls into the Perfect Category, Perfection always makes an appearance in this Abysmally Violent Cartoon.

The violence is at its maximum splendor, Jerry is beaten and tormented in a thousand and one ways and in the end Tom receives what he deserves, although the truth is that Tom causes much more damage than he received, but equally, it is a great caricature with a simple idea It gives us a lot of laughs!.

The Animation is still at the Top, it looks glorious as well as the beautifully detailed Backgrounds, the Movements are Flawless as are the character designs, this truly is Tom and Jerry at its Best moment.

The Music, as is not to be expected, is Fun and great, as there are many chases in this short, the Music always offers an important role in terms of Fun, and of course, in laughter too!.

Cue Ball Cat is a Great Cartoon, a plot so simple was turned into a 7-Minute Audiovisual wonder, although quite violent, it does not reach the degree of cruelty of the Gene Deitch Era, here the Violence is Cartoonish and although used excessively, is what characterizes Tom and Jerry and that's what makes them great!.

In itself, one of my Tom and Jerry Favorites and an Animation Jewel of the 50s, This is Tom and Jerry at its Best and at the same time, one of its best shorts! Without thinking I would place this in my Top 20 favorites of the series.

For everything I said above, Cue Ball Cat gets a 10.

I really like Cue Ball Cat. The violence admittedly is excessive, that I am used to, but there are one or two parts that are rather unbelievable. Yes I am talking about Jerry getting an 8 ball rammed into his bottom(ouch!). Still it is hugely enjoyable, thanks to the fast delivery of the gags, the beautiful animation and the fun music, three elements that I expect to make a Tom and Jerry cartoon work.

Tom is funny, there have been cartoons where he is a little stupid but I love him for it, and Jerry is sweet, dastardly yes but sweet. The cartoon is delivered at a breakneck pace, that can be a problem sometimes but I didn't mind it that much here.

Overall, violent but as I have said, very well done. 9/10 Bethany Cox