The iconic cartoon, Tom & Jerry, started as a series of comedy shorts back in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who also produced classic cartoons such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, and The Smurfs. Tom & Jerry was a simple cartoon about a rivalry between a long-chair cat and a brown mouse. Due to the popularity of the series of shorts, a show was officially created in 1975 and there have been various carnations of the original characters since its television debut. For the first time ever, Tom & Jerry made their live-action debut back in February, starring Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass, Suspira), Michael Pena (End of Watch, Shooter), Ken Jeong (The Hangover, Knocked Up), the film takes place in New York City and the mayhem ensues when Tom is hired by an event planner to catch and kill the mouse who’s crowding one of the city’s finest hotels. Not too surprising, the live-action adaption was not a critical success, with the Tom & Jerry getting a weak 31% on rotten tomatoes. The film didn’t make much of an impact during its run in theaters, though Tom & Jerry came out during a time when the pandemic was still a major factor for many audiences. Still, it’s truly tough to craft a live-action adaption of the cartoon classic. Here are several reasons that the live-action movie fails.
Tom & Jerry Is A Thin Plot About A Cat and Mouse Chasing Each Other
There are some things that just aren’t meant to be a feature-length film and Tom & Jerry is one of those properties. At the end of the day, Tom & Jerry is mainly about a stupid cat being outsmarted by a brown mouse. In the original cartoons, neither character talked (unless you count constant screaming in pain by Tom); however, the over-the-top antics of the duo’s legendary battles are what carried the cartoons. The main issue is that it’s impossible to carry over those antics for the required feature-length time. There’s not much story you can squeeze out of Tom trying to capture a mouse. Granted, Tom & Jerry have been featured in cartoon movies; however, those films were wise enough to not rely on the cat chases mouse arc. Of course, it happens, but that’s never the focal point of the film. Is it possible that filmmakers could’ve come up with an excellent Tom & Jerry feature? Yes. However, the premise has to feature more than Tom and Jerry going back-and-forth for two hours. In a way, the filmmakers were trapped when trying to pen the live-action film. Obviously, the studio is trying to capitalize off the success of the legendary cartoon, so Tim Story couldn’t necessarily deviate from what Tom and Jerry are known for. The director is wise enough to not feature a two-hour marathon of Tom chasing Jerry, but the end result showcased why it’s hard to make a feature of the classic cartoon.
The Human Characters Aren’t That Interesting
Tom & Jerry boasts a talented cast. With Chloe Grace Moretz and Michael Pena spearheading the film, it’s hard to go wrong in the acting department; however, the human characters just aren’t an interesting element of the film. In theory, it’s necessary that the film needed the main story with human characters. As I previously stated, there’s no way in hell that you can feature a two-hour marathon of back and forth tomfoolery between the classic characters. Part of the problem is that the humans don’t feel as lively as their animated counterparts. The concept of live-action cartoons has always been a tricky effort. The main issue tends to be that the cartoons tended to be lively and over-the-top, whereas the real-world element pales in comparison. Since Moretz and Pena mostly play the film straightforward, their segments fall flat because they aren’t matching the zany antics of their cartoon co-stars.
While it is possible that the live-action adaption could operate under real-world rules, it would completely betray the Tom and Jerry source material. Yes, the core of the story is a mouse chasing a cat; however, the over-the-top shenanigans are what truly make the classic cartoon pop. Again, the filmmakers needed to deviate from the Tom and Jerry formula to create something bold and compelling, but since this movie is trying to cash off the name of an iconic cartoon, there was no way that was ever happening. The story with the human characters feels nothing more than a plot device to get the cat and mouse onscreen. Once the cartoons officially make their appearance, then their jobs are mostly to react to the craziness of Tom and Jerry’s back-and-forth battle. There’s a story with a beginning, middle, and end, but it’s one that has low stakes attached. Despite being the main focal point of the film, the human characters are really the supporting cast of Tom & Jerry.Scooby-Doo
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