Tom And Jerry Parent Guide

Based on Hanna Barbara’s characters from years ago, Tom And Jerry puts the cat and mouse in the 90’s. As they miss getting in the car with their owners, the two “buddies” are caught in their house as it is about to be demolished. They take to the streets, meet an orphan girl, and set out to find her father.

You may wonder how a G movie can get such a low rating on violence. If you remember the original Tom And Jerry, it was incredibly violent. Tom falls on the ironing board bouncing Jerry in the air, Jerry sticks Tom’s tail in a light socket, and on it went. But this is the 90’s, and Tom and Jerry are reduced to Saturday morning quality, and have resorted to kiddie horror to get their audience.

Compared to the violence in the original cartoon, this film pulls all the usual strings to get kids scared. Take away their parents. Make them live locked in an attic with an evil witch. Have everyone in the world, except for a cat and a mouse, against them. What a life! The problem is, all of these elements can exist in a G movie. It must be hard times in Hollywood if they have to write trash like this to keep the kids coming to matinees.

The little orphan Robyn explains that her mommy is dead, and daddy died in an avalanche while climbing a mountain in Tibet. Who thought this up? Supposedly daddy cares about her sooooo much, then why is he mountain climbing on the other side of the world, leaving his daughter unattended? The things we expect our kids to accept in movies is amazing.

The original Tom and Jerry never spoke, but that would have taken some creative work to make a movie with two mute lead characters. So not long into the film, the cat and mouse speak for the first time. With the exception of a great musical score by Henry Mancini, this film has very little to offer.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.