Search - Tom and Jerry Blast Off to Mars on DVD

Far Better Than It Has Any Right To Be!

Mark Clegg | Great Britain | 03/16/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The following points meant that I very nearly didn't give this DVD a chance: -
1, The Magic Ring - Tom and Jerry's last 'feature length movie' that turned out to be very disappointing.
2, The poor artwork on the cover of this DVD.
3, The unimaginative title.
4, The back cover blurb that states that T&J 'put aside their differences to work together'. It didn't work in T&J The Movie and it only just works here.
I'm pleased that my loyalty to the characters made me buy this - its worth it.
Of the original characters only Tom, Jerry and Spike appear. Their design isn't that of the classic shorts but is still true to them while being more simple and fluid. And they don't (including strangely Spike) speak! To imagine the standard of animation, writing and design - think a very good episode of Animaniacs or Pinky and the Brain. The jokes and reactions are a little on the Tex Avery side but this works alright and results in some very funny facial expressions particularly from Tom. The fighting gags are generally good but some are very familiar particularly the opening sequence in the kitchen which is very similar to the opening of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (this may be on purpose as it seems to be directly referenced with the cookie jar on top of the fridge). Once T&J get out of the kitchen and wreck the rest of the house we are on a roll that lasts for a good 10 minutes of mindless violence before we start with the 'plot'! The sight gags also raise some smiles including the design of the landing pod and the giant robot.
The plot is fine but any character or characters could have substituted for T&J - they are pretty incidental. Saying this, the space setting allows for some great jokes - T&J in zero gravity!
The problem with some of the recent T&J output including 'The Movie' is that, since T&J themselves are not really capable of carrying a whole feature themselves, the other characters have been pretty bland and dragged the whole thing down. This is different. Although the Martians are pretty irritating they only appear in the last third of the film - the astronauts on the other hand are excellently written and performed making the film watchable when the stars are not on screen.
There was one point of this film however that constantly annoyed me throughout - the music. Although composed very well, using Carl Stalling's trick of interpolating song tunes to comment on the action, it is all sythetic. No real instruments - just awful elevator muzak. Being used to the classic shorts which were backed by a huge orchestra, this is a poor show and takes the polish from an otherwise enjoyable film. This aside, on the strength of this I look forward to the next T&J outing and hope that more classic Warner and Warner-owned characters can find a new lease of life on direct to retail DVD."

Perfect for fans of T&J

S. Crane | Gardena, CA United States | 03/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had reservations considering some of the recent Tom & Jerry "movie" releases (ie. "The Magic Ring"), but this purchase turned out to be a winner. A big selling point for true fans of the cartoon series: Neither Tom nor Jerry SPEAK! Instead this movie sticks to the classic Saturday morning chasing and body-reshaping damage the two do so well, and relies on MUSIC to relay their emotions.

This movie also has enough of a storyline and overall plot to keep things rolling along nicely for 70+ minutes. Even if you didn't grow up enjoying the antics of T&J, there's plenty of tongue-in-cheek "adult humor" in this one to chuckle your way through a few watchings with your kids. For instance, the clever references to "2001-A Space Odyssey", the car battery jump-starting of the huge alien robot, and the hilarious "vacuuming" scene near the end. The writing is sharp and quick-witted, and the animation is crisp and character-driven (notice the slight but well drawn facial expressions the various characters exhibit - very funny stuff!)

Suffice it to say this DVD is a good addition to the library of any true fan of the T&J series. And their kids will enjoy it too! :-)"

My kids LOVE it!

Marla | Cypress, TX | 08/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My four year old son is REALLY into rockets these days and absolutely loves this movie. Both he, and my 2 year old daughter, repeatedly ask to watch this silly and entertaining movie!"