Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale:

No Classic, But a Good Crack At It

-A Review by Matthew Hunter

Own it now on DVD hannabarbera.com

I really didn't expect much from "Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale", the latest in a growing series of direct-to-DVD "movies" based on the Tom and Jerry franchise. After seeing bits and pieces of the previous efforts, and the TV series "Tom and Jerry Tales", I expected this to be just the same. While it didn't absolutely thrill me, I was pleasantly surprised.

"Nutcracker Tale" is based on an idea by the late Joe Barbera himself, and was never set into motion before his passing. Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone ("The Karateguard", "Duck Dodgers", "Daffy Duck for President") liked it, and decided to take the reins. The story is loosely based on Tchaikovsky's  Nutcracker Ballet. Jerry Mouse lives in an old theater and wishes to be a great dancer...but he's a klutz, and a mouse. Enter the inevitable Christmas magic that transforms the backstage sets into magical worlds and toys into living beings. Of course, Tom and a gang of alley cats (many of them familiar from old Tom and Jerry shorts) get into the act, kidnapping a toy ballerina-come-to-life and plotting to invade this new "winter wonderland". In addition to the cats, there are other nods to the classic shorts of Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, and in one case, one of their key animators. One gag involves a can of "Spence's Peanuts"...a reference to Irv Spence.

Jerry's young cousin Tuffy also appears, and for some reason retains his French accent from the series of "Mousketeer" shorts. We are also introduced to some forgettable new characters, including a pull-string pony and a tree-ornament elf who looks like Porky Pig after a crash diet. There's also the King of the Cats, the ballerina, and a magical toymaker in the Santa Claus mold. Unfortunately, we're not really given enough time to truly warm up to these characters, and the scenes with Tom and Jerry feuding like old times makes one wish they hadn't come up with new characters and new plot. Still, I can't help but think that kids will love this little film, and I think it's perfect for a family looking to enjoy some Holiday cheer together. It's not loud and obnoxious, it's not mean-spirited, and it's not sappy. 

The best thing about this production is the animation. Reportedly much of it was done in-house by Brandt and Cervone themselves, with little meddling. It shows...the characters look great, the animation is fluid and the colors are vivid. While it's not Tom and Jerry's finest hour, it's far from their worst...and if you've ever seen some of the attempts from the late 1960's and early 70's, you'll know what the worst looks like! Really, "Nutcracker Tale" is more in line with something Disney might have done for direct-to-video, but with more slapstick, shorter length and better reason to exist. The music, as to be expected from the subject matter, is great, though nothing like the familiar Scott Bradley sound that made the original Tom and Jerry so popular. The voices, though on the whole unnecessary, are well done, and they're not jabbery or distracting.

The problem with "Nutracker Tale" is that it can't seem to decide whether to be a movie, a TV special, or a short. Its length, story and production quality don't seem to put it in either category. If this had been cut down to a 7 or 8 minute short, we might have the best Tom and Jerry cartoon in years. If it were longer and had more good ol' chases, it'd be the best Tom and Jerry feature ever. But clocking in at a bizarre 49 minutes, it's half the length of a standard animated feature and longer than a standard TV special. That's a tall order to fill for characters who were originally designed to hold an audience's attention only for 7-minute shorts, and who have yielded disastrous results in most  long-form ventures. On a side-note, the packaging art is amazingly well-done, and it even comes in a shiny slip-case. 

Overall, "Nutcracker Tale" is definitely a pleasant surprise, and well worth checking out. The animation alone makes it a standout from the other animated garbage that's out there, and if somebody could convince Warner Bros. to produce a series of theatrical cartoons with the same quality, there's no telling what greatness Brandt and Cervone could achieve. It's not a must-see, but curiosity won't harm any cats here...except maybe Tom.