Heavenly Puss

'Heavenly Puss (1949)' is a 'Tom & Jerry' short that sees the former crushed by a piano and sent to the pearly gates, where he is told he has an hour to obtain a signature of forgiveness from his mouse mate in order to board the 'heavenly express'. The piece feels somewhat different to most others in its series. It seems, in a way, more character-driven and self-aware. The thing is almost like the creators are saying "don't worry, they're friends really". Still, this more story-focused approach isn't bad. While the affair has less inventive sight-gags than we're used to, it still has its fair share of funny moments. It also has a good heart at its centre. It's an enjoyable short. 7/10

It's not hard to get tired of the bad reputation cats have been given in animated cartoons (Warner Brothers had Pussyfoot as a sympathetic feline, but that's one of the few). They seem to serve only as punching bags for dogs and persecutors of mice and birds. In this cartoon, we have Tom threatened with condemnation to an animal version of Christian hell populated, of course, by devil dogs, and for what? For following his instincts, nothing more. If Christians can be condemned for following their instincts, there must not be many of them in their version of heaven.

Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield, perhaps said it best: "Way down under, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by theirs." Seeing the way Hanna and Barbera always cast Tom as the endless oppressor and the foil for Jerry's sadistic manipulation makes me want to do two things: watch only Chuck Jones Tom & Jerry cartoons, where the motivations were distilled to their purest essence (the chase for its own sake) and to go find a few mice for my own cats to play with while I watch and cheer them on.

Tom the cat gets killed by a falling piano and ascends to cat heaven via escalator. But upon arriving at the pearly gates, the gatekeeper tells him that he needs to get Jerry the mouse to sign a document saying that he forgives Tom all the times that he chased after him. If Jerry doesn't sign it Tom has to spend eternity in hell. So naturally Tum is scared out of his cat skull and tries with all his might to get Jerry to sign on the dotted line. This cartoon is a bit far from being my favorite and I felt bad for Tom. This cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry"

DVD Extras: Commentary by historian Jerry Beck

My Grade: B

Tom chases Jerry for no particular reason, and the cartoon seems to be giving us the usual fare until Jerry flattens Tom with a piano, killing him. A quick ride to heaven on an escalator brings him to the pearly gates, where some kind of train conduction is a cat version of Saint Peter. The Heavenly Express leaves in an hour and if Tom can get a signed document of forgiveness from Jerry he's free to enter. If not-HELL!

Now it's Tom's chance to be as nice to Jerry as possible, but he's having none of it and refuses to sign, sealing the cat's fate forever. It's a funny cartoon, with some nice moments. Though I was a little surprised to see the three dead kittens drowned in a bag at the gates of heaven.

As an avid fan of Tom and Jerry, I enjoyed Heavenly Puss. I too couldn't help thinking of Pluto's Judgement Day when I saw this, and while that was very good this in my opinion was better. I loved the concept of the cartoon, the Heavenly Express looked amazing and Hell looked incredibly scary, I couldn't help feeling sorry for Tom as he begged for Jerry to sign for forgiveness. I also loved the artwork, with beautiful backgrounds and interesting character designs, and the music was really clever here ascending scales as Tom went up those stairs up into Heaven and the more dramatic threatening tones for Hell. There isn't anything hilarious here, but what stood out here was the cartoon's uniqueness. And the characters are fine, Jerry isn't given as much to do but he is still his sweet self, and Spike does a great job as the devilish dog figure with a laugh that still frightens me. I also liked the kindly conductor, he had some great dialogue, but as I've said before (sort of) Tom is the star of the show, although he is dastardly to begin with, his pleas for forgiveness are heart breaking and then the ending with him hugging Jerry(more to do with Jerry's confused facial expression) was quite funny. Oh, and those kittens are absolutely adorable. Overall, different but unique. 10/10 Bethany Cox