The Year of the Mouse

This is one of my favorite Tom and Jerry cartoons. Even for the mid-1960's the animation is good. Poor Tom is being tormented not just by Jerry but also a new buddy this time. All Tom wants to do is take a nap like all cats do. Instead, he's subjected to a number of psychopathic and life-threatening ways to keep him from enjoying this nap by these two mice. I do find the conclusion of this cartoon very satisfying and gratifying. Unfortunately the one thing I found extremely disturbing is how the vocal effects are listed. Mel Blanc's name is listed under June Foray's. This is as wrong as wrong gets! Mel Blanc is the Man of A Thousand Voices and did hundreds of character voices during his career. NOBODY'S name belongs above his EVER especially in all caps. This is an insult to this great man.

If I'm not mistaken this is Chuck Jones' second attempt at a Tom and Jerry short and boy is his version VIOLENT! Compared to action/adventure cartoons, especially the ones from my generation this short is sissy stuff. But compared to any other animated short Tom and Jerry or not, this is perhaps one of the most violent ones. Regardless it's kind of funny but Tom shooting himself in the forehead was a little disturbing!

2(**)out of 4(****)stars

I was surprised at how much I liked The Year of the Mouse. Now some Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry cartoons I have liked, but some while watchable were a tad disappointing, though pretty much all of them are better than any of the Gene Dietch cartoons. The story is a bit of a non-event and the cartoon is perhaps a little on the violent side, but The Year of the Mouse wasn't bad at all. In fact it was quite good. The animation is surprisingly better than it usually is, and the music is nice and jazzy. The sight gags on the whole are clever very funny and go at a fast pace, just seeing Tom bobbing up and down on the ceiling was amusing in itself and actually that is probably an understatement in itself. Tom and Jerry are good here, and I liked Jerry's friend. Overall, surprisingly good and one of the better Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry cartoons. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Another Chuck Jones T&J cartoon with an irrelevant title, The Year of The Mouse sees Jerry and an unnamed friend tormenting Tom by making him believe that he has uncontrollable suicidal tendencies. Eventually Tom realises the truth and traps the two mice. The End.

Uninspired, with Jerry and pal proving extremely unlikable, The Year of The Mouse is another of Jones's efforts that veers close to Gene Deitch levels of crapdom. If the idea of Jerry shooting Tom point blank in the face with a pistol makes you laugh, then go ahead, but this one left me stony-faced throughout.

Not a bad Tom and Jerry film (entertainment), but not a good one (morally). This film depicts suicidal and murderous themes several times that are clever yet leaves you uneasy when you see them. The kind of humor you have to keep telling yourself that this is funny over and over, but in a twisted way. As an adult I can appreciate the cruel tit for tat exchange , but this is not a kiddie film and shouldn't be shown on Saturday morning as it was done. Overall, it's worth a watch but not with kids who wouldn't understand the fatal ramifications being depicted.