Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse

An early Tom & Jerry animated short film, this see's the creators influenced by Louis Stevensons classic Jekyll & Hyde.

We see Tom tired of Jerry stealing his milk so proceeds to poison him, but with unintended consequences. Yes, Tom tries to kill Jerry with poison! That's unexpectedly dark, and certainly wouldn't be acceptable by modern standards.

The rest is your run of the mill stuff and poor Tom just can't catch a break. I think that's why I was never a fan of the show when I was a kid, I always feel too sorry for the poor cat.

Interesting ideas, but ultimately this is just more of the same formula that we've been peddled with for over 60yrs.

The Good:

Well animated

The Bad:

More of the same

Too dark

Dr Jekyll and Mr Mouse is a unique take on the famous split-personality tale by Robert Louis Stevenson. I don't think it is Tom and Jerry's very best cartoon, but it is a dark, suspenseful and most definitely entertaining one. The animation is great, luscious, well proportioned and just beautiful to look at in general. And I also loved the music, that alone added to the darkness, suspense and fun of Dr Jekyll and Mr Mouse. There are some great gags as well, if you know the story though you'll know what happens, but the twist ending is just great and very funny. Overall, a unique and fun cartoon, with a great ending and music to boot. 9/10 Bethany Cox

While everyone seems to praise this one I am one of the few minorities who cannot enjoy this. I like to judge these cartoons based on who initiates the conflict first. In this case it's Jerry. All Tom wants to do is enjoy his milk in peace but Jerry can't leave him alone no matter what he does to keep his milk away from him. Then he poisons it Jerry becomes strong and just hurts Tom constantly. I found myself calling Jerry a jerk, wishing he'd just leave him alone and quit hurting him. And then when Tom gets a chance to get even he drinks the spiked milk and instead of making him strong it reduces him to an insignificant size where Jerry can go from bothering him, hurting him to just torturing him.

Second worst T&J episode I've ever seen. Right next to the Mouseketeer which ends with Tom being decapitated.

I am actually very fond of this cartoon for what it is: an intentional tribute to the Mickey Mouse cartoon "The Worm Turns" of 1937. That this has been left out of every other post on this message board is utterly amazing! It also makes it slightly surprising that the cartoon itself was nominated for an Academy Award, although many other tributes and parodies have had the honors over the years.

The scene with the fly is a direct parody of the Mickey toon, in which a fly is the first to benefit from the newly concocted "Courage Builder" strength elixir. The sound effects, as well as much of the visual popping and sparkling in the mixture, are directly lifted from this cartoon.

The complex, and undeniably great result is a cartoon with a unique twist in the ending, which provides a much greater entertainment value for someone familiar with the earlier toon, who can appreciate the contrast and the blatant inter-textual references.

Annoyed that Jerry keeps on 'half-inching' his milk, Tom the cat mixes up a noxious and potentially deadly concoction, puts it in his bowl and waits for the rodent to strike. However, rather than causing Jerry to pop his clogs, the foul mixture of milk and household chemicals turns the meek mouse into a muscle-bound hulk...

This one might not be the greatest of Tom and Jerry's escapades (despite being Oscar nominated), but it packs enough laughs to make it worth a go. The animation is above average, with the scenes in which Tom mixes his potion being particularly well rendered (the coloured lighting and shadows cast by the cat are very effective).

Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Mouse is silly fun and gets a respectable rating of 7/10 from me.