By Gabriela Gutierrez
A fresh new start in modern-day New York City, brings Tom and Jerry back for more adventures in “Tom and Jerry the Movie” which is nostalgic at best.
The film released on HBO Max on Feb. 26 reawakens an 81-year-old classic childhood cartoon.
Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse find themselves traveling to NYC to follow their dreams. Tom brings his charm and his piano in hopes of becoming a pianist, while Jerry brings a tiny backpack and big hopes to find a place to call home.
As they both arrive in NYC, Tom takes the opportunity to set-up a spot in a park and begins to play his piano for cash tips from passersby. The catch is, he pretends to be blind. As a crowd begins to form, Jerry spots Tom and realizes he’s making money and wants in on the success.
Most people who know Tom and Jerry surely know what happens next. A fight breaks out and Tom accidentally bumps into Kayla Forester, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, while she’s riding her bike to make a delivery forcing her to lose her job.
Kayla is a young girl with no sense of direction in life who constantly ends up entangled in Tom and Jerry’s messy battles. Desperate and with no job Kayla lies her way into a new position at a high-end hotel where she works under the hotel manager, Terrence, played by Michael Pena.
The film takes the audience on a trip down memory lane, but also adds a twist to the cartoon many know and love. It places Tom, Jerry and several other characters from the original cartoon in the real-world.
In an interview with Collider, director Tom Story said he and his team had “a lot of fun bringing [the] characters back to life.”
The last time Tom and Jerry made a public appearance before “Tom and Jerry the Movie” was in the last episode of “The Tom and Jerry Show,” which was on Feb. 21.
One of Story’s goals was to animate Tom and Jerry as most fans remember them. The traditional aspects of Tom and Jerrys characters remain consistent with past creator’s versions. Regardless, Story is a creative professional and adds a few of his own finishing touches which add to the modernity of the film.
Story even makes a reference to a popular DC film which film fanatics are sure to enjoy.
The children’s film is not as many Tom and Jerry fans remember, but it serves to continue the legacy that the original creators William Hanna and Joseph Brbara left behind.