''The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit'' is a ''

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...

'' animated short film, produced and released on August 10, 1962. It was the ninth cartoon in a series of thirteen to be directed by Gene Deitch and produced by William L. Snyder in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. It updates its copyright to the current year 1962 as opposed to the 1961 copyright of Dicky Moe. ''The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit'' is a sarcastic attack on the series as a whole and its formulaic approach, which the short mocks as excessively violent and designed solely for profit. Deitch had strongly divergent views on animation compared to ''Tom and Jerry''s creators,

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of ''Tom and Jerry'' as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the anim ...

and Joseph Barbera, that he openly expressed throughout his lifetime.

Plot

The cartoon begins with a demonstration for the Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit, with which "anyone can now enter the lucrative field of animated cartoons." The items in the kit include the following: * "One mean, stupid cat" (Tom) * "One sweet, lovable mouse" (Jerry) * "Assorted deadly weapons" (a

knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidence ...

, a hammer, and a stick of dynamite) *

Coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

and

cigarettes A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...

(removed from the kit and described as being "for the cartoonists") * A slice of

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varie ...

The narrator says, "First, put the sweet, lovable mouse into a simple situation expressing a natural human need, such as eating a slice of watermelon contained in our kit. The result may not make sense, but it will last long enough for you to be comfortably seated before the feature begins." This statement refers to the original theatrical exhibition of the cartoon, which ran ahead of a feature film. At first, Jerry eats the watermelon on the table and spits the seeds out, hitting and waking Tom, who initially grabs the hammer to attempt to hit Jerry but instead flicks him in the back of his head. Jerry swallows the seeds by accident, causing him to turn green for a moment and then make sounds like a shaker when he moves and goes into a lively dance until Tom traps him in a metal can. Tom uses Jerry as a maraca for his own dance; when the effect suddenly stops, Tom confusingly peeks inside only to get a mouthful of seeds spat into his face. He gets outraged and devours the rest of the watermelon and turns his head into a cannon to fire blasts of seeds at Jerry, who takes cover in the kit box just before Tom hits it, blowing up the stick of dynamite and destroying the box. After a very close call from Jerry after a knife lands next to his tail, Jerry winds up lying beneath a book named ''

Judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

for Mice'', studies it, and emerges with enough fighting skill to easily overpower Tom. Not even a stint of training at a

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

and use of the knife can give Tom any advantage against Jerry. Finally, after recovering from a nasty spinup from Jerry, Tom goes to a

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

school in order to face him again. After finishing his duties, the two began a breaking contest, in which each tries to outdo the other: Jerry with a wooden board, Tom with a brick, then Jerry again with a cement block. The contest ends abruptly when Tom tries to break a massive block of heavy

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

. As the weight of which proves too much for the support bricks to hold, he crashes through the floor and takes him with it. An unconscious Tom ends up in the battered box. Jerry replaces the lid as the narrator pipes up, "Our next film will be for the kiddies, and will demonstrate a new poison gas. Thank you and good night." The words on the lid say "The End, An MGM Cartoon" like an ending typical of a Deitch Tom and Jerry short. The music winds to stop as if it was being played on a slowing phonograph record and Jerry bows to the audience in typical Japanese fashion. As the gong sounds, the screen fades to black.

Reception

While the Deitch shorts were generally negatively received by ''Tom and Jerry'' fans, this particular short is often considered one of the best of the thirteen cartoons, due to its inventive plotline and satirical nature.Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award-1961-Cartoon Research
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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit, The 1962 films 1962 short films Films directed by Gene Deitch Tom and Jerry short films 1960s American animated films 1962 comedy films Self-reflexive films 1962 animated films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated short films Rembrandt Films short films 1960s English-language films

Plot

Reception

See also

References

External links