The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit
Encyclopedia
The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit is a Tom and Jerry
cartoon produced and released in 1962. It was directed by Gene Deitch
and produced by William L. Snyder. Despite mixed reception, it is mainly known as the most critically acclaimed of the Gene Deitch Tom and Jerry
shorts among members of the Tom and Jerry fanbase. The ninth of thirteen Rembrandt Films cartoons indirectly makes fun of the violence in the original Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera shorts.
The narrator points out, "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, in which it ran ahead of a feature film.
At first, the kit is set up by having Jerry eat the watermelon. He spits the seeds out, hitting and waking Tom, who initially grabs the hammer to hit Jerry but instead flicks him in the back of the head. This causes Jerry to swallow his mouthful of seeds, whereupon he starts dancing and shaking his body to make maraca sounds. Tom catches him in a metal can and uses him as a shaker for his own dance; when the effect suddenly stops, Tom peeks in and gets a mouthful of seeds spat into his face. He 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, destroying the stick of dynamite.
Jerry winds up lying beneath a book entitled Judo for Mice, studies it, and emerges with enough fighting skill to easily overpower Tom. Even a stint of training at a boxing gym and use of the knife do not give Tom any advantage against Jerry. Finally Tom goes to a judo school in order to face him again. The two have a breaking
contest, with each trying to outdo the other. The contest ends abruptly when Tom tries to break a huge block of marble, which crashes through the floor and takes him with it.
The unconscious Tom ends up in the battered box. Jerry replaces the lid as the narrator explains, "Our next film will be for the kiddies, and will demonstrate a new poison gas. Thank you and good night." The music winds to a stop as if it were being played on a slowing phonograph record, and Jerry bows to the audience in typical Japanese fashion.
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
cartoon produced and released in 1962. It was directed by Gene Deitch
Gene Deitch
Eugene Merril "Gene" Deitch is an American illustrator, animator and film director. He has been based in Prague, capital of Czechoslovakia and the present-day Czech Republic, since 1959. Since 1968, Deitch has been the leading animation director for the Connecticut organization Weston...
and produced by William L. Snyder. Despite mixed reception, it is mainly known as the most critically acclaimed of the Gene Deitch Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
shorts among members of the Tom and Jerry fanbase. The ninth of thirteen Rembrandt Films cartoons indirectly makes fun of the violence in the original Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera shorts.
Plot
The cartoon is a seven-minute "commercial" 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:- Tom (described as "one mean, stupid cat")
- Jerry ("one sweet, lovable mouse")
- a hammer, knife, and stick of dynamite (collectively referred to as "assorted deadly weapons")
- coffee and cigarettes (removed from kit and described as being "for the cartoonists")
- a slice of watermelon
The narrator points out, "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, in which it ran ahead of a feature film.
At first, the kit is set up by having Jerry eat the watermelon. He spits the seeds out, hitting and waking Tom, who initially grabs the hammer to hit Jerry but instead flicks him in the back of the head. This causes Jerry to swallow his mouthful of seeds, whereupon he starts dancing and shaking his body to make maraca sounds. Tom catches him in a metal can and uses him as a shaker for his own dance; when the effect suddenly stops, Tom peeks in and gets a mouthful of seeds spat into his face. He 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, destroying the stick of dynamite.
Jerry winds up lying beneath a book entitled Judo for Mice, studies it, and emerges with enough fighting skill to easily overpower Tom. Even a stint of training at a boxing gym and use of the knife do not give Tom any advantage against Jerry. Finally Tom goes to a judo school in order to face him again. The two have a breaking
Breaking (martial arts)
Breaking is a martial arts technique that is used in competition, demonstration and testing. Breaking is an action where a martial artist uses a striking surface to break one or more objects using the skills honed in their art form. The striking surface is usually a hand or a foot, but may also be...
contest, with each trying to outdo the other. The contest ends abruptly when Tom tries to break a huge block of marble, which crashes through the floor and takes him with it.
The unconscious Tom ends up in the battered box. Jerry replaces the lid as the narrator explains, "Our next film will be for the kiddies, and will demonstrate a new poison gas. Thank you and good night." The music winds to a stop as if it were being played on a slowing phonograph record, and Jerry bows to the audience in typical Japanese fashion.