With magic in the air, Jerry and his nephew, Tuffy, make a snow mouse that miraculously comes to life. To keep their new friend, Larry the snow mouse, from melting, Tuffy and Jerry must race him to the fabled Snowman’s Village.
Growing up in the ’70s and the ’80s, “Tom and Jerry” was a huge staple of my childhood. They were cartoons that always made my friends and me laugh weekly. They genuinely appeared to be sworn enemies, but deep down, they cared for each other. Never was this more evident than in the 1941 film, “The Night Before Christmas.” After Tom locks Jerry outside in the snow, he settles down in front of the fire, but his conscience gets the better of him, and he brings Jerry back in and warms him up, even giving him his candy cane.
The less we say about the 2021 film, “Tom and Jerry,” the better. While it did gross $46.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $90 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $136.5 million, the movie itself was panned by critics. One element of the film I didn’t care for was that Tom and Jerry both have lines of dialogue throughout, and while the two characters spoke in the earlier cartoons on infrequent occasions, growing up with them in that capacity is what I came to love about them; they didn’t need dialogue to tell the audience what was going on.
In “Tom and Jerry: Snowman’s Land,” Jerry and his nephew Tuffy, through the magic of Christmas, create Larry the Snow Mouse, who brings joy and wonderment into their lives, but it is quickly interrupted when Tom and his devious owner, Dr. Doublevay, learn about Larry’s magic and intend on using it for their own nefarious needs. As the weather begins to heat up, Larry slowly begins to melt, and Jerry and Tuffy realize that to keep him alive, they must get Larry to the fabled Snowman’s Village, but with Tom and Doublevay hot on their heels, will they make it in time?
I like that the filmmakers brought back the same style of animation that Gene Deitch (1961-1962), Chuck Jones (1963-1967), and Hanna-Barbera’s “The Tom and Jerry Show” (1975-1977) utilized when they were creating them back in the day instead of changing their appearances to be more contemporary. The one aspect I didn’t care for too much was that most of the story focuses on Jerry, his nephew Tuffy, and Larry, while Tom is relegated to more of a background character who materializes from time to time. The earlier cartoons were all about Tom and Jerry, and while other supporting characters made appearances, the story’s nucleus was always about our two protagonists.
“Tom and Jerry: Snowman’s Land” will entertain the kiddos. It might even entertain you too, but if, like me, you grew up with the original cartoons, this one might take some getting used to. The story is peppered with nods to Christmas and magic and the bond of friendship, so at least it has that going for it.
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