The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit (1962)
Metro Goldwyn Mayer and Rembrandt films
Technique
"The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit" is the ninth animated feature from the Czech series of the iconic rival duet directed by William L. Snyder and Gene Deitch, who would be living in Prague since the fifties, and will be working with Allen Swift as the narrator and Chris Jenkins as the writer. The production would be recorded in a 35 milimeter film, being Metrocolor processed in a laboratory.
The animation style is limited and intends for fast paced movements that can feel so rushed to save costs, being different from other productions produced by William Hannah and Joseph Barbera, who would go for movements that no matter the timing, all would be well defined and would give context of it.
Deitch had in his hand reference material for his team, model sheets, pencil animations, 35 mm rolls. These elements were intensively studied to get context and obtain the most similar result possible despite not achieving the same quality or essence from the original.
Representation
Metro Goldwyn Mayer fired Hannah and Barbera in the mid 1950's due to a massive layoff from various studios because of the elimination of their animation units or the reduction of productions, which was a considerable mistake because they were in charge of the studio's golden eggs hen: Tom and Jerry. So they hired Deitch to be the successor of the series. (Which only lasted thirteen episodes because Joe Vogel was booted out from the leadership of MGM and the studio wanted their productions to be made in local grounds).
The Czech Tom and Jerry had that surreal and uneasy feeling that can be disturbing due to its animation and artistic choice, the main reasons are because the team behind this run didn't know about them due to the Iron Courtain, which divided the Communist world from the west. Also, Deitch was not familiarized with the story of this duet, especially because he did not find any sense on its violence (he was not so pleased with having a black faceless woman inside the cast, so he decided to not use her). There were many changes to be done on the cartoon to appeal the perspective in Czechoslovakia about animation, which was more about a cultural and artistic premise rather than simple and entertaining.
The cartoon violence aspect was one of these elements that were completely changes, and this film being adressed is a clear example of it. Here the weapons displayed at the beginning were not so used (literally there was a pink dinamyte that blew up indirectly), the destruction was inferior in comparison to the classic episodes and Tom had his body minimally altered. This can be a hybrid situation between unintentional and intentional, given that it was notorious the satire to the violence, where you do not expect what is coming next, which can be more entertaining.
Their most used resource is combat skills such as judo and boxing to replace the weapons, which can be funny, because you feel they'd practice these abilities but at the same time you feel them out of character. It is not necessarily bad, but can be bad, it can complement the narrative or be just an element to appeal the Czech culture.
Boxing and judo, who could have thought about that?
The judo school crumbles at the rhythm of music as a resource to show violence in a subtle way with abstract imagery, a very useful element, and a common one in European filmography.
Even though, it was produced at a point where the producers started to understand Tom and Jerry, not completely, but they started to get the basics of the structure in the series, and you can still feel the characters striking each other, so they took the liberties to represent with a more aggressive approach some expressions, actions, even elements, having a more violent appearance.
Some frames that can feel terrifying for how uneasy they are.
"Anyone can enter now the lucrative field of animated cartoons with the new Tom and Jerry cartoon kit..."
Despite all these episodes can have something to discuss due to their uneasy narrative and the way they direct the different scenarios, I chose specifically this one because it chooses to step away from the average story of both in their common dynamic and deconstruct it to present a new perspective of it. It is said that it was inspired by Bob Godfrey's "The DIY Cartoon Kit" (1961), which can have a certain connection due to both having a similar sensation.
The film intends to break a bit the fourth wall, a thing that is not so rare among cartoons (see "Duck Amuck" from 1953 as a clear example), but it can be one of the few times (if not the first time) Tom and Jerry did it.
It had the premise to push the boundaries and go for a more surreal narrative where you can see beyond their world. Tom And Jerry were no longer just a cat and a mouse killing each other, they are now a product for entertainment, materials of work to create a new story, a new scenario. Neither of both can see it, no matter if they interact with the package even, because they were "programmed" to follow their dynamic as usual.
Tom, Jerry, a jar, a chair and a table in the middle of nothing.
This episode in 80-90 percent of times, have solid colors as backgrounds, this can be an interpretation of an empty canvas, the classic "imagine the possibilities of what you can do with a cat and a mouse killing each other", even though it can be just a movement to save costs and make the production faster or less tedious.
The phrase "Our next film will be for the kiddies (or kitties, I am not sure), and will demonstrate a new... poison gas" is a bit tricky. This episode can be seen as a tutorial, training tape or an example of how the producers can use with their tools, and was not directed towards children. The poison gas part can only be just a casual line to tell you "it is going to get more interesting" or "we will be back with the normal programming", and no clever foreshadowing of it was used (trust me, I have seen the next episode "Tall in the trap" to see if they use a poison gas, but it was only mousetraps, explosions and gunfire in the wild west).
Reception
I have seen this cartoon before, in a time where reruns on television would exist, it gave me the creeps alongside the other films from the same people, of course it can feel more disturbing, less, depending with which episode are you comparing. In my personal opinion, it could have been better, it had potential of being something beyond the imaginable, still it is enjoyable and can be replayed without getting bored due to its unique nature that can be separated even from its 8 older siblings and 4 younger siblings.
Warner Brothers would release in Youtube its channel dedicated to compile classic features and clips from their most iconic productions. This short film would be included in November 3rd of this year.
The film, as the entire Czech series, had a poor general reception as back then as nowadays, because it lacks the main essence the main series had, despite being well received inside MGM. Its critical backlash is especially attributed to the animation, lack of backgrounds, inconsistent and unappealing story and the distancing from the premise it was intended. (it can be understandable, put a random scene of this short film without the beginning to someone who did never see it and he will not realize it was a satire to corporate film making).
The cartoon would be aired on august 10th of 62 for American
and European televisions, being accessible for almost everyone in an
attempt to keep Tom and Jerry relevant and interesting despite its
quality and approach.
Despite the critical reception it had, this episode is considered one of the best in this run, given that it brings something fresh to the table and tries its best to entertain and make sense without getting monotonous or predictable, even though it is still a flawed production that has a premise that accomplished its purpose, but it could go further.
References for this research:
Warner Bros. Classics (2024, 1962 first release), "The Tom And Jerry Cartoon Kit", November 8th 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2T6P6bEO18
Library of Congress (1963), "Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series", page 47, November 13th 2024, https://books.google.ca/books?id=KS8hAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA2-PA47&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Gene Deitch (2013), "Tom & Jerry: Produced in Prague", November 13th 2024, https://www.awn.com/animationworld/tom-jerry-produced-prague
Ian Willoughby (2019), "Gene Deitch, Part 1: The Oscar-winning US animator who made Tom and Jerry cartoons in communist Prague", November 13th 2024, https://english.radio.cz/gene-deitch-part-1-oscar-winning-us-animator-who-made-tom-and-jerry-cartoons-8126279
Gene Deitch (2013), "Tom & Jerry: The First Reincarnation", November 13th 2024, https://www.awn.com/genedeitch/chapter-twentyone-tom-and-jerry-the-first-reincarnation
Internet Movie database, "The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit", November 13th 2024, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056595/?ref=tturvov
Jesse M. Kowalski (2017), "Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning", November 14th 2024, https://www.illustrationhistory.org/essays/hanna-barbera-the-architects-of-saturday-morning
Internet Archive (2024), "Tom & Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection (1961 - 1962)", November 14th 2024, https://archive.org/details/tom-jerry-the-gene-deitch-collection-1961-1962/Tom+and+Jerry+(1940)+Gene+Deitch+Collection+-+S01E10+-+Tall+in+the+Trap+(1080p+AMZN+WEB-DL+x264+Rolex+Gamer+43).mkv