Review: "Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest" is Good Jonny Quest

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 41 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest (2014) – straight-to-video
Running time:  73 minutes (1 hour, 13 minutes)
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS:  Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone
WRITERS:  James Krieg and Heath Corson; from a story by James Krieg
EDITOR:  Kyle Stafford
COMPOSER: Michael Tavera
ANIMATION STUDIO:  Yearim Productions Co., LTD

ANIMATION/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE and FAMILY

Starring:  (voices) Reese Hartwig, Arnie Pantoja, James Hong, Eric Bauza, Michael Hanks, Tia Carrere, and Tim Matheson, Joe Alaskey, Spike Brandt, Grey Griffin, Jess Harnell, Richard McGonagle, and Jonny Rees

Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest is a 2015 direct-to-video animated film starring the famous cartoon cat and mouse duo, Tom and Jerry.  Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Spy Quest is a crossover film that teams Tom and Jerry with the characters from the mid-1960s animated series, “Jonny Quest.”

Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, “Jonny Quest” was an animated science fiction adventure television series that was originally broadcast on ABC in prime time.  Created and designed by Doug Wildey, the series lasted one season (1964-1965) for a total of 26 episodes.  “Jonny Quest” focused on Jonathan “Jonny” Quest, an 11-year-old boy who accompanies his genius scientist father on extraordinary adventures.

Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest opens on a beach in “sunny South Florida.”  Tom and Jerry are having a relaxing day at the beach, which means they are harassing each other.  Then, the duo encounters Jonny Quest (Reese Hartwig) and his best pal, Hadji (Arnie Pantoja), accompanied by their canine companion, Bandit, of course.  It seems that a trio of cyborg cats are trying to kidnap the trio, until Tom inadvertently saves them.

Jonny and Hadji take their new friends, Tom and Jerry, to Quest Key, the location of their home and also of Quest Labs.  Tom and Jerry are introduced to Jonny's father, Dr. Benton Quest (Eric Bauza), and Jonny's bodyguard, Race Bannon (Michael Hanks).  Why does Jonny need a bodyguard?  Dr. Quest is a world-renowned genius scientist and inventor, and bad people try to kidnap Jonny to use him as leverage to force Dr. Quest to give them his inventions.

In fact, longtime Quest family nemesis, Dr. Zin (James Hong), wants Dr. Quest's latest invention, the “Q Sphere,” a device that will solve the world's energy problems.  After Zin kidnaps Dr. Quest and Race, Tom and Jerry join Jonny, Hadji, and Bandit on a trip to “Zin Automated Battle Island,” on a rescue mission, where an evil cat army and powerful robots await them.

Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest can be described as “The Adventures of Jonny Quest” with Tom and Jerry as, at best, supporting characters, or, in actuality, guest stars.  That is not a bad thing.  James Krieg and Heath Corson have written a Jonny Quest story that recalls the classic, original 1960s series, while maintaining the general wackiness that is Tom and Jerry.

Yeah, the appearance of Jonny Quest recurring character, Jezebel Jade (Tia Carrere), seems obligatory, but the appearance of the bumbling Tom and Jerry adversaries, Tin, Pan, and Alley, balances that.  Corson and especially Krieg seem to know what made classic Hanna-Barbera animated series successful and also have a knack for reviving those elements that made them classics.

Kudos to the art direction.  Quest Key, the Quest Lab interiors, and the island location of Dr. Zin's base of operations, including its interiors, recall Hanna-Barbera's animated science fiction adventure television series of the 1960s and 1970s.

Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone, the producing and directing team behind the Tom and Jerry direct-to-DVD films, always seem to have a way to keep this series going.  Just when I think that it is time to stop, they produce an entry that leaves me awaiting the next.  And with Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest, they also made a good Jonny Quest direct-to-DVD film.

8 of 10
A

Friday, October 23, 2015


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Review: "Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare" a Great New Spin on Classic Scooby-Doo

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 84 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare (2010) – Video
Running time: 72 minutes (1 hour, 12 minutes)
DIRECTORS: Ethan Spaulding with Kirk Tingblad (animation director)
WRITERS: Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas
PRODUCERS: Spike Brandt and Tom Cervone
EDITOR: Joseph Molinari

ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY/MYSTERY

Starring: (voices) Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle, Mindy Cohn, Dee Bradley Baker, Mark Hamill, Phil LeMarr, Scott Menville, Stephen Root, Tara Strong, Lauren Tom, Grant Goodeve, and Neve Campbell

Beginning in 1998 with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Warner Bros. has released direct-to-video animated movies based on the Scooby-Doo cartoon franchise. There has been at least one per year (except for 2003 and 2005, when two movies were released in both years). Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare is the 15th in this direct-to-video series.

Fred Jones (Frank Welker), Daphne Blake (Grey DeLisle), Velma Dinkley (Mindy Cohn), Shaggy Rogers (Matthew Lillard) and Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker) take their summer vacation at Camp Little Moose, Fred’s old summer camp. Fred can’t wait to be a camp counselor, but he learns from the head counselor, a jolly old fellow named Burt (Stephen Root), that the monsters that were the stars in many Little Moose campfire stories have come to life.

The Woodsman (Dee Bradley Baker) was a green-faced, ax-wielding creep, and favorite of campfire tales. Now, he is a real monster running around the woods, threatening campers with his ax, destroying the camp grounds, and demanding that everyone leave Little Moose. The Fishman (Dee Bradley Baker) haunts the nearby, man-made Big Moose Lake, and the Spectre of Shadow Canyon (Dee Bradley Baker) threatens death on anyone who enters the Shadow Canyon.

Burt and three newly-arrived campers: Trudy (Tara Strong), Luke (Grant Goodeve), and Deacon (Mark Hamill) stick it out. They join Fred, Daphne, Velma, and (reluctantly) Shaggy and Scooby in trying to solve a wide-ranging mystery that revolves around Camp Little Moose. But the Woodsman and his spooky cohorts are ready to deliver bodily harm if they don’t leave.

After the back-to-basics approach of Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo, this Scooby-Doo animated movie series has new life. The main characters are back to wearing their original outfits, and the two most recent films are just as fun and enjoyable as the 1969 series that started it all, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The ghost chasing, mystery solving, and action comedy is as good as ever.

Camp Scare, like Abracadabra-Doo, reveals differences from the original Scooby-Doo cartoons. Now, the ghosts, monsters, and general supernatural adversaries are darker and edgier. They certainly act as if they would like to seriously hurt (if not kill) the Mystery Inc. gang and the other good characters. Daphne’s attraction to Fred is more obvious than ever, and she is openly jealous of and hostile to rivals for his attention and affection. Velma is a little more taciturn and sardonic, but she is also more aware of what other people think and how they feel. Shaggy and Scooby are happily still the same – always looking for a meal and a way out of ghost chasing.

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare is not only classic Scooby-Doo; it is also simply good. Very well done with quality animation (especially the beginning and end credits), it is honestly a must-see for fans of Scooby and the gang.

8 of 10
A

The Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare DVD has two extras. First, in “Scooby-Doo! Spooky Camp Stories, an actor telling campfire stories. The second extra is “Beware the Beast From Below,” the pilot episode of the new series, “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.” The gang takes on a slime mutant that lives in the caves below Crystal Cove, the hometown of the Mystery Inc. gang. They also encounter their new nemesis, “Mr. E.”

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