Review: "Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure" Goes to Disneyland

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 73 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure (2013) – straight-to-video
Running time:  57 minutes
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS:  Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone
WRITER:  Paul Dini
EDITOR:  Kyle Stafford
COMPOSER: Michael Tavera
ANIMATION STUDIO:  Yearim Productions Co. Ltd.

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY and ADVENTURE/FAMILY/MUSICAL

Starring:  (voices) Jacob Bertrand, Grey DeLisle, Garrison Keillor, Paul Reubens, Tom Wilson, Kath Soucie, Joe Alaskey, John DiMaggio, Phil LaMarr, and Richard McGonagle

Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure is a 2013 animated direct-to-video film starring the famous cartoon cat and mouse duo, Tom and Jerry.  Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, this film offers a Tom and Jerry spin on the fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk.  In Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure, the cat and mouse duo help a boy try to save his family’s theme park.

Once upon a time, Joe Bradley opened Storybook Town, a fairy tale-inspired theme park.  “Where dreams come true if you believe” became Bradley’s motto for the park.  He shared his dream with his wife, Violet (Grey DeLisle), and eventually with their son, Jack (Jacob Bertrand).  After Joe died, however, Storybook Town fell on hard times.

Now, Tom and Jerry are the last animals living in Storybook Town, but they are faithful servants of Jack.  The boy and his mother are desperate to save the park from the machinations of Mr. Bigley (Tom Wilson), a greedy billionaire and owner of Bigley’s Super Strip Malls.  Bigley wants to demolish Storybook Town and turn the property into a strip mall (what else?).

Jack believes some mysterious magical beans will help him save the park, but all they do is take him and Tom and Jerry to Fairyland.  There, the trio discovers that its denizens are also under the boot of a greedy bully, a giant named Mr. Ginormous (Tom Wilson).  Can Tom and Jerry stop their feuding long enough to join Jack in his bid to help the people of Fairyland and to maybe save Storybook Town?

Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure starts off a bit melancholy, with its themes of death, decay, and poverty.  Plus, the story’s allusions to Walt Disney and Disneyland are a little off-putting – to me, at least.  Is this an homage or sly dig?  However, once the story gains a clear sense of purpose and the heroes have a goal (or goals), the movie becomes a bright adventure that radiates with hope.

As for as the production values, the animation is on par with recent Tom and Jerry films, but the art direction is not special.  The character animation on Mr. Ginormous is the standout in this movie.

A number of Tom and Jerry’s fellow MGM animated characters make their usual appearances:  Droopy Dog (Joe Alaskey), Barney Bear (Richard McGonagle), Screwy Squirrel (Paul Reubens), Spyke and Tyke (Phil LaMarr), etc.  I must say that these are not the best versions of the characters, and they have been put to better use in other Tom and Jerry flicks.  The classic MGM sexpot character, “Red,” appears in this movie as Red Fairy (Grey DeLisle), but she is a tepid version of her red-hot self, but still manages to be a little risqué.  Radio legend and spoken word artist, Garrison Keillor, gives voice to the character, Farmer O’Dell.  I can’t say that his performance does anything particularly special for this film, but Keillor’s presence does strike an odd note.

Strangely, the thing that really appeals to me is this film’s sense of hope and perseverance.  In Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure, there is the sparkle of magic to go with the movie’s spark of hope.  I found myself really believing in miracles, and for me, that makes what could have been an average movie a little special.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, October 29, 2013


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Will Smith Wags "Shark Tale" to Success

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 203 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux


Shark Tale (2004)
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild language and crude humor
DIRECTORS: Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, and Rob Letterman
WRITERS: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift, Michael J. Wilson, and Rob Letterman
PRODUCERS: Bill Damaschke, Janet Healy, and Allison Lyon Segan
EDITORS: Nick Fletcher with Peter Lonsdale and John Venzon
COMPOSER: Hans Zimmer
Academy Award nominee

ANIMATION/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Martin Scorsese, Ziggy Marley, Doug E. Doug, Michael Imperioli, Vincent Pastore, Peter Falk, Katie Couric, and Phil LaMarr

The subject of this movie review is Shark Tale, a 2004 computer-animated comedy film from DreamWorks Animation. Shark Tale stars Will Smith as a worker fish and Jack Black as a vegetarian shark who take advantage of a gangster shark’s death.

Oscar (voice of Will Smith) the fish lives in the low end of the reef. He works at a whale (think car) wash, but he’d like to be a rich, famous somebody. Lenny (Jack Black) is a vegetarian shark, but his father, Don Lino (Robert De Niro), a shark mob boss, wants him to be tough so that he can run the family business with his brother, Frankie (Michael Imperioli). Oscar and Lenny & Frankie have an accidental encounter that leaves Frankie dead. Through a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, Oscar gets credit for killing Frankie and becomes known as “the shark slayer.” Oscar befriends Lenny and the two help each other; Oscar gives Lenny a place to hide, and the shark helps the fish perpetuate the myth of Oscar being a shark slayer. However, all that wealth and fame make Oscar forget his roots, and he fails to see that his friend Angie (Renée Zellweger), has been there for him all along. And his troubles only get worse when Don Lino comes looking for the shark slayer, and Don Lino isn’t awed like everyone else at the reputation of the shark slayer.

I could never imagine Disney using African-American or Black subcultures as a stylistic basis for one of their animated films, but DreamWorks does just that with Shark Tale. The computer-animated tale uses lots of hip hop attitude and music and a little of its slang, mostly through the performance of actor Will Smith. The film isn’t hip hop heavy, but Shark Tale has enough hip hop-ness to be noticeable.

Hip hop aside, Shark Tale is a very entertaining film, mostly on the strength of Will Smith’s performance, and Smith seems to chose material that he has to save on the strength of his personality. Is that some kind of martyr complex? Shark Tale isn’t all that well directed or written. The film is well cast; even famed movie director Martin Scorsese surprises with a small but wiry voice over performance. However, Scorsese, like everyone except Will Smith, has little with which to work. The film, especially on the writing end, treats the cast like window dressing, but still, the supporting cast gives inspired performances as window dressing.

Shark Tale’s premise, both Oscar’s plot and Lenny’s subplot, are actually effective and intriguing; both however are glossed over. Oscar has some serious self-confidence issues, and Lenny is certainly…a fish out of water with his family. The script focuses on jokes over the substance of overcoming obstacles. Still, Shark Tale is very entertaining, and visually, it’s a vast improvement in the quality of the computer animation over other DreamWorks computer animated films.

So how does Shark Tale compare to the Oscar®-winning, Finding Nemo, which is also an undersea tale? Finding Nemo has more heart, and the screenwriters took time to delve into the character issues and the humanity of the players. Shark Tale creates obstacles for the characters and then sweeps everything under the rug, whereas Nemo saw the characters through heartaches all the way to victory. While it may come up short on that end, Shark Tale still deserves credit for what it does right. It lets a charming film personality and movie star do his thing, and boy, does Will Smith do his thang.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (Bill Damaschke)

2005 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “BAFTA Children's Award-Best Feature Film” (production team)

Review: Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 96 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux


Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse (2012) – straight-to-video
Running time: 58 minutes
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone
WRITERS: Earl Kress and Michael F. Ryan; from a story by Earl Kress
EDITOR: Kyle Stafford
COMPOSER: Michael Tavera
SONGS: Michael Tavera, Scott Bradley, Spike Brandt, Alan Burnett, and Michael F. Ryan
ANIMATION STUDIO: Yearim Productions Co. Ltd.

ANIMATION/FANTASY/COMEDY/FAMILY/MUSICAL

Starring: (voices) Jamie Bamber, Charles Shaughnessy, John Michael Higgins, Grey DeLisle, Joe Alaskey, John DiMaggio, Clive Revill, Phil LaMarr, Richard McGonagle, Greg Ellis, and Jess Harnell

Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse is a 2012 animated direct-to-video film starring the famous cartoon cat and mouse duo, Tom and Jerry. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, this film basically takes Tom and Jerry and places them in a cartoon version of the 1938 Warner Bros. film, The Adventures of Robin Hood, which starred Errol Flynn as Robin Hood. The cartoon Robin Hood in Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse is essentially a caricature of Flynn’s Robin Hood.

Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse is set in a time similar to the High Middle Ages. Prince John (John Michael Higgins) rules England while his brother, King Richard the Lionheart (Clive Revill), is out of the country fighting in the Crusades. Living in Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood (Jamie Bamber) and his Merry Men rob the rich of their coin and treasure and give that loot to the poor.

The Sheriff of Nottingham (Charles Shaughnessy) is determined to capture Robin Hood and tells his boss, Prince John, that he believes that Robin has a spy in the castle. The Sheriff sends his cat-at-arms, Thomas Cat, to capture the spy. Tom catches Jerry Mouse attempting to contact Maid Marian (Grey DeLisle), who is secretly romancing Robin. Thus, cat and mouse begin their small, private war. When the scope of Prince John’s schemes are revealed, however, enemies may have to become friends in order to save both the throne and England.

I didn’t expect much of Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse, but it turned out to be rather entertaining. The art direction for the animation is just a little on the high side of the work that appears in direct-to-DVD productions from Warner Bros. Animation. A faux-musical, the movie’s songs are good. Actually, the songs are surprisingly good, a little better than I would expect of a straight-to-video cartoon.

By the time, Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse ended, I would have enjoyed a little more, so I’ll recommend it to those who have seen other Tom and Jerry DVD movies.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Review: "Batman: Under the Red Hood" is Very Red

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 60 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) – straight-to-video
Running minutes: 75 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violent content and some drug references
DIRECTOR: Brandon Vietti
WRITER: Judd Winick
PRODUCERS: Bobbie Page and Bruce Timm
EDITOR: Margaret Hou
COMPOSER: Christopher Drake
ANIMATION STUDIO: Answer Studio

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION with elements of drama

Starring: (voices) Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, John Di Maggio, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Isaacs, Wade Williams, Carlos Alazraqui, Gary Cole, Kelly Hu, Phil LaMarr, Jim Piddock, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Alexander Martella

Batman: Under the Red Hood is a 2010 direct-to-video superhero animated film from Warner Bros. Animation. Starring DC Comics avenger of the night, Batman, this is also the eighth feature in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line.

The film is adapted from two storylines that appeared in Batman comic book titles published by DC Comics. The first is “A Death in the Family,” which was published in Batman #426-429 (1988-89). The second is “Under the Hood,” which was published in Batman #635-641, 645-650, Batman Annual #25 (2005-2006) and was written by Batman: Under the Red Hood screenwriter, Judd Winick.

Batman: Under the Red Hood begins when tragedy strikes Batman (Bruce Greenwood) and Jason Todd (Alexander Martella), the second young man to be Robin, during a mission to stop The Joker (John Di Maggio). Five years later, a new masked vigilante is using The Joker’s old alias, Red Hood (Jensen Ackles) and is wreaking havoc in Gotham City’s organized crime community.

Batman with his original Robin by his side, now called Nightwing (Neil Patrick Harris), try to put a stop to Red Hood, but find him to be more than a match for both of them. Crime boss, Black Mask (Wade Williams) is determined to get rid of the Red Hood, even if it means making a most dangerous choice. For the villain whom Black Mask hires to assassinate Red Hood will set in motion a game of death.

Batman: Under the Red Hood is dark and edgy, first of all because it is one of the most violent (if not the most violent) of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The film is also surprisingly morbid with its scenes that depict the death of a young person, multiple corpses, the theft of a corpse, exhumation, a funky resurrection scene, mass shootings, brutal beatings, etc. This is a dark, dark, Dark Knight indeed.

The Joker is practically a supporting character with relatively few scenes (although his presence hangs over the entire narrative). This version of the character is well written and also superbly voice acted by John Di Maggio, who gives the kind of turn that adds a rude and dark humor to The Joker’s edginess. Neil Patrick Harris is an odd touch as Nightwing, but his performance gives this film some needed warmth. Jensen Ackles, best known as “Dean Winchester” in the television series, “Supernatural,” brings some righteous rage and energy to this movie. That is the opposite of Bruce Greenwood as Batman, whose voice stands out only in a few scenes. Also, either Wade Williams is the reason that Black Mask is a joke or the character is simply inappropriately and unintentionally comical.

The animation is high quality, which shows in the action scenes. The art direction is good, but there have been better visualizations of Batman’s world, especially Gotham City, in other animated features. Still, Batman: Under the Red Hood is a good film, but there is something about it that keeps me from fully embracing it. Could it be the whole “death in the family” thing or the film’s emphasis on violence that is bothering me? Maybe.

7 of 10
A-

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

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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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Review: "Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes" and a Good Time is Had

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 82 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes (2010) – Video
Running time: 50 minutes
DIRECTORS: Spike Brandt and Jeff Siergey
ANIMATION DIRECTOR: Kirk Tingblad
WRITER: Earl Kress (based upon the characters created by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna)
PRODUCER: Bobbie Page
EDITOR: Robert S. Birchard

ANIMATION/COMEDY/ACTION/MYSTERY

Starring: (voices) Jeff Bergman, Grey DeLisle, Greg Ellis, Jess Harnell, Phil LaMarr, Malcolm McDowell, John Rhys-Davies, Kath Soucie, and Michael York

Tom, a house cat, and Jerry, the brown house mouse he chases, have been cartoon stars for 70 years. In addition to appearing in over a hundred cartoon shorts and numerous television shows, Tom and Jerry have also starred in a series of straight-to-video movies, beginning with Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring in 2001. Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes is the sixth in the series, and like the others, is a traditional, hand-drawn (or 2D) animated film. Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes finds Tom as the assistant or companion to a beautiful dancer and Jerry as an assistant to literature’s most famous detective.

In London, a trio of bat-winged cats is stealing the city’s most precious and famous jewels. Sherlock Holmes (Michael York) and Dr. Watson (John Rhys-Davies) are on the case, with a little help from Holmes’ mouse, Jerry. Meanwhile, a beautiful club singer named Red (Grey DeLisle) and her cat, Tom, seek Holmes’ help. Red believes that she will be framed for the jewel thefts, and she needs the famous detective to prove that she is innocent. How is Red involved? Is Professor Moriarty (Malcolm McDowell), Holmes’ nemesis, involved, and if he is, how? Classic MGM cartoon characters Droopy, Butch, and Spike and his son, Tyke, join the fun.

Once again, Warner Bros. Animation delivers a high-quality, straight-to-video movie, and frankly, I was shocked by how much I liked Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes. The character animation is good, and the characters move pretty well, well enough to make the action scenes, some of which are high-flying or fast-moving, look good. The character designs are also surprisingly good, and the drawing style is reminiscent of late 1980s and early 1990s Disney television animation like Duck Tales.

Here, the people who worked on this movie certainly acted as if they were working on something just as important as a big budget, theatrical animated feature. The background art: the exteriors of building, cityscapes, a graveyard, the countryside and the interiors of houses, a church, and various businesses are not only good-looking, but also convincingly visualize this movie’s idealized Victorian era, London setting.

The most important thing, however, is whether Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes is any good, and I’m happy to say that it is indeed good in terms of quality and fun to watch. The story deftly combines Tom and Jerry’s usual antics of beating the crap out of each other with a cartoon, mystery caper full of chases and narrow escapes. These aren’t the best versions of Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty, but they will do. The appearance of classic MGM cartoon characters looking fresh, new, and lively is a bonus. Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes will please both old Tom and Jerry fans and young viewers who enjoy animated films.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, October 04, 2010

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