Warner brings the live action-animated hybrid Tom & Jerry: The Movie to Blu-ray after a brief run on HBO Max and theatrical.
The Production: 2/5
As I’m sitting here in my office to write my review of Tom & Jerry, I find myself trying to remember what the overall plot was. Tom and Jerry cross paths in Central Park – Tom is trying to earn money as a street musician while Jerry is looking to earn money to afford an apartment in Manhattan. Jerry joins in on Tom’s keyboard act, causing mayhem to ensue, escalating in the destruction of Tom’s keyboard and a chase to the upscale The Royal Gate hotel, where Jerry makes himself at home, furnishing his new digs with items stolen from guests. Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz) has just lost her most recent job delivering laundry when she crosses paths with Tom and Jerry’s chase to the hotel. Once inside, Kayla finds out the hotel is hiring an event coordinator for an upcoming celebrity wedding, and after stealing one of the top applicant’s resumes, convinces the hotel manager Mr. Dubros (Rob Delaney) and event manager Terence (Michael Peña) to hire her on a temporary basis. Her main duty, though, is to rid the hotel of Jerry Mouse before the celebrity wedding. Colin Jost (Saturday Night Live) and Pallavi Sharda (Lion) play the celebrity couple who have little to no chemistry whatsoever and whose subplot plays like a Hallmark Channel romantic comedy. All of this exists solely to hang more Tom & Jerry antics on that feel like nothing more than weak homages to the classic animated shorts from the 1940s, except that the camera point of view is all wrong – in those classic shorts, the humans were never seen above their knee caps. In this 2021 live action hybrid update, the movie plays like a standard live action film with all animals portrayed by animated characters. There is not a whole lot of story here, and the actors really don’t have much to do but try to ham it up when interacting with the animation. Tom & Jerry is flat out boring, not just for adults, but even the 11 year old that viewed the film with us.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
Warner’s Blu-ray release of tom & Jerry looks exceptional. The movie was captured at 6K resolution on Sony CineAlta Venice cameras and completed as a 4K digital intermediate. The AVC-encoded 1080p transfer replicates the films 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio with vivid and well-saturated colors, with excellent detail, deep blacks, and no noticeable compression artifacts.
Audio: 4.5/5
Surprise! Unlike the recent new Warner releases Judas and the Black Messiah and the little things, Warner has included a default Dolby Atmos track for the Blu-ray release of Tom & Jerry. This is a nice expansive mix, offering a wide and deep soundstage with lots of atmospheric street noise all around and above you. LFE is strong, lending support to the film’s hip-hop soundtrack. Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout.
Special Features: 2/5
These are all pretty standard EPK fluff pieces.
Deleted Scenes (1080p; 13:34): Director Tim Story introduces ten scenes cut from the film.
Gag Reel (1080p; 3:01)
Bringing Tom & Jerry to Life (1080p; 14:11): Cast & crew discuss making the film.
Tom & Jerry’s World (1080p; 4:17): The cast and crew discuss what it was like to work with the two leads.
The Feud: #Team Tom vs. #TeamJerry (1080p; 4:15): The cast and crew take sides.
Jerry’s “A House for a Mouse” (1080p; 3:58): A look at Jerry’s hotel room.
The Tom & Jerry Guide to New York City Wildlife (1080p; 4:52): Additional animated characters featured in the film.
Inside the Wedding of Ben and Preeta (1080p; 5:24): A look at the wedding subplot.
A Scene Comes to Life (1080p): A behind the scenes look at Ben and Preeta’s Wedding (5:11) and Animal Lockup (3:54).
Digital Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital HD copy on Movies Anywhere.
Overall: 3/5
Tom & Jerry is flat out boring, even for most kids,, although the presentation on Blu-ray is top notch.
Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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