Back in the early 1930s, Van Beuren Studios made a series of Tom & Jerry cartoons. However, they have nothing to do with the terrific MGM Tom & Jerry. No, the Van Beuren versions were guys...and generally the quality of their films was pretty low. So, when cartoons were brought to television in the early 1950s, to differentiate the Van Beuren films from the much more famous MGM Tom &
With "Tightrope Tricks", I wouldn't call it an especially great cartoon (the animation quality is pretty second-rate, at best) but it's so strange and enjoyably bizarre I do recommend you see it. I could try to describe the weirdness....but it's best you just see it and the weird stuff involving the lions yourself.
2 Reviews
Big Top Tom and Jerry
TheLittleSongbird24 November 2017
The Van Beuren Tom and Jerry (as said already not the famous cat and mouse, this is a human duo that lasted for just under 30 cartoons, 29 if memory serves correct, between 1931 and 1933) series was interesting but uneven and not easy to rate as an overall whole. At the series' best, the cartoons were good, very good in a few cases. At its worst, they were really bad.
'Tightrope Tricks' is not one of the really bad Tom and Jerry cartoons. At the same time it's not one of the good ones either. It may be unappealing visually, not very funny, not bizarre enough and dull, but there's nothing in the character designs, behaviour or the gags that will offend (not like 'Plane Dumb') and it has its moments. There are good things, the best thing about it is the music score which is the high point of even the worst cartoons and is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and full of energy, doing so well with enhancing the action.
As said, 'Tightrope Tricks' has its moments. The highlight is the finale, which is amusing and clever, some of the reusing of characters giving a decent enough twist. The girl on the tightrope that sounds oddly like Betty Boop is another highlight.
Conversely, once again, most of the animation didn't do it for me. There are worse-looking cartoons in the series, at least the backgrounds and some of the synchronisation was decent, but there is nothing appealing, interesting or inventive. A vast majority of it is crude and simplistic with a fair share of static moments. Tom and Jerry look primitive and all the animals look poor.
While the Tom and Jerry cartoons are absurdist and weird in their style of humour, this didn't come through enough in too many of the gags, in a cartoon where the number of gags also aren't quite enough. The timing is limp and lacks energy, while it's all too predictable, disjointed and the excitement and danger of the circus setting also doesn't feel enough.
It's a paper thin cartoon in story once again, true of most cartoons in the series, with everything feeling like filler. Tom and Jerry are bland and the animals aren't much better.
Overall, lacklustre. 4/10 Bethany Cox
'Tightrope Tricks' is not one of the really bad Tom and Jerry cartoons. At the same time it's not one of the good ones either. It may be unappealing visually, not very funny, not bizarre enough and dull, but there's nothing in the character designs, behaviour or the gags that will offend (not like 'Plane Dumb') and it has its moments. There are good things, the best thing about it is the music score which is the high point of even the worst cartoons and is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and full of energy, doing so well with enhancing the action.
As said, 'Tightrope Tricks' has its moments. The highlight is the finale, which is amusing and clever, some of the reusing of characters giving a decent enough twist. The girl on the tightrope that sounds oddly like Betty Boop is another highlight.
Conversely, once again, most of the animation didn't do it for me. There are worse-looking cartoons in the series, at least the backgrounds and some of the synchronisation was decent, but there is nothing appealing, interesting or inventive. A vast majority of it is crude and simplistic with a fair share of static moments. Tom and Jerry look primitive and all the animals look poor.
While the Tom and Jerry cartoons are absurdist and weird in their style of humour, this didn't come through enough in too many of the gags, in a cartoon where the number of gags also aren't quite enough. The timing is limp and lacks energy, while it's all too predictable, disjointed and the excitement and danger of the circus setting also doesn't feel enough.
It's a paper thin cartoon in story once again, true of most cartoons in the series, with everything feeling like filler. Tom and Jerry are bland and the animals aren't much better.
Overall, lacklustre. 4/10 Bethany Cox
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