Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse

I adore Tom and Jerry and have done since I was about 5 or 6. Their movies have been hit and miss, Wizard of Oz, Nutcracker Tale and Blast off to Mars I loved, Shiver Me Whiskers and Meet Sherlock Holmes I liked but Tom and Jerry:The Movie was one I didn't care for and I hated Fast and the Furry. Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse was one of those that I liked. It is not perfect, it is too short and just about an hour, some parts did feel on the rushed side and while I quite liked her Tex Avery-like character design I did find that making Maid Marian a ditzy sex object was rather stereotypical. On the other hand, the animation is bright, bouncy and colourful, the incidental music rouses successfully and while some will argue that there was no need to have any songs these were breezy in style and catchy in melody. I also enjoyed the clever dialogue and the always entertaining, well-told, no matter how simple it is, story that does have the Robin Hood/Tom and Jerry/Tex Avery spirits all in one. The cat-vs-mouse humour, physically or verbally, is amusing and doesn't feel routine, the homages to Tom and Jerry and also to Tex Avery and Droopy Dog were really inspired. The characters are engaging, Robin Hood especially is very likable, while Tom and Jerry are true to form and Spike and Droopy steal every scene they're in. Excepting Maid Marion, the other obligatory Robin Hood characters are great to see, Friar Tuck and Little John especially while the villains are not too menacing and not too over-the-top either. The voice acting is fine too, I did admire the fact that Tom and Jerry are still kept silent. Overall, entertaining. 7/10 Bethany Cox