Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest

This movie is like an introduction for the new generation to the Johnny Quest universe and honestly it does a pretty great job about it

The animation is very fluid and definitly a new style we have only see in comics for Johnny Quest.

Maybe I am a bit biased but this is definitly one of the few Tom and Jerry Crossover movie that I would watch whenever it's on television.

Warner Bros have 3, maybe 4 lines of cartoon movies for the direct market. DC, Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry and with the Flintstones vs WWE, maybe the Flintstones too.

I have window shopping other T&J movies while waiting for this to arrive, and the cat and mouse team did Blast Off For Mars which is a similar title to Abbott and Costello Go To Mars.

And like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, in this movie we have a slapstick comedy team sliding effortlessly into an existing adventure franchise to bring a little comedy with out diminishing the adventure of the story.

If you can like a pairing of Tom and Jerry with the Quest team, this movie does not disappoint. There are a few incredulous moments you have to go with, but as the action never lets up, they are super forgivable. And if you are a fan of Tom and Jerry, this movie has 3- 5 break-out scenes of cat and mouse tomfoolery.

The movie opens with a Spike and Tyke cameo, and features visits from Droopy and Jezebel Jade. (Though disappointingly there is one animation of Droopy run twice the same way.) James Hong gives Doctor Zin a level of character never before seen, and will have you wondering if the voice isn't Ken Jeong.

The character designs by Dan Haskett are wonderful in a very John K type of way, when Kricfalusi isn't trying to gross people out.

This is giant piles of fun that never lets up. My hope is that this movie does so well that Jonny Quest will get more direct market movies and that, like the Mummy and Invisible man sequels to A&C Meet Frankenstein, Tom and Jerry might visit Space Ghost and The Herculoids. Thundarr The Barbarian would probably be a bridge too far, for a Tom and Jerry crossover. But if they made it, I would watch it.

For me, this crossover of Tom and Jerry and Jonny Quest (a treat for fans of both shows, which this viewer is), with bits of James Bond, Casablanca and Raiders of the Lost Ark, is one of the weaker Tom and Jerry films, while still being very watchable. It was an interesting combination with some very nice things, but doesn't quite come together.

Starting with Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest's good qualities, the animation is great. The colours are bold and bright, the backgrounds are expressive and rich in detail, the character designs while slightly exaggerated are still smooth and attractive (with Tom and Jerry closer to their classic designs and the Jonny Quest characters rendered closer to how they originally were) and the gags and action show some great imagination. The music is rousing and groovy, and the Jezebel Jade song is nice and elaborate despite that the scene itself is rather out of place within the film, even in a film aimed at an older audience compared to most Tom and Jerry films. The script is smart and amusing, with some nice suspense, a good deal of the gags and slapstick are a lot of fun, the spy gadgets are cool and the story is diverting and excitingly paced, working great as a Jonny Quest film.

The James Bond and Raiders of the Lost Ark influences were also great fun to spot in the fast and furious action sequences, the Spike and Tyke scene reinforces every bit of the fun and charm of the Tom and Jerry cartoon it's similar to (That's My Pup) and one of the film's highlights is the thrilling opening sequence, an inspired nod to that for the Jonny Quest show. Droopy also makes a droll cameo appearance. The characters are very nicely done on the whole, if more the Jonny Quest characters than Tom and Jerry with an awesome villain in Dr Zim and a likable hero in Jonny. Tom is very funny and easy to root for, and Spike and Tyke are sweet. The voice acting is terrific, with the Jonny Quest voice roles being almost as good as the originals, especially in the case of James Hong.

However, Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest does feel rushed sometimes, while it was nice that the film moved quickly some parts, especially in the action, was in serious need of a slowing down. While Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest works great as a Jonny Quest film, it falls a little short as a Tom and Jerry film, still entertaining but a lot of their other films show off their talents and their style of humour more effectively. Instead they are more guest stars in a Jonny Quest story, despite being in the title. Some of the gags veer on too sadistic and repetitive (a trait that was pivotal in what made the Gene Deitch Tom and Jerry cartoons so awful, while not as bad), and Jerry is a real jerk to Tom and too many times with no reason, never remember hating Jerry this much. The Rain Man-like goon stereotype is an annoying cliché and incredibly overdone here, something that is also likely to go over the heads of most youngsters.

Overall, an interesting crossover with two classic groups of cartoon characters but with mixed results. 6/10 Bethany Cox