It’s been more than eight decades, and the chase is still on. What’s so good about a bumbling cat and smart mouse in an unending game of rivalry that always leaves us with a smile? There is something special about the chaos and madness Tom and Jerry unleash on our television screens on a singular premise: chase. The theme hardly changes nor does the response of the audience across age groups.
For people in the older age bracket it is a medium to connect with the child in them, for the young a nostalgia-laden journey into their happy, carefree growing up days and for the very young the slapstick humour is too close to how they are among friends. It’s a throwback to the innocent age when joy came with no riders attached and when a treasure of happiness could be discovered in simple things such as a cat and mouse in a game of wits. Tom and Jerry surely have travelled long enough since their launch in 1940 to captivate many generations with their breathless antics.
In the late 1930s, when MGM studio was looking for a series to match the popularity of characters like Mickey Mouse and Porky Pig, William Hannah and Joseph Barbera, two young animators at the studio, came up with the idea of a cat-and-mouse rivalry. Originally titled Puss Gets the Boot, the first short was released in 1940 and featured cat Jasper and mouse Jinx. The short was a big success, earning an Academy Award nomination. Encouraged by this reception, MGM greenlit the series, renaming the characters Tom and Jerry. Thus began a franchise that would become one of the most beloved animated series. The creators have changed over the decades but the timeless appeal of the series continues.
The beauty and brilliance of Tom and Jerry lie in its simplicity and relatability. Smart execution of the uncomplicated idea of a cat trying to catch a mouse elevates the experience. And of course, the suffused harmless humour. Each episode tried to be original with each player trying to outwit and outmaneuver the other. The clumsy cat, the stronger opponent is a loser all the time to the tiny but resourceful mouse. This could well be reflections of our everyday situations where we are the weaker party forever fighting against bigger opponents, be it in the workplace or homes or any place where interpersonal clashes are involved.
The comedy, overly physical but inventive, however, is far from being malicious and laced with spite. It’s always plain, innocent, exaggerated acts of mischief, the reason why none of characters are judged by viewers. Of course, there have been times when the series has been accused of being violent and racist. Actor Akshay Kumar in an interview a few months ago called it violent, saying some of the violent action scenes are copied in Hindi movies. The studio has done course correction after such criticism earlier and taken care to take away any sharp edges. This is why it crosses boundaries of geography, age and race with ease and is a universal favourite.
But if we are looking at it as solely a chase game, we could be getting it wrong. It’s fundamentally a story of deep friendship. The question of friendship has been subject to elaborate debates at different times with opinions divided. The fact is Tom and Jerry cannot do without the chases and bids to outsmart each other but they cannot do without each other either. They snack together, protect each other and set out on adventures together. Jerry would not like Tom to be thrown out of the owner’s house and Tom would protect the mouse when need be. And after so many years, Tom hasn’t killed Jerry and made a breakfast out of him. That should tell us that the chases and pranks are just props for a deep bonding.
(By arrangements with Perspective Bytes)
