Review of Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes

On a bit of a Sherlock high at the moment, so thought this would be a nice change of pace from all the Rathbone action. Surprisingly, this is both a fine Tom and Jerry cartoon and a decent Sherlock Holmes movie. They don't exactly gel seamlessly together. The film has a bit of mystery and then pauses while Tom and Jerry get up to their usual shenanigans before continuing. This means that the mystery is very simple, with a number of jewel heists and a blackmail scheme becoming connected. The voice cast are superb with York and Rhys-Davies channelling Rathbone and Bruce to a T. McDowell also makes for a good Moriarty. Luckily, neither Tom nor Jerry speaks here. Jerry is Holmes' assistant and is his usual cruel self. Tom and Jerry work well together when they have to, but will one up the other if there's a chance. Slapstick is the main comedic ingredient here, and there is no attempt at making it anything special. The animation is very colourful and it really allowed me to just be absorbed by all around it. I particularly liked how they blended Holmes' London with cartoons without ever addressing the fact. Horny wolves, talking dog policemen, and flying cats all live together in this world. Towards the end it did feel a bit rushed, with Holmes just suddenly thinking of the answer because the plot called for it. Moriarty's final plan was a bit silly for such a genius, which is the only real time it betrayed either one of its sources. A good film that should keep most people entertained.