Mouse in Manhattan (1945) User Reviews

Very different, but one of the most beautiful

[sno-smari-m · 9/10 · 20 January 2006]

I loved Tom & Jerry as a child--even more so, I think, than the short films of Disney and Warner Brothers. Like pretty much any kid who grew up with TV, I'd gladly embrace almost any kind of animation show to entertain me, but there was something special about this cat and mouse; particularly the original Hannah-Barbara shorts from the 40s. Though I do watch these things much less often than during childhood, I enjoy them perhaps even a bit more now; not only do I still find them funny, but they downright impress me. To create and establish two personalities so fully-rounded and endearing, while essentially neglecting the availability of spoken dialogue, is incredible. The "dialogue" of Tom & Jerry is the wide variety of facial expressions, body language and, not to forget, wonderful music. Coyote & Road Runner adapt a similar formula but aim for rather one-dimensional slapstick in comparison; their personalities are nowhere as nuanced (even complex) as Tom & Jerry. Don't get me wrong, I liked Road Runner a lot too while growing up, but one doesn't truly need to see more than one short to get the picture. Tom & Jerry, on the other hand, provided many different and unexpected twists in their stories (in the first decade or so, anyway).

One example of such an "uncharacteristic" Tom & Jerry-short is MOUSE IN MANHATTAN. Tom is barely involved in the story at all, as Jerry has decided to leave their farm for a life in the big city. We follow his struggles in this new way of life, as he is almost run down by many a car and later on mistakes a little doll for being a real lady. In Tom's absence, the humor turns out less cruel than usual; we may not laugh at Jerry's naive mishaps in the same way we do when Tom screams out loud in pain, but it's still very funny in a more tender manner. The soundtrack is particularly wonderful; much like in the films of Charlie Chaplin (who composed music to his own films), the melodies in Tom & Jerry do not necessarily strive to match the action in the films by being "funny," but often evoke a somewhat romantic touch. I'm not sure if the smaller kids would enjoy MOUSE IN MANHATTAN as much as some more fast-driven Tom & Jerry-shorts, but to me it's certainly a favorite. Very charming and even beautiful. (This review has since been somewhat revised and updated, Jan. 2013)

The Grass Is Always Greener.......

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 19 December 2006]

There are no chases in this "short," which is a little strange only that the cartoon was part of a DVD that advertised Tom & Jerry's "greatest chases."

This is simply of story of Jerry running off to the big city. He sees Tom sleeping one day and leaves him a note that says: "Dear Tom, This country life is getting me down. I'm off for Broadway and the bright lights. Goodbye forever, Jerry."

Well, "forever" doesn't turn out to be long as the mouse finds out the glitz and glamor also has a lot of dangers that the quiet country doesn't have. This turns out to be a good moral lesson about "the grass being greener...."

There is some really nice artwork here. You really get the feel of New York City back in "the old days." Kudos to the animators here.

Bright Mice, Big Kitty

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 20 December 2006]

This cartoon has T&J living a quiet life out in a cosy country cottage. Tom is bored with country life and decides to leave for the Big Apple one night. Writing a goodbye note to Tom, he catches the next train to his new, exciting life.

When he gets there he discovers that Manhattan is not so inviting to small rodents. Everywhere he goes, from Grand Central to posh dinner parties, he is tormented with the rude idiosyncrasies of big city life. Eventually landing in a dirty alley, he is run out of town by an army of hungry stray cats.

Back the cottage, the still sleeping Tom (who does nothing else in this cartoon) has not yet read the note, which Jerry promptly tears up before going back into his mouse-hole. Better the Devil you know huh?

Beautiful marriage of music and animation

[Popeye-8 · 10/10 · 22 May 2000]

A true classic from the normally overrated TOM and JERRY series, features the MGM animation staff at its finest...the scene where Jerry 'ice skates' with the table decoration dolls may be animation's finest hour. Also, the scene where the subway windows flash by will make you believe that animation's true geniuses were NOT at Disney or Warners. A must-see cartoon.

Lovely cartoon

[Antzy88 · 5 August 2001]

Jerry, bored with life in the country house where he and Tom are staying, leaves a note under Tom's paw while he is sleeping, saying that he is leaving to check out the city life... This cartoon is more charming than funny, although there's enough of the latter to please loyal fans. Scott Bradley's music is among the best he has done in the series, and some bits are quite sweet. Check it out!

Brings to mind "Rhapsody in Blue"

[b_cozen · 10/10 · 18 December 2001]

This is a beautiful cartoon. Instead of following the usual chases of Tom and Jerry, "Mouse in Manhattan" follows Jerry Mouse as he gets tired of the country and opts for big city life. The animation and music recalls the Fantasia 2000 feature of "Rhapsody in Blue" (especially when Jerry is dancing with the dolls). Both are absolutely stunning. I was smiling throughout the whole cartoon; my favorite "Tom and Jerry," just above "Heavenly Puss." A triumph.

One of Tom and Jerry's best ...

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 18 June 2010]

And this is coming from a big fan of theirs, honestly I loved Mouse in Manhattan. It is not their funniest or zaniest, but visually it is by far one of their best. Plus I love it, because it was one of my all-time favourite cartoons when I was a child. At 18, I still adore Mouse in Manhattan for several reasons. It has a very nice and simple story, and while it isn't laden with humour like Yankee Doodle Mouse for example there is some nice strong humour abundant. And the sentiment was there too, not cloying in any way but actually quite moving in spots. The soundtrack is gloriously upbeat and rousing, while the animation, with the colours, landscapes and backgrounds is drop dead gorgeous. Also Tom and Jerry are both on top form here. Overall, in my opinion this is one of Tom and Jerry's best. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Class Act

[martin63 · 10/10 · 28 September 2001]

Those who choose to write off the Tom and Jerry series as a violence orgy should be directed toward any television playing this little jewel, which is practically a solo endeavour for the rodent half of the duo, and which suggests that Jerry's finest moments of dancing may not have been with Gene Kelly. See this one. Own it if you can.

As anyone living North of the Border well knows . . .

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 22 September 2022]

. . . S-t-a-r-l-i-t-e Room is a 1925 brick building in downtown Edmonton, one block south of the main drag, Jasper Avenue. The watery gutter down which Jerry the Red-Faced rodent sails is a hallmark of Alberta's most populous town, NOT of New York, NY. After riding an elevator up to this entertainment venue, aka "The Old Citadel," Jerry is mortified to find himself in the Ladies "Powder Room." That's because these premises no longer are patrolled by the prim lieutenants of the Salvation Army, but rather by a bevy of rocker gals such as Abigail Williams, Champions of G-Strings, Melanie C, the Donna's, Girl Talk, Ill Scarlet, Kate V, Norma Jean, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Priestess and She Wants Revenge, most of whom are going commando after their latest waxing session. No wonder Jerry high tails it back up to his cabin in the Northwest Territory.

A Trip To NYC

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 28 June 2021]

"Mouse In Manhattan" was originally released back in 1945.

Anyway - As the story goes - Jerry leaves Tom behind as he takes a trip to the Big Apple and encounters fast subway cars, tall skyscrapers and vicious alley cats.

Tedious

[runar-4 · 3/10 · 29 March 2007]

There's a lot of good that can be said for this cartoon; the backgrounds are rich, lushly colored and full of nicely done art deco details. The animation is up to the usual studio standards of the time, which are unquestionably higher than those of the present day. However, I find it tedious for a number of reasons.

The Music: It's definitely not up to Scott Bradley's usual standards. Although it's probably supposed to be evocative of a "Great Gatsby" setting, it ends up being dreary, sleepy, repetitious AND monotonous (repetitious and monotonous are not the same, as Beethoven's 5th Symphony attests). Since most people (including me) tend to close their eyes when they yawn, there's a lot of the visual part of the cartoon that will be missed by the average viewer.

The Storyline: I'm not giving away any secrets that aren't already in the plot summary - country good, city bad. This is a common theme in films, both animated and live, from this era. It's a misplaced nostalgia for a nonexistent rural idyll, which, in the present day, is reflected in a similar nostalgia for "values" that never were.

These Little Town Blues

[mmallon4 · 20 October 2014]

Tom & Jerry were a defining part of my childhood. I could spend hours watching T&J shorts on Cartoon Network when I was younger and to be honest, this is my favourite; was then and still is now. As a kid, I would always get excited when this short came on TV.

Mouse in Manhattan is not a traditional Tom & Jerry short at all; there are no chases or the carnage you would usually associate with Tom & Jerry. It begins with Jerry leaving his life in the country in favor of the bright lights and Broadway of New York City. Tom only appears briefly at the beginning and at the end but Jerry leaves him a note showing that the two could be friends from time to time. The rest of the cartoon involves Jerry's escapades in the Big Apple and plays out like a silent film with Jerry succumbing to the odd pratfall in the vein of Keaton or Chaplin; it's all such fun to watch. Take the moment when Jerry is dancing and ice skating with the dolls on the table; could a piece of animation be more beautiful? During the short things go from really romantic to really dark quick but it all ends well. They still throw a black face joke in there with Jerry's head being put into a container of shoe polish. I can tell you right not that these moments were left intact when showing these cartoons on the UK Cartoon Network and Boomerang when I was a child.

The locations Jerry visits in New York such as Grand Central Station appear very empty but who cares, just look at the beauty of it! Those painted backdrops have such scope to them. What really makes Mouse in Manhattan perfection, however, is the music. You might recognize it from the opening credits of My Man Godfrey but this rendition of" Manhattan Serenade" I feel is superior and I doubt could ever be topped. Tom and Jerry shorts always evoke nostalgia in me but Mouse in Manhattan just evokes that feeling to a far greater degree.

Classic episode, beautiful music

[lidquist · 10/10 · 3 October 2021]

I find it curious that the beautiful music theme also appears in Godfather I when Tom Hagen visits mr Woltz in Hollywood. Does anyone know more about this?

Jerry gets bored of Country Life and starts a Journey through Manhattan!

[Kalashnikovin · 10/10 · 19 July 2022]

Tom and Jerry is undoubtedly one of the Best Series in all of History, although it is not spared from having bad Shorts, but that is not the case here!.

Mouse In Manhattan is possibly one of the best Tom and Jerry Shorts and enters my Top 20 best shorts, visually it is splendid and impressive as any Tom and Jerry cartoon from those years.

The plot is Original but simple, Jerry gets fed up with country life and goes to Manhattan at the bottom of a Subway and when he arrives in Manhattan the Fun is not lacking!.

Tom has almost no appearance in the short, he only appears in the beginning and in the end, but making a short only starring Jerry is interesting and at the same time too much fun!.

The animation is wonderful, one of the best animated shorts of the entire series, the backgrounds are exquisite in detail and too wide, which makes your eyes marvel, the movements are Incredibly Fluid, the character designs are Impressive and adding the animation and how colorful the short is make the short a Visual Wonder.

Scott Bradley makes masterful music that fits very well to the Sensation of a city of the 40s and at the same time it is impressive to Listen, of course it is not his best work in the Series those would be The Cat Concerto, Blue Cat Blues, Cat Fishing etc. But his work in the short is impressive.

For everything that is obviously a perfection, one of the best in the entire series and surpasses any Short from the era of Chuck Jones, Gene Deitch and the other television series, and this is saying a lot! Everything is basically perfect and to any Fan of animation and especially of Tom and Jerry I recommend them 100%.

As I had already said in the previous point, this is basically Perfect, its Great animation, Backgrounds and Colors are pleasant and very beautiful, the Great music of Scott Bradley does its thing, resulting in this Audiovisual marvel.

For everything I said before, this short gets a well-deserved 10!.

Nostalgia of the good olde NYC 1940S

[JasonsPrivateLibraryEst2016 · 10/10 · 3 January 2021]

This 1945 short film is one of the finest shorts that was created by Hanna and Barbera for MGM. It has hot beautiful women from the 1940s unlike today's society. No women is beautiful in todays society. Only the 1900s to early 1920s born women are the only women, the most beautiful women. This short also has the good olde NYC stores before they ran out of business in the late 1950s to 1960s.

Jerry goes it alone in the Big Apple

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 4 September 2012]

Having got fed up of rural life Jerry writes Tom a letter letting him know he is leaving. He rides on a train to New York and sets about seeing the city; along the way he gets into a few scrapes; he gets stuck to a piece of chewing gum in Grand Central Station, gets washed down a drain only to emerge from a manhole into the traffic and a trip up a skyscraper almost leads to him falling from great height after climbing up a candle near the window to get a better view and toppling it. It isn't all danger though he enjoys seeing some attractive women and has a dance with a succession of small dolls that are acting as place card holders on a dining table. Ultimately though he realises the city isn't the place for him so he heads home; tears up the note he left for Tom then kisses him!

This 'Tom and Jerry' short is unlike any I recall seeing before in many ways; most obviously it hardly features Tom at all, and when we do see him he isn't trying to do anything violent to Jerry! While in New York Jerry might get into a succession of scrapes but there isn't the sadistic malice one gets in most of these cartoons. At one point he encounters some scary alley cats but he just flees without the usual turning of the tables we expect when he fights Tom. Most of what happens is clearly there for the animators to show off their skills; and I must say it looks very good. I wouldn't want all Tom and Jerry cartoons to be like this but as a one off this tamer instalment made a refreshing change so is well worth watching.

Life in the city is not for every man (or mouse)

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 23 August 2017]

"Mouse in Manhattan" is an 8-minute short film from the last year of WWII, so this one is already over 70 years old an even without consideration by the Academy Awards, this is one of the most known cartoons starring Tom and Jerry, the world's most famous cat-and-mouse duo. Needless to add it's another Hanna Barbera movie. The film's popularity may have to do with the fact that it's really very different from the usual chase escapades between the two, but sadly these short films are the one that I like the best unlike everybody else it seems. Tom is basically sleeping from start to finish here while Jerry gets into a lot of trouble exploring the big city for the first time. I must say I did not find all the stuff happening to him particularly funny or entertaining. He was also surprisingly clumsy in here, a side we don't really know from him. So the heartfelt reunion scene with Tom at the very end was probably the best part of the film overall, even if it was very predictable admittedly. All in all, one of the weaker T&J films I have seen and I give it a thumbs-down. It seems the two really need each other to make an impression. They are at their best when sharing the screen. To me at least. Not recommended, although I can see country bumpkins enjoy the message here.

Mouse in Manhattan

[Michael_Elliott · 30 December 2015]

Mouse in Manhattan (1945)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This is one of the lesser Tom and Jerry shorts as it pretty much has the mouse going solo. The short starts off with Jerry leaving a note saying that the country life has him bored so he's off to the big city. Once in the big city he enjoys what he sees but soon realizes that it can be scary. As I said, this short pretty much has a brief appearance by Tom at the start and end so it's basically a showcase for a solo Jerry. The end results aren't bad but there's no question that there aren't too many laughs and at times you can't help but wish the cat was around to jack up the action. I will say that the animation is extremely good and I really liked all the details during certain scenes including the skyline when Jerry is dancing on the table.

Don't expect any laughs from this one—there aren't any to be had!

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 22 March 2008]

I don't know about you, but what I love about Tom and Jerry cartoons is the (often violent) interaction between the two characters. Mouse In Manhattan sees Jerry leaving Tom behind to have an adventure in New York, and as far as I am concerned, this one definitely suffers from a lack of cat!

As magical as Jerry's exploration of the 'Big Apple' might be for the other T&J fans who have commented here on IMDb, I couldn't wait for this self-indulgent rubbish to end, so I could watch the next cartoon on my DVD.

In fact, the only part of the whole episode that I genuinely enjoyed was when Jerry almost 'buys the farm', hanging precariously off the end of a broken candle, hundreds of feet above a busy road.