Thanks for the memories!

Good concept, poorly executed.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"Johann Mouse" is an American Hanna Barbera cartoon from 1952, so this one has its 65th anniversary this year already and it is of course once again about Tom & Jerry. Actually, it is one of the most known animated short films starring the world's most famous cat and mouse duo. One reason is narrator Hans Conried, another reason is the Oscar win and finally it is just very different compared to generic T&J cartoons. It is set in the 19th century and Tom is the cat of famous composer Johann Strauss while Jerry has to dance every time he hears Strauss play. Or his cat as Tom takes over in Strauss' absence and he has learned enough from his master to be invited to perform for the emperor, Tom at the piano and Jerry as a dancer. What a peculiarity! So you see with this plot, there is not a great deal for funny or spectacular chase sequences anymore in here and that's really what makes it a fairly different T&J watch, even if the very ending is back to normal. And here and there, it's a funny moment included too like the deformed iron rod with which Tom tries to hit Jerry. Actually hits him, Mouse of Steel anybody? A good watch for Tom and Jerry fans for sure and for Strauss lovers as this one is packed with music by the famous Austrian composer. A good watch of 7.5 minutes and I give it a thumbs-up. Just don't consider it as representative of the series at all.

I am a rabid fan of animated shorts and I have long marveled at the choices the Academy made in the 1940s and 50s for the Best Animated Short Oscars. Amazingly enough, not very many were earned by Looney Tunes shorts (though they were clearly the best of the era) and often lesser films were given the award. Oddly, while the films tended to be rather repetitive, Tom and Jerry alone won about as many Oscars as all the Looney Tunes shorts combined. Now I do agree that many of the 1940s Tom and Jerry shorts had great animation, but why so many Oscars? Well, one reason is that their shorts that featured classical music cleaned up--with CAT CONCERTO and JOHANN MOUSE taking the prize. It seems that combining classical music with cartoons was a sure recipe for success in this time period. And, wonderful classics such as OPERATION RABBIT (one of the best Looney Tunes shorts ever) and HASTY HARE (with Marvin the Martian) didn't even get nominated for the 1953 Oscar! So let's get to JOHANN MOUSE. There are a few things going for it. It is a nice departure from the usual locale and plot of a Tom and Jerry cartoon. It also is rather cute. But on the negative side, this animation is of an inferior quality compared to the product of the 1940s--with far simpler backgrounds and character animation. Also, the story lacks the hard edge that many expect from Tom and Jerry. I'd say that even compared to other Tom and Jerry cartoons, it's not among the better films. Just my two cents worth.

The animated Short Subject, "CARTOON",if you please, has been with us for just about the entire run of Film, itself. Each succeeding generation has been treated to their life, color, unchecked outrageous behaviour, humor and their moments of pathos.Traditionally, the products of the various Studios and Creative Talent have generally all been representative of one particular strong point. E.G., Walt Disney's animated pictures, both shorts and features have a dreamy perfection,an other worldly appearance, along with some more gentle humor with a moral. Disney Studios has the Cadillac, the Top of the Line.Max & Dave Fleischer were the top Animation Studio when Disney was on the way up. Always great as innovators, using top Jazz Bands of the '30's as the inspiration. They only did 2 Full Length Animated Features, GULLIVER's TRAVELS(1939) and MR. BUG GOES TO TOWN(1941)( aka HOPPITY GOES TO TOWN). Other than Betty Boop and Koko The Clown, their biggest "Stars" were found in the Popeye Shorts and the Superman Adventures, and the Fleischers owned the rights to neither.It is Warner Brothers, "Termite Terrace" which gave us what was probably America's favourite adult cartoons in LOONEY TOONS and MERRY MELODIES, starring Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, en ad infinitum... It was Warner's Cartoon Unit that provided the best laughs as they surely had their finger on the pulse of America's Funnybone.MGM and Hanna-Barbera fell somewhere in between, never being considered as much of "Art" as Disney, nor as funny as Warners, nor as innovative as The Fleischers. But Hanna-Barberra/MGM came in close seconds on all those counts.At the time of its making JOHANN MOUSE, The MGM/Hanna-Barbera* partnership had been together for some time, with Tom & Jerry being an item for about 13 years. They (Hanna-Barberra)were undoubtedly MGM's biggest Cartoon Team. They (Tom & Jerry)were undoubtedly MGM's biggest Cartoon Team.(Ha,ha! Get it?)This 1952 production & Oscar Winner did deviate slightly off of the proved path. Instead of the setting being contemporary United States middle class, the setting is Late 19th Century, the Locale is Vienna, Austria-Hungary(as the Dual Monarchy was called), and in particular from a particular place, in the Home of Johann Strauss, the Walz King, himself.The use of any dialog either from people or the furry creatures. Instead, we have the Strauss Music, the irresistible reactions of Jerry Mouse and in turn, Tom's feline reaction to the rodent movement.A voice-over narration by multi-talented Hans Conried moves the story along and reminds us of the period and setting by using a theatrical affectation of an authentic sounding German accent.** The combination of the cartoony situation, the narration, the Strauss Music makes for a most amusing situational comedy story When the entire film is framed with a beautiful story book-like appearance. It is one that should be an award winner, and by George, Oscar, it was!Our younger Daughter, Michelle Lee Ryan(D.O.B. 8/14/'75)describes this as her favourite cartoon; an interesting point, being that it was out 23 years before her birth.NOTE:* Long time Animators & Cartoon Directors/Producers William Hanna(1910-2001) & Joseph Barbera(1911-2006) had been partners dating back to the 1930's. After leaving MGM 1n the mid-fifties, they became TV's Premiere Cartoon Studio with (still existing)HANNA-BARBERA Productions. NOTE:** Fine Character/Voice Actor Hans Conried(1917-1982)had long been thought of as a European born Stage,Film and Radio/TV player. In reality, he was born in Baltimore and raised between there and New York City. He once explained his unusual accent to Jack Paar on the TONITE SHOW as being "a Theatrical Affectation!"(Honest Injun, heard it myself!)

This cartoon quite rightly won an Oscar and is probably one of the top two or three best that they did. With narration by Hans Conreid (one of the best voices for narration work and particularly for animation work), this also features Strauss's music to advantage and is just a delight to watch. Somewat static animation because of a sorybook framing device, but it's still a marvelous idea in conception and execution. Most highly recommended.