Tom & Jerry, Blu-Ray review

Tom & Jerry

They are the most famous friend-enemy couple in the world, so much so that they embody precisely the infamous saying “I'm like cat and mouse”, managing to make generations of spectators smile. From 6 May, Warner Bros. allows us to relive the exciting adventures of Tom & Jerry in the DVD and Blu-Ray version dedicated to the film directed by Tim Story, with the two iconic rivals protagonists in an unprecedented adventure, embellished with a cameo of Paolo Bonolis and the vocal participation of Luca Laurenti. Written by Kevin Costello and based on characters created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, executive producers are Tim Story, Adam Goodman, Steven Harding, Sam Register, Jesse Ehrman, and Allison Abbate, while the creative team includes director of photography Alan Stewart. , production designer James Hambidge, editor Peter S. Elliot, costume designer Alison McCosh. The music is instead composed by Christopher Lennertz. We had the pleasure of exploring the contents included in the Blu-Ray version, really interesting and worthy of your (and our) attention.

Tom & Jerry: a traditional film, extra contents not to be missed

In the film Tom & Jerry one of the most beloved rivalries in history returns to the screens. Jerry the mouse moves to the best hotel in New York on the eve of the "wedding of the century", forcing the desperate event organizer to hire Tom to get rid of him. The ensuing cat and mouse battle threatens to destroy his career, marriage, and possibly even the hotel itself. But the problems did not end there, an even greater one is about to arise: the staff turns out to be diabolically ambitious and the various members decide to join forces, conspiring against all three.

The film therefore presents a truly unique and engaging blend of classic animation and live action, offering us a new Tom and Jerry adventure capable of representing a further extension of the world of these iconic, yet still presented characters. in a traditional key and tracing the interpretative and directorial styles of the animated series of which they are the protagonists. The real innovation here, however, is the constraint that sees the two incredibly united, cooperating to save the situation that now sees them cornered. If the film is made by people with considerable experience, from the direction of Tim Story (The Fantastic 4, Think Like a Man and Barbershop) to the production entrusted to Chris DeFaria (The LEGO Movie 2 - A new adventure, Ready Player One and Gravity ), let's focus now on the special contents of this physical edition that we have tested, lasting a total of about an hour. Attention, however: apart from the actual film, all the other contents are present in the original language, but subtitled in Italian; a non-optional and non-modifiable choice, unlike the audio and subtitle settings of the main product.

Let's start with the series of deleted scenes, a roundup of short animated sequences that show us in about a quarter of an hour some clips of the film not included in the final version. Each of these is also explained and illustrated by Tim Story, to deepen the meanings and situations of each proposed scene. Alongside these additions of the 100 minutes of the final version of the film, we can also devote our attention to the Gag Reel section, where the two protagonists appear again with all the other "human" protagonists of the story, also showing behind the scenes during the shooting of the scenes and some bloopers with particular attention to those of the actors Chloë Grace Moretz and Michael Peña.

From film historians to Paolo Bonolis

Below, we find other video contents, including a sort of Bringing Tom & Jerry to life docufilm, where, as the title suggests, the making of the title is explained through the words of actors and producers. In this quarter of an hour, we can observe both repertoire scenes taken from the old cartoons of the most famous cat and mouse animated series in the entertainment world, as well as discover the reasons that led the team to work on this film, as well as to listen to interesting testimonies from critics and historians of the world of cinema, including Jerry Beck and Joe Adamson.

No less significant is the contribution made by the clip Tom & Jerry The Feud, where the same faces of the previous content return to express one's appreciation for one or the other character, or four other short films that tell curiosities dedicated to the animated characters in the film, the details of Ben and Preeta's wedding or two extras with a focus on the realization of the most significant moments in history. However, we come to the highlight of this physical version of the film: the exclusive clip with the behind the scenes dedicated to the participation of Paolo Bonolis. With a small flaw: it is not included in the disc.

Well yes, in order to view this content which is certainly interesting and close to our media culture, we will need to scan the QR Code present in the flyer inside the case. Only in this way, we will be able to be spectators of the interview, which unfortunately lasts only two and a half minutes, during which, however, the contents deriving from the testimony of the television personality are even less, in terms of duration, but which allow us to see (or review) some very short scenes of the film, where Bonolis also appears acting in English and consequently dubbing himself in the Italian adaptation. The presence of his friend and colleague Luca Laurenti, who participated in the dubbing of the film in Italian, but whose opinions and impressions about this experience, is missing.

In general therefore, we consider ourselves quite satisfied with the extra contents, although in some points they are redundant in terms of the theme presented and the faces that have offered their testimony to tell the various stages of the film's making.