Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "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.

BA_Harrison Narrated in storybook fashion by Hans Conried, this cartoon tells of a mouse (Jerry, as Johann Mouse) who, living in the same house as Viennese composer Johann Strauss, loves nothing more than to waltz. The problem is that, whenever he emerges to dance, the cat (Tom) tries to catch him (although never succeeding). When Strauss leaves home for a few days, the cat teaches itself how to play the piano (in six easy lessons) to lure the mouse from his mouse-hole. When the curious house servants see the cat and mouse playing and dancing together, news spreads to the palace and the pair are commanded to perform.An absolutely charming tale, with a wonderful classical soundtrack, Johann Mouse sees Tom once again taking to tinkling the ivories with hilarious results. The scene at the palace is absolutely wonderful, the cat and mouse performing together to a delighted audience providing some really good laughs, making this a well-deserved winner of an Oscar.

TheLittleSongbird I love Tom and Jerry, and I especially love shorts like The Cat Concerto, so I was really looking forward to seeing this when I first heard of it six months ago. And I wasn't disappointed at all and it has become a favourite since, it is hilarious, inventive and original. The animation is wonderful, really colourful and vibrant and all the characters are drawn really well. Another outstanding element is the music, in fact the music is one of the main reasons why I love Johann Mouse so much. The chemistry between Tom and Jerry is delightful, and both characters are likable and endearing. The cartoon also moves really quickly, the story is engaging and Hans Conreid(who also voiced Captain Hook in Disney's Peter Pan) is great as the narrator. Overall, delightful for any animation or music fan. 10/10 Bethany Cox

MartinHafer 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.