I will not say this movie is perfect, for me it is too short and I didn't care for the dialogue that much. That said, it is a very sweet and enjoyable movie for kids. Just for the record, I am 17 and I adore Tom and Jerry. The DTV movies have been mixed, some have been disappointing like Fast and the Furry but others have been surprisingly good especially Tom and Jerry Blast Off To Mars. Tom and Jerry:A Nutcracker Tale is for me one of the better ones, and perhaps the one I enjoyed most. The animation is impressive; it is colourful and fluid, and despite one or two forgivable stiff movements the character movements weren't too bad. The story, very loosely based on the story of the ballet and on the timeless story by ETA Hoffmann, is very sweet and I think original too. There is some great comedy, more to do with what's going on screen, rather than the dialogue. The voice acting wasn't bad either, Tara Strong is a great voice actress and her voicing of Le Petite Ballerina was no exception. Kathaleen Barr is another talented voice actress, and I really liked her as Nellie. And Garry Chalk seems to be having a ball with the King of the Cats. Speaking of the characters, they were still engaging with great personalities, Le Petite Ballerina is beautiful yet feisty and Tom and Jerry while they don't do enough of the hilarious antics that made the original series so enjoyable are still likable. For me though, the best part of the movie was the music. Tchaikovsky's music is always delightful, and it was put to surprisingly clever use here. They had my favourite parts in, though I did wish they had Dance of the Snow Fairies and the Pas De Deux, they could have been so effective. But the climax with the soldiers is inspired. All in all, a very enjoyable DTV offering. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale
(2007 Video)
Not bad at all, in fact one of the better Tom and Jerry DTV offerings
20 December 2009