Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.0

Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale Blu-ray Movie Review

Semi-suite.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 20, 2020

Most serious fans of Tom and Jerry can safely admit the franchise has been treading water for 60+ years, with the only genuinely great era belonging to Hanna-Barbera during the 1940s and 50s. Everything since then has been either oddly interesting -- namely, the Gene Deitch and Chuck Jones shorts of the 1960s -- or flatly watered down, as T&J devolved into a kids-first production or simply recycled ideas from decades past. Since 1992's Tom the Jerry: The Movie, the beloved duo has starred in an increasingly lukewarm series of mostly direct-to-video productions, most of which simply plop them into an existing property like The Wizard of Oz, Robin Hood, or Sherlock Holmes. 2007's A Nutcracker Tale is part of this group and, though it's notable for being the last Tom and Jerry adventure with a contribution by the late co-creator Joseph Barbera (who wrote the story), it's a little closer to "humbug" than "happy holidays".

This 48-minute show can be summed up pretty quickly: Jerry's in love with a ballet dancer. Along with his faithful sidekick Tuffy in the rafters, he's watching her perform in an NYC Christmas show... and once it's over, the real magic happens. Toys come to life, the ballerina is now pint-sized, and they all enjoy a holiday feast. Unfortunately, Tom and his pals, including the self-proclaimed "King Cat", ruin their party by capturing everyone and shooting Jerry, Tuffy, and a few toys out of a cannon. Our heroes are now trapped several "worlds" away and must return by navigating each one like pages in a storybook. Set to music from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker and borrowed from E. T. A. Hoffmann's story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, it's a well-meaning adventure that's as harmless as it is fluffy.

I wish I could give A Nutcracker Tale an easy pass, especially since the core story seems like a good fit on paper. Unfortunately, it's not executed very well: the plot is extremely episodic and supporting characters are mostly bland, with music "choreography" that's well-matched in some areas but almost non-existent in others. The real problem here is that Tom and Jerry -- or at least what made them great during the Hanna-Barbera run -- are just not a good fit for this world. Almost every character, Jerry excluded, feels shoe-horned into their respective roles. Occasional stretches of music-only action are broken up by jarring narration and mostly weak vocal performances. Most tellingly, the violent slapstick is rightfully muted but still pops up at times... and when it does, it feels really out of place. Although A Nutcracker Tale does end on a sweet note and has occasional flourishes of magic, they're few and far between -- it mostly feels like the same mid-grade material that held back other T&J straight-to-video movies.

If you liked those, this will be fine. But either way, Warner Bros.' new Special Edition Blu-ray is pretty lackluster: it has lossy audio and the bonus features are slim, which is a shame because several other existing Christmas T&J movies could have made this a pretty packed collection instead of a thin and mostly forgettable release.

Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Crisp and clean from start to finish, Warner Bros.' new 1080p transfer feels like a very good effort that offers a clear upgrade over the previous DVD, as this 48-minute feature has plenty of room to breathe... even on a single-layer disc featuring a somewhat low but perfectly acceptable bit rate. The colors are bright and vivid with no bleeding, edges are clearly defined (with more than a few jagged edges, which is likely a source material issue), and the black levels run relatively deep. Banding is very minimal, as the animation seems to have been styled to avoid many harsh gradients, and there are no other obvious compression-related issues along the way. It's a fine presentation for this relatively low-budget production which, despite my reservations about the story, deserved a Blu-ray edition.

Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unsurprisingly for a Warner Bros. catalog animated title, the audio isn't all that impressive -- and not just because A Nutcracker Tale is saddled with a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The source itself is not mixed very well, as music cues are given top priority with conversations and (especially) sound effects kind of mushed towards the center. It might seem fine on paper, especially within this type of production... but the end result just isn't effective, with song-driven plot points, character interactions, and of course violent slapstick often struggling to fight for attention. I'll admit that those music cues do sound extremely full and dynamic, with a very robust front channel presence and wide separation. But considering the lack of rear channel activity and odd mixing (again, much more of a source issue than a fault with the Blu-ray), as well as its lossy compression, this is a pretty underwhelming effort indeed.

Optional English (SDH) and French subtitles are included during the main feature and both extras.

Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release arrives in an eco-friendly keepcase with a slipcover and Digital Copy code. For a so-called "Special Edition", extras are minimal -- and deceptively added onto the back cover's running time of 79 minutes.

• Bonus Cartoons - These holiday-themed T&J shorts include 1941's "The Night Before Christmas" (8:42, and already available on the Tom and Jerry: Golden Collection) as well as 2014's "Santa's Little Helpers" (21:56, new to Blu-ray but available on DVD). You can find single images of each short on screenshots #14 and #15.

Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Although notable for being the last Tom and Jerry 'toon with a contribution by co-creator Joseph Barbera, A Nutcracker Tale isn't exactly a return to the duo's best years. Our two leads don't fit into the story very well and its supporting characters are lackluster, although the music is great and ties into several segments in a satisfying way...which adds up to something that's barely passable but likely won't make it into your regular holiday film rotation. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray is even more disappointing: aside for a decent 1080p transfer, there's nothing here beyond DVD-grade audio and the absolute bare minimum of "Special Edition" bonus features. It's a $5 stocking stuffer at best.