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Tom and Jerry M2: The Magic Ring is a 2002 direct-to-video film starring Tom and Jerry. This was the first direct-for-video attempt to recapture the style of Hanna and Barbera's original Tom and Jerry theatricals. Also, it was the final project and the last Tom and Jerry production to be produced by both William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, as Hanna died on March 22, 2001, a few days after the film's release. This is also the first Tom and Jerry production produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

Plot[]

The story starts out in a creepy-looking mansion, where the cat named Tom, as usual, chases the mouse named Jerry. Meanwhile, in the basement, a wizard named "Chip" is making a magical potion, using these ingredients: warts from a bullfrog, one stick of butter, and milk from a cow that lives in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. With a count of three, he uses his magic ring to make his potion, until it is realized that it doesn't work. Chip checks the milk carton that he used on the potion, but there is no substitution for the milk of the cow. He then drops the milk carton on the bullfrog in frustration.

Later, Tom ends up in the basement, and Chip orders him to guard his magic ring than chasing Jerry while he goes to Kolkata to milk a cow. If Tom does a good job, he'll be rewarded with a big juicy salmon, but if not, he shall be kicked out of the house. Chip leaves for Calcutta by using his motorcycle, and Tom guards the ring. Behind Tom's back, Jerry climbs up on the table, where Chip left his magic ring. Jerry wears the ring on his head as if it were a crown, which makes him look royal.

Tom spots Jerry, and orders him to give back the ring. Soon, Jerry runs out of the house, and Tom frantically attempts to find him. After losing Tom, Jerry tries to pull the ring off his head, but it is stuck, to his horror. He attempts to get it removed by going to the store of a jeweler, who is heading for lunch. The store is closed, but right when the jeweler leaves out of his building, Tom steals his key and goes inside. Tom disguises as him to get the ring off of Jerry. He uses several methods, including slicing the ring off with a buzz-saw who now has a face who begins to chase Tom, which all fail, then Tom's fake mustache falls off, revealing his true identity. Tom chases our mouse throughout the store, and soon, the real jeweler returns. Tom and Jerry exit the store.

Jerry runs off into a fortune-teller home, where an Irish dog and Droopy from the Tex Avery cartoons are residing. The Irish dog welcomes Jerry into the store but after seeing ring, and including the fact that Jerry wants it removed, the Irish dog falls in love with it and attempts to pull it off. Tom comes in, and Jerry runs out, with the Irish dog chasing after him as well. Soon, they end up in an alley, where Butch happens to be taking a nap. He wakes up and sees Jerry and tries to grab him for his dinner. Tom successfully grabs Jerry in time, and by pressing the ring on his head, makes random objects fall on a horrified Butch. Accidentally, Jerry's ring increases the size of a banana peel, which Tom trips on, and the ring in Jerry's head was removed and it gets back after being rolled over and gets knocked unconscious by the door of a pet store.

A kind old lady comes out and brings the two animals inside. Jerry is put in a cage with his ward, a cute young mouse named Nibbles, as well as two mouse thugs named Freddie (formerly Muscles), and his dumber partner named Joey. Unfortunately, Tom is thrown in a cage with Spike and his son Tyke and they attack him. The mice harass both Nibbles and Jerry and chases Jerry in cars. He turns Freddie and Joey into cheese, but Jerry then zaps Nibbles to turn him giant. This leads to a chase between Nibbles and the cheese mice, who all run out the door. A young boy comes and buys Jerry. The boy plays with Jerry until the ring produces magic, melting Tom and escaping the cage, he sneaks outside and snatches Jerry from the boy's hands. The child cries and his mother sends policemen after the cat.

Then, Butch and the Irish dog were still looking for Jerry and find Tom and they chase him. Meanwhile, Spike and Tyke get out of the building as well, but right when Tom steps on Tyke. Now, Spike and Tyke are added in the chase. They run everywhere and Tom and Jerry escape by riding a bus. Suddenly, the bus stops and it reverses, causing Tom and Jerry to panic. The driver was Droopy, then, they were lost until the boy finds Tom and whistles and was cornered in a dump. After a segment of running, Jerry freezes the people after them. Tom and Jerry shake hands, and together, they go back home.

Tom politely asks Jerry to remove the ring, but he still can't. Tom takes out a flamethrower to get the ring off, somehow, but Jerry runs around the house in fear. The mouse finds a ring-removal liquid (actually to be used to remove rings made by drinking mugs from tables), which gets it off. Tom finds Jerry and demands the ring, which Jerry launches into the tunnel leading to the basement's waste-basket with a spatula. Tom frantically jumps in as well, but gets the ring stuck to his finger. Tom hears his master coming and tries to get the ring off, but to no avail. Believing that Tom attempted to steal his ring, Chip angrily zaps him with his magic powers as he runs out of the house, where the ring falls off Tom's finger, and to his horror, it unfreezes all who chase him: the alley cat, the Irish dog, Spike, Tyke, the police, Nibbles, Freddy, and Joey. Then, after Chip becomes Jerry's owner, he gives him the salmon, and he turns it into a cheese by the ring's power.

Voice cast[]

Trivia[]

  • This is the first Tom and Jerry film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Animation.
  • This is the first Tom and Jerry film animated using digital ink-and-paint as opposed to traditional cel animation.
  • This was the only Tom and Jerry film produced exclusively in full-screen format, as all the other Tom and Jerry direct-to-video films produced since then are produced in widescreen format.
    • The previous Tom and Jerry film Tom and Jerry: The Movie, was also produced exclusively in full-screen format, but was matted to 1:85:1 widescreen format for it's theatrical release, and shown in it's original full-screen format on home media releases and early pre-2020 television airings.
  • For the first time since the classic era, the two Spike Bulldogs (both the Tom and Jerry one and the Tex Avery one) are now separated as distinct characters again as opposed to being merged as a single character in Filmation's The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, this time, with both of them explicitly referred to as their respective names "Spike" and "Butch" respectively, in order to avoid confusion for each other.
    • Confusingly, there is also a similarly-named black alley cat with the name of Butch who appears in this film, although he is not referred to by his name in the credits (in the film's end credits, Butch the Irish Dog is referred to by his name, while Butch Cat is referred to as "Alley Cat").
  • Though Muscles Mouse does not appear in this film, a mouse sharing the same physical likeness and voice as Muscles named Freddie appears in this film, though unlike Muscles whom is Jerry's strong cousin whom, despite his tough-guy nature, is kind towards Jerry, Freddie on the other hand is a mean bully whom is hostile to both Jerry and Nibbles.
    • In this film, Freddie is accompanied by his dimwitted henchman Joey, where Freddie and Joey's relationship parallels those of Rocky and Mugsy from Looney Tunes.
  • Nibbles breaks the fourth wall when he notices Freddie and Joey chasing Jerry around the cage in circles, during which he looks at the camera and says to the audience, "Big cage, isn't it?"
  • The gag where Jerry summons various heavy objects to fall on Butch Cat with his magic ring is directly re-used from the Tex Avery MGM cartoon "Bad Luck Blackie" (1949) (which coincidentally also marked the official debut of Tex Avery's Butch the Irish Dog).
  • For unknown reasons, both Spike and Tyke have light brown fur (similar to that of the unnamed bulldog from Tom and Jerry: The Movie) in this film instead of light grey or creamy tan fur as in other appearances. Spike would also be miscolored light brown again in Tom and Jerry: Blast Off To Mars.
    • Butch Cat is also heavily redesigned in this film as well, as instead of retaining his classic design from 1947 onwards like Tom, Jerry, Spike and Nibbles, here his design resembles more like a black recolor of Meathead Cat, while still retaining his signature blue hat.
  • Following the negative reception of Tom and Jerry: The Movie, both Tom and Jerry are once again portrayed as non-speaking characters beginning from this film.
    • However, Jerry spoke in this film by saying "No" multiple times.
  • J. Eric Schmidt, whom is known for his music scoring work in Warner Bros. Animation's cartoon series The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, returned to provide the music score for this film. He also previously scored the made-for-TV Tom and Jerry short "The Mansion Cat" the previous year.
    • Coincidentally, this film is written by both Tim Cahill and Julie McNally, whom are best known for their work for The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries and Baby Looney Tunes for Warner Bros. Animation.
  • Although the film was released in 2002, it was actually produced in 2001, according to the film's ending credits. It is likely assumed that it was planned to have been released during the holiday season that year, but for unknown reasons it ended up being postponed.
  • On the film's DVD release, the classic Tom and Jerry cartoon shorts "The Flying Sorceress" and "Haunted Mouse", both centered on the theme of magic and sorcery, were included as bonus features. The former cartoon was presented in 4:3 cropped pan-and-scan format.

Gallery[]

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