Tom and Jerry

My favorite cartoon film series ever since I was a kid is “Tom & Jerry” that was directed originally by Chuck Jones and produced by Hanna Barbara, if I am not wrong. Tom & Jerry, if some of you have seen before, has no dialogues. It works just on expression and fantastic background music, the main characters being Tom cat (I don’t know why he was bluish gray but that color used to suit him, really!) and Jerry mouse. We know cats and mice don’t go along, but these cutest little creatures on earth fought all day and came back to their good old friendship at the end of the day.
Then there were their relatives (blue colored smaller mouse, who claimed himself to be Jerry’s nephew!!!????) and a Bulldog and his son. Sometime, Tom used to get naughty to impress his girlfriend (a new girlfriend every time). All these characters had peculiar behavioral habits and their own special role in that film. As there were no dialogues, expressions were the most powerful tool and my god chuck Jones had done that so well…there is nothing to complain about!
I was most amazed at the fact that none of those original cartoons were computer animated. They didn’t have computers back then! Everything was an art. Finest piece of art I have ever seen. To make 1 move, around 15 drawings were required and I can not ever imagine how they made 1 complete film of 7 minutes and several such films, with different stories of those characters each time.
I never understood the moves of Tom cat though…my Indian kitties never used to do all that. When I came to US and got Coco (my tomcat), then I saw him moving like that. Coco used to give exact same expressions in his eyes. His body language, tail swirls and everything was exactly similar to what Tom used to do in the film. I was really shocked to see the amount of study the director has done on the behavior of these animals! I wish I could be so good in studying anything!
Tom and Jerry is lot more than just a cartoon. It’s that supreme example which tells us that dialogues are not necessary every time. Expressions work. We should know how to express. It was a perfect example of efforts and intelligence put together to make a masterpiece. That cartoon film shows us what true friends are…no matter how much they fight, no matter what type of species they are, they get back together and have a nice time in the end. Tom and Jerry tell us how innocent fun could be. The most important thing that I learned from Tom and Jerry was never be afraid to do anything (remember how Tom used to jump from 50th floor or went through a 2 inch big water hose? yeah yeah I know..I’m not going to do all that! :D ).
I can sit before TV and watch these films for hours together for unlimited number of times. I guess that takes me back to my childhood. Back when I used to come home from school and watch Tom and Jerry that used to play on TV between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Those were the days…feel like going back there.. no worries of the future, money or anything! That takes me back to those days when I was with my true friends, used to hang out with them and all of us used to tease each other. Those days when I was naughty and stupid and probably, that was the best time of my life!...We all have memories. My memories revive back with Tom and Jerry. Search something that will take you back in those days. That will probably help to relieve this stressful life. Even though we don’t get any actual water to drink, seeing oasis relieves a lot of thirst sometime!