Greetings, my friends.

This is A Man Undercover here, joining this group and making a thread.

Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring".

Here's the rundown of this tale:

Tom is left in charge of a magical ring by his young wizard master, who has to leave to get milk from a cow in Kolkata, India. However, Jerry accidentally gets the ring stuck on his head, leading to a constant chase all over town and a quest for Jerry to get the ring off somehow.

Having been a fan of Tom and Jerry since I was little, this installment of the franchise was one that I particularly had in mind to start with. I remembered fondly watching it every time I rented it from Blockbuster, so that was a particular motivator. For a time, I didn't know whether to classify it as a movie or episode. Ultimately, though, I found myself classifying "Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring" as an extended special episode.

Seeing it via Netflix recently after so long, I really must say that this is a Tom and Jerry installment that very much showcases exactly why Tom and Jerry have been so loved as characters. Especially unlike nowadays, where Warner Bros. has either been making needless crossovers of the two characters involved in the stories of beloved classics, like "The Wizard of Oz" and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", and having the two characters work together, the latter which takes away all the comedic spark and fun.

Anyway...

Here's why I highly regard this installment:

The animation certainly wasn't the most groundbreaking, but it was still impressive for a direct-to-video special episode. Headed by director James Tim Walker, the animators wonderfully captured the essence and spirit of the classic shorts while also incorporating a sense of modern-esque into it. They made great use of the small budget they likely had to work with too.

The comedy of this special was fun as well. I can definitely tell that the creative influence of executive producers William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were all over the place, because the comedic-style flawlessly matched the classic shorts and was genuinely hilarious.

As for the voice acting, I didn't think I was going to be making much of a note of it at first. However, I enjoyed how calm and witty the performances were, the definite scene-stealer being Jim Cummings and his performance as Butch, the yellow dog who was the desk clerk for Droopy's fortunetelling business. Plus, the vocal effects for Tom and Jerry by Jeff Bennet and Frank Welker fitted the two characters surprisingly well.

In the end, "Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring" greatly showcased a modern installment of the franchise done right, and it was a fitting final project for William Hanna before his death.

So, I rate "Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring" five out of five stars.