"There's a right way and a wrong way."----Oliver Hardy.
3 months ago, Jonny Quest made his DC Comics debut, appearing in an issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up. Nice idea, but poorly executed, as writer Sholly Fisch stuck to the same basic formula he's used for Scooby, inserting the Quest team into a generic Scooby story. It just didn't work.
A month later, Warner Home Video issued "Tom & Jerry: Spy Quest", in which the cat & the mouse are the ones being inserted, but there's a reason for that, as the viewer sees while the film progresses.
It begins with Tom & Jerry on a beach in Florida, enjoying some sun, or at least trying to. Jerry takes advantage of his small size having some speed to go with it, as he runs over to a tube of sunscreen left unattended, steps on it, and runs back to catch the gel as it lands on him. Not exactly Speedy Gonzales, but you get the idea. Tom literally throws some shade on Jerry, and the usual slapstick begins. Spike & Tyke make a cameo appearance, but before long, Tyke's role of barking Tom into a frenzy is given over to Bandit, which sets off a chain of events that put the main plot into motion.
Predictably, the villain is the Quest team's ancient foe, Dr. Zin (James Hong), whose henchmen are cats wearing robot suits. Something you don't usually see, but Zin got the memo, apparently. Either way, he's after Dr. Quest's latest device, which is meant to help mankind. Jerry, seeing how Tom reacts to Bandit's barking, uses it as a secret weapon, which flummoxes Zin. Oh, this is delicious fun.
Just as predictably, Benton Quest is captured, along with Race Bannon, forcing Jonny & Hadji, along with Tom, Jerry, & Bandit, to come to the rescue. Along the way, they run into Race's ex-girlfriend, Jezebel Jade (Tia Carrere), who's doing a cabaret act between mercenary jobs. Her assistant? None other than Droopy (Joe Alaskey)! They get to do a musical number together, which was just so cool. Well, we all know Da Droopster is a chick magnet......!
The following trailer also accompanies the previously reviewed "Looney Tunes: Rabbit Run":
Nice touch, too, bringing back the original voice of Jonny, Tim Matheson, to play the President, although the design skews closer to John F. Kennedy, who of course had been assassinated 10 months before Jonny Quest premiered on ABC. I wonder if someone at WB animation has/had an issue with the current President, since none of the fictional Chief Executives in recent DTV's have been analogues for President Obama.
All I can really say, though, is the door is open for Tom & Jerry to meet Scooby-Doo and friends, or other Hanna-Barbera characters down the line. Sales on this DVD, however, will dictate whether or not that happens.
Rating: A.
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