Inclubabu
Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
SpecialsTarget
Disturbing yet enthralling
Nayan Gough
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Edwin
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Hatch Up Your Troubles" is a 7-minute cartoon from 1949, so two more years until this one has its 70th anniversary. It was made by Hanna Barbera and with that in mind you perhaps guess correctly already that this is another Tom & Jerry Cartoon. World's most famous cant and mouse duo is joined by a little woodpecker here, whose egg rolls out of the nest right into Jerry's hole and that's where he hatches. As a consequence, he mistakes Jerry for his mom and while Jerry enjoys the attention early on, he quickly gets enough of the little bird. But when he sends him out and birdie runs into Tom, who is mostly more interested in having his peace and reading a book than eating the bird, Jerry and the bird reunite and work together in keeping each other safe as Tom definitely still has an interest in eating Jerry. This little movie was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to Pepe Le Pew. It is one of the more known T&J cartoons, but not one of the better I would say. The comedy here is mediocre mostly, but the film still succeeds thanks to the bird cuteness. Overall, a thumbs-up, but just a cautious recommendation this time.
MartinHafer
I said that this is a beautiful cartoon--and so are the Tom & Jerry cartoons of the 40s and well into the 50s. While this series lacked the originality and kookiness of some of its competitors, these shorts were the most beautifully animated shorts...period. Not surprisingly, it was also nominated for an Oscar--it was that pretty. Now it's not just the animation that is great, but the backgrounds...wow! They are just gorgeous."Hatch Up Your Troubles" begins with a woodpecker's egg falling out of the nest and rolling into Jerry's home. At first, Jerry hates to have the little hatchling about, as it begins destroying EVERYTHING. However, when Tom is up to no good, the little guy saves the day. Overall, a lovely cartoon that also is a lot of fun. While ALL Tom & Jerry cartoons are a bit repetitive, this one is a bit different and a joy to watch.By the way, the Oscar winner that year was the Looney Tunes short "For Scent-imental Reasons"--starring Pepe Le Pew.
BA_Harrison
Not the most inspired of set-ups—a newly hatched woodpecker mistakes Jerry for his mum and inevitably gets into trouble with Tom—but despite the lack of fresh ideas, there's just about enough fun to be had with the little feathered fellow to make this one worth watching. The little bird's beak goes ten to the dozen, not just making short work of anything made of wood, but also causing Tom considerable pain, rapping repeatedly on his skull, chipping a hole in his teeth, and filling him full of holes when he unwisely swallows the woodpecker whole.The final gag—which sees the bird taking time to carefully calculate which way a telegraph pole will fall when he pecks its base, as Tom repeatedly tries to end Jerry's life with an axe—is still pretty funny despite its predictability.
Robert Reynolds
This Tom and Jerry, nominated for an Oscar, concerns an egg, Jerry mouse and the joys and headaches of unexpected "motherhood" for a very surprised mouse when the egg hatches into a baby woodpecker. Tom gets involved and typical sight gags (most rather painful to Tom from the looks of things) abound with great rapidity, resulting in an enjoyable time for all, except for Tom, of course. Recommended.