A CAT AND MOUSE GAME... OF LOVE

AS THEY celebrate 85 years of their on-screen partnership, this legendary duo has no plans to slow down or stop tormenting each other.

- By Josh White

Perhaps only rivalled by Mickey and Minnie Mouse for global popularity, Tom & Jerry are set to star in a new film, as their playful if often violent rivalry continues to enthral viewers young and old.

Veteran animator and producer Spike Brandt, speaking to the Express from his LA home, described Tom & Jerry as a "global phenomenon", with much of its slapstick derived from the likes of Charlie Chaplin.

Brandt, whose co-directing credits include 2007's Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale and 2010's Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes, as well as Space Jam, believes their popularity will see them enduring for another 85 years and that despite the conflict, the pair love each other like siblings.

"No matter where you go in the world, it seems like people love these guys. I think one of the reasons that is probably pretty obvious is that they are essentially characters that don't talk for the most part... the visual acting makes them perfect for a worldwide audience," he says.

"I think just the simplicity of these two characters and their relationship, the cat and the mouse, the strong and the weak, have a universal appeal. Everyone can understand it, whatever age you are or wherever you're from."

Interestingly, he also suggests that while the brutal antics, which have influenced everyone from Quentin Tarantino to The Simpsons, are often thought of as a key trait of the show, many viewers respond to the unspoken underlying friendship between the supposed foes. "One of the things that I've thought about over the years, as we approach making new stuff, is that there's a lot of slapstick violence in these cartoons. And that's very funny stuff," he continues.