A CAT AND MOUSE GAME... OF LOVE

As Tom & Jerry celebrate 85 years of mayhem and mischief, veteran producer Spike Brandt reflects on their enduring popularity and reveals why the iconic cartoon is so much more than 'two characters hitting each other with frying pans'

- By Josh White

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

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."