The Invisible Mouse (1947)

The Worst Film Ever

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I love Tom and Jerry, and The Invisible Mouse was just great fun. The story is basic, but original and amusing, but there are so many reasons why this cartoon works. The animation is top notch, smooth and crisp, and the music has enough energy to sustain interest. The pacing is thick and fast, the sight gags may be predictable to some but I for one found them really clever and hilarious and the chase scenes are typical Tom and Jerry classic fashion. Tom is quite dastardly but oblivious to what's really happened, while Jerry is really funny, although the best gags are when he's invisible, such as when he drinks the milk and Tom believes he's seeing things. Nicely rounded off as well. Overall, another delightful cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This particular T & J caper requires its audience to accept the ridiculous conceit that invisible ink can actually turn you invisible. And if you swallow that idea, then you should have no problem with the rest of this so-so cartoon that also features bannisters that split into two, an unoccupied fish bowl conveniently located for dousing flaming feet, and a transparent rodent who can somehow cast a shadow against a wall.Personally, I believe that the makers of this adventure came up with the invisibility idea in order to save them from the trouble of animating one of the main characters, but whatever the reason behind the concept, The Invisible Mouse never manages to be anything other than average.

The basic joke here is simple. These characters -- all cartoon characters of the era -- are drawn on paper with ink. So using "invisible ink" will make a character invisible. I'm sure this isn't the first cartoon that implicitly plays with the notion that the characters are drawings on a page. (I'd like to know which was the first.) And this is a pretty subtle reference. But we get it without even thinking about it.Other than that, the chases and such are ordinary, most involving techniques Tom uses to make Jerry visible.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

In one of the usual chases between Tom and Jerry, the latter jumps into a bottle of invisible ink and becomes invisible; he then proceeds to have some fun at Tom's expense. This is a fantastic cartoon, with tons of gags (albeit mostly violent ones, but since when did cats and mice use tact?) and a frenetic pace. Recommended. (Mind you, here's a puzzle: Jerry dives head-first into the bottle of invisible ink, so how come when he emerges it's the BOTTOM half of him that is invisible?)