'Dicky Moe (1962)' feels like two totally different cartoons slapped together: an odd 'Moby Dick' pastiche and a typical 'Tom and Jerry' caper. This bizarre combination doesn't make for a particularly good short. It does, however, make for an oddly compelling one; it's just so strange and, therefore, almost endearing. Like I said, though, it's not good. The animation is basic and the sound design is downright eerie, which are issues consistent across pretty much all of Gene Deitch's entries in the franchise. It might sound weird, but the whole thing just looks distinctly 'Czech', especially when it comes to the human characters. Several of these shorts were produced in the country, but this one is the most distinct in its similarity to other regional fare. Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing, just something I thought I'd note. The issue is that it doesn't feel like 'Tom and Jerry' - like, at all - even when the cat and mouse are on screen and doing what, ostensibly, they always have been. In the end, this is an odd yet oddly interesting short. It may objectively be one of the worst to ever star the long-running duo, but it's more enjoyable - even if only ironically - than most others of the 'Deitch era'. 5/10
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Pjtaylor-96-13804430 August 2019
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Kalashnikovin29 August 2022The Tom and Jerry Cartoons made in Czechoslovakia in the early 60s were Mixed, they did not seem as Bad to me as other individuals but they were quite poor in Quality, Dicky Moe is a Complete improvement over Calypso Cat but still quite mediocre .
The Story is Quite Weird, After losing his crew due to his Huge obsession with Dicky Moe, a Captain decides to kidnap Tom and forces him to become his slave, Jerry lives on the ship but Tom is not going to want the Mouse to Ruin him your stay on the ship!.
Dicky Moe Unlike the Other Aberrant Short Films Produced in the Iron Curtain, it is based on a Book, in this case Moby Dick, the Story, although it was very poorly implemented, it was not bad for me, some parts I liked and although the jokes They are kind of Flat and Boring, I manage to entertain myself as Tal and in general it is not as bad as other cartoons of this era.
The Cartoon still retains the Infernally Surreal Aura of Switchin Kitten with some Aberrant Sound Effects and Weird Music which while not generic and horrible like in High Steaks and Calypso Cat, is not the best we can tell, there are also some details in the backgrounds but in itself, the Caricature does not stand out much.
The Animation is still quite poor in quality, the Backgrounds although they were much better and a little attention to detail is noticeable, they look like a Wood Engraving due to the Excessive use of Brown Color in addition to the fact that the colors are too Flat in addition to being dark, The Character Designs are still strange, the Captain looks nauseous, he is Pale and has a wooden leg that emits a bizarre but annoying sound, Dicky Moe although he only appears in the Last Seconds stands out a bit, but in reality who has the Tom is the protagonist since Jerry is not very relevant in most of the time, but as I said, the Animation is quite poor in quality and the Movements look Weird and quite jerky, although due to their mistakes I found it somewhat hilarious.
The Music although it is still Surreal and out of place, I managed to convince myself since it is a Better Effort than in other shorts, Stepan Konicek offered quite decent music for the short, Especially the Parts with Guitar and Violins, the Music in the Part where Dicky Moe appears is something Exciting and adds points to the cartoon.
The Sound Effects as well as the Voice Acting are still Terrible, the Captain usually repeats the Word "Dicky Moe" a lot, in addition to the fact that in a scene the Audio of him Saying "Dicky Moe" is poorly placed in addition to the fact that the sound sounds distorted.
Much of the Jokes of the Cartoon were based on the unnecessary mistreatment of Tom, many Hits and Screams in addition to 2 or 3 Jokes that happened there.
This Cartoon was not as Bad as others of this era, although obviously it is not the best, I liked the Music and although the animation was bad, the Backgrounds Convinced me and I liked the Surreal Setting of the Short, the End, although somewhat cruel, I found it hilarious with Tom tied to the Whale and the Captain yelling at Tom while Jerry read his Book, some jokes manage to be hilarious in addition to the fact that the short due to its stable rhythm manages to entertain.
In itself, Dicky Moe is an Acceptable short that manages to entertain despite its Errors, The Animation can be an Inconvenience but due to the aforementioned it results in an Involuntary Comedy, the Violence and mistreatment of Tom were somewhat serious, but they do not reach to greatly affect the Caricature.
For everything I said above, Dicky Moe gets a 6. -
Dicky Moe, while better than the likes of "Down and Outing" or "High Steaks", is still a pretty poor cartoon overall.
The good thing is that the backgrounds actually look pretty nice.
However, this just feels like one of those direct-to-video Tom and Jerry movie adaptations. The cartoon is best described as Moby Dick, but with dull shenanigans happening in the background.
The gags aren't offensively bad, but they are all extremely predictable and bland. Also, the "black paint" gag is recycled from an earlier cartoon. -
planktonrules30 October 2007In the late 1950s and early 60s, MGM decided that their cartoons were too expensive and they needed to economize. First, in the late 50s, they began producing far inferior cartoons with cheap drawings and often recycled stories and backgrounds. Then, since this still apparently cost too much, the cartoons were stripped to the absolute bone--having much of the work completed in Czechoslovakia--where they had never even seen a Tom and Jerry cartoon!!! As a result, the films of the early 60s have no relation to the earlier cartoons and are just insipid crap. The wonderful character chemistry is gone and the cartoons are even worse than a typical Huckleberry Hound short.
With DICKY MOE, had a couple of 8 year-olds been given a modest budget, some ink and film equipment, I seriously doubt if the product of their work would be any worse than this god-awful cartoon. Not only is the artwork very bad indeed, but the story manages to be even worse than the rest of the early 60s Tom and Jerry toons. I used to think that MOUSE IN SPACE was the worst of the lot, but after seeing DICKY MOE I realized I was mistaken. Now I have only reviewed a few cartoons here and there and so my decision to talk about DICKY is because I feel it is a public service to warn you away from this junk.
In addition to a rotten script and amateurish artwork, this one takes the prize for worst due to its abominable sound effects. The sound of the peg-leg captain walking about was enough to nearly drive me to homicide, as were all the other very loud and inappropriate effects. Instead of a Foley artist doing the sound effects, it sounds like they randomly used ANYTHING they could find and just slapped it in again and again. What agony!! -
jacobstaggs3 February 2020This eighth entry in the Gene Deitch era of Tom and Jerry is the 2nd worse of the bunch. There are only really two positives. Sometimes, Tom is drawn really well and the backgrounds are really nice. Do yourself a favor and skip this short 3/10.
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TheLittleSongbird15 February 2011Dicky Moe is not the worst of the Gene Dietch cartoons. But is that saying much? Not at all, it is still absolutely horrible. With the Gene Dietch Tom and Jerry cartoons you are guaranteed wretched animation, very forgettable music, bizarre sound effects, predictable stories and unlikeable characters. While it doesn't do these as badly as Switchin' Kitten, Sorry Safari, It's Greek To Me-Ow and Landing Stripling, Dicky Moe is still the epitome of everything wrong with these particular cartoons.
As I was expecting, the animation is wretched. The characters look off model with forced facial expressions, the colours are dull and slip-shod and the backgrounds and editing are all over the place and very unimaginative.
The music is also forgettable, none of it stands out and it is completely lacking in energy. No wonder, as it is completely marred by some terrible sound effects. Switchin' Kitten and Landing Stripling's sound effects are worse, those sound effects are enough to make the stomach churn, but the sound effect of the Captain's leg especially is like having fingernails on a black board.
The story is incredibly predictable and very badly paced, and there is not a single funny gag. As for the characters, I disliked them, every single one of them. Jerry could have been used more, and I can not stand the Captain. Tom is the only character you empathise with, and that is only because you feel sorry for him as what happens to him makes me sick even thinking about it.
Overall, Dicky Moe is a disgrace. It isn't the worst, but it is down there, and this regretful comment is coming from a Tom and Jerry fan. 1/10 Bethany Cox -
Rusty-3411 December 2001I simply don't know HOW Gene Deitch was able to come up with award winning cartoons, especially after watching his "Tom and Jerry" dreck. You cannot blame MGM when they decided to switch to Chuck Jones and Abe Lebtivow afterward.
This obsessed captain is almost pure evil, or at least that's what he depicts. He forces Tom to work on his ship when he tries to retrieve the whale. He keeps going "Dicky Moe" in this angrily, demonic voice that makes you wonder how much of a cold-hearted demon this person really is. This goes with the majority of all the human characters in Deitch's shorts, they are utterly downright cold, you wouldn't want to be near them! In the Hanna Barbara cartoons, at least the human characters had a REASON to be mad at Tom when he was destructive.
If you want to get into Tom and Jerry, PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THE GENE DEITCH ERA, maybe with the exception of the "Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit." -
blanbrn14 January 2021This "Tom and Jerry" short from 1962 called "Dicky Moe" is one that seems a little different as the animation and sounds seem a little lame and sub par. Still a bottle drinking sea captain wants to catch a whale so when Tom comes in sight he grabs him to do the dirty work! Enter little mouse Jerry who's aboard the ship and it's chase action and adventure at high sea! The episode does cruise and move along even though it may not be one of the better one's it still entertains with cat and mouse fun!
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BA_Harrison11 May 2017A peg-legged Captain Ahab-style sea captain obsessed with catching the great white whale Dicky Moe press-gangs Tom into working on his ship, The Komquot. Jerry, the ship's mouse, causes all sorts of trouble for the already put-upon cat.
For those (like me) who have complained about the lack of detail in the backgrounds of Gene Deitch's T&J cartoons, prepare to eat your words: Dicky Moe has lots of detail, so much so that it looks a lot like a woodcut at times. Lots of detail, but totally unsuitable for a Tom and Jerry cartoon.
The actual animation is as bad as ever, with jerky movement and really horrible characterisation, the captain, a mean-spirited, grumbling madman, being one of the ugliest and least likable humans to appear in the entire series. As with all of the Deitch cartoons, the sound effects are totally incongruous.
Utterly horrible from start to finish, this one is almost as bad as Landing Stripling. -
pixrox121 November 2022. . . the Evil Red Commie KGB Propagandists who had lured beloved American Tom Terrific director Gene Val Gene behind the Iron Curtain and were in the process of brow-beating him to churn out a baker's dozen of bogus Tom & Jerry episodes to demoralize our U. S. citizenry, this presumed Soviet pawn is ordered by the Kremlin's Red Squares to savage the great American novel by Herman Melville in this tasteless spoof, D. MOE. However, Gene the Valiant manages to inject a poignant, bittersweet spin into what could have been a thoughtless hatchet job, as mad Captain Ahab harpoons Tom the Timid Tabby onto the starboard side of the huge white whale, affixing him there permanently amid a welter of tangled rope. Post mortal, the doomed feline's paw seems to beckon True Blue Loyal Patriotic American viewers to rip apart the Iron curtain and rescue the beleaguered Gene. Alas, no such happy ending transpired.