Directors: William Hanna & Joseph Barbera
Release Date: June 1, 1948
Stars: Tom & Jerry
Rating: ★★★
Review:
Jerry teams with a canary to withstand Tom’s attempts to eat them both. Unfortunately, this first of several Jerry-and-a-bird-cartoons adds nothing to the elementary chase formula.
Jerry would team several birds after this one, the most famous being Little Quacker, a talkative little duck. These teamings would lead to very cute cartoons, but these are not Tom & Jerry’s funniest. At least ‘Kitty Foiled’ isn’t, despite a frantic pace (the first quiet scene only enters after 2:30!). It even would be one of the more forgettable Tom & Jerry cartoons, were it not for a marvellous scene in which Tom thinks he’s been shot.
Watch ‘Kitty Foiled’ yourself and tell me what you think:
This is Tom & Jerry cartoon No. 34
To the previous Tom & Jerry cartoon: The Invisible Mouse
To the next Tom & Jerry cartoon: The Truce Hurts
Dr. Grob's Animation Review 
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November 22, 2013 at 00:54
Bobb Edwards
This was one of my favorite Tom & Jerry cartoons as a kid, and it still is. Agreed, it’s not one of their funniest. But almost forgettable? No way. It’s thrilling to watch, thanks to the breakneck pace, dynamic animation (MGM at its late 40s peak), and Scott Bradley’s brilliant score. The Tex Avery influence is there, but T&J humor is driven as much by character as by chase. Tom is at his most sadistic but in two gags he reveals his good side – and gets suckered both times, of course. Jerry is cuter than usual here because he’s always in defensive/rescue mode, but it works for the premise. And I love how the canary is introduced to a basic T&J gag philosophy: If you’re gonna be cocky, look where you’re going.
November 22, 2013 at 16:05
Gijs Grob
Excellent review! Thanks!