User Reviews

Generally, the Terrytoons cartoons have made for interesting, though inconsistent, viewing. They are mainly to be seen for anybody wanting to see (generally) older cartoons made by lesser known and lower-budget studios and to see as much of their available output as possible, the latter being the case with me. Their quality is wildly variable, very consistent in music, consistent over-time in animation and always has been hit and miss when it comes to the characterisation and content (even they though have also shown signs of improving).

1942 was again a hit and miss year for Terrytoons, which was not unexpected as that has been the general standard for the studio every year since it first started way back in 1929 (though some years have fared worse than others). Most of the 1942 Terrytoons ranged between average to decent, none great, although with a few weak ones. One of the better 1942 Terrytoons cartoons and in the better half of their output is 'The Mouse of Tomorrow'. It is also one of the most interesting Terrytoons cartoons from that year.

Interesting for being the cartoon to introduce the character of Super Mouse, later re-named, after 7 cartoons under that name, Mighty Mouse from 1944's 'The Wreck of the Hesperus' onwards. A character that went on to be Terrytoons' most regularly used, and one of their most popular, characters until his final cartoon 'Cat Alarm' in 1961. 'The Mouse of Tomorrow' is his origin story and it is a nice enough one.

Even if it is quite slight and very predictable, outcomes are never in doubt and surprises are not really there. The narration at times is on the corny side and could have been used less and not explained as much as it did.

At this point it is a bit early to tell what my stance on Super Mouse is, the character is a cute and likeable one although fairly limited at the same time and his cartoons did tend to be quite formulaic and at times repetitive.

'The Mouse of Tomorrow' is very nicely animated though, which was not a surprise as this aspect had come on enormously by this point with Terrytoons. It is nicely detailed, lively and colourful without being garish. Again, the music, the thing that was the most consistently good thing from the very beginning with Terrytoons, is a big strength. It is beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is terrific fun to listen to and the lively energy is present throughout, doing so well with adding to the action.

Humour-wise, 'The Mouse of Tomorrow' is never hilarious or surprising but it is amusing, and there is an unforced natural charm that never gets too cutesy. The story is told with energy and the characters are engaging enough, though more personality comes from the villains than with Super Mouse. The narration is delivered with enthusiasm.

On the whole, not great but a decent cartoon and interesting for being the one to introduce one to Mighty Mouse before he was re-named Mighty Mouse. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The first proper comic-book superhero movie was the animated short "Superman" (1941) by Fleischer Studios. It didn't take long for another studio to parody it, and they did so with this, "The Mouse of Tomorrow." The Super Mouse here is an obvious Superman knockoff, although the rodent would years later morph into the more-well-known and less parodic Mighty Mouse. The parody is amusing enough for a brief cartoon, though. A narrator tells a story about a village full of cats and mice. One mouse escapes the tyranny of the felines by entering a supermarket. "Super-market"--get it? Well, that's basically the pun of it. The Super-mouse is born of consuming the super-foods of the super-market.