. . . during HAUNTED MOUSE, as Jones, Maltese and the rest of the Warner transplant crew continue their revenge tour with the objective of permanently dismantling whatever "Legacy" Tom & Jerry may once have imagined that they had in the Saga of Animation History. Jones, talented director of the unforgettable "one-off" ONE F-R-O-G-G-Y EVENING for Warner, illustrates how NOT to create a memorable single-shot cartoon character during HAUNTED MOUSE. First of all, the title is a complete misnomer. The new title character is a magician, NOT a ghost! Secondly, this wand-waving wannabe comes in one ear and goes right out the other, standing totally mute, unlike the gifted singer Michigan J. Frog. The silent rodent does not warble so much as a sea shanty, let alone belt out the Michigan Rag. Finally, the sly Jones provides nothing in the way of a backstory for the boring top hat vermin, even though this was the key aspect of his amphibian story for Warner earlier during his glory days.
Review of Haunted Mouse
