If you want better critic appeal
Choose The Sheep Detectives. It scores 5.0 vs 1.1 for critic appeal, with a 4.1 overall score.
Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass Movie Review
Bottom Line
Choose it only for colorful animation and scattered classic slapstick; skip it if you want a focused Tom and Jerry adventure, coherent storytelling, or a calmer family watch. Most reactions found the mythology-heavy plot exhausting.
Best for
Viewers curious about an unusual fully CG, Chinese-mythology spin on Tom and Jerry who can tolerate hyperactive pacing may enjoy the colorful environments, scattered slapstick, and nonstop action.
Not for
Fans wanting a focused classic Tom and Jerry adventure, clear storytelling, or a calmer family movie should skip it; several reactions found it confusing, overwhelming, or poorly suited to young children.
Verdict
Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass has flashes of what fans came for: colorful animation, attractive fantasy environments, and brief stretches of familiar cat-and-mouse slapstick. Those strengths are repeatedly overwhelmed by a mythology-heavy story that shifts attention toward new characters, rushes through plot points, and often leaves Tom and Jerry feeling like supporting players. The strongest criticism centers on frantic pacing, weak character development, confusing story logic, and a noisy presentation that can be tiring even when the screen is full of action. Visual opinions are more divided; some find the CG dated or plasticky, while others praise the vibrant color and detailed settings. A small minority also enjoys the nonstop action and sees strong kid appeal, but the overall response is far more negative than positive.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
49 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.01 (2%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.45 (10%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.46 (12%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.418 (37%)
-
Very negative below 1.519 (39%)
Pros
-
Gold City and several fantasy locations show real visual craft, with strong scale, detail, color, and occasionally convincing realism. The environments are among the movie’s most consistently appealing elements.
-
The musical score receives some of the warmer audio feedback, especially when it echoes classic Tom and Jerry music or keeps an energetic rhythm. Those nostalgic touches help the movie feel closer to the franchise.
-
Tom and Jerry’s familiar back-and-forth still has flashes of the old charm. Their best moments come when the film simply lets the duo bicker, chase, and play off each other.
-
The action photography gets more ambitious when characters start flying and the spectacle expands. The energized camerawork is one of the stronger parts of the larger set pieces.
-
Some locations achieve a surprisingly realistic look despite the stylized fantasy setting. That environmental detail stands out within an otherwise highly cartoony presentation.
-
The magical effects and deity powers are among the better-looking parts of the action. They add visual energy even when the surrounding story fails to make the spectacle matter.
Cons
-
The story is repeatedly described as incoherent, convoluted, overloaded, or difficult to follow. Rapid introductions, shifting goals, and unclear rules around the compass make the confusion worse.
-
The new mythology characters are repeatedly described as thin, flat, confusing, or underdeveloped, and Tom and Jerry often lose agency as the story shifts away from them. This makes emotional investment difficult.
-
The dominant complaint is that this barely feels like a Tom and Jerry movie once the opening ends. Classic slapstick and chemistry appear in bursts, but the mythology plot and new characters repeatedly push the title duo to the sidelines.
-
Pacing is one of the most consistent problems: the movie races forward with little breathing room, yet can still feel long and tiring. One positive reaction loves the nonstop momentum, but most find it chaotic or exhausting.
-
Storytelling is the movie’s biggest weakness: the mythology-heavy plot is frequently called muddled, directionless, thin, or barely functional. A small minority sees a decent or clever framework, but most reactions find the narrative unable to support the spectacle.
-
Critical reception is exceptionally poor, repeatedly characterized as scathing, nearly unanimous condemnation, and a franchise low. The 0% Rotten Tomatoes figure is a recurring sign of just how badly it landed with critics.
Cast & Creators
-
ActorAJ Beckles is singled out as one of the few voice performances that brought some enjoyment, with his rat character standing out amid an otherwise weak dub.
View all 49 feature scores and cast & creators
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Movies, this product is above average in realism, special effects quality, chemistry between characters, near average in score quality, cinematography, below average in directing quality, soundtrack quality, faithfulness to source material.
Comparison summary
49 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher3 (6%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts3 (6%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower43 (88%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| directing quality | 1.2 | 4.0 | -2.8 |
| soundtrack quality | 1.3 | 4.0 | -2.7 |
| faithfulness to source material | 1.5 | 3.8 | -2.3 |
| suspense | 1.0 | 3.7 | -2.7 |
| sound design | 1.7 | 4.2 | -2.5 |
| genre satisfaction | 1.6 | 3.9 | -2.3 |
| critic appeal | 1.1 | 3.5 | -2.4 |
| drama quality | 1.0 | 3.4 | -2.4 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better faithfulness to source material
Choose Wicked: For Good. It scores 4.6 vs 1.5 for faithfulness to source material, with a 3.5 overall score.
If you want better visual style
Choose Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. It scores 4.7 vs 2.7 for visual style, with a 3.7 overall score.
If you want better entertainment value
Choose The Furious. It scores 4.9 vs 1.7 for entertainment value, with a 4.0 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Coyote versus Acme
- Alternative: family viewing The reviewer recommends Coyote versus Acme instead for families considering this movie.
Tom and Jerry: The Movie
- Better: overall quality Forbidden Compass is described as significantly worse than the already poorly regarded 1992 theatrical film.
FAQ
Does it feel like classic Tom and Jerry?
Only in flashes. The opening and scattered slapstick moments capture some familiar charm, but the mythology story soon pushes Tom and Jerry away from the center.
Is the animation good?
It is one of the more divisive strengths. Some reactions praise the color, environments, and CG spectacle, while others find the movement stiff, plasticky, dated, or visually mismatched.
Is the story easy to follow?
Usually not. Rapid pacing, shifting goals, many new characters, and unclear compass rules are repeatedly cited as sources of confusion.
Is it a good movie for kids?
Opinions split sharply. One reviewer strongly recommends the nonstop action for children, while several others expect kids to be bored, confused, frightened, or overwhelmed.
Is it funny?
The classic Tom-and-Jerry material can still land, especially early on, but much of the later slapstick is criticized for weak timing, repetition, or lack of impact.
Is it worth seeing in theaters?
Most reactions say no, with poor value-for-money comments and little rewatch interest. The strongest case for seeing it is the colorful big-screen animation and action.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - ElectricDragon505
- Review score
- 2.2
YouTube - The Wasteland Reviewer
- Review score
- 1.8
Article Reviews
animatedviews.com
- Review score
- 1.3
screenrant.com
The latest theatrical installment in an iconic franchise that is nearly nine decades old breaks an all-time record with critics on Rotten...
- Review score
- 1.5
comicbook.com
Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass appears made for the Chinese market, and the critics who've seen it have contributed to a 0% score on RT.
- Review score
- 1.2
yardbarker.com
Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass has opened to a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. The duo remain timeless icons of animation, their slapstick rivalry...
- Review score
- 1.2
comicbasics.com
Tom and Jerry have survived decades of reinventions, from classic theatrical shorts to a live-action hybrid that hit theaters back in 2021...
- Review score
- 1.3
Top Movies to Consider
Best for pristine archival footage, immersive sound, and a surprisingly tense look at Disneyland’s construction. Skip it if you want a comprehensive, deeply critical history; several reviewers found the 78–79-minute...
Pros: plot clarity, realism
Cons: plot originality, runtime
Best for an intimate, inventive archival portrait with strong emotional and cultural impact. Skip it if substantial nudity or an occasionally wandering biographical structure will frustrate you.
Pros: chemistry between characters, emotional impact
Cons: runtime, plot clarity
Best for an audacious, text-driven conspiracy thriller with gorgeous 16mm atmosphere and mounting dread. Skip it if long stretches of reading, deliberate repetition, and an intentionally austere narrative sound more...
Pros: story quality, plot clarity
Cons: chemistry between characters, sound design
Best for a profound, formally inventive meditation on grief, memory, and the ethics of filming family. Skip it if intensely personal addiction material, a 114-minute runtime, or occasional repetition will...
Pros: plot originality, ending satisfaction
Cons: runtime, pacing