“Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass” reached U.S. theaters Sept. 4 after a year in China. Critics say the title characters are supporting players in their own film.
“Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass” opened in American theaters today.
It came out in China in August 2025, played the United Kingdom in May, and has spent that time accumulating some of the worst reviews any Tom and Jerry project has received.
The most common complaint is not about quality. It is that Tom and Jerry are not really in it.
What critics said about Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass
The reviews are unusually consistent.
The Irish Times headlined its review by describing the cartoon duo as supporting players in their own film.
Empire’s Helen O’Hara wrote that sitting through it felt like a fight for survival, describing a relentlessly scored running battle with no sense of pace.
One critic quoted on Rotten Tomatoes called it a relentless mess and suggested even children would need to be undemanding to enjoy it. Another described the experience as sensory overload built on bright colors and noise.
The film holds a 3.7 user rating on IMDb.
What the movie is actually about
The premise starts in New York and leaves quickly.
Tom and Jerry collide during a chase through the Metropolitan Museum, activating a mythical compass that opens a vortex and drops them into an ancient city lost in time.
The setting is Gold City, under attack from a villain called Mega Rat. Its guardian, the Phoenix Master, is preoccupied with earning his way back into heaven.
Jerry ends up in the orbit of a crime lord. Tom is mistaken for a divine messenger.
Both are chasing the compass, which Tom wears around his neck.
Why parents are complaining
Multiple viewer accounts describe the film as frightening for young children, with the tone running darker than the marketing implies. Several reported that the plot leans on cultural references that younger American children will not follow.
The film runs 1 hour 44 minutes, which is long for the age range it targets.
What Forbidden Compass gets credit for
The animation is great.
Even negative reviews and unfavorable audience comments have singled out the visual work as accomplished, describing it as beautifully produced.
It is the first fully computer-animated feature in the Tom and Jerry franchise, and the first produced and released in China.
Who made Tom and Jerry: Forbidden Compass
The production structure explains the film’s shape.
Zhang Gang wrote and directed. China Film Co., Ltd., Warner Bros. Pictures and Origin Animation produced.
It premiered at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 21, 2025, and opened across China on Aug. 2, 2025.
Viva Pictures acquired North American rights in April and released it under its Viva Kids label. The U.S. date was originally set for Sept. 9 before moving up to today.
Where this fits in the fall animation calendar
Families have options coming.
DreamWorks’ “Forgotten Island,” from the directors of “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” opens Sept. 25.
“Toy Story 5” arrives on Disney+ on Sept. 23 after grossing more than $1.13 billion worldwide.
Laika’s “Wildwood” opens Oct. 23, the stop-motion studio’s first film since 2019.
What happened to Warner’s other Tom and Jerry projects
The franchise has been busy without much consistency.
Warner’s live-action hybrid “Tom & Jerry” arrived in 2021 to poor reviews and solid returns. A second hybrid, “Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse,” went direct to video.
Forbidden Compass represents a different approach entirely, made primarily for the Chinese market and exported afterward, which is roughly the opposite of how Warner has historically handled the property.
That distinction matters for anyone expecting the classic shorts. The characters here are largely silent, as always, but the film around them is not.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
Empire, Helen O’Hara’s review including the Gold City and Phoenix Master plot details
Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, the aggregated critic reactions
The Irish Times, Tara Brady’s framing of the characters as supporting players
Wikipedia, the production credits, festival premiere, Chinese release and Viva Pictures acquisition
Tom and Jerry Wiki, the U.S. release date and franchise-first details
IMDb, the user rating and audience reactions
FilmJabber, the full synopsis