Is This Real?
MGM Studios made Tom and Jerry cartoons from 1940 to 1958. These short films were added before the feature film to set the mood for the audience. In the 60s-80s, MGM used these cartoons for Saturday morning television. I enjoyed them as a kid, and recently happened across a YouTube video:
In the video, we see two kittens watching the 1950 Tom and Jerry Cue Ball Cat cartoon. As I watched the kittens being thoroughly riveted, I realized they 100% thought the action was real. Meaning the kittens believed Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse were actual animals.
Humans are also fooled by optical illusions, such as a magician making a rabbit disappear. The difference is that the audience knows it is a trick, but we are at a loss to explain what occurred. And sometimes we get tricked by an optical illusion. Here is a floating globe on Amazon:
Humans are also fooled by optical illusions, such as a magician making a rabbit disappear. The difference is that the audience knows it is a trick, but we are at a loss to explain what occurred. And sometimes we get tricked by an optical illusion. Here is a floating globe on Amazon:
Well, such illusions might fool a child, but as adults, we have been around the block. No adult is fooled into thinking a Tom and Jerry cartoon is real. After all, we have been exposed to fantastic illusions, such as the movie Avatar. That took place in the future on a distant planet. How about putting on virtual reality glasses and being immersed in a made-up world? A Tom and Jerry cartoon? Not even in our ballpark.
Well, what if we rewound the clock? Let’s pretend it is 0 AD. At the time, scholars were in the early stages of writing, and people were beginning to move into cities. Film and video technology does not exist. So, let’s transport a modern magician back to that time and have them pull a rabbit out of a hat. I would venture that many would believe the rabbit truly disappeared, but some would be skeptical.
Now, let’s show those people the Tom and Jerry cartoon. While the video technology would impress everybody, the cartoonish graphics would reveal that what is being shown is not real. This is because the human mind is sophisticated even at this early development stage; we would have been able to figure it out.
Now, if you have read any of my other articles, you know that I like to have a writing tie-in. In this case, the goal of a fiction writer is to convince their audience that what they present is real or at least could be real. So, they did indeed succeed, well, at least for two kittens.
You’re the best -Bill
May 05, 2021 Updated November 01, 2025
Well, what if we rewound the clock? Let’s pretend it is 0 AD. At the time, scholars were in the early stages of writing, and people were beginning to move into cities. Film and video technology does not exist. So, let’s transport a modern magician back to that time and have them pull a rabbit out of a hat. I would venture that many would believe the rabbit truly disappeared, but some would be skeptical.
Now, let’s show those people the Tom and Jerry cartoon. While the video technology would impress everybody, the cartoonish graphics would reveal that what is being shown is not real. This is because the human mind is sophisticated even at this early development stage; we would have been able to figure it out.
Now, if you have read any of my other articles, you know that I like to have a writing tie-in. In this case, the goal of a fiction writer is to convince their audience that what they present is real or at least could be real. So, they did indeed succeed, well, at least for two kittens.
You’re the best -Bill
May 05, 2021 Updated November 01, 2025
