Tom and Jerry (theatrical shorts)
The Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts were originally distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1940 to 1967, animated by three production companies; the first was their own in-house, with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera directing, from 1940 and 1958, releasing 114; the second was Gene Deitch's Rembrandt Films from 1961 and 1962, releasing 13; and the third and last was Chuck Jones's Sib Tower 12 from 1963 and 1967, releasing 34. There was also a single one produced by Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) and distributed Warner Bros. Pictures in 2005. WBA also produced two shorts exclusively for HBO Max, an internet streaming service, in 2021.
The popularity of the MGM shorts, involving the eternal battle of wits between the cat named Tom and the mouse named Jerry, led to the shorts being syndicated, and specially made-for-TV series, which throughout the years have been produced by Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, and WBA. There has also been a 1992 full-length theatrical film Tom and Jerry: The Movie, a 2021 animated/live-action film, Tom & Jerry, and a series of direct-to-video films since 2001, beginning with Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring.
There was also a short-lived Spike and Tyke spin-off series in 1957.
Production
Development
Closure of MGM's animation department
Music
The original theme was composed by Scott Bradley.
Shorts
MGM
Rembrandt Films
Title | Number | Release date |
---|---|---|
Switchin' Kitten | 1 | September 7, 1961 |
Down and Outing | 2 | October 4, 1961 |
It's Greek to Me-ow! | 3 | December 7, 1961 |
High Steaks | 4 | March 23, 1962 |
Mouse into Space | 5 | April 13, 1962 |
Landing Stripling | 6 | May 9, 1962 |
Calypso Cat | 7 | June 21, 1962 |
Dicky Moe | 8 | July 20, 1962 |
The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit | 9 | August 10, 1962 |
Tall in the Trap | 10 | September 14, 1962 |
Sorry Safari | 11 | October 12, 1962 |
Buddies Thicker Than Water | 12 | November 1, 1962 |
Carmen Get It! | 13 | December 21, 1962 |
Sib Tower 12
Title | Number | Release date |
---|---|---|
Pent-House Mouse | 1 | July 27, 1963 |
The Cat Above and the Mouse Below | 2 | February 25, 1964 |
Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? | 3 | March 24, 1964 |
Much Ado About Mousing | 4 | April 15, 1964 |
Snowbody Loves Me | 5 | May 12, 1964 |
The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse | 6 | December 8, 1964 |
Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life | 7 | January 20, 1965 |
Tom-ic Energy | 8 | January 27, 1965 |
Bad Day at Cat Rock | 9 | February 10, 1965 |
The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off | 10 | March 3, 1965 |
Haunted Mouse | 11 | March 24, 1965 |
I'm Just Wild About Jerry | 12 | April 7, 1965 |
Of Feline Bondage | 13 | May 19, 1965 |
The Year of the Mouse | 14 | June 9, 1965 |
The Cat's Me-Ouch | 15 | December 22, 1965 |
Duel Personality | 16 | January 20, 1966 |
Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary | 17 | February 17, 1966 |
Jerry-Go-Round | 18 | March 3, 1966 |
Love Me, Love My Mouse | 19 | April 28, 1966 |
Puss 'n' Boats | 20 | May 5, 1966 |
Filet Meow | 21 | June 30, 1966 |
Matinee Mouse | 22 | July 14, 1966 |
The A-Tom-Inable Snowman | 23 | August 4, 1966 |
Catty-Cornered | 24 | September 8, 1966 |
Cat and Dupli-cat | 25 | January 20, 1967 |
O-Solar-Meow | 26 | February 24, 1967 |
Guided Mouse-ille | 27 | March 10, 1967 |
Rock 'n' Rodent | 28 | April 7, 1967 |
Cannery Rodent | 29 | April 14, 1967 |
The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. | 30 | April 21, 1967 |
Surf-Bored Cat | 31 | May 5, 1967 |
Shutter Bugged Cat | 32 | June 23, 1967 |
Advance and Be Mechanized | 33 | August 25, 1967 |
Purr-Chance to Dream | 34 | September 8, 1967 |
Warner Bros. Animation
Short | Number | Release date |
---|---|---|
The Karate Guard | 1 | September 26, 2005 |
On a Roll | 2 | February 20, 2021 |
The House That Cat Built | 3 | February 20, 2021 |
Cast
- William Hanna as Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse
- Mel Blanc voiced Tom and Jerry while June Foray would voice Jerry, in the shorts produced and directed by Chuck Jones.
- Lillian Randolph as Mammy Two Shoes
In popular culture
- In The Simpsons, Bart and Lisa regularly watch The Itchy & Scratchy Show.
- In the Outnumbered episode "The Long Night," a police officer told the Brockmans that their neighbor had hit her husband over the head with a frying pan which he knew "sounded a bit Tom and Jerry."