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Tom and Jerry

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Tom and Jerry is a famous series of funny animated films.

Titlecard T&J
Titlecard T&J

These cartoons follow a rivalry between two characters. Tom is a gray and white house cat. Jerry is a small, brown house mouse. Most stories take place inside a house. Tom often tries to catch Jerry for many reasons. He might want a reward from a human. He might also just want to taunt the mouse. Even though they fight, they sometimes show kindness. They have worked together to protect a baby from danger. They have even saved each other's lives in real trouble.

The cartoons are known for their fast and silly action. Tom uses many tools like hammers, traps, or explosives. Jerry uses his wits and surprising strength to fight back. He can even lift heavy objects like anvils with ease. The characters often deal with huge, messy accidents. However, you will not see any blood or gore. The humor comes from the wild things that happen to them. Sometimes the two characters end up losing together. This usually happens when a trap backfires on both of them.

Music is a very important part of every short film.

PDVD 002
PDVD 002

A musical director named Scott Bradley wrote the scores. He combined different styles like jazz, pop, and classical music. The music helps tell the story without many words. It can make a scene feel funny or sad. Bradley even used songs from famous movies like The Wizard of Oz. Most of the time, the characters do not speak English. Instead, they make loud sounds like laughs or screams. One man named William Hanna even recorded his own screams for the show.

The series has a very long and successful history.

TruceBlackface
TruceBlackface

It was created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Their first film was called Puss Gets the Boot. That first film was so good it was nominated for an Academy Award. The duo directed 114 shorts for MGM between 1940 and 1958. During that time, they won seven Academy Awards. They tied with Walt Disney for the most awards in that category. Later, other creators like Gene Deitch and Chuck Jones made more shorts.

Today, Tom and Jerry are known all over the world. There are now 166 short films in total. The characters have moved from theaters to many different places. There have been many television shows made for kids. Some were called The Tom and Jerry Show or Tom & Jerry Kids. They have also appeared in big movies. One was a feature film released in 1992. Other films have been made for video or for computers. In 2019, a musical version even debuted in Japan.

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