This is a complete list of the 166 shorts in the Tom and Jerry series produced and released between 1940 and 2021. Of these, 162 are theatrical shorts, one is a made-for-TV short, one is a two-minute sketch shown as part of a telethon, and two are special shorts released on HBO Max.
1940–58: Hanna–Barbera/MGM cartoons
The following 114 cartoons were directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio in Hollywood, California. All cartoons were released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Rudolf Ising was the producer of Puss Gets the Boot; subsequent cartoons were produced by Fred Quimby through 1955. Quimby retired in 1955 and from 1955 to 1957, Hanna and Barbera produced the shorts until MGM closed the cartoon studio in 1957, and the last cartoon was released in 1958.[1] Most of these cartoons were produced in the standard Academy ratio (1.37:1). Four cartoons were produced for both Academy Ratio and CinemaScope formats (2.55:1, later 2.35:1). Finally, 19 cartoons were produced in widescreen CinemaScope format only (though reissues have the standard Academy ratio 1.37:1 instead).
Like the other studios, MGM reissued and edited its cartoons when rereleased to theaters. Many pre-1952 cartoons were reissued with Perspecta Sound, which was introduced in 1954. MGM also reissued its cartoons before the introduction of Perspecta Sound. Because of the 1965 MGM vault fire, all original film of pre-September-1951 MGM cartoons are lost, leaving only the backup prints (usually the altered reissue prints), although some production artwork relating to the missing material has survived, like pencil sketches.[2]
Tom and Jerry's first cartoon. Tom (here named Jasper) tries to stop the mouse Jerry (here unnamed) from breaking plates and glasses before the maid can kick Jasper out.
First appearances of Tom (as Jasper), Jerry (as the unnamed mouse), and Mammy Two Shoes (as the maid). First Tom and Jerry cartoon nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoon.
Tom gets to know the spirit of giving when he begins to feel guilty after blockading the front door, trapping Jerry outside in the cold on Christmas Eve.
When Mammy Two Shoes kicks Tom out of the house after Jerry frames him, the mouse enjoys his freedom without Tom until he gets lonesome. They work together to prove Tom's worth as a mouse-catcher to Mammy.
Scott Bradley received the only music credit for this short, but examination of the archived orchestral score bears the inscription, "Adapted by Ted Duncan". As Barrier has remarked in Hollywood Cartoons, this score is very unlike Bradley's other work of the period, since it "sounds like ordinary dance-band music, related only tenuously to the cartoon action". It seems plausible that Duncan adapted the score from pre-existing songs because Bradley was unavailable, and the latter received credit for contractual reasons.[3]
15
The Bodyguard
July 22, 1944
Jerry frees Spike the bulldog from the dog-catcher's truck. Spike promises to protect Jerry from Tom by responding to the sound of a whistle.
Won an Oscar for Best Short Subject, Cartoon.[4] In 1994, it was voted No. 42 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field, the only Tom & Jerry cartoon to make the list.[5]
30
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse
June 14, 1947
Tom tries to prevent Jerry from drinking his milk by poisoning it, but his plan completely backfires when the poison transforms Jerry into a monster.
Blackface gag removed from television. Release omitted from The Classic Collection due to racial stereotyping.[6]
1949
No.
Title
Date
Summary
Availability
Notes
39
Polka-Dot Puss
February 26, 1949
Tom convinces Mammy Two Shoes that he is too sick to go outside. He stays in the house until Jerry paints red dots all over Tom's face to trick him into thinking he has caught the measles.
After a piano flattens Tom while he attempts to catch Jerry, Tom is refused entry to cat heaven due to his record of trying to harm Jerry. To save himself from Hell, Tom must have Jerry sign a certificate of forgiveness within one hour.
After Mammy Two Shoes goes out with her friends, Tom invites three of his feline friends: Butch, Lightning, and Topsy over for a party with loud music, which disturbs Jerry, who is trying to sleep.
Only (albeit brief) time that the face of Mammy Two Shoes is shown. Rereleased in Perspecta Stereo in 1957. Rereleased to television in the mid-1960s with Mammy Two Shoes replaced by a white teenage female.
Tom offers Jerry as a gift to a wealthy and attractive female cat (Toodles). Jerry attracts the attention of another cat (Butch) who also becomes interested in her, resulting in a fight between Tom and the other cat for her affection.
Mammy Two Shoes accidentally knocks Tom out with a blow to the head which causes him to forget who he is and think that he is a mouse, and Jerry finds Tom more obnoxious as a fellow rodent.
As the pet owned by Johann Strauss in Vienna, Tom becomes an accomplished pianist himself after his master goes away in order to lure dancing Jerry out with piano music.
Tom is a cat owned by a western rancher living near the La Sal Mountains, who rules that, going forward, Tom's dinner will depend on him keeping Jerry out of the shack from stealing their food. Tom and Jerry eventually reach a truce that allows Tom to earn the meal.
Tom's usual antics of chasing Jerry wake Tyke up, and the puppy gets the hiccups. This annoys Spike, who threatens Tom to keep quiet, while Jerry tries to frame him.
After reading the story of "The Ugly Duckling", Quacker is persistent with the idea of his being ugly, and even resorts to being eaten by Tom rather than to live with his "ugliness".
After the cost of dog and cat food increase, George and Joan (Tom and Spike's owners) decide they must get rid of one of them before they are eaten out of their home. Tom and Spike must compete to catch Jerry so they can stay, but both get kicked out in the end and Jerry stays.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
Produced simultaneously in both the standard Academy format and in widescreen CinemaScope. First appearances of George and Joan, although their faces are not seen here.
89
Touché, Pussy Cat!
December 18, 1954
Captain Jerry tries to teach eager Nibbles how to become a Mouseketeer.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
Produced simultaneously in both the standard Academy format and in widescreen CinemaScope. Last cartoon to get nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Subjects, Cartoons.
1955
No.
Title
Date
Summary
Availability
Notes
90
Southbound Duckling
March 12, 1955
Quacker is determined to fly south for the winter, which Jerry objects since farm ducks do not fly south, while Tom tries to catch the duck.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
Produced simultaneously in both the standard Academy format and in CinemaScope.
92
Mouse for Sale
May 21, 1955
Tom sells Jerry disguising him as a white mouse after seeing an ad in the newspaper. But his plan to get rich backfires when the house owner finds the money and buys Jerry back.
Mouseketeer Nibbles gets frustrated when Captain Mouseketeer Jerry repeatedly asks him to deliver his love letters despite Mouseketeer Nibbles's continually encountering troubles with Tom along the way.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
Produced in CinemaScope. This is the only Tom and Jerry episode during the Hanna-Barbera era where Tom and Jerry never come in contact with each other.
95
Smarty Cat
October 14, 1955
Tom and his pals watch old footage of Spike's misery while the owners are not home.
Jerry's uncle Pecos comes to the city with his guitar for his television singing debut. Tom is terrified of Pecos because he keeps using Tom's whiskers as replacement guitar strings.
Only appearance of Uncle Pecos. Last Tom and Jerry cartoon released in the standard Academy format. All subsequent Hanna-Barbera cartoons were released in CinemaScope. Last Tom and Jerry cartoon released with Fred Quimby as producer.
97
That's My Mommy
November 19, 1955
Quacker hatches near Tom and imprints on him, thinking Tom is his mother, despite Jerry's multiple pleas to show him otherwise.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
Produced in CinemaScope. First Tom and Jerry cartoon with William Hanna and Joseph Barbera as both producers and directors.
1956
No.
Title
Date
Summary
Availability
Notes
98
The Flying Sorceress
January 27, 1956
Tom sees an advert wanting an intelligent cat as a travel companion. He leaves his home for the new job, only to find a creepy house occupied by a witch, who wants a cat to take on broomstick rides.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
The first short Joan's face is seen. Produced in CinemaScope.
99
The Egg and Jerry
March 23, 1956
A mother woodpecker leaves for lunch leaving her egg behind, but the egg ends up in Jerry's home and hatches. The baby woodpecker thinks Jerry is his mother and saves him from Tom.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
Produced in CinemaScope. CinemaScope remake of Hatch Up Your Troubles and first of the three CinemaScope remakes.
100
Busy Buddies
May 4, 1956
When Jeannie the babysitter is too busy on the phone to look after the baby who is constantly crawling away, Tom and Jerry collaborate to make sure the baby does not get hurt.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
Produced in CinemaScope.
102
Down Beat Bear
October 21, 1956
A dancing bear escapes from the zoo and arrives at Tom and Jerry's house, so Jerry keeps playing music to make him dance with Tom and prevent Tom from calling to collect the reward.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
Produced in CinemaScope and Perspecta Stereo.
109
Tom's Photo Finish
November 1, 1957
When Tom eats his owner's chicken and frames Spike, Jerry takes a picture to expose him, spreading copies around the house for his owners to see them. Tom goes to extreme measures to destroy or otherwise hide the photos from his owners, but ultimately fails.
Blu-ray - Tom and Jerry: The Complete CinemaScope Collection
Produced in CinemaScope and Perspecta Stereo.
1961–62: Gene Deitch/Rembrandt Films cartoons
The following thirteen cartoons were directed by Gene Deitch, produced by William L. Snyder, and animated at Snyder's Rembrandt Films in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now in the Czech Republic). All cartoons were released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The following 34 cartoons were produced by Chuck Jones in Hollywood, California. Earlier cartoons were produced in conjunction with Walter Bien's "Sib Tower 12 Productions" (one or the other credited on the 1963 and 1964 productions), until it was integrated into a new animation department called MGM Animation/Visual Arts. Directors (if other than Jones) or co-directors for each short are listed. All cartoons were released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Note: All the Chuck Jones MGM Tom and Jerry shorts were in Metrocolor.
Direction credited to William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with story and supervision by Tom Ray. Compilation short; contains footage from The Flying Cat, Professor Tom, The Missing Mouse, Jerry and the Lion, Love That Pup, The Flying Sorceress, Jerry's Diary, and The Truce Hurts. Tom and Jerry watch themselves in a theater.
In Japan, the local sushi chef with his cat Tom notice a mouse known as Jerry scurrying around the Chef's restaurant. In order to earn Chef's keep, Tom determines to catch the sushi-stealing mouse.
Directed by Kenny Pittenger.
166
The House That Cat Built
February 20, 2021
Following Tom's extra-deluxe, extra-large cat castle destroying a "Hole Sweet Hole" portrait in Jerry's house, Jerry invades the castle. Tom becomes determined to get Jerry out of his own luxury.
^ abcVallance, Tom (December 20, 2006). "Joseph Barbera: Animation pioneer whose creations with William Hanna included the Flintstones and Tom and Jerry". The Independent (London).
^Beck, Jerry (ed.) (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. Atlanta: Turner Publishing. ISBN1-878685-49-X.