1940

Tom and Jerry is a series of theatrical animated cartoon films created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, centering on a rivalry between a cat and a mouse whose chases include slapstick comedy. Hanna and Barbera ultimately wrote, produced, and directed 114 Tom and Jerry shorts at MGM cartoon studios in Hollywood from 1940 to 1957. The original series is notable for having won seven Academy Awards, tying with Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies as the theatrical animated series with the most Oscars. A longtime television staple, Tom and Jerry has a worldwide audience and has been recognized as one of the most famous and longest-lived rivalries in American cinema.

MGM released an additional 13 entries in 1961 produced by Rembrandt Films led by Gene Deitch in central Europe. Chuck Jones’ Sib-Tower 12 Productions produced another 34 entries between 1963–1967, creating a total of 161 theatrical entries.

Tom and Jerry resurfaced in made-for-television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Filmation Studios starting in the 1970s. The feature-length film Tom and Jerry: The Movie was released in 1992, and was followed by their first made-for-television short Tom and Jerry: The Mansion Cat for Boomerang. The most recent Tom and Jerry theatrical short, The Karate Guard, was written and co-directed by Barbera.