Mouse Trouble

Mouse Trouble
1951 Reissue Poster for Mouse Trouble
Directed byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Written byWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
(both uncredited)
Produced byFred Quimby
StarringWilliam Hanna
Harry E. Lang
Sara Berner
(all uncredited)
Edited byFred McAlpin (uncredited)
Music byScott Bradley
Animation byRay Patterson
Irven Spence
Kenneth Muse
Pete Burness
Layouts byHarvey Eisenberg (uncredited)
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • November 23, 1944 (1944-11-23)
  • December 12, 1951 (1951-12-12) (re-release)
Running time
7:08
LanguageEnglish

Mouse Trouble is a 1944 American one-reel animated cartoon short and is the 17th Tom and Jerry short produced by Fred Quimby. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with music direction by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was animated by Ray Patterson, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse, and Pete Burness. Mouse Trouble won the 1944 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, the second consecutive award bestowed upon the series. It was released in theatres on November 23, 1944 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and reissued on December 12, 1951.

Plot

Tom receives a book on catching mice and tries various traps and techniques outlined in it to capture Jerry. Despite his efforts, Jerry outsmarts Tom at every turn, leading to escalating chaos and violence. In a final act of desperation, Tom resorts to extreme measures, which ultimately backfire, resulting in his demise. Meanwhile, Jerry survives the ordeal, leaving Tom's spirit to ascend to the afterlife, still haunted by the book's mocking advice.

Voice cast

Production

Availability

VHS

  • Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Classics III (1990)

LaserDisc

  • The Art of Tom & Jerry: Volume I, Side 3 (1993)

DVD

Blu-ray

References

  1. 1 2 Webb, Graham (October 8, 2011). "The animated film encyclopedia : a complete guide to American shorts, features and sequences, 1900-1999". Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co. – via Internet Archive.
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 149–150. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.
  3. ↑ "The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices: of the Golden Age, 1930-1970 - Volume Two: Selected Filmographies with Voice Credits. Orlando: BearManor Media. p. 128. ISBN 979-8-88771-010-5. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  5. ↑ "..:: The Tom and Jerry Online :: An Unofficial Site : TOM AND JERRY DVD/VHS::." www.tomandjerryonline.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  6. ↑ "LaserDisc Database - Art of Tom & Jerry, The: Volume I [ML102682]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Milligan, Mercedes (September 9, 2025). "Iconic Cartoon Duo 'Tom and Jerry' Coming to 'Golden Era Anthology' Set in December". Animation Magazine. Retrieved September 10, 2025.