Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale
Encyclopedia
Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale is a 2007 holiday themed
animated
direct-to-video film
starring Tom and Jerry
produced by Warner Bros. Animation
. It uses a good deal of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet The Nutcracker
as background music.
This made-for-video film would be the last animated production for co-creator, Joseph Barbera
, who died on December 18, 2006, almost 10 months before the film hit shelves. Barbera was the last surviving member of the famous animation duo, Hanna-Barbera
, and had outlived colleague, William Hanna
by well over five years. The film was dedicated to Barbera. The made-for-video film features all of the exaggerated violence usually found in Tom and Jerry.
The stage is transformed into a wintry wonderland, where the toys are enjoying a dinner. Tom, who is in the alley looking for something to eat, hears this, and, with the other cats, raid the feast, trapping the toys. Jerry, Paulie, and Nellie try to stop this, but are shot out of a cannon. Tuffy escapes, Tom traps the Ballerina in a cage, then brings her to the Cat king, were he asks her to dance for him, but she refuses and tells the cat that she will never dance for him, especially after what happen earlier with the take over. The Cat king tell the Ballerina there is nothing she can do about it, in which she reminds him about Jerry, and that he will never give up. Later on, Tom is called to gather men and stop Jerry. Tuffy gives the Ballerina a string attached to keys, on the end of which is keys. He then goes to stop Tom. Meanwhile, Jerry, Paulie, and Nellie decide to follow the star to a man called the Toy Maker. They stop in front of a frozen river. All make it safely, except Jerry who falls in, and becomes tangled in weed. He is freed, and is pulled up by Nellie and Paulie. This makes Paulie unravel. Tuffy gets to Tom, and dresses up as an angel
and a devil
. He is found out, and ends up sticking a trident in Tom's eye, which the cats hold together like a ladder, causing them to fall in a cliff (Tom screams the Wilhelm scream
). He continues on to Jerry, warning him of the cats. Tom and his friends, disguised as Christmas trees, surround Jerry, but Tom gets attacked by squirrels, and shredded in a tree shredder. The cats attack, but the heroes escape, inside a tree. The cats beat up Tom by mistake.
They launch a cannon, which blasts Jerry and his friends into a house with clocks. Tom gives chase, but is pecked on by wooden birds. The heroes then come to a hill, in which Paulie loses his head. They go into the hole, only to find a fiery world with lava pits and dragons (the Arabian Dance plays through this scene). A flame fairy gives Paulie his head back. A dragon wakes up, but is hypnotized by Jerry into lifting them out of the pit. They are chased by the cats again, and run into a fairground. Tom is virtually destroyed here, being crushed again and again - of course, this being a cartoon, he always revives. They make it to a ridge, and Jerry blows up balloons with which they make it off safely. Tom though, is blasted by cannons. One cat shoots an arrow, bursting Nellie's balloon. Tuffy grabs on to her, and unravels more of Paulie. Nellie is let down, and chased by the cats. Jerry saves her, but he lets go of her string. The cats pull her string, and she tells them where the others are headed. The remaining three make it to the Toy Maker, who fixes Paulie, and gives them toy soldiers. The three depart with their newly attained army in order to take back their kingdom.
Later, when the cats attempt to escape the army of toy soldiers, the Ballerina appears with the other toys, and she leads them in an army as way to show the Cat king how they felt being locked up. Tom vacuums up many of the soldiers, but they are blown onto the cats. Jerry and Tuffy are eaten by Tom, but Nellie returns, and throws a hammer
, smashing Tom's teeth. Jerry then pushes a toy train and all the cats ride on it until it hits a wall and the wreckage goes into a box, with all the cats inside. Then the Ballerina hugs Jerry telling him that she never doubted him.Then, a wall falls down on Nellie, who has saved Jerry and the Ballerina. However, the magic revives her, and she begins to talk on her own, without a string having to be pulled. Jerry and the Ballerina dance after receiving their crowns back and the curtain is let down, ending the show.
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
direct-to-video film
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
starring Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
produced by Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
. It uses a good deal of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
as background music.
This made-for-video film would be the last animated production for co-creator, Joseph Barbera
Joseph Barbera
Joseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century....
, who died on December 18, 2006, almost 10 months before the film hit shelves. Barbera was the last surviving member of the famous animation duo, Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
, and had outlived colleague, William Hanna
William Hanna
William Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by...
by well over five years. The film was dedicated to Barbera. The made-for-video film features all of the exaggerated violence usually found in Tom and Jerry.
Plot
The movie begins with Jerry and his baby nephew Tuffy (who here sports his French accent from the Mouseketeer shorts) watching the Christmas ballet. Later, Jerry goes to the empty stage floor, where magic begins to happen. Toys come alive including Nellie the horse (who can only talk if someone pulls her string) and Paulie the Christmas Ornament (who was missing a head, due to Jerry kicking it earlier on). The magic then makes a Music Box Ballerina come to life, and Jerry dances with her (Jerry falls in love with her).The stage is transformed into a wintry wonderland, where the toys are enjoying a dinner. Tom, who is in the alley looking for something to eat, hears this, and, with the other cats, raid the feast, trapping the toys. Jerry, Paulie, and Nellie try to stop this, but are shot out of a cannon. Tuffy escapes, Tom traps the Ballerina in a cage, then brings her to the Cat king, were he asks her to dance for him, but she refuses and tells the cat that she will never dance for him, especially after what happen earlier with the take over. The Cat king tell the Ballerina there is nothing she can do about it, in which she reminds him about Jerry, and that he will never give up. Later on, Tom is called to gather men and stop Jerry. Tuffy gives the Ballerina a string attached to keys, on the end of which is keys. He then goes to stop Tom. Meanwhile, Jerry, Paulie, and Nellie decide to follow the star to a man called the Toy Maker. They stop in front of a frozen river. All make it safely, except Jerry who falls in, and becomes tangled in weed. He is freed, and is pulled up by Nellie and Paulie. This makes Paulie unravel. Tuffy gets to Tom, and dresses up as an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
and a devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
. He is found out, and ends up sticking a trident in Tom's eye, which the cats hold together like a ladder, causing them to fall in a cliff (Tom screams the Wilhelm scream
Wilhelm scream
The Wilhelm scream is a film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. The effect gained new popularity after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games...
). He continues on to Jerry, warning him of the cats. Tom and his friends, disguised as Christmas trees, surround Jerry, but Tom gets attacked by squirrels, and shredded in a tree shredder. The cats attack, but the heroes escape, inside a tree. The cats beat up Tom by mistake.
They launch a cannon, which blasts Jerry and his friends into a house with clocks. Tom gives chase, but is pecked on by wooden birds. The heroes then come to a hill, in which Paulie loses his head. They go into the hole, only to find a fiery world with lava pits and dragons (the Arabian Dance plays through this scene). A flame fairy gives Paulie his head back. A dragon wakes up, but is hypnotized by Jerry into lifting them out of the pit. They are chased by the cats again, and run into a fairground. Tom is virtually destroyed here, being crushed again and again - of course, this being a cartoon, he always revives. They make it to a ridge, and Jerry blows up balloons with which they make it off safely. Tom though, is blasted by cannons. One cat shoots an arrow, bursting Nellie's balloon. Tuffy grabs on to her, and unravels more of Paulie. Nellie is let down, and chased by the cats. Jerry saves her, but he lets go of her string. The cats pull her string, and she tells them where the others are headed. The remaining three make it to the Toy Maker, who fixes Paulie, and gives them toy soldiers. The three depart with their newly attained army in order to take back their kingdom.
Later, when the cats attempt to escape the army of toy soldiers, the Ballerina appears with the other toys, and she leads them in an army as way to show the Cat king how they felt being locked up. Tom vacuums up many of the soldiers, but they are blown onto the cats. Jerry and Tuffy are eaten by Tom, but Nellie returns, and throws a hammer
Hammer
A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head,...
, smashing Tom's teeth. Jerry then pushes a toy train and all the cats ride on it until it hits a wall and the wreckage goes into a box, with all the cats inside. Then the Ballerina hugs Jerry telling him that she never doubted him.Then, a wall falls down on Nellie, who has saved Jerry and the Ballerina. However, the magic revives her, and she begins to talk on her own, without a string having to be pulled. Jerry and the Ballerina dance after receiving their crowns back and the curtain is let down, ending the show.
Voice Cast
- Billy WestBilly WestWilliam Richard "Billy" West is an American voice actor. Born in Detroit but raised in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Billy launched his career in the early 1980s performing daily comedic routines on Boston's WBCN. He left the radio station to work on the short-lived revival...
as Tom (uncredited) – Tom is the assistant of the King of Cats. He goes to kill Jerry before he reaches to the Toymaker. - Joe AlaskeyJoe AlaskeyJoseph "Joe" Alaskey is an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, credited as one of the successors of Mel Blanc in impersonating the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other characters from Warner Bros. cartoons. He was born in Watervliet, New York.-Other work:Alaskey has also done voices...
as Jerry (Uncredited) / (Voice) – Jerry was once a biggest fan of the Ballet. As he waits in stage, the stage turns into a wonderland. He dances with a music box ballerina.(and falls in love with her) and the King of Cats take the kingdom. After this, Jerry must go to set things right. - Tara StrongTara StrongTara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...
as Le Petite Ballerina – she was a toy box ballerina toy. She mostly resembles the ballerina of the ballet,but a much younger version. She also dances with Jerry. When the cats take over, the Ballerina is trapped in a cage by Tom. She laters frees her self and the other toys and leads them in an army against the King of the Cats(as well as shouting to the toys "Toys, for freedom!" as if to normally say "Let's show these cats what it is like to be locked up!"). - Chantal StrandChantal StrandChantal Strand is a Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for the voice role of Bijou in Hamtaro, Cassie in Dragon Tales and did the voice of Secret Bear in the Care Bears 2000's merchandise as a talking toy.-Biography:She has a twin sister Michelle Strand...
as TuffyTuffyTuffy is a fictional character from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series. He is the little grey, diaper-wearing orphan mouse whose cartoon debut came in the 1946 short The Milky Waif. Tuffy was later featured in the 1949 Academy Award-winning short The Little Orphan...
aka Nibblies- Jerry's nephew, and the secondary protagonist. He is still speaking French just like from the Tom and Jerry series in the 50's. He serves as Jerry's assistant. - Ian James CorlettIan James CorlettIan James Corlett is a Canadian animation voice artist, writer, and musician. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series Being Ian and Yvon of the Yukon....
as Paulie- a Christmas ornament who fasts unravel when he falls in water. He is one of Jerry's allies in search of Toymaker. - Grey DeLisleGrey DeLisleGrey DeLisle is an American voice actress, singer-songwriter, and comedienne. To date, she has released four solo albums and has featured on the tribute album Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash and film soundtrack of Loggerheads...
as Nellie- a pull-string toy pony who only talks when someone pulls her string. When she is killed in the end of the movie, she is revived, this time, she can talk without the string. She is one of Jerry's friends. - Gary ChalkGary Chalk (actor)Gary Chalk is an English-born Canadian actor, tri-national US-Canadian-UK citizen and voice artist. He has lend hit voice in over 30 animated television series and has been in films such as The Fly II and Freddy vs. Jason....
as King of the Cats- the leader of the cats and the main antagonist of the film. He was obese, lazy and dump, unlike other kings. He orders Tom to kill Jerry before Jerry reaches the Toymaker and Jerry's kingdom in which he take over. - Tom KennyTom KennyThomas James "Tom" Kenny is an American actor, voice actor and comedian. He is especially known for his long-running-role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the television series of the same name, as well as the live-action character Patchy the Pirate, Gary the Snail and the French narrator based on...
as Lackey- an yellow, old-like cat who was the assistant of the King of Cats. He is called Prime Minister Lackey. - John GoodmanJohn GoodmanJohn Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
as the Toy Maker- he was the creator of the Toys. - Maurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarche is an Emmy Award winning Canadian-American voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama as Kif Kroker, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, Verminous Skumm and Duke Nukem in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Big Bob Pataki in Hey...
as Mr. Malevolent- an eccentric, brilliant and sarcastic cat who is good at Toys and abuses Nellie by telling her what is her friends' plan. His name was based on the word malevolent, which means, wishing evil or harm to others, malicious. He asks if he is cruel.
Production notes
- This was the fourth Tom and Jerry film to be filmed in widescreen (the first three being Tom and Jerry: The MovieTom and Jerry: The MovieTom and Jerry: The Movie is a 1992 American animated musical film directed by Phil Roman, and produced by Film Roman and Turner Pictures. It is a film adaptation of the Tom and Jerry series of theatrical shorts....
, due to its theatrical release back in 1992, Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to MarsTom and Jerry: Blast Off to MarsTom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars is a Tom and Jerry outer-space-themed direct-to-video film produced by Warner Bros. Animation.-Plot:...
, and Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the FurryTom and Jerry: The Fast and the FurryTom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry is a 2005 animated direct-to-video film starring the oscar-winning cat and mouse pair, Tom and Jerry. The subtitle is a parody of the hit Universal Studios film, The Fast and The Furious. It was released theatrically in select cites of the U.S...
, due to its limited theatrical release back in 2005) and the third one to be filmed in the high-definitionHigh-definition videoHigh-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
format (the first two being Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to MarsTom and Jerry: Blast Off to MarsTom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars is a Tom and Jerry outer-space-themed direct-to-video film produced by Warner Bros. Animation.-Plot:...
and Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the FurryTom and Jerry: The Fast and the FurryTom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry is a 2005 animated direct-to-video film starring the oscar-winning cat and mouse pair, Tom and Jerry. The subtitle is a parody of the hit Universal Studios film, The Fast and The Furious. It was released theatrically in select cites of the U.S...
), although the Region 1 DVD was in full screen (cropping the left and right of the image), though not pan and scanPan and scanPan and scan is a method of adjusting widescreen film images so that they can be shown within the proportions of a standard definition 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, often cropping off the sides of the original widescreen image to focus on the composition's most important aspects...
as the camera stays directly in the center of the image. Like other television shows filmed in high-definition (such as American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, Father of the PrideFather of the PrideFather of the Pride is an American animated television series that began broadcasting on NBC on August 31, 2004 and was part of a short-lived trend of CGI series in prime-time network TV .-Overview:...
, Curious GeorgeCurious George (TV series)Curious George is an animated television series based on the Curious George children's book series, which features Jeff Bennett as the voice of The Man with the Yellow Hat. Frank Welker, who voiced George in the 2006 feature film, returns here as the voice of Curious George. The stories of Season...
and Out of Jimmy's HeadOut of Jimmy's HeadOut of Jimmy's Head was Cartoon Network's second live-action/animated television series. It is based on the live-action/animated telefilm Re-Animated that aired on December 8, 2006...
) and other films filmed in high-definition (such as The Proud Family MovieThe Proud Family MovieThe Proud Family Movie is a Disney Channel Original Movie which premiered on August 19, 2005. It also marked the end of The Proud Family animated Disney series.-Plot:...
, Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the FurryTom and Jerry: The Fast and the FurryTom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry is a 2005 animated direct-to-video film starring the oscar-winning cat and mouse pair, Tom and Jerry. The subtitle is a parody of the hit Universal Studios film, The Fast and The Furious. It was released theatrically in select cites of the U.S...
, Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy?, High School MusicalHigh School MusicalHigh School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
and The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers), the monitor the animation team would have worked from would have 16:9 and 4:3 safe areas so that the full screen version would not crop off too much of any important visual elements (such as characters). However, the film is broadcast in widescreen on Cartoon Network HDCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
. - At the start of the film, a title card saying "A WARNER BROS. ANIMATION CARTOON" is used with a sketch of the WB shield. The style is in the style of the MGM Cartoons logo used in the old Tom & Jerry cartoons. There is also a re-creation of the Tom and Jerry title card and a "The End, A Tom and Jerry Cartoon" card from some of those cartoons. This is also reused for Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock HolmesTom and Jerry Meet Sherlock HolmesTom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes is a 2010 animated direct-to-video film starring Tom and Jerry produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is the first Tom and Jerry direct-to-video film to be produced without any of its original creators, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera...
.