Issue of the day: The return of Tom and Jerry

I Nthe fast-paced modern era, they are an old-school dynamic duo whose madcap slapstick antics continue to endure in popularity. Today, the partnership of Tom and Jerry is 80 years old.

Oil of Olay?

Possibly. They certainly look as youthful as ever.

80 years?

They made their debut in a theatrical short film, Puss Gets The Boot in 1940, where the scheming cat and witful mouse were initially called Jasper and Jinx. It was directed by American animators and producers, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

Hanna and Barbera?

The success of the cat and mouse antics signalled the birth of the Hanna-barbera studio, which went on to become one of the biggest animation studios of the 20th century, whose hits include The Flintstones, The Yogi Bear Show, Scooby-doo, Where Are You? And The Smurfs, as well as The Jetsons and Wacky Races.

But it began with Tom And Jerry?

The success of the first cartoon, detailing the original spats between the pair, sparked the series. It earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Subject and, eventually, Tom And Jerry was nominated 13 times, winning on seven occasions.

They are fairly violent...

The early cartoons do feature some of the most violent scenes in animation, with Tom using anything from bombs and traps to fell Jerry, while Jerry retaliates in various ways ranging from electrocution to stuffing Tom’s tail into a mangle. In the 1970s, the violence faded as the pair became friends who went on adventures together, so the cartoons could meet new strict rules against violence on TV.

What about accusations of racism?

There have been claims of racist stereotyping in relation to the cartoon’s early depiction of a black maid, Mammy Two Shoes, who was only ever partially-seen. In later years, she has been edited out of some re-airings and in the 2000s, the character was rebranded as a white woman, Mrs Two Shoes.

There are accompanying warnings now?

In buying older series on platforms such as itunes, there is a warning from new owners Warner Bros that “These animated shorts are products of their time. Some of them may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While the following does not represent the Warner Bros view of today’s society, these animated shorts are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.”

The beloved duo are set for the silver screen again?

Having starred in 161 theatrical shorts and countless TV series, Warner Bros has announced a live-action/animation hybrid movie, Tom & Jerry, is in post-production, set to hit the cinemas at Christmas and with a host of famous names starring, including Catastrophe’s Rob Delaney, Hangover star Ken Jeong and Kick Ass actress Chloe Grace Moretz. The movie goes back to the start to reveal how Tom and Jerry first met and formed their rivalry.