The Night Before Christmas (1941 film)

The Night Before Christmas
File:Nightbeforexmastitle.jpg The Night Before Christmas title card
Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Produced by	Fred Quimby (unc.)
Animation by	George Gordon Irven Spence Jack Zander Cecil Surry Billie Littlejohn (unc.)
Color process	Technicolor
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Running time	8' 47"

The Night Before Christmas is a 1941 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 3rd Tom and Jerry short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, produced by Fred Quimby and animated by Jack Zander, George Gordon, Irven Spence and Billie Littlejohn. As was the practice in original issues of MGM animated shorts at the time, only Hanna and Barbera are credited. It was nominated for the 1941 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. It was released in theaters on 6 December 1941 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer.

Plot Outline

File:Tomandjerrytitle003.jpg

Special Tom and Jerry title card that appeared in The Night Before Christmas. A similar title card was used on at least the second through seventh Tom and Jerry shorts.

In a large house on Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas, nothing was stirring, not even a mouse...or so it seems at first. Jerry emerges from his hole and has to avoid a Christmas-themed mousetrap (already baited with a piece of cheese wrapped in a red ribbon) placed right by his hole. Jerry quickly heads for the Christmas presents, jumping merrily around the tree, licking candy canes, and jumping onto a plush toy lion that squeaks. Jerry continues jumping on the soft toy, but bounces too hard and lands on what he thinks is another soft toy. Jerry jumps up and down on the grey fur, little realizing that what he is jumping on is, in fact, Tom, who has woken up. Tom snarls and just as he is about to eat Jerry, the quick-thinking mouse grabs a nearby "Not to be opened until Xmas" sticker and instantly places it on Tom's mouth.

File:Donotopentillxmas.jpg

Tom confronts Jerry, moments before the mouse attaches a "Do Not Open 'Til Xmas" sticker to Tom's mouth in The Night Before Christmas.

Jerry hides among the myriad of toys (even firing a trick cannon's cork at Tom) and hides inside a Christmas fairy light, causing him to glow. Tom, obviously not fooled by this, grabs Jerry and is promptly electrocuted. Jerry hides among some toy soldiers, but Tom spots him, and just as he is about to crush Jerry (who salutes him like a soldier would) with his paw, the mouse runs off. Tom chases Jerry, but is stopped by the barrier of a miniature level crossing. A toy train passes by, with many carriages. Jerry is sitting on top of the caboose, waving cheekily at Tom and pulling faces. However, the train enters a model of a tunnel, and Jerry, sitting on top of the train, hits his head and is knocked onto the track. He quickly runs through the tunnel, pursued by Tom, who knocks the tunnel over with his size. Jerry hides inside a boxing glove and boxes the puzzled cat in the face before running off behind the Christmas tree. Tom, now arming himself with a boxing glove of his own, follows him and spots him jumping into a jack-in-the-box. Opening up the box, Tom is punched by the boxing glove stuck on Jack's head and is knocked out. Jerry jumps out and holds it up in victory, like a professional boxing referee would.

Tom chases Jerry once again, but Jerry holds out a piece of mistletoe in from of him and persuades an embarrassed Tom to kiss him. Tom blushes, and while his back is turned, Jerry kicks him in the rear. The mouse darts through the slot letterbox into the outdoors. As Tom opens the lid of the letterbox to see where Jerry has gone, Jerry hurls a snowball at his face. Tom angrily barricades the slot so that Jerry cannot get back into the house.

File:Xmascandycane.jpg

Jerry's present from Tom in The Night Before Christmas.

While Jerry trudges up and down in the heavy snow in a vain attempt to warm himself, Tom fluffs up his cushion and prepares to sleep. He is unable to settle himself; heavenly choirs sing carols, pricking Tom's conscience with the message of Christmas peace and goodwill. He first props open the slot to allow Jerry back in and, when the mouse does not reappear, ventures anxiously outside to find Jerry, frozen. Fearing for Jerry's life, he brings the frozen mouse indoors and warms him up by the fire. Slowly, Jerry regains consciousness, but is wary of the cat. Tom hands Jerry a candy cane, his Christmas present. A delighted Jerry licks his cane, but then quickly reacts to prevent Tom drinking from his bowl of milk. He dips his cane into the bowl, and a loud snap is heard. Jerry uses the cane to fish a mousetrap that he had earlier planted in the bowl. Tom appreciates Jerry's warning and the mouse runs back to his hole. He uses his candy cane to hook the cheese off the mousetrap. Instead of snapping like a usual mousetrap does, the spring slowly comes down, ringing the tune of "Jingle Bells" as Jerry smiles in admiration to the "musical mousetrap."

Notes

• This is the first of the 21 shorts where Tom and Jerry both win. The others are Dog Trouble,Old Rockin' Chair Tom, Heavenly Puss, The Cat and the Mermouse, Smitten Kitten, Triplet Trouble Just Ducky, Life with Tom, Puppy Tale, Neapolitan Mouse, That's My Mommy, The Flying Sorceress, Busy Buddies, Happy Go Ducky, Royal Cat Nap, Snowbody Loves Me, I'm Just Wild About Jerry, Of Feline Bondage Surf-Bored Cat and purr-chance to dream
• The idea of Tom rescuing a cold Jerry from a blizzard was reused in Snowbody Loves Me.
• This cartoon, along with Puss Gets the Boot, is one of only two pre-1948 Tom and Jerry shorts with their original title sequences (opening and closing) still intact on television airings in the United States (original issues of The Midnight Snack, Fraidy Cat, Puss 'n' Toots, The Zoot Cat, Mouse Trouble, and Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl are known to exist, but air as reissues on TV except for Boomerang).
• This was the first Tom and Jerry short to feature Tom's conscience. This idea would also be used in cartoons such as Puppy Tale.
• This is the first Tom and Jerry short not to feature Mammy Two Shoes, or Tom being thrown out of the house.
• This is the only Christmas related Tom and Jerry short ever made.

External links

• Template:Bcdb title
• The Night Before Christmas at IMDb