Tom and Jerry Tales
| Tom and Jerry Tales | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 23 (69 sub-episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes during Kids' WB |
| Original release | |
| Network | The CW |
| Release | February 27, 2006 (UK), September 23, 2006 (USA) – present |
Tom and Jerry Tales is an animated television series which began production in 2005, currently airing on The CW's Kids' WB block. As the title suggests, this series stars the well-known title characters from the classic Tom and Jerry shorts, and also is the first made for TV iteration of the cartoons to emulate the theatrical shorts. It grew from the direct-to-video movies, The Magic Ring (2001), Blast Off to Mars, The Fast and the Furry (2005), Shiver Me Whiskers (2006) and A Nutcracker Tale (2007) as well as the theatrical short The KarateGuard (2005), the first Tom & Jerry short co-directed by the characters' co-creator, Joe Barbera since the original shorts.
Barbera also served as an Executive Producer before his death, as well as receiving story credit on some short cartoons, of the "Tom and Jerry Tales" show's first season, produced by Warner Brothers in 2005. The series had its international premiere on Boomerang in the UK on February 27, 2006, and premiered in the US on Kids' WB on The CW on September 23, 2006. Each episode consists of three short cartoons with approximately the same runtime as the original theatrical shorts. Also, each of the three shows that air in a 30 minute episode have some type of theme. For example, episode 1 (Tiger Cat/Feeding Time/Polar Peril) would have a theme of animals.
A second season, consisting of 13 new half-hour episodes (39 sub-episodes), began airing on September 22, 2007.
Voice cast
- Don Brown as Tom Cat
- Sam Vincent as Jerry Mouse
- Michael Donovan as Spike
- Colin Murdock as Butch
- Reece Thompson as Nibbles
Episode list
Season 1: 2006-2007
Season 2: 2007-2008
Video Game
In November 2006, a video game based on the show was released for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. You play as Jerry to get Tom in trouble. Many cameos from the show make appearances in the game such as the female robotic mouse from the short Hi, Robot.
DVD Releases
"Tom and Jerry Tales: Volume One" was released on October 3, 2006. The episodes include: Ho, Ho Horror / Dog-Gone Hill Hog / Northern Light Fish Fight, Way Off Broadway / Egg Beats / Cry Uncle, Joy Riding Jokers / Cat Got Your Luggage? / City Dump Chumps and Tiger Cat / Feeding Time / Polar Peril.
"Tom and Jerry Tales: Volume Two" was released on May 15, 2007. The episodes include: Octo Suave / Beach Bully Bingo / Treasure Map Scrap, Fire Breathing Tom Cat / Medieval Menace / The Itch, Digital Dilemma / Hi, Robot / Tomcat Jetpack, and Piranha Be Loved (by You) / Spook House Mouse / Abracadumb. This was then released later as Volume One in the UK!
"Tom and Jerry Tales: Volume Three" was released on December 4, 2007. The episodes include: Bats What I Like About the South / Fraidy Cat Scat / Tomb it May Concern, Cat Nebula / Martian Mice / Spaced Out Cat, Dino-Sores / Freaky Tiki / Prehisterics, Destruction Junction / Battle of the Power Tools / Jackhammered Cat, and Tin Cat of Tomorrow / Beefcake Tom / Tom Cat, Superstar.
"Tom and Jerry Tales: Volume Four" will be released on March 11, 2008. The episodes include: Zent Out of Shape / I Dream of Meanie / Which Witch, More Powers to You / Catch Me Though You Can't / Power Tom, Don't Bring Your Pet to School Day / Cat Show Catastrophe / The Cat Whisperer, and Adventures in Penguin-sitting / Cat of Prey / Jungle Love.
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (February 2008) |
- Tex Avery's character Droopy makes a cameo appearance as a doctor in Cat Nebula, and in Tomcat Jetpack. He is a main character in A Life Less Guarded and Endless Bummer.
- Wolfie, a character from Tex Avery's Red Hot Riding Hood and Droopy cartoon shorts, appears as a ghost in Spook House Mouse.
- In A Life Less Guarded, the man auditioning Tom and Droopy for a lifeguard job is a cariacature of Tex Avery, and one of the few human characters whose face is fully visible in the series. His assistant Miss Shapely is a comely blonde, referring to Avery's penchant for gorgeous women in his pictures.
- The very first part of the opening sequence homages the short Designs on Jerry.
- Jerry's Uncle Pecos, who appeared in the original Tom and Jerry short Pecos Pest, is in Cry Uncle.
- So far, there are 36 shorts where Jerry triumphs, 3 where Tom wins, 21 where they both win, and 9 where they both lose. All together make approximately 69 shorts.
- In Dog-Gone Hill Hog, Spike makes a reference to King of the Hill.
- Tuffy (Nibbles) makes an appearance in Cat Nebula as Jerry's space cadet sidekick, teams up with Jerry in Cat Show Catastrophe and Sasquashed, and makes a cameo appearance in Cat of Prey.
- Spike's son Tyke appears in "Game, Set, Match".
- Despite the frequent violence, the series is only rated TV-Y on Kid's WB.
