The Little Orphan

The Little Orphan
Tom and Jerry series
The reissue title card of The Little Orphan, featuring the Academy Award Oscar
Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Produced by	Fred Quimby
Story by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Music by	Scott Bradley
Animation by	Irven Spence Kenneth Muse Ed Barge Ray Patterson
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	April 30, 1949
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	7:50
Language	none (text in English)
Preceded by	Polka-Dot Puss
Followed by	Hatch Up Your Troubles

The Little Orphan is a 1949 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 40th released Tom and Jerry cartoon, released in theatres on April 30, 1949 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with music by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was animated by Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse, Ed Barge and Ray Patterson.

The Little Orphan won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons, this being the fifth Oscar (of seven) given to the cat and mouse team. Though the cartoon was released in 1949, it won its Oscar the previous year. This may have been because it was given a short run at a cinema in 1948 to qualify it for that year's Academy Award.

Plot

Nibbles arrives at Jerry's mousehole, and as he tries to snatch cheese from a trap, Jerry discovers he has been asked to have Nibbles as a guest for Thanksgiving, with a note attached saying "he's always hungry." Jerry's cupboards are empty, so he leads Nibbles to a bowl of cream where Tom is sleeping. After Nibbles sips the cream, Mammy Two Shoes places a turkey on the table. Nibbles proceeds to eat certain foods from the table, while Jerry dresses him and Nibbles as pilgrims, but after Nibbles swallows an orange and inflates, Jerry hits Nibbles with a knife and the orange flies into Tom's mouth, waking him up.

Tom, now wearing a feather duster as a headdress, catches Nibbles, but Jerry pops a champagne cork into Tom's face. Tom then grabs Jerry, but Nibbles launches off jelly and stabs Tom with a fork. Tom then hurls the fork to catch Nibbles, but Jerry, porched on candlestick, whacks Tom in the face with a spoon.

Tom then sets pussy willows on fire and melts Jerry and Nibbles' hiding places, but Jerry lifts a lid and the willow ricochets back into Tom's mouth. Tom then knocks Jerry out with a knife, but Nibbles launches a pie into Tom's face, knocking the cat off the table. Nibbles then launches a candle into Tom's tail, burning him, before launching a champagne bottle into Tom, after which Tom crashes into a cabinet and surrenders.

Tom, Jerry and Nibbles then say grace at the table and prepare to eat a turkey, but Nibbles devours the entire turkey before Tom and Jerry can pick up their cutlery. Nibbles, now with a full stomach, pats his stomach in delight.

Notes

• The cartoon was remade in CinemaScope, using thicker lines and more stylised backgrounds as Feedin' the Kiddie.

• Clips of this cartoon were used in Life with Tom.

• Mammy is only seen as a cameo in this episode.

Edited versions/Censorship

• Cartoon Network and other TV broadcasts (including Boomerang (EMEA)) excise the scene where Tom is in blackface after being burned by the candle. The scene where the blackfaced Tom is hit with the champagne bottle is also cut out. This scene is also shortened on Life with Tom and Feedin' the Kiddie to just showing his tail getting burned.The scene is also cut in the same manner.
• In the 1960s, Chuck Jones' unit at MGM redrew the scene to it burning Tom but instead of the headress turning into pickaninny braids, it is only rendered tattered. Also, another scene has been redrawn; in the scene where Tom throws a knife at the turkey to trap Jerry, the knife is replaced with a fork in the redrawn version.

Redrawn version goofs

• In the 1960s redrawn version, when Tom throws the knife/fork at the turkey, he is dark green instead of bluish-grey.

Availability

DVD

• Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 1
• Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Vol. 1, Disc One
• Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection: 15 Winners
• Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection, Disc One
• Tom and Jerry: The Deluxe Anniversary Collection, Disc One
• Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Vol. 2, Disc One

Blu-ray

• Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Vol. 2, Disc One

References

External links

• The Little Orphan at The Big Cartoon DataBase
• The Little Orphan at the Internet Movie Database
• Information on the censorship of The Little Orphan.