Top 10 Darkest Moments in Tom and Jerry
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at shocking, bleak, or downright morbid scenes featuring the iconic cat and mouse duo, Tom & Jerry. This list will tackle some sensitive topics, so we’re issuing a content warning as well as a spoiler warning. What do you think was Tom and Jerry’s bleakest hour? Let us know in the comments.
#10: Toodles the Bad Mother
“Love Me, Love My Mouse” (1966)
Tom tries to give Jerry as a gift to his new lady friend, Toodles. The only problem is that Toodles starts treating Jerry like a baby rather than a snack. The rest of the short plays out as normal – Jerry playing the sympathy card and getting Tom in trouble hilariously. Near the end, however, things take a disturbing turn when Toodles suddenly changes her mind and tries to eat Jerry after all. Toodles won’t be winning any ‘mother-of-the-year awards’ anytime soon; her evil grin as she tries to devour her ‘baby’ is truly disturbing. At least Tom got the girl in the end - maybe they were meant for each other.
#9: Tom & the Witch
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“The Flying Sorceress” (1956)
Tom is intrigued by a job offer for a ‘traveling companion’ for an elderly lady. But when Tom goes to apply, he realizes the catch – the elderly lady is actually a witch looking for a broomstick-riding partner. She makes him sleep in a coffin, and has a grave pre-dug for him in case he has any ‘work-related accidents.’ Tom borrows the Witch’s broom for a little joyride… which only provokes the Witch’s wrath further, as she orders the broom to torment Tom to no end. Thankfully, it was all a dream… or was it? It just goes to show that you REALLY need to be careful when looking at jobs in the newspaper -you might not make it out alive.
#8: The Mad Scientist
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“Switchin' Kitten” (1961)
Between 1961 and 1962, director Gene Deitch helmed several “Tom and Jerry” shorts. His style of directing became rather infamous for its use of limited animation and more absurd tones, as demonstrated in his debut short, “Switchin’ Kitten.” This time around, Tom ends up trapped in a laboratory where a mad scientist has been experimenting on animals, swapping their brains. The experiments are disturbing enough, but the foreboding atmosphere, wonky animation, and eerie sound effects - such as the scientist’s laughter - make the whole thing even more unsettling. You sympathize with Tom’s frightened expression because the whole thing feels like a nightmare - topped off with Jerry doing a disturbing homage to the MGM lion.
#7: Magic Trick Gone Wrong
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“Mouse Trouble” (1944)
In another failed attempt to catch Jerry, Tom hides in a box right outside the mouse hole, disguised as a gift for his rodent nemesis. Rightfully suspicious, Jerry proceeds to shove several pins through the box and even saws it in half. He peeks inside and…. his face says it all as he holds up a note asking, “Is there a doctor in the house?” Thankfully, Tom is alive and patched up by the next scene, but whatever was in that box must’ve been pretty horrific to make Jerry wince like that. Now and then, even our bickering twosome have to take a step back and ask themselves “When is too much too much?”
#6: Tom’s Horrible Master
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Various (1961-62)
During the Gene Deitch era, there was one character that became universally loathed by “Tom and Jerry” fans – Tom’s owner. He’s a short-tempered man who takes his anger out on Tom in the most gruesome ways possible. Even for the famously violent franchise, the way he sadistically enjoys mistreating Tom is just unnerving. At least when Jerry rough houses with Tom, we get a laugh over how cartoony the hits are. However, the limited animation during this era makes the owner’s “discipline” feel more disturbing and off-putting. Thankfully, Tom’s brutish owner didn’t appear in many shorts and has been completely phased out.
#5: Unsettling Payback
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"Advance and Be Mechanized" (1967)
On a distant planet, Tom and Jerry are at it again – Jerry trying to grab some cheese and Tom trying to stop him at every turn. Only this time, the duo have their own robotic lackeys to do their respective jobs for them so they don’t have to lift a finger. Before long, their machines are fed up with doing their masters’ dirty work and brainwash Tom and Jerry into mindless drones, programmed to fight each other forever more. We’re not sure what’s more disturbing – the fact that the robots were sentient all along, or how they stripped Tom and Jerry of their identities. Though, in a twisted way, they kind of deserved it for mistreating their machines.
#4: Quacker's Bad Day
“Downhearted Duckling” (1954)
After reading “The Ugly Duckling,” Quacker becomes convinced that he’s even uglier. Jerry does everything he can to cheer his downhearted friend, but Quacker is inconsolable…. So much so that he’s willing to let Tom eat him. It's heartbreaking seeing the poor duckling so depressed, but seeing Tom fail at eating him keeps things from getting too grim. We’re glad to say the story ends happily for Quacker, as a nice girl duckling manages to lift his spirits and snap him out of his self-loathing. Sometimes, having someone who cares for you is enough to get you through anything - especially your self-confidence issues.
#3: Tom’s Eternal Fate
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“Heavenly Puss” (1949)
After a horrifying piano accident, Tom’s number has finally come up and he’s on his way to Heaven. However, he can’t get into Heaven unless he can get Jerry to forgive him for his many years of persecuting the little mouse. Unfortunately, even after Jerry takes pity and helps him, it’s too late, and Tom is left to roast in the underworld for all eternity… or so we think. Thankfully, it was all just a dream, and Tom is alive and well to chase Jerry another day - though hopefully, he’ll learn to appreciate Jerry a little more. Honestly, it could’ve been worse, Tom… you could’ve been those poor kittens in the bag.
#2: “C'est la guerre!”
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“The Two Mouseketeers” (1952)
Jerry and Nibbles are two hungry Mousketeers aiming to snag a bite from a banquet. However, Tom is guarding the banquet as if his life depended on it… which it does. If he fails, it’s the guillotine for him. Unfortunately for Tom, the two Mouseketeers outsmart him in the end, and as they march with their pilfered feast, they see a brief shot of the guillotine coming down. Thankfully, we don’t see the actual execution, but knowing Tom’s fate is grim enough. Sure, the two Mouseketeers show some remorse, but then just shrug it off and march on, celebrating their victory over the pussycat… for the very last time.
#1: A Bleak Ending
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“Blue Cat Blues” (1956)
Tom finally hits rock bottom. He falls head-over-heels for a gold digger and goes so far as to waste his life savings trying to impress her… to no avail. With nothing left to lose, he resorts to drowning his sorrows before finally waiting for an oncoming train to end his misery. Not too long after, Jerry has his own girl issues and joins Tom in waiting for their demise in the final shot. Even when “Tom and Jerry” pushed the boundaries now and then, this was a surprisingly grim short - and arguably their most controversial. The fact that it ended on a cliffhanger left us biting our nails anxiously even more.
