Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale is a 2007 American direct-to-video animated Christmas fantasy comedy film. The film was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Turner Entertainment Co., and is the first Tom and Jerry film directed by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone. It serves as the fifth direct-to-video Tom and Jerry film and is a semi-adaptation of 1816 short story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E. T. A. Hoffmann, with Jerry in the role of the Nutcracker and Tom in the role of one of the Mouse King's (who is reimagined as a cat) henchmen.
Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale | |
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Directed by | Spike Brandt Tony Cervone |
Screenplay by | Spike Brandt |
Story by | Joseph Barbera |
Based on |
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Produced by | Spike Brandt Tony Cervone |
Starring | Spike Brandt William Hanna Tony Cervone Joe Alaskey Chantal Strand Ian James Corlett Kathleen Barr Tara Strong Garry Chalk Trevor Devall Richard Newman Mark Oliver |
Edited by | Robin DeSales |
Music by | Dirk Brossé |
Production companies | Turner Entertainment Co. Warner Bros. Animation |
Distributed by | Warner Home Video |
Release date |
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Running time | 48 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Aside from being the last Tom and Jerry film to be filmed in a 1:33:1 Full-Screen format, A Nutcracker Tale was the last animated production that Joseph Barbera worked on before his death on December 18, 2006, and as such, the film is dedicated to his memory. This was also the last animated direct-to-video film released under the Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label before Warner Bros. ceased using the brand's name altogether in 2009.[citation needed]
On August 13, 2020, it was announced that the film would be released on Blu-ray and special edition DVD, and paired with Tom and Jerry: Santa's Little Helpers. The bundle released on October 27, 2020.[2]
After watching The Nutcracker, Jerry and his ward Tuffy find themselves pulled into the story. The stage transforms into a wintry wonderland where the toys all enjoy a dinner feast. Tom and the other cats ruin the feast and trap the toys while Jerry, Paulie and Nelly try to stop them. Tom traps a Ballerina toy in a cage and brings her to the Cat King, who unsuccessfully asks her to dance for him. Tuffy, Jerry, and their new friends Paulie the pixie and Nelly the toy pony decide to follow a star to meet the Toy Maker. Tom chases them through several magical realms. Nelly is captured by the cats and she tells them where the others are headed. The remaining three make it to the Toy Maker and he fixes Paulie, who suffered damage during the journey. The Toy Maker gives them a key that allows them to awaken an army of toy soldiers. The three depart with their new army to take back the kingdom. When the cats attempt to escape the army of toy soldiers, the Ballerina appears with the other toys and leads them in an army against the Cat King.
According to Brandt, Joseph Barbera decided on a Nutcracker adaptation as he thought its music fit perfectly with Tom and Jerry.[3] The Amazon page for the DVD appeared sometime in August 2007.[4][when?]
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Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale was the fourth Tom and Jerry film to be filmed in high-definition widescreen (the first three being Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars, Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry and Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers), although the Region 1 DVD and the U.S. version of Boomerang were in full screen (cropping the left and right of the image). The film is broadcast in widescreen on Cartoon Network in the United States, as well as a Blu-ray version.
Paul Mavis of DVD Talk gave the film a very positive review saying "Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale earns marks for embracing an operatic storyline while keeping the essential punish-Tom-with-pain gags that made Tom and Jerry such a successful franchise for decades."[5] Meanwhile, Nick Lyons criticized it, stating "Tom And Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale is a rushed animated feature that was simply made to cash in on the Christmas holiday. Avoid this one and rent or buy a holiday classic like the animated Grinch."[1]
Renee Schonfeld of Common Sense Media rated the film 4 out of 5 stars (making it the highest rated Tom and Jerry film on the site) saying "especially at holiday time, for kids who understand cartoon action, it's a delightful entertainment. Teens and grown-ups might like it, too."[6]
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E. T. A. Hoffmann's "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (1816) | |
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