Tom and Jerry: The Movie

Lore & Background

In the world of Tom and Jerry: The Movie, the classic chase dynamic is upended when the duo finds themselves homeless after their human owner moves away. Forced to survive on the streets, they encounter a young girl named Robyn Starling, who has run away from her cruel aunt and guardian, Figg. Robyn's father, a kind inventor, is presumed lost at sea, but she believes he is alive. Tom and Jerry, initially wary, agree to help her find him, forming an unlikely alliance that tests their rivalry.

In Their Own Story

Rain lashes the city streets as Tom and Jerry shiver under a dripping cardboard box, their usual chase forgotten. A small, tearful voice cuts through the storm—Robyn, clutching a locket with her father's faded picture. She offers them a crust of bread, and for the first time, cat and mouse share a look not of mischief, but of quiet understanding. Together, they pad into the neon-lit night, a trio bound by hope and hunger.

Reader's Guide

The film opens with Tom and Jerry being evicted from their home, leading to a series of street-level misadventures. They meet Robyn, who is fleeing her greedy Aunt Figg and her scheming lawyer, Lickboot. The trio decides to find Robyn's father, who she believes is alive despite reports of his death. Their journey includes a musical montage in a junkyard (where Tom and Jerry sing 'I've Done It All'), a chaotic chase through a toy store, and a tense confrontation with Figg's henchmen. The climax occurs at a dock, where Robyn's father is revealed to be alive and working as a dockhand, having lost his memory after a shipwreck. Tom and Jerry help jog his memory with a familiar tune, and the family is reunited. Figg and Lickboot are arrested, and Tom and Jerry find a new home with Robyn and her father. The film ends with the duo resuming their classic chase—now in a loving home, complete with a pie to the face. Its impact is mixed: it introduced the characters to a new generation but alienated purists with its talking animals and saccharine sentiment.

Did You Know?

• This was the first Tom and Jerry production to feature the characters speaking full sentences, with Tom voiced by Richard Kind and Jerry by Dana Hill.
• The film was produced by Film Roman, not Hanna-Barbera, marking a rare departure from the original studio.
• The movie includes a song titled 'I've Done It All,' performed by Tom and Jerry, which was written by Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse.
• Despite being a theatrical release, the film went straight to video in many markets and has since become a cult curiosity among fans.