User Reviews

I do think Tom and Jerry have done better before, the story is rather routine and there are one or two sound effects that sounded a little strange, but this is a very interesting start for the dynamic duo. Here they are called Jasper and Jinx, but they are as likable as ever, Jerry/Jinx especially is very cute when he squeaks.

The animation is quite good. Both Tom and Jerry look different but are well animated, while the backgrounds are very nice. The music is beautiful with a lot of energy, the sight gags and chases are funny and the pace is on the money.

Overall, Puss Gets the Boot is not Tom and Jerry's best, but for a debuting cartoon it is a fun and interesting one. 8/10 Bethany Cox

In this first cartoon about the cat and the mouse the cat is called Jasper. Why he is called Tom in the other cartoons is kind of explained in this short. The cat is teasing the mouse and the mouse seeks his revenge. After the cat breaks something he gets a warning. One more thing and he must go out of the house. The mouse is very willing to help the cat leave by trying to break things. Very funny and some great moments this is a great start for a very popular series of cartoons.

I prefer them to be called Tom and Jerry. This cartoon was made way back in 1940 and features the very first appearance of the troublesome twosome. Though they look rather different.

I guess Hannah-Barbera didn't know, at the time, what a massive franchise they had in their hands. Puss gets the Boot almost seems like a one-off short. Granted, Tom and Jerry never really did anything else than chase, and that's exactly what they do here.

It also features the Tom's owner (or owners slave), the highly racist and so un-PC black woman with the stripey socks. This would never be allowed today unless in satire. How glorious the early 20th century was.

This short, nominated for an Oscar it should have won in 1940, is the first Tom and Jerry, for all that the cat's name is "Jasper". The Tom and Jerry cartoons generally break down into one of four eras: the early ones, when Rudolf Ising was involved, then the ones that Hanna and Barbera did with Fred Quimby producing, then the ones Chuck Jones did and finally the Gene Deitch efforts. Each had a different look and feel to them that make them instantly recognizable and unmistakable as to who did them. But the most remarkable transformation in appearance and style was the change between the early ones and the ones in the later 1940s. In every way, it's quite a change. This is the best of the early ones. Most recommended.

On the 20th of February in the year 1940 William Hanna and Joseph Barbera along side Rudolph Ising did a little short about a cat chasing a mouse who gets the tables turned around. The premise seemed simple enough considering the fact that most Warner Bros. Cartoons were like that. But with the talent of Hanna-Barbera simple premise was turned into gold and they soon had a successful short and an Oscar Nomination. Since at the time MGM cartoons were either stupid musicals or Barney Bear shorts. The short "Puss Gets the Boot" seemed like good competition for the Warner shorts. So soon after Hanna-Barbera found themselves working on the wonderful Tom and Jerry shorts which they would continue to make for the next 15 years!

This cartoon itself is not the best but it's still funny and contains a lot of great gags.

4(****)out of 4(****)stars

A Great Start for the Tom and Jerry shorts!

This is a historic cartoon in that it's the first ever Tom and Jerry. Actually, it's not even called that because Tom is "Jasper" in this one, and he looks different. His face is bigger and fuzzier. Actually, his whole body is furrier.

When you are used to seeing these Looney Tunes cartoons from mostly the late '40s through the 1950s and then you see the beginning years, like in Bugs Bunny's case, it's strange to see how they look. We get comfortable and used to seeing our "friends" a certain way, so I always prefer that over these early renditions of a character. I've said the same about Bugs and Daffy Duck.

Audio-wise, too, this is different in that Tom, when injured, makes screeching noises like an actual cat, which is not the norm for him.

However, the joke in this cartoon is one that they would use over and over, no matter who was doing the writing or animating: the cat being told "if this happens one more time, you're outta here..." and Jerry hearing that and planning to make sure that happens. In this debut cartoon the threat by the maid and the threat is that if "Jasper" breaks one more object in the house, he's toast.

For audiences in 1940, I'm sure this was very entertaining but for those of us who have seen at least 40-50 Tom and Jerry episodes, this is nothing we haven't seen done before and done much better. Overall: not bad but nothing special except for historical value.

Tom And Jerry has been a historical part of many childhoods, including the childhood of the 15 year-old geek writing this review. Many generations of children in the present day are forced to soak up the blandness and laziness of modern cartoons, such as The Amazing World Of Gumball, Phineas And Ferb, Teen Titans Go!(my lord....), Sanjay And Craig, and so on. I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't enjoying them as much as the heads of Hollywood think they are, but if there's one thing I learnt from the animation format in all my life, I found that Tom And Jerry is much more significant than any mainstream Saturday morning cartoon, both historically and in my humble opinion. Take Puss Gets The Boot- the first of several shorts of the Tom And Jerry series, it might be completely different from most Tom And Jerry cartoons you normally see on TV, but I blame that on Cartoon Network's executives and chairman. However, you must remember the theory of evolution- change over time. Throughout the years, the animation in Tom And Jerry has improved in designs and textures, the number of characters have increased, the music has gone more complex, the list goes on. In Puss Gets The Boot, the characters look a little scruffier and less simplistic than the later shorts, Tom meows instead of yelping in pain(fun fact: the voice actor of Donald Duck at the time lended the screeching of Tom's character), and there's more of a reliance on African American stereotypes. What makes this short film so satisfying is that it shows that even in the beginning, Tom And Jerry still had it's charms of seeing this poor cat always failing to get what he desires, and the supposedly innocent little mouse getting the better end of the deal. This may be very well one of the best Tom And Jerry shorts, even if it had differences in what you'd usually see. Also, Mammy Two-Shoes is the stealer of the show, hearing her yell "O-U-W-T, out!" is just hilarious!

Jasper the cat breaks a vase when chasing the brown mouse (who would later be called Jerry -- according to Patrick Brion's 'Tom & Jerry: The Definitive Guide To Their Animated Adventures' he had no name at this time -- Tom and Jerry were apparently the results of an inter-company competition). The noise attracts the black maid of the house, who tells Jasper that if anything else got broken he would be out of the house ('O-U-W-T! Out!'). Guess what the mouse subsequently tries to do? This was the first of the Tom & Jerry cartoons, despite the difference in names. Although it seems a little slow-paced and long now, it did set the standard, and got further recognition of its brilliance when it was nominated for an Academy Award. It still has its charm, and is worth seeing if only to see the cartoon that started it all. Didn't Jasper/Tom look different back in 1940, eh?

there was jasper the cat who tries to eat jerry, and chases him around the house, until jasper broke something, and mammy (originally lillian randolph, and the re-issued voice actor named thea vidale) warns jasper that if he breaks one more thing in this house, he is going out (o-u-w-t for lillian, and o-u-t for thea). this plot is absolutely excellent, and nothing can beat tom and jerry, droopy, spike and tyke, happy harmonies, and other mgm cartoons like the bear that wasn't (the 1960's in that year chuck jones version of T&J is created after gene deitch shorts). all of the tom and jerry shorts from puss gets the boot to the karate guard deserves an a++++ for the bestest picture (including background arts and character arts) and music scores in the Hollywood history. tom and jerry and their TV series and movies deserve the ultra ultimate champion awards for it's extremely best long running series although i am a fan of tom and jerry.

This was Tom & Jerry's first ever televised outing, but here in the early days they were unofficially known as Jasper & Jinx.

Here we see Tom/Jasper threatened with being put out if he breaks one more thing so Jerry/Jinx see's this as a chance to put the cat threat away for good!

It's quaint, it looks great, the soundtrack is fitting and it already has that infamous Tom & Jerry charm.

Jerry looks the same as he does decades later whereas Tom looks quite a bit different, arguably a more realistic feline.

The trouble with Tom & Jerry has always been that I tend to find myself cheering Tom on. With so much at stake I was doing the same here, but you know the drill in these kinds of things the outcome was never in doubt.

Cute early Tom & Jerry action and essential viewing for fans.

The Good:

Charming

Very well made

The Bad:

I've never felt more sorry for Tom!

I always wondered what Tom and Jerry's first cartoon was, and now I know. It's only a few minutes long, but I thought it was a great first appearance for the famous cat and mouse duo. Even though in this short they are known as Jasper & Jinks,

So Mammy Two-Shoes' "O-W-T-Out!" always cracks me up (not to be racial and stereotypical here, so don't worry folks). I also love the squeaky prayers of Jerry/Jinks too. They are so cute. If anyone wonders which version of Tom & Jerry I love the most, It is Tom & Jerry from Hanna-Barbera (1940-1958) and from Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones (1963-1967).

I bought this originally for my Dad, but after being disappointed by two Betty Boop shorts, I decided to watch two Tom & Jerry's. Or so I thought. In the very first short, I'm greeted by Jasper (!) and Jinx (although not named as such in the short). "Jasper" looks much different to the Tom in later shorts. Tom ends up being a lot more scruffier, and dare I say it, almost evil! He's positively timid looking in this.

The story is basic Tom & Jerry/Jasper & Jinx, with Tom being threatened with being thrown out by his un-PC owner with the stripy socks (I remember those from childhood!) if he breaks another thing/makes a mess. So Jerry/Jinx get their revenge, and sets about throwing plates & glasses at the floor. It's mildly amusing, but predictable. Poor Tom/Jasper.

Poor Tom, or in this case, "Jasper". All he ever does is try to earn his keep in his in his home by keeping those pesky rodents out of human sight. That little troublemaker mouse is always stealing the food, harassing that nice cat who deserves to live there, and in this cartoon, he sabotages the poor kitty's home life.

I think this is an evil little mouse, and I wish Hanna and Barbera would've at least given the poor cat a break once in a while. Tom is great and deserved much better respect than he was given, but he is a cat, so that in itself is more reward than a pesky little vermin like Jerry could ever know.

The very first cartoon of legendary series Tom and Jerry.Puss gets the boot has different names for Tom and Jerry as Jasper and Jinx (though not mentioned in short).So its a bit surprise.

In this episode,we can see a home cat Jasper tormenting a mouse Jinx.But hell breaks loose when a flower pot is broken by Jasper which angers its house lady.She warns him that any mess in home,Jasper will be OUT (OUWT!!) of house.Jinx gets that and plans to make a huge mess by breaking all things and Jasper tries to stop it.

This short has great funny moments as usual.Greatest factor of Tom and Jerry is that it will never make us bore and can even bring us laughs even when we know whats next.

So Puss gets Boot is great start .

Puss Gets the Boot is a fine cartoon. When compared to other Tom and Jerry cartoons, it is a subpar short, definitely outshined by later shorts. Despite this, it is still funny. The comedy was ether from the beginning, and this is still enjoyable, with some of the gags being funny and repeated in later shorts. The designs of Tom and Jerry are something that isn't good about this short, but since it was the series start, it isn't a major problem. The only problem with this short is how it's aged. It has been majorly outdone by what comes after, and due to some of it's shortcomings, like it's runtime, which I found to be to long, or some parts just not being very funny, it is definitely a fine Tom and Jerry short, but definitely can be improved on.

The animation studio owned by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera created such classic television series as "The Flintstones," "The Jetsons" and "Scooby-Doo." Their first Hanna-Barbera cartoon, under the auspices of the MGM Cartoon Department, was February 1940's "Puss Gets His Boot." The cat's name was Jasper, but the mouse was anonymous. The two antagonists would soon receive their more famous permanent names Tom and Jerry, becoming one of animated films most popular characters. Their film debut was nominated by the Academy Awards for Best Short Subject Cartoon.

"Puss Gets His Boots" began a sixty year partnership between Hanna and Barbera. Hanna, a gag writer, was responsible for their cartoons' music and the timing of their jokes. He also oversaw the animators and assigned them for each segment drawn. Barbera was the creative force behind the stories' ideas and constructed the overall plots while providing the characters' appearances and the templates of the backgrounds. Together the two were personally involved in the production of their studio's shorts and feature films as well as the television programs well into the late 1990s.

As a young man Hanna had a penchant for drawing, even while working at a car wash. His talents secured a job with a subsidiary of Leon Schlesinger's 'Looney Tunes,' where he became head of inking and painting. He joined MGM in 1937 when the studio formed its new cartoon department. After his failure with 'Captain and the Kids' series, he found himself demoted to a story man, sitting at a desk opposite of Joseph Barbera. The Little Italy, Manhattan, New York City native Barbera displayed a knack for drawing beginning in the first grade. Upon selling his work to several magazines, he was hired by Fleischer Studios as an inker. After a stint with Terrytoons for owner Paul Terry, Barbera took a job with MGM, where he met Hanna sitting at a desk opposite him. Both worked alongside animator innovator Ted Avery.

MGM wanted to expand its roster of cartoon characters, motivating Hanna and Barbera to collaborate on two "equal characters who were always in conflict with each other." At first they thought of a dog and a fox before they settled on the intense rivalry between a cat and a mouse. They received the green light from MGM's short film department boss Fred Quimby. "Puss Gets The Boot" uses a series of Barbera gags. The mouse, initially named Jinx by the artists but is nameless in the cartoon, gets the domesticated house cat Jasper in trouble from its owner. Jasper breaks many of the house's delicate valuable objects in pursuit of the mouse. The maid in the house threatens to kick Jasper out if he breaks another thing. The mouse gains the upper hand when he threatens to drop more items near the cat.

Even though "Puss Gets The Boot" impressed viewers when it played in a few selected theaters, Hanna and Barbera's supervisor Quimby only yawned, and instructed them to work on other projects. Texas businesswoman Bessa Short wrote to MGM inquiring when she could expect to see another Puss cartoon. That letter spurred studio management to get the cat and mouse characters into their own series. An in-house MGM contest was held to name the feline and the rodent. Animator John Carr was the winner of a $50 cash prize with his entry naming Tom (the cat) and Jerry (the mouse) after a popular Christmas cocktail. The drink was named after two characters from an 1821 book 'Life in London.' Hanna and Barbera worked on Tom and Jerry cartoons for the next 17 years, producing 114 shorts. The cat and mouse won seven Academy Award Oscars, more than any other cartoon character in the history of animation, and was nominated 13 times. The pair also appeared in several MGM films including the 1945 musical "Anchors Aweigh" and Esther Williams' 1953 "Dangerous When Wet." To think it all began with Jasper the cat and an unnamed mouse who got the upper hand in "Puss Gets The Boot."

This review refers to the full series of cartoons about the wonderful twosome of Tom and Jerry. This cartoon gave me a lot of bright, colorful and unforgettable emotions in my childhood. As a kid, I watched the episodes of this amazing animated film many times. And now, as an adult and a parent, it is with great pleasure that I re-watch one of my favorite cartoons with my child.

Joseph Barbera and William Hanna gave the world the most famous, unforgettable and vivid characters. In those days and to this day, animators copy situations that were invented by a duo of these talented artists. And the music that Scott Bradley wrote deserves special praise.

Even if in the first episode the main characters are not called Tom and Jerry yet, and they don't look as familiar as they will later. But thanks to this very first cartoon, we can enjoy a great series of great cartoons for any time.

The cat and mouse duo we've come to know and love as Tom and Jerry began life as Jasper and Jinx in this 1940 cartoon from Hanna-Barbera. The early Tom/Jasper is a lot hairier than his latter incarnations, has a different look to his face (more menacing), and sounds more like a real cat; Jerry/Jinx is instantly recognisable, having not really changed much since this first outing.

The story is unremarkable and rather dull compared with later efforts, but this first appearance for the Cartoondom's greatest arch enemies sets the standards for many of the episodes to come: Tom chases Jerry; Jerry teases Tom; Tom is warned by his owner to behave; Jerry gets Tom in trouble; Tom gets punished.

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (Known as Bill and Joe by a large part of their fans) were a duo made up of these same ones, they had just come from working with Harman and Ising since the mid-30s, until they got tired of the same thing and decided get their ideas together for a cartoon directed by themselves, obviously they were from their first cartoons so Rudolf Ising (then being a bigger name) produced the cartoon and was the only one with screen credit, luckily Bill and Joe started from Good way to their Careers with a Great Oscar Nomination!.

Tom and Jerry, perhaps the most Insanely Violent Cartoon of all time, But in a certain way one of the most Influential, this one had its beginning when Bill and Joe left Harman & Ising to make their own cartoons, they could not have made a better decision! Here they apply some Disney-style techniques with a Much Slower Humor and a More Moderate Pace than Usual, the cartoon can feel boring at times due to its extreme duration for a Tom and Jerry cartoon, the usual is 6-7 Minutes, but no!, this one lasts 9 Minutes!, but it really is very enjoyable because it has many more positive qualities than just being the beginning of the duo.

Tom (here called Jasper) Torments an Adorable Mouse, Jerry (his name is not known in this Cartoon, but some animators during the production of the short baptized him as Jinx) Jerry Manages to get rid of Tom's Malicious Tricks and makes his dream (The Great and Memorable Mammy Two Shoes) makes an appearance and scolds and tells Tom that if he breaks anything else in the house, he will leave it! Jerry does not miss the opportunity and makes life hell of Tom in this strange but really interesting cat and mouse adventure!.

The Short coming from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at its Best is not expected to have a Glorious Traditional Animation, and so it is!, the cartoon has an excellent animation (and even to the degree of Disney) which is a complete visual pleasure as well as the nice colors used, Tom and Jerry Primary Designs look a bit rudimentary, a bit weird but they really look great!, Tom looks more like a Real Cat but that makes him look a bit Ugly in some scenes, Jerry had a very Disney-style appearance but he is quite similar and pleasant to the Normal Jerry, but as I said, The Animation is Incredible and Bill Hanna's Excellent Coordination makes this Cartoon a complete audiovisual odyssey.

Scott Bradley, yes, the person I haven't stopped mentioning in my reviews, this man composed most of the Cat and Mouse shorts (he didn't write just 1 short from the Hanna Barbera era, the rest he did,) here he does not show his abilities to create fun music and his music is not frenetic, but it is pleasant and fun, he has a casual style, typical of the late 30s, a bit of violins and that's it!, very good music although it lacks a little energy.

Puss Gets The Boot marked a before and after in Bill and Joe's career, and throughout Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in general!, a Cartoon that presented the cat and mouse duo in a good way, a true nominee for Oscar, although he lost his award, does not take away the influence of this cartoon, this same along with other Warner Bros cartoons, helped to eliminate the Main Genre of Cartoons, and although very good, the Disney Musicals were already becoming excessive and this cartoon helped to strengthen the Slapstick genre after having gone unnoticed in the 30s! Although very little violence, the violence shown in the cartoon is necessary to be called a normal episode of Tom and Jerry, it does not come to the cruel and petty, but not to the Docile and Boring either.

In itself, Puss Gets The Boot was an Ideal Start for this cartoon, there is good animation and music, as well as excellent direction from Bill and Joe, the Characters are still in their primary Designs and Personalities but they are really quite similar to the current ones, I liked the slow pace of the cartoon, it starts frantically with a couple of good gags and then takes a break so that the End goes back to the Initial Fun!, that how a cartoon should be done, a decent pace accompanied by a good development of history, and although that was not very respected by the following Cartoons, they at least made up for it with Good scenes and Memorable gags!.

Finally, now my final verdict, despite its slow pace, Puss Gets The Boot has enough positive qualities to highlight and entertain, it has good animation and fantastic music, Mammy for some may be racist, but it is certainly a secondary character That does not affect, in general it is not the best of the series, but it is a good start that was accompanied by a series of much better short films in later years!.