It begins, as it always has, with a chase. A cat, a mouse, and, inevitably, chaos. Suddenly, you are seven again, smiling at the screen, watching the battle unfold with reckless abandon. Laughter comes naturally.
And as the protagonists — the eternally beloved Tom and Jerry — turn 85, isn’t it a fine excuse to be a bit nostalgic?
That’s eight and a half decades of frying pans, booby traps, exaggerated screams, and the timeless pursuit that has always been unfailingly funny since the first episode aired in 1940.
Originally created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) in the US, the series debuted with the short titled Puss Gets the Boot. It was the beginning of one of the most enduring rivalries in entertainment history.
The characters were never life-like, nor did they try to be. Yet, the big blue cat and the little brown mouse have always managed to captivate viewers — children and adults alike. Even now, the Oscar-winning cartoon hasn’t lost its initial charm.
The animation styles have shifted over time, evolving from the rich hand-drawn illustrations of the 1940s to digital renderings in the 2000s. However, Tom’s schemes and Jerry’s cunningness remain firmly intact.
“There’s something incredibly comforting about watching them,” says Krishnan Nair, a 31-year-old architect who still watches a few episodes to unwind after a stressful day at work. “It’s the same slapstick rhythm every time, and that predictability is strangely soothing.”
He isn’t alone. Even in the age of hyper-realistic animation and streaming fatigue, Tom and Jerry continues to draw in viewers — not just for laughs, but for a particular brand of quiet nostalgia.
The show is often less about the punchlines and more about the memory of when you first laughed at them: on grainy TV screens during summer holidays, or on loop from a well-worn DVD.
Sam Thomas, a techie, is exactly one like that. Tom and Jerry was his respite every summer vacation when he visited Kerala. “I grew up in the UAE. My parents never allowed us to watch TV,” he recalls. “But come summer vacation, in our ancestral home, Tom and Jerry was a regular. It was actually a family affair. I remember my mother used to laugh out loud watching their antics.”
And while nostalgia keeps older fans coming back, the show’s real audience still gathers right where it always has — on the living room floor, eyes glued to the screen, laughter echoing off the walls.
“I like it because it’s just so crazy,” says nine-year-old Aman Mathew, eyes lighting up as he mimics Tom’s wide-eyed scream. “Even when I know what’s going to happen, it’s still funny every single time.”
That kind of repeatable delight is something a few shows manage. Without any moralising, dialogue or heavy plots, it wins hearts with a chase, a crash, and a guaranteed chuckle.
“It’s silly, sure. But it reminds me of being with my cousins, fighting over the remote,” says Shazmin Hannah, a college student. “It’s the kind of silly thing we don’t get much of anymore.”
Young parents also confess to introducing the show to their children who are reeled in by highly stimulating, fast-paced content online. Divya, a homemaker from Chennai, uses Tom and Jerry to distract her five-year-old.
“My daughter was glued to the screen, watching Peppa Pig and Cocomelon. At one point, she was also watching those one-hour-long videos on YouTube where car tyres would run over different objects, and she would seem like she was in a state of hypnosis while watching it. Cartoons like Tom and Jerry, I think, are a healthier distraction,” she says.
Although Divya claims that her child perceives the show as just a ‘humorous fight between a cat and a mouse,’ child psychologists suggest that parents exercise caution.
Samanvitha, a child psychology consultant, says, “Shows from the 1990s are definitely better for children when compared to the shows made today. But just like how children might be influenced by George in Peppa Pig who throws a tantrum until his demands are met, behavioural concerns cannot be ignored in old shows.”
Tom and Jerry does have themes such as physical aggression, deception, manipulation, and helplessness, among others. But dialogue with the children can help them understand desirable and undesirable behaviour, Samanvitha adds.
“Ask them questions about what’s happening on the show, learn their perspective, and encourage conversation about how they would feel if they were being treated like Tom or Jerry in the show,” she proposes.
Silent pantomime
Part of the show’s power lies in its near-total lack of dialogue. It’s a show that plays just as well in Kerala or Chennai as it does in California, be it 2025 or 1955.
Riya Cherada, founder of the marketing firm Sardine Mother, agrees. “Tom and Jerry was something different. It draws you in without any dialogue,” she says.
“You don’t need to know English to understand this American cartoon, which makes it accessible. And it makes you laugh without fail. Even thinking about them makes you smile.”
Riya also found a few relatable facets in the show. “Yes, the art was never life-like like today’s cartoons, but it is here that I learnt that physically small people can also win,” she laughs.
Interestingly, now looking back, many have changed their allegiance to Tom. “I used to be a Jerry fan,” says Sam. “But now, maybe it’s the age catching up, I think Tom was just doing his job. His owner gave him a job — catch the mouse that has become a nuisance in the house. And he was never able to do that. Poor guy. Sometimes, I feel he should also win a few bouts.”
There are, in fact, many who echo the sentiment. But Riya remembers a “conspiracy theory” she heard somewhere — Tom was actually Jerry’s friend, and it was all a scam!
“Think about it. Tom was just helping Jerry, never catching him, just acting so that no other cat would attack Jerry. So sweet,” she smiles.
While theories and discussions continue, Tom and Jerry show no signs of slowing. They never should. They should continue to make generations laugh with abandon.
‘Every frame, a piece of art’
Azeem Kattali, co-founder and managing director of Eunoians Studio, remembers his animation gurus raving about the art in Tom and Jerry. “They used to call it pure manual art,” he says.
“But now it is quantity over quality. Deadlines matter, and the use of software makes the process easy. This was evident in the Tom and Jerry film that came out a couple of years ago. It lacked the old charm.”
Earlier, the process of animation was entirely dependent on artists. For one moving sequence, they would painstakingly draw each frame with all the details, including the background.
“They would resketch and perfect each frame. They focused on storytelling, expressions, timing.... These images were hand-drawn on clear sheets and then photographed to create a video. It is called cel (celluloid) animation,” Azeem gushes.
He adds, the earlier Tom and Jerry cartoons were so rich in detail. “Every frame was basically an amazing piece of art. That is why, even now, you can return to them and enjoy them, though decades have passed. Those animations live on.”
Varshini Krishna, an illustrator based out of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, also marvels at these details, “I was amazed by how the tiniest emotions — like Jerry’s heartbeat or a duckling being saved — were brought to life through pure animation brilliance. Even now, with all the digital tools around, nothing beats the wonder of old-school frame-by-frame storytelling.”
As a student, Varshini maintained a folder for her works that were inspired by Tom and Jerry. “I still have those on my hard drive,” she shares.