Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse are two of the most popular cartoon characters in the world. In the short cartoons, Tom is always trying to catch Jerry, but he never makes it. Almost every cartoon ends with Tom in trouble and Jerry laughing at him. The stories are full of fun and have a long history.
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera both worked for MGM in the late 1930s. Their boss told them to make funny cartoons. Together they thought of the idea of a cat and a mouse. They thought it would be funny if the mouse was clever and always got the cat into trouble.
It was a great success that the first Tom and Jerry cartoon was shown in cinemas in 1940. Over the next 17 years, they made many Tom and Jerry cartoons. Most of them are around seven minutes long.
In total, Hanna and Barbera made 114 Tom and Jerry cartoons. The cartoons were so good that they won a number of awards(奖励). The famous cat and mouse remain popular today, as the cartoons are still shown on television around the world.
Tom and Jerry — Two of the World's Most Cartoon Characters | |
The introduction to characters | ◆Tom,a cat trying to catch Jerry ◆Jerry, a clever mouse getting Tom into . |
The creators of Tom and Jerry cartoons | ◆William Hanna and Joseph Barbera both thought of the of a cat and a mouse |
The first Tom and Jerry cartoon | ◆Being shown in cinemas in 1940 ◆A great . |
The achievements (成就) of Tom and Jerry | ◆ a number of awards and remaining popular around the world |