Tom and Jerry: A Christmas Carol

Tom and Jerry: A Christmas Carol is an animated television special starring Tom and Jerry, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures loosely based on Charles Dickens classic novel, "A Christmas Carol".

For transcript of the film, see Tom and Jerry: A Christmas Carol/Transcript

Synopsis
Tom Cat is a selfish and greedy, holiday-hating feline who demands that Jerry Mouse work on Christmas Day until he is visited by three ghosts of Christmas to show him the true meaning of the holidays.

Plot
The story begins on Christmas Eve with a Scrooge-like Tom Cat trudging through the snow to his counting house to catch his overworked and underpaid employee Jerry Mouse trying to get some coal for the stove, but the cat stops him by hitting him repeatedly with a shovel, and makes him get back to work. After dismissing collectors for the poor, the cat finally closes up his workhouse and tells Jerry to be back the next day on Christmas Day.

When Tom returns home to his manor, the cat is visited by the ghost of his old partner Butch Cat (who was brutally beaten to death by a dog last Christmas Eve). Upon seeing Butch's ghost, the cat screams in horror and hides in a vase, trembling and shaking. Butch's ghost laments on being condemned and bound to heavy chains and shackles in the afterlife for all eternity as punishment for his selfishness, deceit, dishonesty and greed and the horrible deeds he commited throughout his life, and warns Tom that the same fate will be sealed, only worse, if he does not change his ways and clean up his act. Before he departs, he also foretells the arrival of the three ghosts throughout the night.

When the clock strikes one, Tom is first visited by the Spirit of Christmas Past (Red) a who takes the cat on a journey back through time to his kittenhood. Upon his visit, he recalls spending Chistmas alone as a kitten as he had been thrown out on the street by his owner. Tom sheds tears, remembering how lonely he was at Christmas. The Spirit shows Tom a Christmas party where familiar characters, including Droopy Dog, Screwey Squirrel, and Barney Bear are seen, and where he met and fell in love with and became engaged to a beautiful female cat named Toodles Galore in later life. Eventually, Toodles Galore ends the relationship, due to Tom's love for money.

The clock strikes two and Tom then meets the Ghost of Christmas Present (Spike Bulldog), dressed in a festive green robe and a wreath. The bulldog-like spirit gives the cat a glance into the holiday celebration of others. Then the Spirit takes Tom to Jerry's home, and they watch as Jerry, his nephew Tuffy, his fiancée Cherie Mouse and her niece and nephew, despite being poor, are enjoying Christmas together. The mice gather for a Christmas dinner of Christmas pudding, goose, pieces of cheese and chestnuts. Suddenly, Tuffy starts violently hacking and coughing which shows that he has a very serious illness and Jerry runs to his side. Cherie and her niece and nephew are concerned, and Tom watches the scene in genuine concern. The cat gulps and asks the Spirit if Tuffy will live, but the Spirit sadly shakes his head, stating that the little grey mouse will not survive to see another Christmas if the shadows remain unaltered as he begins to depart.

Finally, Tom finds himself face-to-face with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come; silent, faceless, cloaked figure. Tom is taken to the cemetery where Jerry, Cherie and her unnamed niece and nephew are standing in front of a small grave, weeping for Tuffy's passing. The Spirit then leads Tom to his lonely grave, finally convincing the frightened cat to change his ways as he desperately pleads for another chance.

The next morning, it is Christmas Day, Tom springs from his bed and he pays a visit to Jerry and tells him that he is giving him a raise and inviting him and his fiancée to Christmas dinner. Jerry then looks to his fiancée, and then he smiles, shaking Tom's paw. The film ends as Tuffy observes, "God bless us, everyone!"

Cast

 * Tom Cat - Voiced by Billy West. He is loosely based off Ebenezer Scrooge in this story as a selfish, greedy holiday-hating cat.
 * Jerry Mouse
 * Cherie Mouse - Jerry Mouse's fiancée
 * Cherie's unnamed niece and nephew - these young male and female mice are twins based off Martha and Peter Cratchit in the story,
 * Tuffy Mouse - voiced by Kath Soucie. Jerry Mouse's nephew. In this story, he is loosely based off Tiny Tim. As foretold by the Spirit of the Christmas Present (Spike), because of his serious illness, little Tuffy will die if the shadows of the future remain unaltered
 * Butch Cat (as a ghost) - loosely based off Jacob Marley.
 * Red (Spirit of Christmas Past) - voiced by Grey DeLisle
 * Spike Bulldog (spirit of Christmas Present) - Voiced by Phil LaMarr.
 * Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come
 * Toodles Galore - Tom's love interest. In this story, she ends their relationship because of Tom's love for money
 * Droopy Dog - Voiced by Jeff Bergmen. Droopy Dog makes a cameo appearance at the Christmas party in the past

Trivia

 * Droopy Dog, Barney Bear and Screwey Squirrel a cameo appearance in the movie during no the Christmas party in the visit to the Christmas past
 * Butch Cat's first DTV film appearance since Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale
 * this film is loosely based on the book "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens