Tom und ich auf der Jagd

A baby woodpecker's egg falls out of a tree whilst it is trying to hatch itself. In doing so, it rolls into Jerry's house, and problems arise when not only does the little woodpecker think that Jerry is its 'Mama', but it gets a bit peck-happy and destructive. Unsurprisingly when Tom gets caught up in the action, Jerry comes to the little bird's rescue... This is a CinemaScope remake of the 1949 Tom and Jerry cartoon, 'Hatch Up Your Troubles'. Apart from the wider screen display, the other difference is in the imagery. This time around, due to rising costs of cartoons at the time, although the animation is identical to the earlier cartoon, the colours are less easy on the eye, and the backgrounds are also more schematic. Definitely best enjoyed in its original 1949 version.

This "Tom and Jerry" short called "The Egg and Jerry" is one that's sentimental and touching as after a big mamma bird hatches her new little baby woodpecker fate and an unplanned journey lead the baby bird to Jerry and the two become friends. However The woodpecker thinks that Jerry is his mother only this comes into Jerry's advantage as in his chases and get away action from Tom cat the woodpecker and his beck come in handy. Overall well done sentimental touching one.

The Egg and Jerry is a CinemaScope retread of the not-particularly-memorable Hatch Up Your Troubles (1949), wherein a baby woodpecker mistakes Jerry for his mother and proceeds to peck away at any wooden objects it can find, including Tom's deckchair, which kick-starts the inevitable chase routine with Jerry doing his best to ensure the safety of the bird.

The only real difference between this and the original (picture ratio aside) is that this version features some truly horrible, slapdash backgrounds, no doubt the result of a cost cutting exercise by Hanna-Barbera. My advice: watch Hatch Up Your Troubles instead, or any one of the many excellent early Tom and Jerry shorts.