Name: Puss Gets the Boot
Director: William Hanna
Genre: Animation, Comedy
Released: 1940-02-10
Duration: 9 min
Rating: 7
Cast: Lillian Randolph, Harry Lang, William Hanna

The 9-minute short that launched a 160+ episode rivalry — and they couldn't even get the names right.

Slapstick chaosVintage mischiefUnderdog triumph

Overview

Animation Comedy

Jasper is given an ultimatum by his master: break one more thing and you're out. Rodent Jerry does his best to make sure that his tormentor "gets the boot".

Content warning

short film cat mouse cartoon cat cartoon mouse

Survival through witClass warfare (pet edition)Consequences of crueltyThe art of revenge

Standout Aspects

Sound

Hanna's screams — unmatched in cartoon history.

Writing

Zero dialogue, perfect physical comedy storytelling.

Best for:Solo·Family·Rewatch

Heads up:Triggers

Director

William Hanna

ReleasedFeb 10, 1940

Runtime9m

StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacefast

Intensitymedium

Tonelight

Feellight

MGM Cartoon Studio

Top Cast

Lillian Randolph

Mammy Two-Shoes (voice) (uncredited)

William Hanna

Jinx (voice) (uncredited)

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

This was originally a one-off called 'Jasper' — test audiences loved it so much that MGM demanded more, but the names got changed to Tom and Jerry after focus groups.

Cultural

The original Mammy Two-Shoes voice by Lillian Randolph was redubbed by Thea Vidale in the 1990s, making this one of the most altered cartoons in history.

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