Jerry and the Lion (1950)

 

This is one of the many Tom and Jerry films where Jerry befriends another animal. In this cartoon, the other animal is a lion. Though this is the only theatrical short film to feature this lion, he would later appear in more Tom and Jerry media. He would appear in multiple episodes of TV's The Tom and Jerry Show (the 2014 version), as well as an episode of HBO Max's Tom and Jerry in New York entitled Mousequerade (2021). He would also be an unlockable character in the 2002 video game, Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers. The Tom and Jerry Wiki lists this as being the same lion who would appear in The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show episode, Under the Big Top (1980) and Tom and Jerry Tales episode, You're Lion (2008). 

In this short film, Tom hears about a ferocious lion that escaped from a circus. A terrified Tom locks and bars all the doors while holding a gun to protect himself. The lion does find its way into the house and befriends Jerry. He tells Jerry to help him from not being sent back to the circus. Jerry must help get his new friend back to Africa, while keeping him a secret from Tom. 

This is a simply wonderful cartoon. While it may not have as many great gags as some of the earlier Tom and Jerry films, the gags that work here are fantastic. The gag involving the umbrella is one of my favorite Tom and Jerry gags ever. The timing on this gag is perfect and it takes you by surprise the first time you watch it. This whole film also benefits from some great character animation. Once again the animation truly brings these characters to life. You can always tell just what Tom and Jerry are thinking without them having to say a word. Often times the looks on Tom's face (or even the lion's) make the gags even funnier. The lion is also a great character who works very well with our friends Tom and Jerry. 

The credited animators on this film are Irven Spence, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson. The cartoon would be reissued to theaters in 1957. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. While this is better than many of these movie posters, it is still far from perfect and the characters are definitely off-model.