Tom & Jerry (marketed as Tom & Jerry: The Movie) is a 2021 American live-action/computer-animated slapstick comedy film based on the titular cartoon characters of the same name created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, produced by Warner Animation Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the second theatrical film based on the characters, following Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992), and the third to animate them in the contemporary real world with humans, following Anchors Aweigh (1945) and Dangerous When Wet (1953), like the original cartoons. The film's story follows Tom enlisted to catch Jerry before his presence ruins New York City's fanciest hotel and its planned wedding. The film is directed by Tim Story and written by Kevin Costello. It stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Colin Jost, Rob Delaney, Pallavi Sharda, Jordan Bolger, Patsy Ferran, and Ken Jeong in live-action roles, with Nicky Jam, Bobby Cannavale, and Lil Rel Howery in voice roles. The titular characters are voiced by William Hanna via archival recordings, with additional vocals from Kaiji Tang and André Sogliuzzo (though the characters are listed as themselves in the credits). Starting with a live-action film in 2009, to an animated film in 2015, and to a hybrid film blending stylized animation and live-action in 2018 (with filming beginning in 2019),[9] the film languished in development hell as the studio spent years finding a writer to pen the most faithful take on the franchise and characters for a feature film. Warner Bros. executives wanted the film to “be what Tom and Jerry are”, as the studio “understands how much of its history is rooted in these iconic characters”. Many elements from the original cartoons were featured in the film. Such as their sound effects, Tom being a jazz pianist, Tom's Rube Goldberg mouse trap, Jerry's heartbeat, Jerry's theft of food and items, and some of the titular characters' voice tracks from William Hanna.
Tom & Jerry was theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on February 26, 2021, alongside a one-month streaming release on HBO Max. The film was a box office success, grossing $136 million worldwide on a $79 million production budget, but received negative-to-mixed reviews from critics, criticizing its human characters and screenplay, but praising its blend of classic animation and live-action, performances (particularly Moretz's), soundtrack, nostalgic feel, and faithfulness to its source material.
