Little Runaway

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = Little Runaway
series = Tom and Jerry


caption =
director = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
story_artist = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
animator = Ed Barge
Kenneth Muse
Irven Spence
Ray Patterson
voice_actor =
musician = Scott Bradley
producer = Fred Quimby
distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
release_date = flagicon|US June 14, 1952
color_process = Technicolor
runtime = 7' 04"
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0044843
preceded_by = "Triplet Trouble"
followed_by = "Fit to Be Tied"

"Little Runaway" is a 1952 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 68th "Tom and Jerry" short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby. It was animated by the usual team of animators who worked under Hanna and Barbera, credited to Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson. As with the majority of "Tom and Jerry" cartoons, Robert Gentle created the backgrounds, and Scott Bradley composed the music.

Plot

A baby seal cuts his way out of his cage while the circus owners are sleeping and makes his way to Tom and Jerry's house. The seal befriends Jerry, and informs him that he was unwillfully forced to play trumpets with his mouth at the local circus. Jerry is more than willing to help out the little fellow out, and go about finding a fish for the hungry seal.

Jerry takes a sleeping Tom's fish, but Tom wakes up before he can get away. Jerry then hides behind the fish, does a little dance with it, then waltzes away. Enjoying this unexpected performance, Tom whistles for several encores and Jerry makes the fish bow, then reveals himself and takes a bow himself. Tom gives chase. Jerry tosses the fish into the pool, only to have Tom retrieve it. No sooner does Tom grab the fish does the seal gobble it up. Just then, Tom overhears a radio news report detailing the seal's escape and the $10,000 reward for his return.

After several failed attempts at catching the seal, Tom cuts up a tire and covers himself in black rubber to disguise himself as an adult seal. The little seal and Jerry are playing catch and Tom joins the game. The little seal follows Tom's every move, and is just about to be captured by the cunning feline until a circus worker grabs Tom.

Tom is brought back to circus, and is forced to play "Yankee Doodle" on the trumpet. Though annoyed at first, Tom receives thunderous applause and soon embraces the adoration. As a finale, a fish is thrown into his mouth. [ [http://www.tomandjerryonline.com/episodes.cfm?era=hb tomandjerryonline.com] ]

Censorship

The clip of a birdbath bowl landing upside down on Tom's head (simulating the coolie hat) has been excised from "Cartoon Network" airings.

References