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Switchin' Kitten is a 1961 Tom and Jerry cartoon and the first of the thirteen cartoons directed by Gene Deitch.

Plot

During a storm, Tom is trying to find a place to stay after being thrown out of a horse-drawn wagon. In the meantime, Jerry is assisting a mad scientist in a castle. They take Lightning and strap him to a table next to a dog that is strapped to another table. The mad scientist and Jerry push a number of buttons and controls to switch the brains of the cat and dog, that is, Lightning now has a dog's brain and vice versa. The mad scientist gives the "cat" to Jerry as a companion. While they are sleeping, Tom approaches the castle, noticing Jerry. Lightning (with a dog brain) growls and threatens Tom. Tom tries to convince Lightning that he is a cat, but fails. Over the next few minutes, Tom's efforts to catch Jerry are thwarted by Lightning. As Tom runs off in fright, he comes into contact with other animals that the mad scientist has experimented on, including a chirping elephant, a chicken that bleats like a lamb, a mooing cuckoo-bird, a dog whose brain was switched with Lightning, Tom preys for the cartoon not to end, but Jerry roars like the MGM Lion, Leo, with the trademark ribbon that reads "Ars Gratia Artis" (Latin for "Art for Art's Sake"), the official motto for the company) ends it anyway. Tom blasts off like a spacecraft, as he flees out of the castle, while Jerry winks at the camera as it closes.

Characters

Starring

Featuring

  • Mad Scientist
  • Blue Dog
  • Unnamed cats
  • Elephant
  • Rooster
  • Coo Coo bird

Development

On July 18, 1961, MGM announced that it was going to resume filming of Tom and Jerry cartoons.[2]

Notes

  • This cartoon was originally going to be called "Dogging the Cat".
  • This is a cartoon that features animals that had their bodies switch:
    1. A dog in Lightning's body.
    2. A lion in Jerry's body.
    3. A bird in an elephant's body.
    4. A goat in a chicken's body.
    5. Lightning in a dog's body.
    6. A cow in a bird's body.
  • This is the only MGM cartoon to be written by Eli Bauer, a story man best known for his work on TerryToons.
  • According to Gene, Lightning did not have his brain swapped, he just had his animal instincts swapped.
  • This film was released in 1961, however the copyright year is written as MCMLX (1960). This is maybe due to its production year.

Trivia

  • The first cartoon to use the new logo for the Gene Deitch-era happy Jerry awhile Tom grins it was used in (except in High Steaks) until Landing Stripling.
  • The only cartoon to use a surprised Jerry in beginning logo awhile the end shows a defeated Tom.

References

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