The House That Cat Built is the second and last episode of Tom and Jerry Special Shorts.
Synopsis[]
When Jerry invades Tom's new extra-deluxe, extra-large cat castle, Tom is determined to get Jerry out.
Plot[]
Tom eagerly opens a large package for Spence's Dee-Lux Cat Condo (Satisfaction Guaranteed). He pulls out all the parts and gets to work, hammer and drill in hand, constructing the condo right by Jerry's mousehole. Inside, Jerry peeks out, holding a frame that reads, “Hole Sweet Hole.” As Tom hammers away, the noise disturbs the little mouse, creating vibrations in his home. Annoyed, Jerry comes out to see the commotion, but his irritation quickly turns to surprise as he marvels at the fortress-like condo Tom has built.
After inspecting the completed construction, Jerry’s annoyance returns. He yanks on Tom’s tail to get his attention and expresses how Tom’s noisy work is disturbing him. Tom, however, seems oblivious to Jerry’s plight. The two exchange glares until Tom shoves Jerry back into his hole, causing the frame with “Hole Sweet Hole” to crash down onto the mouse’s head. Tom bursts into laughter at Jerry's misfortune and climbs to the top of his new cat condo to relax.
But peace is short-lived. The sound of drilling interrupts Tom as he soon discovers that Jerry has invaded his condo, taking refuge in one of the cubbyholes. Jerry grabs a hammer and swings it at Tom’s head, causing the cat to yelp in pain as Jerry makes his escape.
Tom quickly reaches into the cubbyhole to grab the little mouse, but Jerry has a plan. The clever mouse dangles a toy to bait Tom's interest. As Tom lunges to snatch Jerry, he inadvertently grabs the dangling mouse toy instead. Dashing off with it, he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that he’s ensnared by the string attached to the toy. The string snaps, flinging him back toward Jerry and sending him crashing into a nearby cat pole, leaving him with singed fur. Jerry can’t help but laugh at Tom's predicament.
Enraged, Tom resumes his pursuit and crashes into another pillar. Spotting a rope in the cat condo, he attempts to use it as a lasso to snatch Jerry from his hiding place. However, the rope flies back and hits Tom square in the face. Searching for Jerry, he stops near a trio of climbing poles. Jerry skillfully maneuvers around the poles, using them to strike Tom repeatedly, each hit adding to the cat's frustration. With a clever twist, Jerry sends Tom flinging into a wall. Tom crashes down onto a nearby toolbox next to a drill. The impact causes a floor plank to snap, sending the drill hurtling toward Jerry, who cleverly catches it.
Seizing the opportunity, Jerry uses the drill to unscrew the nails supporting Tom's condo, working swiftly to destabilize the structure. As he continues his task, one of the main pillars finally gives way and crashes down, pinning Tom beneath it, but not knocking him out.
Furious, Tom charges after Jerry in a heated pursuit from atop the precarious condo, wielding a mallet while trying to swat the crafty mouse. However, in his attempts to hit Jerry, he inadvertently strikes one of the condo's support beams, further increasing its instability. While Tom is distracted, Jerry continues unscrewing the nails, knowing that the final removal is imminent.
Just as the last screw comes free, the head of the pillar that supports the entire cat condo crumbles. In a desperate attempt to regain control, Tom finally grabs hold of Jerry, but the clever mouse quickly points out the impending collapse of his beloved fortress.
Desperate to avert disaster, Tom hoists the condo over his head, trying with all his strength to keep it from crashing down upon him. But Jerry has other plans. Finding nearby nails, he quickly places them between each of his toes. To Tom's dismay, Jerry then wields the mallet and slams it down onto Tom's foot, embedding the nails into the floor.
Tom, now furious, soon turns to fear as he feels his grip weaken. Jerry begins sawing through the floor beneath them, the sounds of wood cracking echoing in the air. Tom struggles in vain, unable to move due to the nails wedged between his toes. With one final cut, Jerry finishes the hole beneath Tom, sending both him and the condo plummeting down through the floor.
As the condo collapses into the void below, the remnants of Tom's once-proud fortress scatter, landing in chaotic heaps. With Tom's brutal defeat complete, Jerry surveys the scene triumphantly. He takes over the dilapidated condo, turning it into his own mouse paradise. With a gleeful smile, he adorns the space with clever modifications and comfortably rests atop it, waving to the screen as the ultimate victor.
Characters[]
Main Characters[]
Censorship[]
- Tom has thorns and cuts, and seeing him naked cuts across the scene.
Notes[]
- "Hole sweet hole" is a pun on "Home sweet home".
- This episode is a pun of "The House that Jack built".
- This is the first episode that takes five minutes instead of seven or eleven minutes.
- The background art in this episode is very reminiscent to that of Trap Happy, most notably in the use of the light pink wall and blue flooring.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
