November 27th, 2020 
Michael Lyons 
Even during this socially distant Thanksgiving we just experienced, the trope of unwelcome guests still surfaced (after all, they could still always arrive via video conference!).
This aspect of the holiday even surfaced in a classic Tom & Jerry cartoon from 1948 entitled The Little Orphan, in which the cat and mouse team welcome the title character to their Thanksgiving table.
This year, Tom & Jerry celebrate their 80th anniversary. They made their debut in the 1940 MGM Studio short subject Puss Gets the Boot, and next year, they will return to the big screens in the live-action/animated feature film “re-boot,” Tom & Jerry. All of this renewed focus makes this the perfect year to celebrate Thanksgiving with them in The Little Orphan.
Directed by the legendary team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who would helm the cat and mouse’s original canon of short subjects at MGM, The Little Orphan opens with Jerry mouse reading “Good Mousekeeping,” magazine while eating cheese off of a nearby mouse trap.
There’s a knock at his door and in walks a cute, little mouse, in a diaper with a note pinned to it that reads:
The one-sheet poster (click to enlarge)
Thank you,
‘Bide-A-Wee-Mouse-Home’
P.S. – He’s always hungry.”
And the “always” in the note is underlined, so Jerry quickly takes Nibbles out of his mouse hole to partake in the milk dish near a sleeping Tom the cat.
After draining the dish, they spot the turkey being placed on the Thanksgiving table. The two mice make their way to the table top, during which Nibbles starts taking bites out of everything, including the side of a candle.
Jerry stops this and the two of them take pilgrim hats and musket guns off of figurines near the place settings and begin marching around the table.
It’s at this point that Tom starts sneaking near the two mice, using a nearby feather duster as a disguise and wearing it as an “Indian Chief” headdress.
What follows is a battle between Tom & Jerry (and Nibbles) with the duo’s trademark “cartoon violence.” Tom actually winds up swallowing a flaming arrow and is eventually done in as a bottle of champagne is uncorked and sends him flying across the room into a cabinet.
The three end the short subject by sitting down to a peaceful Thanksgiving dinner, but not before Nibbles eats the entire turkey, going through it like a buzz saw and leaving nothing but bones.
The Little Orphan won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject and rightfully so (in fact, the opening credits on reissue prints announce this). It’s one of seven Oscars that Tom & Jerry won for MGM.
The Little Orphan is filled with the usual, full animation that was a hallmark of MGM and the backgrounds, particularly those of the Thanksgiving table, are fully realized and very creative (particularly a turkey olive holder).
Nibbles proves to be a good addition to the Tom & Jerry universe and adds a nice comedic touch (his pointing to his mouth when he is hungry, his constant appetite and cluelessnes as to how dangerous Tom can be is a nice balance to Jerry). The Little Orphan marked his second appearance in the Tom & Jerry cartoons. He had made his first appearance in The Milkey Waif (1943). He would be featured in other cartoons, but under a different name, Tuffy.
The Little Orphan is very much like other studio cartoon shorts made in the ‘40’s and is very much a product of its time, which is seen by some political incorrectness and insensitivities that were, unfortunately, inherent in many of these shorts. These have actually been edited out of The Little Orphan through the years. The lady-of-the-house (“Dinah”) who appeared in this and other shorts has been edited down to a brief, fleeting image — and a sight gag that involved Tom getting burned by a candle and then turning black, has been deleted altogether.
Interestingly, the images of Tom as an “Indian chief” and accompanying background music has remained in the short, for some reason.
The Little Orphan was such a hit that it was re-made by MGM and Hanna-Barbera in 1957 as Feedin’ the Kiddie. This time the short was in widescreen Cinemascope and is a shot-by-shot re-make using what looks like the exact character animation from the original, this time coupled with more stylized backgrounds.
The Little Orphan is also a prime example of the heyday of Tom & Jerry and MGM Animation. It’s not only a perfect and appropriate watch during this anniversary year and resurgence for the characters, it is truly a perfect cartoon for Thanksgiving. After all, if Tom & Jerry can put their differences aside for their turkey dinner, can’t we all?
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