Absolutely amazing

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Blistering performances.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

"The Night Before Christmas" is a cartoon from almost 75 years ago and at 8.5 minutes, it is slightly longer than the average 7 minutes these films usually run. It is one of the best Tom & Jerry short films in my opinion and I can see why it was Oscar nominated, even if it lost to Disney's Pluto movie from the same year. Both are about compassion. This one here starts as usual. It takes quite a bit until Tom enters the picture, but when he does, it's the same cat & mouse scenario as always with these films. But then something significantly different happens. Tom has a guilty conscience because Jerry is outside the warm home in the freezing cold and it's just too cute how he gets outside, saves him and warms him on the fire. Warms him. Not cooks him. The mistletoe scene was pure comedy gold as well. I really enjoyed watching this little movie and it's interesting how Tom's owner is not in here. Neither is the dog (Spike?) and Tom certainly looks different than how he does in future short films. All in all, a great watch, not only during the holidays because of all the wonderful Christmas references and songs in here. Very much recommended.

Well, not STRICTLY speaking a film... but at 8 minutes 19 seconds it's slightly longer than the usual short, the showcases the love/hate pair at their very best.The wonderful artwork full of festive colours, long before computer animation came into being, is a joy to behold. The carols playing in the background enhance the atmosphere as well. The inventive slapstick that made the original cartoons classics of their era, is here... And, with the addition of toys as props for the inspired mayhem, better than ever.But what with this being a festive special, there HAS to be a 'warm your cockles' moment... and it arrives with the ending, where the duo put aside their differences to have at least ONE day of peace.Tom retrieving his frenemy from the blistering cold after a huge guilt trip and Jerry revealing the location of a carefully disguised trap in Tom's milk bowl are truly moving moments... And though we love the violent high-jinx the pair get up to, it's good to put it all aside for one day... Right? Magical. 8/10

Since this was only the third Tom & Jerry cartoon, you can be sure of one thing--exquisite animation. In the early 1940s, MGM suddenly began making the most artistic animated shorts around--even nicer looking than Disney or Looney Tunes. In particular, the backgrounds are delightful works of art. While the Tom & Jerry cartoons remained well animated into the early 1950s, the quality then rapidly went downhill. Now I am not saying the early ones were always the funniest (sometimes they were, sometimes they weren't) but they were so beautiful that even today they stand out as high points in the history of animation.In "The Night Before Christmas", Tom and Jerry naturally are fighting with Christmas ornaments and decorations strewn about the house. They also interact using the children's' toys--such as the train set and boxing gloves. What follows is mostly predictable--with lots of bonking and kicking. However, a holiday-infused schmaltzy ending follows. While it's not too bad, I personally wanted more bonking! Still, with such lovely animation, it's no wonder this one was Oscar-nominated.

This The Night Before Christmas is an early Tom and Jerry short from the newly created Hanna-Barbera unit at MGM. Jerry wakes up and looks at the presents under the Christmas tree. He lands on Tom and gets chased by him constantly as Jerry rides on the toy train before bumping into the toy tunnel. This keeps going on until the mouse escapes through the door slot which the cat blocks. Then Tom sees Jerry freezing to death outside so he comes back there and brings him inside to thaw him out. For a gift, the cat gives the mouse a candy cane. Skeptical at first, Jerry sees Tom drink some milk from a saucer and puts his cane in it. Snap, it hits a mousetrap! Tom, thankful, smiles at his newfound pal. Jerry then goes to his hole and finds another mouse trap with cheese on it. Once again, he uses his cane to snap it up. When it does, it goes slowly with Jerry now smiling at his new friend. The end. Unlike later series entries, this Tom and Jerry aren't so aggressive in their chases (perhaps because Tex Avery hadn't arrived at MGM yet). So this one is a little cute with some nicely timed gags. While Hanna-Barbera would have more lasting success on television, nothing equaled their output at MGM. So I recommend this to anyone who is interested in all things Hanna-Barbera. And to the just departed Joe, rest in peace.